Why George Lucas Removed Star Wars’ Strangest Jedi Master
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace introduced a slew of new Jedi, yet one member of the Jedi Council had to be removed out of fear of confusing audiences.
With Luke, Obi-Wan, and Yoda being the only Jedi of the Star Wars original trilogy, fans were given whiplash by the amount of Jedi in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The Coruscant Jedi Temple offered a look at the Jedi Order at the height of its power, with thousands of weird and wonderful aliens dedicating themselves to the religion. Many of the strangest of these characters sat on the Jedi Council itself, including Jedi Master Yarael Poof, whose strange character design caused George Lucas to remove him from all future projects.
Within the 10-year gap between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, the Jedi Council underwent a couple of changes. Most notably, Yaddle, the only known female member of Yoda’s race, was missing, and the tallest Jedi Master, Yarael Poof, had been replaced. Yarael was not only gone from the council, but all details surrounding the character were purposefully kept to a minimum, for it was convenient for audiences to forget he ever existed.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on March 17, 2024: With the introduction of new Disney+ series like Tales of the Jedi, many of the lesser-known Jedi in Star Wars canon now have the chance to take the spotlight. Chief among those that audiences are interested in learning about is Yarael Poof, a mysterious Jedi Master whom George Lucas removed from Attack of the Clones for a surprising reason.
Yarael Poof Resembled an Important Star Wars Alien
He was particularly skilled in Jedi mind tricks.
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As the Jedi Council judges whether the young Anakin Skywalker is ready to train during the events of The Phantom Menace, Yarael Poof sits among them. Like many other figures in the scene, the white, long-necked alien Jedi was originally meant to be nothing more than a forgettable side character to fill out the Council room. But, as many fans may notice upon a re-watch, Yarael looks suspiciously close to the Kaminoan cloners introduced in the next film, Attack of the Clones.
Whether it was done intentionally or not, the Kaminoans, who were in charge of producing the clone army in Attack of the Clones, bore a striking resemblance to Yarael Poof. While the Kaminoans clearly have larger eyes and smoother skin than Master Poof’s species, it would be easy for casual viewers to mistakenly lump the two species together. Since the Jedi historical archives didn’t become aware of the Kaminoans until Attack of the Clones, Poof’s presence could cause unnecessary confusion for viewers.
George Lucas removed Yarael from Attack of the Clones to avoid confusion. The puppet used for Yarael was even present in the original scenes. However, as the classic 2002 Star Wars Official Newsletter explained, he was digitally removed and replaced with a CGI alien called Coleman Trebor.
Yarael Poof’s Erasure Leaves His Story Unexplored
Yarael Poof sits behind Qui-Gon Jinn as he addresses the council in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Lucas’ decision was completely understandable, as no one would miss Yarael Poof’s presence, and audiences were bound to be confused when noticing a Kaminoan-like alien not speaking up about the cloning project. However, Master Poof’s removal from Attack of the Clones has made him one of the most underdeveloped Jedi Masters to date, with most of his lore coming from brief appearances in the High Republic era.
As for his years after The Phantom Menace, Star Wars visual dictionaries claim Yarael Poof died before Attack of the Clones, although there has been some confusion surrounding this. In Mace Windu #5, Yarael Poof makes a background appearance despite the story taking place during the Clone Wars. However, Matt Martin from the Lucasfilm Story Group has since claimed on Twitter that this was an oversight and that Yarael Poof should not be there.
Nevertheless, it is still interesting to see how desperately Star Wars has tried to bury this character since his removal from Attack of the Clones. His species, later confirmed to be known as the Quermians, rarely appears outside of comics. Moreover, it remains unknown precisely how Master Yarael Poof meets his end after The Phantom Menace. Even the missing Jedi Master Yaddle was given a send-off in Tales of the Jedi, so hopefully, one day, the forgotten Yarael Poof will receive the same treatment.
Will Star Wars Ever Tell Yarael Poof’s Story?
Jedi Master Yarael Poof with a yellow lightsaber in Star Wars.
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Though he never wields it in the films, Yarael Poof uses a blue-bladed lightsaber.
Despite ignoring the Jedi Master for decades, it is still possible that the Star Wars franchise will revisit Yarael Poof in the near future. Interestingly, the character has become more popular in recent years, largely thanks to a Robot Chicken sketch featuring the character. With Star Wars’ recent expansion on Disney+, there is no shortage of avenues for the franchise to explore Yarael Poof’s character in greater depth. Upcoming anthology projects set in the Star Wars universe, including Tales of the Jedi Season 2 could be the perfect way to do so, giving audiences a taste of who Yarael Poof is without committing to a full story arc starring the Jedi Master.
Conversely, Star Wars could also commit to giving Yarael Poof his very own comic book title, exploring his adventures before the events of The Phantom Menace. The Jedi had numerous amazing adventures before his first live-action appearance, or else he wouldn’t have been made a member of the High Council. Moreover, a comic book series would be free to explore Master Poof’s life after the events of The Phantom Menace, including his apparent death before Attack of the Clones. Finally, the long untold story of Yarael Poof could be completed, cementing him as another fan-favorite character in Star Wars canon.
While the behind-the-scenes story regarding why Yarael Poof was erased from Attack of the Clones is interesting, his in-universe story has yet to be told. Nearly twenty-five years after the character was first introduced in The Phantom Menace, it is time for Yarael Poof to take the spotlight in the Star Wars franchise so audiences can finally get to know the mysterious Jedi Master.
