For over forty years, the Star Wars franchise has thrown iconography into the pop culture zeitgeist that has and will continue to stand the test of time, with music, moments, and characters as prime examples of the franchise's power and longevity. One such character, who is as instantly recognizable and well known as any other, is Grandmaster Yoda.
The little green Jedi is as mysterious as he is powerful, as one of the most revered Jedi of all time, as well as a brilliant and wise character, in so many ways, throughout his multitude of appearances, Yoda gets better and better.
Trained Luke
The audience's introduction to Yoda came in the beloved and acclaimed Empire Strikes Back as a mysterious Jedi Master tasked with training Luke, which he reluctantly does.
Between the two final movies of the trilogy, Yoda trains Luke to be a capable enough Jedi to where he is able to save the Galaxy, save his father, and temporarily defeat the Emperor.
Power
As a being nearly a Millenium old, Yoda has been around many iterations of the Jedi Order and Jedi High Council and has harnessed his abilities, adapting throughout that entire time.
When we see Yoda, he is near the end of his life, but is still one of, arguably the most powerful Jedi in the Galaxy, and grows in power, not necessarily in his athletic prowess as a saber combatant, but as a being in the Force, with his use of the Force, and with his knowledge and grasp on the Galaxy.
Knowledge & Wisdom
Speaking of knowledge, that is a crucial part of the power in the Force Yoda gains throughout his time on our screens but is also just something he acquires more and more of, as well as wisdom as time goes on.
Knowing the various workings of the Galaxy, the Force, midi-chlorians, etc. is a huge part of that, but so too is knowing his mistakes, the Jedi Council's mistakes, and learning from them, itting them, and using them later to impart on others.
Communication With Qui-Gon Jinn
While Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first Jedi ever to become a fully formed Force Spirit, Qui-Gon Jinn was the first known Jedi to find out about the process, coming so close to learning it fully.
It was he who sent Yoda on his way to learning about the process, Qui-Gon spoke to Yoda through the Force, acting like a guide who did not tell him the details of the journey or the destination, but led him to it, and in turn, helped Yoda (& Obi-Wan) come to the aid of many people.
Journey To The Wellspring Of Life
One of the very best Clone Wars arcs detailed this journey, which Qui-Gon nudged Yoda to go on. It was a fantastic, weird, insightful, and a joy to watch.
The journey sees Yoda go to the Wellspring of Life, to learn the ways of the Force, to learn how to become one with the Force. It allowed him to learn so much, to gain new insight into the Force that, despite his immense wisdom, even he did not have.
Giving Obi-Wan The Knowledge Of A Further Power
A while after this journey, specifically at the end of Yoda tells Obi-Wan about Qui-Gon, that he must make with his old Master, to seek the wisdom and knowledge of this power.
Had Yoda not allowed Obi-Wan to learn this power, Luke may never have found his way to Yoda on Dagobah; Luke may have never blown up the Death Star, so much of the Galaxy's survival in a free, peaceful state, relies on Obi-Wan becoming a Force Spirit.
Found Peace & Became One With The Force
Yoda lived an insanely long life and, from what fans get to see of it, it contained a lot of struggles, including the use of a walking stick, which aided his vitality and ability to duel.
In the end, at the twilight, Yoda was at peace, and had lived a long, fruitful life, and was at peace in the knowledge he had trained Luke properly in the physical realm. Becoming one with the Force allowed Yoda to help more than he was, at that time, able to in the physical world.
Appreciated The Present
Going back to Qui-Gon Jinn, he was known as a maverick Jedi, and one with many criticisms of the Jedi Council, one of the most significant being their inability to stay in the present, to focus on the moment rather than look to the future.
This is a part of the reason Qui-Gon never fully indulged the secrets of the Force to Yoda, and, clearly, Yoda took this on board as decades later he would give Luke the same advice about looking to the horizon, never appreciating the moment.
Guidance
Yoda had trained Jedi for most of his life, constantly credited by Jedi, even those who were not direct Apprentices of him - in the traditional Master/Apprentice relationship - and merely trained as a youngling and guided by the Master, for imparting incredible knowledge, wisdom, and kindness on them.
He continues to give wisdom and guidance to people even when it is out of his way to do so, when he is not in the physical location of the person, The Rise Of Skywalker.
Further Powers As A Force Spirit
Force Spirits, despite what is given to us by the three trilogies and two animated shows, are still a huge mystery, with the extent of their power and influence in the living realm unknown.
When fans meet Yoda again as a Force spirit in The Last Jedi, he proves Force Spirits are capable of far more than we initially believed as he manipulates the weather of Ach-To, the physical weather of a planet out of his realm. No doubt, there is far more power at the disposal of Force Spirits, with Yoda likely the pinnacle of that power.
