George Lucas reveals why Yoda speaks so strangely

Yoda is one of the male members of a mysterious species in the "Star Wars" saga. His role was tied to representing the Jedi Master who served the Jedi Order in the final days of the Galactic Republic. Therefore, George Lucas, the creator of these famous films, provided details about Yoda's speech.

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Lucas pointed out that the character's way of speaking is a particular aspect of Yoda at this week's anniversary screening of 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," where he explained that it was created to ensure the little alien's often profound messages truly reached the audience.

“Because if you speak a normal language, people don’t listen to you as much,” Lucas said at the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival, according to Variety.

And he added: “ But if he has an accent, or it is very difficult to understand what he says, they focus on what he says.”

Yoda in the movies

According to CNN, Yoda was renowned within the Order for his wisdom, Force powers, and lightsaber combat, and lived for nearly 900 years. His time during the final days of the Jedi Order and beyond made him a consequential figure in galactic history.

“Failure is the best teacher,” “You still have a lot to learn,” and “When you reach 900 years of age, you won’t look so good ” are examples of the Jedi Master’s peculiar way of formulating his thoughts.

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It's worth noting that Yoda is one of the most beloved alien characters in cinematic history, and part of that has to do with his distinctive way of speaking. He was voiced by the legendary Frank Oz and has the distinction of being charmingly disjointed and out of sequence.

"He was basically the philosopher of the film. I had to find a way to make people really listen, especially 12-year-olds," the filmmaker said.

According to the outlet, this week in addition to the 1980 anniversary of “The Empire Strikes Back,” verified Instagram accounts for Disney+, Star Wars, and LucasFilm — Lucas’s film and TV production company — posted clips of Yoda making bloopers on the set of the “Star Wars” films, with Oz continuing to voice and manipulate the heavy Yoda puppet even in takes that were otherwise unusable.

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