Star Wars Theory: Yoda Wasn’t an EXILE on Dagobah – He Was Its Apex Predator
While Yoda exiled himself to Dagobah at the end of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, this may have worked to his advantage.
At the end of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Yoda exiles himself to Dagobah after his devastating defeat against Darth Sidious. He remains there for decades until Luke finds him in The Empire Strikes Back. The exile was a punishment, resulting from Yoda’s perceived failure as a Jedi Master; however, one Tumblr user has another theory: Yoda wasn’t an exile on Dagobah; he was an apex predator.
Yoda’s exile is not the first time the Jedi Master has visited Dagobah. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, audiences learn that Yoda had traveled to the swamp planet after hearing the voice of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who had been killed by Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace over a decade earlier. While in the bogs, Qui-Gon appears to Yoda as a group of fireflies and teaches him to communicate after death via the Living Force and Cosmic Force connection. This is the same skill that allows him to return as a Force Ghost in Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi.
Updated October 26th, 2023 by Jordan Iacobucci: The Star Wars franchise is continuing to expand as it explores key characters from the prequel era in new Disney+ series like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. Master Yoda has yet to receive any such project, leaving viewers to speculate as to what went on during his decades-long exile on the planet Dagobah. While fans know very little about what occurred in Yoda’s life between the events of Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars does offer some small hints at what he may have been doing on Dagobah. Surprisingly, Yoda’s life in exile could even have ramifications on the future of Star Wars, especially pertaining to Grogu in The Mandalorian.
Season 6 of The Clone Wars also reveals Yoda’s initial visit to Dagobah was more of a business trip as he continued to search for the source of his mysterious visions of Qui-Gon Jinn. Before the fall of the Jedi, Yoda unwittingly decides that he will seek refuge on this self-same planet when the Jedi are eventually hunted down. The main reason for this is because of the planet’s peculiar and strong connection to the Force, allowing him to still train even while he remains in exile.
While this is the most likely explanation behind Yoda’s decision, Dagobah’s connection to the Force may not have been its only appeal. Dagobah is a mist-shrouded, swampy planet, with the majority of the terrain being bogs and shallow lakes. Like most swampy areas, the site of Yoda’s exile is filled with snakes, frogs, and a variety of other creepy crawlies. Although this wouldn’t be a selling point for most people, the same cannot be the same for Yoda based on what fans have learned about his species on The Mandalorian. In Season 1 of The Mandalorian, Grogu (also known as The Child), displays a gruesome appetite for frogs, swallowing them whole with reckless abandon. In Season 2, Grogu graduated from hunting amphibians to developing a ravenous obsession with alien eggs. The Child’s food choices may provide some insight into the “Yoda species,” the name of which has yet to be recorded.
Recent Star Wars Disney+ series have given audiences new insights about Yoda through the introduction of Grogu, an infant member of Yoda’s species, in The Mandalorian. From Grogu’s actions in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, audiences can ascertain that Yoda’s species is carnivorous. Because of their small stature, they tend to hunt small game like amphibians and eggs, both of which Grogu enjoys in separate episodes of The Mandalorian. Thereby, Yoda’s decision to exile himself to Dagobah can actually be explained by its plethora of food, which could sustain him for many years to come.
In his hunting, it is very likely that Yoda used the Force to locate and track down his prey. Unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi or Luke Skywalker when they went into exile, audiences have no indication that Yoda cut himself off from the Force while hiding out on Dagobah. Thereby, the Force likely became an essential tool for the former Jedi Master as he sought to provide for himself. Although he may seem cute, Yoda could have been a terrifying force for anything of the small critters living in the swamps of Dagobah. After all, Star Wars fans have already seen the trouble the Child’s appetite has gotten him into in Season 2 of The Mandalorian–indicating that Yoda’s species has a more than healthy appetite.
The Mandalorian has left many mysteries about Grogu unanswered so far, including what his fate will be in the future of the franchise. At different points throughout the series, Grogu has surprisingly demonstrated a susceptibility to the Dark Side of the Force, even using Force Choke against Cara Dune when he believed she would harm Din Djarin. This has led many viewers to wonder if Grogu could be seduced to the Dark Side, as so many powerful Force-wielders have in the past.
Interestingly, the strong appetite that Grogu’s species boasts could hint at his dark future.
Indicators That Grogu Could Turn to the Dark Side
Force abilities that make him susceptible
Strong appetite
Inability to deny his desires
The Sith are known for their strong appetites and ability to get what they want. While this usually doesn’t pertain to food, it is interesting to note that Grogu is more than comfortable stealing in order to appease his appetite. The Sith Lords of the Star Wars galaxy don’t care how their actions affect others, as long as they get what they want. While Grogu’s selfish actions start small, they could demonstrate a proclivity to look out for himself above other people. While Yoda was seemingly able to balance his base desires, an impressionable child like Grogu may not be so capable.
Though audiences know very little about the species to which Yoda and Grogu belong, Star Wars does offer the occasional hint regarding their lifestyle and physiology. Yoda’s exile on Dagobah was likely more than a strategic move, but also a necessary one, as it would sustain him for the rest of his life. With Grogu now the last known member of his species, all eyes are on his future as viewers wonder whether he will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Yoda.
