How Old Was Yoda When He Died?

Yoda became a popular Star Wars character when he first appeared in 1980, audiences were surprised when the small, old creature turned out to be the great Jedi master that Obi-Wan had talked about earlier in the movie.

Who is Yoda?

Yoda was a famous Force-sensitive Jedi Master who led the Jedi Order during the High Republic period and the years before it was destroyed by the Sith. Even though he was small, he was respected for his wisdom and strength.

Yoda trained many Jedi and was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, he played important roles in protecting the Republic during the Clone Wars, survived Order 66 and lived to teach Luke Skywalker and discover the secret to immortality.

Yoda was born in 896 BBY and served the Jedi Order for hundreds of years becoming the Grand Master and teaching many young Jedi. In 382 BBY, during the High Republic Era, he helped end a big fight between the Jedi and the anti-Jedi Path of the Open Hand. After this battle, known as the Night of Sorrow, Yoda decided to keep the dangerous weapons used by the Path called “the Nameless” out of the Jedi Archives to protect the Order.

Over a hundred years later, in 232 BBY, Yoda took a break from the Jedi High Council to train Padawans on the Star Hopper, he led them and other Jedi in battles against the Nihil pirates.

After being gone for over a year, Yoda showed up in 230 BBY on Corellia where he helped his former Padawan Kantam Sy and other Jedi fight the Nihil, he was joined by Azlin Rell, a former Jedi who fought in the Night of Sorrow. Yoda hoped Rell’s knowledge about the Nameless creatures would help the Jedi find a way to defeat them.

In the final days of the Republic, Yoda was nearly nine hundred years old and a key member of the Jedi High Council, he served alongside other famous Jedi like Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi. In 32 BBY, during the Invasion of Naboo, Qui-Gon Jinn brought Anakin Skywalker to the Council, convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One. The Jedi Council felt that Anakin was too old and full of fear and anger, so they initially refused to train him.

After Qui-Gon Jinn’s death, the Council changed their minds and decided to train Anakin, despite Yoda’s worries about the dangers of his training. Around this time, the Jedi also found out that the Sith, their old enemies, had returned. Yoda believed there was still another Sith Lord out there after Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Darth Maul.

Over the next ten years, the galaxy was on the brink of civil war. Many star systems, led by Count Dooku who was once Yoda’s Padawan, wanted to leave the Republic by 22 BBY. The Jedi couldn’t protect the whole Republic by themselves so they took charge of the new Grand Army of the Republic. Yoda led an army of clone troopers against the Separatist Droid Army in the first battle of the Clone Wars saving the Jedi and a Senator from execution.

For three years, Yoda led the Republic’s military as a Jedi General aiming to quickly end the war. During this time, he was visited by the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn who taught Yoda how to become a spirit after death. Yoda’s efforts were sabotaged by Darth Sidious “the Dark Lord of the Sith” who wanted to destroy the Jedi and bring the Sith back to power.

In 19 BBY, the Great Jedi Purge began by killing thousands of Jedi across the galaxy. Yoda tried to stop the new Galactic Emperor but failed, he went into hiding while the Sith Master with his new apprentice Anakin Skywalker (now known as Darth Vader) took control.

Yoda spent his final years living alone on the remote planet Dagobah. After Obi-Wan Kenobi died, his spirit communicated with Yoda asking him to train Anakin’s son Luke Skywalker. Yoda was hesitant at first and even thought the galaxy might be better off without him refusing Kenobi’s request.

However, Kenobi convinced Yoda to enter the Cave of Evil where Yoda faced figures from his past and came to terms with his failures. This changed his mind and he agreed to train Luke who soon came looking for the legendary Grand Master to become a Jedi Knight.

Yoda trained Luke for a while but Luke left before finishing his training to save his friends driven by a vision that they were in danger. A year later, in 4 ABY, Yoda’s health worsened and he died of old age just as Luke returned to see him. Yoda became one with the Force, moments before Luke redeemed his father Anakin who fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen One by defeating Sidious.

Years later, Luke Skywalker tried to Rebuild the Jedi Order, but his plans were derailed when his nephew, Ben Solo, succumbed to the dark side and destroyed the Jedi Temple. Convinced that the galaxy was better off without him or the Jedi, Luke chose to go into hiding, much like Yoda had before him.

When Rey, a scavenger he had reluctantly trained, left her training, Yoda’s ghost appeared to Luke and helped him understand that he needed to learn from his mistakes and forgive himself.

Yoda’s Age When He Died

As the Star Wars story grew over the years, Yoda remained mysterious, we still do not know the name of Yoda’s home planet or the name of his species, only a few others of his species have been seen including Yaddle and Grogu from “The Mandalorian” TV show, one thing we know is that this species seems to live very long lives.

In “The Mandalorian” TV series, we were told Grogu was 50 years old even though he looked like a young child, Yoda also said at times that he had lived for hundreds of years, but how old was Yoda when he died in Return of the Jedi?

Yoda references his age twice in the original trilogy. In The Empire Strikes Back, he mentions having trained Jedi for 800 years, and in Return of the Jedi, he tells Luke, “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.”

Taking Yoda’s words literally, this means he died at 900 years old, he may have rounded the numbers since a year or two does not matter much when you are 900 years old. Unless we learn more, we have to assume Yoda passed away at 900 years old.

Looking closer, if Yoda trained Jedi for 800 years by the original trilogy and he was 900 years old, then he must have started training Jedi around 100 years old, since Grogu is 50, he is already halfway to the age Yoda started training.

Yoda’s Age in Human Years

The answer to how old Yoda was varies depending on where you look, The United Nations World Population Prospects says the average human life span worldwide was 72 years in 2022, Using this we can say Yoda’s species ages one human year for every 12.5 of their own years, a different source called The Knowledge Burrow suggests Yoda’s species ages one human year for every 10 of their own years instead.

No matter which source you use, it is safe to say that Yoda was between 72 and 90 years old in human years when he died, but there is a problem when you consider Yoda said he trained Jedi for 800 years, If you divide 800 by 12.5, it means Yoda started training Jedi at 8 human years old, this seems very unlikely compared to other known Jedi accomplishments.

There is a theory that suggests Yoda’s species ages slowly for the first 50 years, then ages rapidly between 51 and 100 years old, this could explain why Grogu looks so young at 50 in “The Mandalorian”, it also means Yoda could have become a Jedi Knight at 100 human years old, we may find out if Grogu develops the same way as more episodes of “The Mandalorian” are made.

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