Since his introduction in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, Master Yoda has always been known as one of the wisest Jedi to have ever existed. But it makes him even wiser that he is willing to admit when he is mistaken or defeated.
Star Wars: Yoda #6 from Marvel Comics picks up where the previous issue left off– with the title character meditating out in the woods and sensing that several of his students are involved in a conflict.
Yoda ventures back to the Jedi Initiate camp, where the Trandoshan Gheyr has been attacked by the Wookiee (misspelled as “Wookie” in this issue’s first-page recap) Krrsish, who’s been having visions that Gheyr will turn to the dark side of the Force. The tiger-like Togorian Initiate Jak’zin intervenes in the fight first, but it takes Yoda’s interference to really break things up between the two warring species. Once the dust settles, the Jedi Master gives a great speech about how the dark side is present within everyone, that it’s a temptation that is never truly defeated. Then when Gheyr asks what shall be done with Krrsish, writer Jody Houser cuts back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where Master Dooku is training another round of younglings. After the session, Yoda has a heart-to-heart with Dooku about Krrsish’s visions, of which we know Dooku was already aware. This conversation poses both the Jedi involved and the reader with the question of whether or not the visions had merit, and the possibility that perhaps addressing the visions changed the future that Krrsish foresaw.
It’s an interesting conundrum that, it is implied, continues to drive Dooku away from the Jedi Order, but not before young Gheyr makes the surprise decision to abandon her training first. Yoda becomes resigned to the idea of letting her go, but in the end he admits that he failed her, which, once we flash back to the “present” during his exile on Dagobah, he said he’s done with other students in the past as well. But then, as an unnamed disembodied voice calls out to him through the Force, he vows to never allow that to happen again. The implication here, I believe, is that Yoda intends to follow through on his training with Luke Skywalker once the Force-powerful son of Anakin Skywalker shows up at his swampy doorstep. We all know how that turns out, but I’d say this comic has successfully given a new context to Yoda’s approach to training Luke in Empire. With her arc, Houser has pretty convincingly gotten into Yoda’s head, which is especially impressive considering what an enigmatic character he’s been in the past. And together with artist Luke Ross, she’s delivered a really entertaining story that brings up a number of intriguing questions about the larger Star Wars mythos. I can only hope the next arc, which will be written by Marc Guggenheim of Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca, can live up to what’s been accomplished here.
Star Wars: Yoda #6 is available now wherever comic books are sold.