Star Wars has just subtly devalued Grandmaster Yoda’s method of hiding from the Empire after Order 66. Only a small number of Jedi survived Order 66, and they all desperately concealed themselves from Darth Vader and his Imperial Inquisitors. Yoda was particularly well-hidden, remaining hidden on the planet Dagobah for two decades. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader never even came close to finding him.
Dagobah is a planet rich in the Force, known as a vergence. As seen in Star Wars Rebels, Yoda was able to use the power of this Force vergence to remain active in Jedi affairs throughout his exile, even mentoring Ezra Bridger when he visited the Jedi Temple on Lothal. This, more than anything else, proves just how wisely Yoda chose his hiding place. But, surprisingly, Star Wars has just subtly devalued Yoda’s choice – and made the fact the Empire never sought him out even stranger.
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Yoda Used Dagobah’s Force Vergence To Conceal Himself From Palpatine
A Force vergence is a place or person where the Force is particularly strong. These vergences are nexuses of power; some are aligned with the light side, and others with the dark. Because Force vergences are so powerful, they can be used to hide the signature of a Force-user. Yoda carefully built his hut near a mysterious dark side cave, which he eventually used to train Luke Skywalker. This was a deliberate choice on his part.
The light and dark sides of the Force counterbalanced one another. This is why Yoda was able to hide so well on Dagobah. Since it is located on a powerful dark side Force vergence and Yoda is a light side user, he was able to hide himself from the likes of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. There would not even be an echo of his presence in the Force.
Star Wars Just Revealed These Vergences Are Common
There are many planets rich in the Force, but Dagobah’s cave has always seemed unique. Young Jedi Adventures episode 23, however, sees a Jedi youngling in the High Republic Era visit a surprisingly similar vergence on the planet Batuu. Even more surprisingly, though, this is accompanied by a lesson in the Force in which he is told that these cave-vergences are quite common across the galaxy. Dagobah, it seems, is not quite so unique as had previously been thought.
Every Star Wars Planet Rich In The Force (& Why)
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Yoda’s Hiding From Palpatine Looks Less Impressive Now
This makes Yoda’s plan to hide from Palpatine look less impressive. Before, Yoda appeared to be extra wise, as he was able to sense Dagobah’s power and use it to conceal himself. His ability to manipulate the Force to disguise his presence seemed to evidence his incredible skills after hundreds of years of Jedi training. However, since Star Wars has revealed that there are so many Force vergences in the galaxy, it doesn’t seem as impressive. After all, if these vergences are so common that pretty much any trained Force-user could identify them, there’s nothing special about Yoda’s ability to locate one.
Palpatine’s failure to find Yoda over the course of two decades is even stranger, too; it makes no sense that he wouldn’t have thought to send Darth Vader and his Inquisitors to scout the Force vergences around the galaxy. Given Yoda’s status as a Jedi Grandmaster and one of the few who actually had the potential to beat Palpatine, he would realistically be using any leads he had to try to find Yoda. Yet, there’s no evidence the Emperor ever thought of investigating Force vergences.
There may be a way for Star Wars to fix this misstep. The easiest solution would be a further retcon – that only the most gifted Force user can successfully mask their presence at a Force vergence. This would help make Yoda’s trick impressive again, and it may even explain why the Inquisitors do not seem to have ever headed to Dagobah; they may well not have realized he could do it, or perhaps that such a great presence as Yoda’s could be concealed in the first place. Hopefully more will be revealed soon.
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures is a children’s educational sci-fi series based on the world of Star Wars. Set during the High Republic era, the show centers around a group of younglings on their way to becoming Jedi Knights. The show will focus on entertaining and educating children as the first of its kind in the Star Wars franchise, helping children learn lessons such as team work, patience, and compassion.
- Release Date
- May 4, 2023
- Cast
- Jamaal Avery Jr. , Emma Berman , Juliet Donenfeld , Dee Bradley Baker , Jonathan Lipow , Piotr Michael
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Michael Olson , Shellie Kvilvang , Lamont Magee , Josh Rimes , James Waugh , Casey Lowe
- Network
- Disney Junior
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
- Directors
- Elliot M. Bour , Anthony Bell , Shellie Kvilvang
- Showrunner
- Michael Olson
