Star Wars' most powerful Jedi, Yoda was a highly respected and even revered Jedi Master who served on the Jedi Council for centuries.
The exact details of even that history are unknown, however, as there are only estimates and hints regarding Master Yoda's Star Wars species remains a mystery in the franchise, which was very intentional by George Lucas, who didn't want the details regarding this species to be known. It's evident that Star Wars wants to maintain Yoda's status as a bit of an enigma, but Star Wars canon has revealed some details about the curious Jedi Master's origins.
We Know Who's Rumored To Have Been Yoda's Jedi Master
In Legends, Yoda Had Many Jedi Mentors
Master Yoda's Legends Jedi Master N'Kata Del Gormo has recently been reintroduced to the Star Wars canon in a brand-new Star Wars book. Star Wars: Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss, written by Steven Barnes, references Del Gormo for the first time in Star Wars canon (since Disney bought Star Wars and relegated most of the Expanded Universe stories, Del Gormo's among them, to Legends). In The Glass Abyss, Mace Windu reveals that N'Kata Del Gormo may have been one of Yoda's Jedi mentors.
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Curiously, Mace Windu isn't certain that this was the case, which suggests that even in-universe among the Jedi—including Jedi who worked very closely with Yoda—his story is largely a mystery. Nevertheless, this reference canonizes N'Kata Del Gormo and hints that he may have a similar story in Star Wars canon and Legends, including in his relationship with Yoda. It's also interesting to note that in Legends, Yoda had multiple Jedi mentors, which may be true in the canon as well. This raises some questions regarding who could have been his sole Jedi Master.
Even in-universe among the Jedi—including Jedi who worked very closely with Yoda—his story is largely a mystery.
We've Seen Yoda's First Training Lightsaber In Young Jedi Adventures
In Young Jedi Adventures, Yoda Gave His First Training Lightsaber To A Youngling
In "The Young Jedi / Yoda's Mission," the very first episode of the animated Star Wars show Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Yoda gives his first training lightsaber to a youngling named Kai Brightstar, with whom Yoda is particularly impressed. Kai had shown exceptional bravery in a confrontation with a pirate and had chosen to let the pirate take his own lightsaber in order to focus on saving his fellow youngling, Nubs, who was precariously hanging onto a rope off the back of a ship. Initially, Kai believes Yoda will be upset to hear that he lost his saber.
Yoda surprises Kai by instead telling him that he did the right thing. After praising the "selfless choice" Kai made, Yoda tells him, "You helped others. That is the way of the Jedi." It is then that Yoda reveals his lightsaber, telling Kai that this was his first training lightsaber from when he was Kai's age. In addition to this being a touching moment between Yoda and a youngling, it is also a surprising one. Yoda would have been Kai's age long before the show, which means that he held onto the saber for centuries.
How Old Was Yoda When He Began Teaching Jedi?
Yoda Had Been Training Jedi For Centuries Before The Prequel Trilogy
Yoda's shocking cameo in The Acolyte revealed that, 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Yoda was already a wise Jedi Master whose guidance was highly regarded. His history of training Jedi extended far beyond that period of time, however. Based on Yoda's age in Star Wars movies, Yoda had been training Jedi for approximately 800 years.
The Acolyte's Surprise Cameo Fixes A 25-Year-Old Phantom Menace Problem
This shocking cameo at the end of The Acolyte's final episode has massive implications for The Phantom Menace and for the entire prequel trilogy.
Yoda was born in 896 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), and he began training Jedi in 796 BBY, according to the Star Wars Timelines canon reference book, written by Kristin Baver, Jason Fry, Cole Horton, Amy Richau, and Clayton Sandell. This confirms that Yoda was 100 years old when he began training Jedi. As he was 900 years old when he died in the original Star Wars trilogy (during which he also trained Luke Skywalker), that means he spent a staggering 800 years training Jedi.
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This also means there are centuries of stories about Master Yoda that have yet to be told. It's unclear whether Star Wars will ever tell these stories, although it's obvious that Yoda remains a character of great interest, as he continues to have appearances in shows such as The Acolyte and Star Wars Rebels. Despite his many appearances thus far, Master Yoda remains a bit of a mystery in Star Wars, but the franchise has revealed at least some details of his canon story.
