Summary

• Yaddle's death is finally revealed to Star Wars fans, and Yoda blames himself for her demise, even though it wasn't his fault.
• Yaddle's importance is elevated in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, where she suspects a Sith Lord behind Qui-Gon Jinn's death.
• Yoda discovers the truth about Yaddle's death in the Dark Side Cave and realizes he couldn't have prevented it, ultimately freeing himself from the guilt.

Yaddle’s death was only recently revealed to Star Wars fans, after years of leaving them wondering what became of this other member of Yoda’s species who was previously only ever seen in Episode I. While fans got the closure they needed, Yoda’s experience upon finding out how she was killed was a bit more painful, as he utterly blamed himself for her demise.

Yaddle was introduced in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and other than being spotted here and there around the Jedi Temple, she didn’t really add much to the plot aside from being physical proof that other of Yoda’s species do, in fact, exist. However, her importance to the story was elevated immensely in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. In the fourth episode of the limited animated series, Yaddle suspects a Sith Lord was behind Count Dooku killed Yaddle, and when Yoda finds out through a Force vision, he blames himself for it.

Yoda Blames Himself For Yaddle’s Death By Count Dooku’s Hand

In Star Wars: Yoda #10 by Cavan Scott and Ibraim Roberson, Yoda ventures into the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah to prepare himself for Luke Skywalker’s arrival and subsequent training. At the start of the book - which takes place not long before the events of Episode V - Yoda is visited by the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan senses that Yoda has essentially given up, on the galaxy and on himself. Yoda blames himself for the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire, so he’s decided to take himself out of the equation entirely. However, Luke needs a Jedi Master, so Obi-Wan convinces Yoda to face his demons in the Dark Side Cave. Upon entering, Yoda sees the corpse of Yaddle with a sinister, mutilated vision of Count Dooku standing before his kill. Yoda connects the dots immediately, and asks Count Dooku why he would do something so horrible, to which Count Dooku replies, “Because you let me.”

This entire series chronicles a number of pivotal moments in Yoda’s life, including one issue where Count Dooku goes to his former master and wants to give up the life of a Jedi. Rather than accepting this, Yoda makes Count Dooku a teacher to younglings, at which point Dooku targets some of the children, and starts to turn them to the dark side, as he shares with them his doubts about the Jedi Order. This builds until Dooku is finally approached by Sidious, which then leads to Yaddle’s murder. Yoda only connects these moments when he’s faced with them in the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah, realizing too late the fact that he could have prevented Yaddle’s death along with the fall of Count Dooku. Yoda could not see the true nature of his former apprentice, and because of this, Yaddle - and many others - died by Count Dooku’s hand.

While it is true that Yoda should have been more vigilant, the truth of the matter is that Yaddle’s death wasn’t his fault. Yoda didn’t push Dooku to the dark side, if anything he tried to save him from it by asg him to train younglings rather than leave the Order. And Yoda certainly didn’t force Dooku’s hand to kill Yaddle, as that is entirely the fault of Darth Sidious for ordering it, and Dooku himself for carrying it out. So, while it makes sense that Yoda would blame himself for Yaddle’’s death, especially when he’s faced with the dark reality of it within the Dark Side Cave, it truly wasn’t his fault - something he thankfully discovers for himself by the end of this Star Wars issue.

Star Wars: Yoda #10 by Marvel Comics is available now.