Star Wars Canon Has Completely Forgotten Yoda's Real Phantom Menace Story

Summary Yoda's focus on the future in The Phantom Menace was a key aspect of his character development.

Yoda's attitude towards the future drastically changed in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

The Jedi's reliance on a prophecy led to Anakin's fall and the destruction of the Jedi Order.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace introduced one intriguing aspect of Master Yoda's character, yet the subsequent Star Wars prequel movies not only dropped that plot point but also entirely reversed it. The Phantom Menace was the fourth to be released in the chronology of Star Wars movies and TV shows, but in terms of the Star Wars timeline, it was first. This meant that character development was key, particularly as the movie fleshed out the characters who had previously appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Master Yoda's character development was especially crucial, as he had been introduced in The Empire Strikes Back as a mysterious but incredibly powerful Jedi; in fact, Yoda was clearly one of Star Wars' most powerful Jedi, if not the single most powerful. The Phantom Menace then built up his character significantly, taking him from the strange little alien on Dagobah to the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. However, one fascinating plotline for Yoda introduced in The Phantom Menace was confusingly entirely altered in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Related The Skywalker Saga Would Have Changed Completely If Yoda Had Made One Different Decision About Anakin The entire Skywalker saga would be totally different if Master Yoda had changed just one decision he made about Anakin in The Phantom Menace.

In The Phantom Menace, Yoda Is Obsessed With The Future

The very first mention of Yoda in The Phantom Menace comes very early on in the movie, when Obi-Wan explains to Qui-Gon Jinn, "Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future" in response to Qui-Gon telling his Padawan to focus on the here and now. Already, this establishes Yoda's interest in the future and what it may hold. Intriguingly, even beyond a curiosity about the future, the scene implies that Yoda even supports using an awareness of one's future to guide their actions. After all, Obi-Wan makes this point after he senses something strange and "elusive" impending.

Yoda's concern about the future persists later on in the movie when he meets young Anakin Skywalker. After testing Anakin's Force sensitivity and inquiring about Anakin's thoughts and feelings regarding his mother, the Council decides that Anakin should not be trained as a Jedi. When Qui-Gon argues with them, telling them Anakin is the one from the Chosen One prophecy in an effort to have the Council reconsider their decision, Yoda asserts, "Clouded this boy's future is." Again, this moment highlights Yoda's focus on the future.

Star Wars Canon Has Completely Abandoned This Interpretation Of Yoda

Confusingly, Yoda has entirely changed his tune by Attack of the Clones, and in Revenge of the Sith, Yoda has become wary of reflecting upon the future at all. When Anakin comes to Master Yoda to seek guidance about his nightmares of Padmé dying, Yoda tells him, "Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side." This approach to Anakin's premonitions reflects a complete reversal of Yoda's opinions about the future.

Rather than being mindful of it, as he had instructed Obi-Wan, or assessing it, as he had tried to do when he met Anakin, Yoda outright discourages such efforts. This major shift isn't explained in the prequel movies. Arguably, this could be a change of heart because of Anakin specifically. Not only did the Jedi fear Anakin's potential future themselves, but they also focused too heavily on the Chosen One prophecy. Perhaps Yoda became concerned that Anakin looking into the future in particular would have grave consequences, or perhaps he had begun to recognize the flaws in trusting a prophecy.

Not only did the Jedi fear Anakin's potential future themselves, but they also focused too heavily on the Chosen One prophecy.

In the end, this focus on anticipating the future did contribute to Anakin's fall and the destruction of the Jedi Order. Anakin's visions led him to the dark side, and the Jedi's reliance on the Chosen One entirely backfired. While not confirmed, this may suggest that Master Yoda's change of heart about the future following Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was for the best—unfortunately, it came too late.

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