As someone who routinely stressed that the Jedi should avoid any kinds of attachment, Yoda would be horrified by one Jedi’s display of opulence and material wealth in a Legends-era Star Wars story. In addition to being one of the greatest Jedi of a generation, Yoda was also saddled with one of the toughest, yet most thankless jobs in the Star Wars universe, namely serving as the de facto leader of the Jedi Order. Naturally, leading an organization as diverse as the Jedi, his vision of what the order should be was bound to come into conflict with the ideas of some members.
Yoda spent most of his 900 years as a Jedi, so by the time he joined the Jedi Council, few others were more experienced than he in terms of the Order’s institutional history. Naturally, through his long experience as a Jedi, Yoda developed his idea of what the Jedi Order should be and how it should go about achieving its goals. As Yoda saw it, the Order had lost its focus by allowing members to form and keep attachments whether they were personal, professional, or material.
One of the best illustrations of what Yoda would see as a dangerous display of material attachment is seen in Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith #4, a Legends-era comic by Darko Macan and Ramon F. Bachs. At one point in the story a Jedi unit is set upon by a larger, and better-equipped group of Sith. However, just when it appears all will be lost, the unit is saved by a Jedi named Lord Farfalla in a starship that resembles an old Earth galleon warship. If the ostentatious gaudiness of the starship were not enough to shake Yoda’s faith in his fellow Jedi, Farfalla’s attitude certainly would. Farfalla is clearly an individual with a lot of wealth and power who does not give any indication of giving up either in order to serve the Jedi cause. In fact, he seems to believe that his social and material largesse will benefit the Order. However, it is clear that what resources he will give in the furtherance of the Jedi’s goals will be provided on his schedule and according to his whim. Moreover, he seems to think that those receiving his assistance — who in the story are the least wealthy and most vulnerable members of society — should be thankful for his generosity or else risk no further assistance in the future. The only difference between Farfalla and a Sith, it seems, is that Farfalla uses his power for good.
The limited series also has a perfect example of the dangers of personal attachment. In the first issue, young Force wielders Tomcat and his cousin Bug are recruited to join the Jedi Order to fight the Sith. Upon being recruited, Tomcat does not want to leave his other cousin Rain. Consequently, he uses the Force to make it appear to the Jedi scout that Rain is as talented as Bug and himself. The trick works, and Rain is invited to accompany the two to the Jedi base camp. However, just before arriving at the camp, their ship is attacked by Sith. Tomcat and Bug watch in horror as Rain is literally blown out of the ship. This is the type of attachment that Yoda would strenuously oppose in young Jedi under his leadership. Indeed, it is the attachment that he felt with young Anakin Skywalker, that eventually lead to the destruction of the Jedi Order and the rise of the Sith.
As the leader of the Jedi Council, Yoda was given the opportunity to put his ideas and theories into practice. As a Jedi, he most certainly encountered more than a few Jedi like Farfalla and recruits like Tomcat, who were unable or unwilling to separate themselves from their wealth, influence, attitudes, and loved ones for the Order. No doubt this led to Yoda‘s belief that the Jedi should be more detached and focused on servicing the public interest in the Star Wars galaxy, rather than their own personal interests.
