Yoda’s Force Powers – Jedi Master
Those familiar with the Star Wars Saga will no doubt recognize the powerful Jedi Master Yoda. In the original trilogy, Yoda’s character was primarily that of a master, and it’s not until the prequel movies that we see some of his lightsaber abilities. Long recognized as one of the most powerful Jedi in the universe, here’s a brief rundown of Yoda’s life and Force abilities.
George Lucas doesn’t provide many details about Yoda’s early life. He is a male of an unknown (and unnamed) species, born in the year 896 BBY, on a remote and also unnamed planet.
NOTE: BBY stands for Before the Battle of Yavin, the year the Death Star was destroyed, leading to the eventual overthrow of the Empire. Due to the importance of this event, the Republic established this date as Year 0 when setting the new post-Empire calendar.
At a mere 26 inches tall, it’s not even known if Yoda is average height for his species. What we do know is that early in his life, he left his remote home planet for the core worlds when his ship was struck by an asteroid and disabled, barely making it to an unnamed (not Dagobah) swamp planet. It is on this planet that he meets Jedi Master N’Kata Del Gormo, who recognizes that Yoda is extremely sensitive to the Force and trains him. It is here that Yoda becomes a Jedi Master in the year 796 BBY. Over the next 600 years, Yoda trains countless young men as director of the Jedi Training Academy and continues to enhance his own abilities as a Jedi Master. Soon recognized as one of the greatest Jedi Masters, Yoda has the following Force abilities.
Sword master – Title awarded only to those who have mastered all the techniques in lightsaber combat. Yoda prefers the Form IV Technique which employs a variety of spinning and acrobatic moves.
The force – Generally regarded as the greatest Force Master of the Jedi Orders, including his extremely powerful and precise telekinetic abilities, including:
forced push: Ability to throw objects/people
Tractive force: Ability to pull objects towards himself
whirlwind of force: Advanced force push that lifts, turns and immobilizes opponents
Force Knockback/Force Cast: More powerful Force Push, used to throw objects at high speed away from the user
force wave: The most powerful form of Force Push, creates a wave of pure Force energy that pushes anything in its path away from the source (Yoda)
Strength Value: Used to focus abilities, increase resolve, and increase the ability to move faster and hit harder. used by Yoda to overcome the limitations of old age
force lightning: Yoda had the ability to deflect and dispel Force Lightning with his bare hands.
battle meditation – Ability to lift the spirits of his allies while discouraging the resolve of his opponents. Enhanced by Yoda’s reputation as a warrior, he was known to win battles by his presence on the battlefield.
At the core of Yoda’s abilities was his skill as a teacher. As Grand Master of the Jedi Order, he participated in the training of almost all Jedi. He also teaches the young Luke Skywalker, who after the Jedi are nearly wiped out by Darth Vader, founds the New Jedi Order.
