If you think you’ve seen the last of Jedi Master Yoda, think again. Yoda will return in the upcoming episode of Star Wars Rebels, “Path of the Jedi”, and he will be voiced by none other than Frank Oz.
Oz is a beloved figure in Star Wars lore. He voiced and puppeted Yoda in 5 of the 6 films and now he’s returning for more.
The show, which takes place between Episodes VI and IV, sees Yoda in exile on Dagobah. He will offer advice to Jedi Kanan and his new Padawan, Ezra, on the remote planet of Lothal. His presence on the show is as a disembodied voice. Regarding this choice, executive producer Dave Filoni stated:
I felt personally to keep Yoda as this disembodied thing it would confuse the audience less. I didn’t want you to think Yoda could be teleporting from planet to planet. What’s great about Frank, by keeping the voice very present and active, you do feel that it’s a watchfulness and that he’s speaking to you from afar. And I didn’t want anyone to think that he had left Dagobah. It was on the outer rim of what we do, but I think we were able to pull it off.
Regardless of how he’s coming back, we’re just excited to have Oz play Yoda again. What a great reminder of our childhoods!
As for seeing Yoda in the upcoming film, anything is possible. Though he died in The Empire Strikes Back, we all know that the Force has a way of making strange things happen. In an episode of “The Talkhouse” podcast, Episode VIII director Rian Johnson was asked about Yoda appearing in his film as a Force ghost and replied with: “You kidding? How could you not. How could you not!”
That seems pretty positive to me. What do you think? Do you want to see Yoda return to the silver screen? Are you excited for Frank Oz to guest star on Star Wars Rebels?
“Path of the Jedi” will air Monday, January 5 at 9/8 CT on Disney XD, and will be available on the Watch Disney XD app beginning Monday, December 29.
