Over the course of his 900-year-long life, Yoda learned many of Star Wars‘ Force powers and abilities. Yoda was considered one of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars because of the various powers and abilities he had with the Force. His powers show just how much faith he put in the Force, and many of Yoda’s greatest quotes also highlight his view of the Force. In his own words, Yoda described the Force as a powerful ally to have, and he was right: it granted him truly impressive abilities.

Star Wars has been telling stories about Yoda for over 44 years, and Yoda’s Force powers weren’t entirely consistent throughout the franchise. That’s partly because he had different powers in Legends than he does in canon. Sometimes referred to as the Expanded Universe, Legends consists of non-canon Star Wars stories that were written before 2014. Legends stories often experimented with Force abilities and the franchise’s characters, meaning some of Yoda’s skills were massively impressive Force feats. Combining his Legends and canon powers highlights just how impressive of a Jedi Yoda truly was, and how much he learned about the Force in the course of his life.

19

Yoda Was Exceptionally Skilled With Telekinesis

The Empire Strikes Back

The most recognizable of all Yoda’s Force powers was his telekinetic abilities. They granted Force-users the ability to lift and move objects without even touching them, and were one of the most common Force powers in Star Wars. Perhaps the best example of this ability was when Yoda lifted Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing out of the swamp on Dagobah using only the Force. That showed just how strong he was with the Force, but Yoda also used his telekinetic powers frequently for much smaller tasks, like many other Jedi.

18

Yoda Used The Common Force Push At Times

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Force push was a specific type of telekinesis, one that, as the name implies, involved using the Force to push someone or something away from the person performing it. Yoda used Force push on several occasions, most recognizably when he went to fight Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and he tossed his Imperial Royal Guard against the wall. Almost every Force-sensitive person with training could perform a Force push, but, as is usually the case for him, Yoda was exceptionally powerful with it.

17

Yoda Used Force Crush, A Power Usually Reserved For Sith

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View

The Force crush was mostly known in one specific scenario: the Force choke. Force chokes were just Force crushes performed on a person’s throat, so while it may seem like a dark side power, it wasn’t inherently evil, as long as it was directed at something other than a person. Yoda used Force crush to destroy some Imperial probe droids while he was hiding on Dagobah during the events of the original Star Wars.

16

Yoda Knew A Rare Ability Called Stonepower

Star Wars (2015) #26-30

Stonepower is one of Yoda’s more unique Force powers, as it was really only applicable to one specific situation. Stonepower allowed someone to use telekinetic abilities on blue stone, a type of rock that was imbued with the living Force. Blue stones were difficult for Force-users to manipulate without the help of stonepower. After Yoda learned the ability, he used it to combat the giants of living stone on Vagadarr Prime.

15

Yoda Could Use Force Stasis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 1, Episode 1

Force stasis is another telekinetic Force ability, but it works slightly differently from more basic techniques. Rather than moving an object, stasis keeps it in place, effectively slowing it down so much that it stops moving. Yoda rarely used this power, and one of the few times he was shown doing it was in Star Wars: The Clone Wars while protecting King Katuunko from Asajj Ventress. Stasis has frequently been used by other Jedi and Sith alike, such as Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka and Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

14

Force Barrier Kept Yoda Safe From Even Gasses

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 2 Episode 19

Like many of Yoda’s other powers, Force barrier was also a form of a telekinetic Force power. Force barrier involved creating a type of shield using Force energy to protect the user from anything coming towards them. It was a bit more versatile than the more basic push or stasis, as Force barrier could even block gasses. Yoda used Force barrier during the Zillo beast’s escape from confinement on Coruscant in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Because Palpatine ordered clone troops to kill the beast with poisonous gas, he, Anakin Skywalker, and Aayla Secura had to use the Force power to protect themselves and others from the fumes.

13

Yoda Showcased Force Deflection Extensively Against Count Dooku

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

The first fight Yoda ever got into on-screen saw him use the Force deflection power extensively. While dueling Count Dooku on Geonosis in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Yoda used the Force to deflect several items Dooku threw at him, and even Dooku’s Sith lightning attacks. Most Jedi could use Force deflection to some extent, but it seems that Yoda was in a very small minority of Force users who could deflect something as intangible as Sith lightning. That once again proves that Yoda’s strength in the Force was nearly unmatched. In Legends, Yoda’s ability to absorb Sith lightning specifically was called Tutaminis.

12

Yoda Could See Part Of The Future With Force Sense

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Force sense was also known as Force awareness, and it allowed most Force-sensitives to be aware of other people, imminent danger, and for those most skilled in it, the power gave a glimpse of the future. Yoda had Force sense at some point and lost his ability to use it, as evidenced by his comment that the dark side had clouded the future and made it impossible to see. It’s important to note that Force sense gave imperfect visions of the future, and was far weaker than the precognition powers Jedi like Sifo-Dyas had.

11

Yoda Had Extremely Powerful Telepathic Abilities

Star Wars: Rebels

After Order 66 and the Jedi Purge, many new Jedi Padawans, like Ezra Bridger, had trouble with their training. Luckily for Ezra, one of Yoda’s Force powers was an incredibly strong form of Force telepathy. That allowed Yoda to speak with Ezra from several systems away, and give him advice on how to become a Jedi and think of the Force. It seems that Yoda’s telepathic powers could have been enhanced by the World Between Worlds, but even still, his ability to appear in visions from such great distances was truly impressive.

10

Yoda Became A Force Ghost At His Death

Return of the Jedi

Yoda may have died in Return of the Jedi, but that was far from the end of his story. As he took his final breaths, Yoda’s body disappeared, and he became one with the light side of the Force. That, combined with the training he received from the Force Priestesses and Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda became a Force ghost, and he was able to retain his identity even after death. He then appeared to Luke Skywalker on several occasions, notably after the Battle of Endor and in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

9

Yoda Could Control The Weather

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

As a Force ghost, Yoda mostly provided others with advice and words of wisdom rather than affecting the world around him. Sometimes his advice alone was not enough, though, as was the case with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After Luke failed to grasp Yoda’s lesson about learning to accept failure, Yoda summoned a lightning strike to burn down the ancient Jedi library on Ahch-To. It’s not clear exactly how Yoda used the Force to create a lightning strike, but the fact that he could do so after his death is a testament to his power.

8

Yoda Only Used Jedi Mind Tricks In Legends

Star Wars: Clone Wars Chapter 15

While he was almost surely capable of using Jedi mind tricks in canon, Yoda was only ever depicted using them in Legends. The best example of Yoda’s ability to persuade others using the Force came in Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated series, Star Wars: Clone Wars. In one scene, Yoda convinced Captain Typho to allow Padmé Amidala’s ship to make a detour to save some Jedi who were in danger on Ilum. An interesting detail is that when repeating back his commands, the person he used the trick on would repeat them in Yoda’s odd way of speaking .

It’s not clear why Yoda has never been seen using Jedi mind tricks in Star Wars canon, but there are some hints. Jedi mind tricks were close to the dark side, and they could even cause physical pain in extreme situations, which may have caused Yoda to avoid them. It’s also possible that Yoda simply never faced a situation where they were necessary.

7

Yoda’s Force Push Was So Powerful He Could Perform A Force Wave

Star Wars: Clone Wars

Force wave was a Force power in both Legends and canon, and it worked in essentially the same way in both continuities. It was a much stronger and more powerful version of a Force push, and it moved out from the Force user in all directions. In canon, a Force wave was prominently featured in Doctor Aphra after the Fermata Cage was destroyed, and in Legends, Yoda performed a Force wave in Star Wars: Clone Wars.

6

Yoda May Have Used Saber Throw In Canon

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6 Episode 13

Saber throw was a relatively simple telekinetic Force power, but it’s status as one of Yoda’s powers in Star Wars canon is a bit odd. Saber throw was straightforward: it involved using the Force to guide a lightsaber to a destination. The only time Yoda was shown using saber throw in canon, however, was during a vision he received on Moraband, which doesn’t really count as a canon confirmation that he used the power. Yoda did, however, use it several times in Legends, such as during a training duel with Luke Skywalker on Dagobah.

5

Force Valor Allowed Yoda To Perform Impressive Physical Feats

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

While it was similar to battle meditation, Force valor was slightly different in a few key ways. Unlike battle meditation, Force valor was mostly used to enhance a Force user’s own physical abilities, like their agility and speed. Yoda used Force valor extensively in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, which is how he was able to battle Dooku and Sidious so ferociously despite his advanced age.

4

Yoda Could Read Others’ Minds Using Force Empathy

Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Some of Yoda’s Force powers didn’t directly apply to battle, but they were extremely useful in dealing with others. Force empathy was one such power, as it allowed Yoda to read others in conversation. The closest canon parallel to the Expanded Universe’s Force empathy was Yoda’s ability to see Anakin Skywalker’s emotions in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Force empathy was essentially a more powerful version of this technique of looking into someone’s inner thoughts. In Legends, the most powerful users could even uncover someone’s secrets with Force empathy.

3

Yoda Used Battle Meditation At The Battle Of Kashyyyk

Star Wars: Republic: Hidden Enemy

Battle meditation was a high-level Force power in Star Wars Legends, and it allowed a Jedi to share their strength, stamina, and agility with their allies while weakening their foes. It could turn the tide of battle, and Yoda used it during the Battle of Kashyyyk to assist the clone troops and Wookiees in defending the planet against a Separatist invasion. That was a massive engagement, and the fact that Yoda could help so many of his allies without even igniting his lightsaber proves how instrumental he was to the Jedi and the Republic.

2

Electric Judgement Gave Yoda Lightning Powers

Novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

While Yoda’s ability to absorb Force lightning in Star Wars canon is well-established, he had even more command over it in Legends. Yoda could use Electric Judgement, sometimes known as Emerald Lightning, which was a weaker, light-side version of Sith lightning. Yoda’s power over Electric Judgement varied in different appearances; in the novelization of Revenge of the Sith, his channeling of Palpatine’s lightning counted as Electric Judgement, while other sourcebooks established him as being able to create his own lightning.

1

Yoda Once Used Force Harmony

Star Wars: The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook

Force harmony is unique among Yoda’s Legends Force powers, as it has been somewhat canonized in recent years. Force harmony allowed Jedi to tap into each other’s strength in the Force. The only known Jedi with an ability similar to Force harmony was Avar Kriss, who could let Jedi near her perceive the Force in the same way she did, as a song. That allowed them to give each other information and other advantages they wouldn’t normally have on their own. With so many Force powers at his disposal, it’s easy to see why Yoda was considered one of the greatest Jedi ever.