Why Was Yoda So Terrible at Training Jedi? Yoda Explains Himself

According to Star Wars fans, Yoda is the strongest Jedi in the franchise. However, when it came to training Jedi, he was actually a horrible master.

Yoda oversaw the collapse of the Order, failed to stop one of his best students from turning to the Sith, and allowed many more of them to be influenced by the dark side. He would offer his advice, but never actively do anything to stop his apprentices from making the biggest mistakes of their lives. 

In the fifth issue of the canon comic series Star Wars: Yoda, written by Jody Houser, Yoda finally explains this teaching approach.

He believes that a master can only give his padawans guidance. When it’s time for them to make an important decision, the master must allow them to do it on their own, even if their choice is a bad one.    

1. What made Yoda a terrible Jedi Master?  

Yoda took Luke Skywalker under his wing and taught him everything he knew. However, he never taught him when and where to apply that knowledge and training. 

He let Luke fight Darth Vader before he was ready which resulted in him losing a hand. If Luke had died, it would have been the end of the Rebellion and victory for the Empire.

Yoda’s time was almost over at this point so it made sense that he wanted to trust a new hero. But it turns out Yoda has been taking this approach since the beginning. 

He refused to help Anakin Skywalker when he voiced his concerns about visions of Padmé’s death and he eventually let Anakin become a being a pure hate. 

Even now, in Star Wars: Yoda #5, Yoda has left his class of padawans alone on a forested planet, unaware of a growing grudge between two of them. The trainees eventually get into a deadly fight as one of them is trying to resist being pushed towards the dark side by the other, a young Dooku. 

He has provided them the perfect environment and opportunity to harm each other and act on their delusions, in addition to no supervision. 

2. How does Yoda explain himself? 

Yoda explains his teaching method by saying that all a master can do is to provide guidance, knowledge and wisdom to their students. What they choose to do with it is in their own hands. 

His exact words are “They must take those steps on their own. Otherwise, mere children will they always be.” 

3. Is Yoda’s approach still right? 

Yoda seems to be making a valid point in his explanation but that doesn’t mean it can be applied in every situation.

Yoda is often seen applying this attitude very early on in his training which can’t possibly be the right thing to do. His padawans are still learning at this stage and they don’t have enough knowledge to make any big decisions yet.

Recently it was revealed that Yoda spend many years based on a backwater planet, to protect its inhabitants. On the outside, this appears as a valiant deed but we also need to remember that this kept him away from his responsibilities in the Jedi Council and softened his influence there. 

If Yoda had altered his ideology and stepped up to stop his pupils from making bad choices, he could have probably prevented a lot of life-threatening situations. 

4. About Star Wars

Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.

It has three trilogies at its core – Original, Prequel, and Sequel, spread across five decades and interspersed with at least a dozen spin-off series and films.

Created by George Lucas and his Lucasfilm, the franchise is currently under the Disney umbrella. All the Star Wars films and shows are now available to binge on Disney+ streaming service.

Source: Screen Rant