Yoda is one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars universe – he’s a powerful Jedi master, and he was instrumental in training Luke Skywalker. 

As a fan favourite, not many people have any criticism of the character – he was well-written, well-produced and was integral to the Star Wars universe. However, he is not without criticism, as some of Yoda’s actions seem to go against the ethos of the Jedi Order many times.

The most interesting critique of Yoda is that he chose to go into exile after the rise of Darth Sidious – the evil Sith Lord who would eventually become Emperor Palpatine, essentially dooming the galaxy to the Dark Side. And if you’ve seen the entire Star Wars Saga, you will know that Yoda stayed out of the fight against Darth Sidious for decades.

With so much confusion around his actions, it could be helpful to provide a clearer view on Yoda’s actions to establish why exactly he did what he did.

Here’s exactly why Yoda went into exile.

Who Is Yoda?

Yoda was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, Jedi Master to have existed. As the Jedi Grand Master, he was both the master and the leader of the Jedi Order, commonly referred to as the ‘Grand Master of the Jedi Order’.

Highly skilled in both the Force and lightsaber combat, Yoda was almost unrivalled in ability up until his fight with Darth Sidious proved otherwise. 

With such strong power, it’s hard to believe that he would hide during the fight against the Dark Side. As well as leaving the Jedi Order to fend for itself, Yoda also failed to protect many Jedi Knights and Masters, leaving many to wonder why he failed to do more.

That’s why we’ll explore why Yoda went into exile, and why he followed the path that he did.

Why Did Yoda Go Into Exile?

Yoda mainly fled from Darth Sidious following their brief fight because he realised that he could not possibly beat him alone. This would mean that the only chance of the Jedi Order surviving would be if Yoda survived, in order to train another Jedi that was strong enough to defeat Sidious.

After his defeat at the hands of the Sith Lord, Yoda understood that more support or a greater Jedi would be necessary to have a chance at beating Darth Sidious. This is commonly believed to be the driving factor behind Yoda’s isolation after his brief fight, as he understood that another Jedi must be the one to defeat Sidious.

The most popular theory following this is that Yoda went into isolation to hide from the Dark Side, and Darth Sidious by extension. Dagobah is a Force vergence – the whole planet is extremely rich in the Force, meaning that Yoda’s outstanding link with it is shrouded. 

This meant that Yoda could hide long enough to train Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force for the best chance of defeating Sidious.

Why Did Yoda Choose Dagobah

Dagobah was the perfect location for a number of reasons, taking into accounts various factors that surround this interesting planet and Yoda’s personal needs whilst in isolation.

The most popular reasons for Yoda choosing Dagobah as his isolation spot is because of its natural Force attachment. The planet was significantly linked to both sides of the Force, acting as a Force vergence. This would have made the planet the perfect place to build a Jedi Temple but more importantly the perfect place to hide a Jedi and help them harness their powers.

Other popular theories include more practical solutions that needed finding. It’s important to note that Dagobah is a swampy planet with many large caves and caverns where Yoda could live in seclusion.

While on this planet, he would not be easily discovered by others who might hurt him or use him for their own purposes. 

Dagobah was also located between two major star systems: Naboo and Tatooine. This meant that if necessary, Yoda could travel between these planets quickly using his force powers so long as they were within range of telekinetic abilities or transportation vehicles such as ships or shuttles built specifically for travelling through space among other things like fuel consumption.

Why Didn’t Yoda Help The Rebellion?

Yoda was a pacifist, and he didn’t want to get involved in any kind of fighting. As a Jedi Master, he had no desire to lead soldiers into battle to fight wars – he wanted to stick to what he believed was the Jedi way and use his powers to protect people, rather than potentially oppress through war.

However, Yoda was also not just any Jedi Master. As the Jedi Grand Master, he could not be sent on missions as he pleased, and his actions and words carried more weight than anyone else’s within the order. That meant that if Yoda had endorsed or taken part in the fight against Darth Sidious, other Jedi and rebels may have joined, which could lead hundreds to their slaughter at the hands of the Dark Side.

On the other hand, Yoda may have also not joined the rebellion as he knew he had a responsibility to train the next Jedi Master to defeat Darth Sidious.

Yoda’s pacifism is what allowed him to help save the galaxy from Palpatine’s tyranny in the long run.

You can find out why Palpatine managed to become so powerful here.

Had he not been so committed to his ideals of peace and non-violence throughout his life, it’s likely that Luke Skywalker never would have become strong enough in those same beliefs to stop Darth Vader from turning him to the Dark Side.

Yoda’s failure to help the rebellion may have meant losing the battle, but it was also the main reason why they won the war.

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