Yoda was one of the fiercest defenders of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic in the Star Wars galaxy for nearly a millennium, but the final issue of Marvel’s Star Wars: Yoda makes it clear the Jedi Master’s deepest fear was that he was responsible for the destruction of his cherished institutions and supremacy of the Sith – something a twisted nightmare vision of the Emperor forces him to confront.
Star Wars: Yoda #10 – written by Cavan Scott, with art by Ibraim Roberson and Neeraj Manon – ends the series with a trip into Dagobah’s Dark Side Cave, offering readers pages full of horror imagery, as Yoda confronts visions reveling in the failures and defeats that marred the final decades of his long, storied life.
Yoda #10 Depicts The Darkness Inside Yoda
In Yoda #10, the force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi convinces Yoda to enter Dagobah’s notorious Dark Side Cave. Kenobi is seeking to convince Yoda to accept Luke Skywalker as his student. While readers know that this will happen, as seen in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, Marvel’s Yoda sheds light on the character’s mindset leading up to his iconic introduction in Empire. Confronting a nightmarish vision of Emperor Palpatine, Yoda’s guilt is manifested in his Sith enemy’s words, calling the Jedi, “Yoda the blind, Yoda the unaware.” Yoda’s internal Palpatine even goes so far as to declare him: “the greatest of all my apprentices.“
Marvel’s Yoda Redefined The Character In Its Short Run
Palpatine’s dialogue in Yoda #10, as part of Yoda’s Dark Side Cave vision, reflects the Jedi Master’s belief that the Emperor’s plans for galactic domination – and his corruption of multiple Jedi to the Dark Side of the Force – could have never come to fruition if it hadn’t been for personal neglect, personal failure on Yoda’s part. Count Dooku, Palpatine’s Sith apprentice during the Clone Wars, was Yoda’s Padawan, and Issue #10 includes the fallen Jedi’s malevolent form lashing out at Yoda for his failure. Also present, the specter of Anakin Skywalker, another fallen pupil of Yoda’s, whose son Yoda must now choose whether or not to train.
The result of Yoda’s journey into Dagobah’s Cave, and his own psyche, is a fascinating insight into an often opaque character. As much as he regretted losing them, Yoda saw the likes of Dooku and Anakin Skywalker as the Emperor’s pawns, whereas he saw himself as an equal to the Sith Lord, albeit one who has suffered catastrophic defeat. The events of Yoda #10 humbled the Jedi Master, and helped him heal. While the immediate aftermath of Marvel’s Star Wars: Yoda is familiar territory, the series has successfully provided new insights into the character, and opened up new avenues for future Yoda stories from throughout his lifetime.
Star Wars: Yoda #10 is available now from Marvel Comics!
