One of the oldest characters that the Star Wars continuity has ever introduced is Jedi Master Yoda, who was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order before its destruction at the hands of Darth Sidious and the clones. Of course, we know that the Jedi had an era where it was at the height of its power. This was called the High Republic, which was hundreds of years before the rise of the Empire. So, considering that Yoda is one of the oldest characters in Star Wars, does that mean he was alive during the High Republic era?
Yoda was already alive during the High Republic era and was also already a Jedi Master at that time. That’s because Yoda died at the age of 900 and was a Jedi for at least 800 years before his death. As such, there is no doubt that he lived during the High Republic era and was already a prominent Jedi.
The fact that Yoda was so old is one of the things that Star Wars fans know. As such, he is likely the only Jedi during the final days of the Jedi Order to have lived during the days of the High Republic, and that’s why he was as wise and as experienced as he was before the time of his death. So, with that said, let’s talk more about Yoda and his days during the High Republic era.
When Was the High Republic Era?
The Star Wars storyline has seen its fair share of different eras throughout a galactic history that spans thousands of years. Of course, in the 25,000+ years of the existence of the Jedi, the time often considered the greatest era of the Jedi Order was the High Republic era, also considered the greatest era of the Galactic Republic.
Centuries after thousands of years of wars against the Sith and even the Mandalorians, the Jedi Order was at its peak during the High Republic era because it was largely uncontested. The Jedi acted as the protectors of the peace of the Republic, which was also at the greatest point of its history in the High Republic era because there were no galaxy-wide wars against powerful foes.
During the High Republic era, the Republic saw an unprecedented time of expansion as many different systems throughout the galaxy, especially in the Outer Rim Territories, joined the Republic. This was also an era of peace in the galaxy, and the ones charged with protecting the peace were the Jedi, who were at the height of their powers as they believed that the Sith had already gone extinct. As such, the Jedi were significantly spread all over the galaxy to keep the peace in the Republic and to make sure that there were no threats to the expansion to its expansion.
The High Republic era lasted from 500 BBY to 100 BBY, meaning it saw four centuries of peace and freedom throughout the galaxy. But the era of the High Republic ended when the Sith slowly made their move and caused significant galactic events that threatened the prosperity of the galaxy. These moves eventually led to the eventual downfall of the Jedi Order and the Republic on 19 BBY.
How Old Was Yoda?
When it comes to the Jedi Order, the one Jedi that other Jedi went to for counsel was none other than Jedi Master Yoda, who served as the Grand Master of the Order during the time of the final days of the Republic. Of course, Yoda is one of the characters that people know have been around for a long time, considering that his species tend to mature slower. Due to their slow maturation rate, Yoda’s people tend to live for centuries, as evidenced by Grogu, who is still a toddler at the age of 50.
The reason why people know that Yoda is so old is the fact that he said this during the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. In fact, when he died on 4 ABY, Yoda was 900 years old and the oldest living Jedi at that time. That means that he was already alive during the time of the High Republic, which enjoyed four centuries of prosperity from 500 BBY to 100 BBY.
So, if Yoda was 900 at the time of his death on 4 ABY, that would mean that he was born on 896 BBY, which pre-dated the time of the High Republic by 400 years. As such, by the time of the High Republic era, Yoda was already almost 400 years old and was a mature adult. In other words, he was one of the few people who had seen the days of the High Republic, the fall of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire.
Was Yoda a Jedi During the High Republic?
Another fact that most Star Wars fans know is that Yoda trained Jedi for over 800 years. That means he was already a Jedi well before the High Republic era and was probably inducted into the order when he was almost 100 years old. In that regard, he is a Jedi that saw almost a thousand years of Jedi history, from the days before the High Republic all the way to the fall of the Jedi Order.
In fact, Yoda is actually a Jedi Master training younglings during the events of Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, which is a children’s show depicting younglings learning the ways of the Force under none other than Yoda himself. The events of Young Jedi Adventures take place during the High Republic era.
As such, there is no doubt that Yoda was already a Jedi during the time of the High Republic. Moreover, he was already a Jedi Master then and was likely one of the greatest Jedi in the entire Jedi Order during an era when the Jedi was at its peak.
That is why all of the Jedi Knights respected Jedi Master Yoda’s wisdom during the events of the Star Wars movies and shows, as they knew how old, wise, and experienced he was. And he was likely the only Jedi alive to have seen the days of the High Republic, as not a lot of Jedi were as old as he was during the days leading up to the fall of the Jedi Order.
