Summary
Yodais one of the most well-known Jedi inStar Wars, but the fate of his iconic lightsaber is much more mysterious. Yoda was mostly known for everything but his lightsaber, as his skill with the Force made him one ofthe most powerful Jedi inStar Wars. Yoda was so skilled with the Force that he didn’t even need to use his lightsaber until the final moments ofStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesduring his duel with Count Dooku. Though it was only introduced decades after Yoda’s first appearance, his lightsaber had a much more extensive history than its first short battle.
Yoda was about 900 years oldat his death, and he had centuries of experience as a Jedi Master. His long life also meant that his lightsaber had an equally long history. Even just the end of his lightsaber’s journey spans the course of severalStar Warsmovies, TV shows, and comic books, and it can be hard to keep track of the path it took through so many different stories. That path was rather important, though, and the ultimate fate of Yoda’s lightsaber could continue to be an important part of futureStar Warsstories, such asNew Jedi Order.
25 Best Yoda Quotes Of All Time
Master Yoda always had the right bit of wisdom at the right time, and his quotes have made him one of the most iconic characters in all of fiction.
Yoda Lost His Lightsaber In A Duel Against Darth Sidious
The last time Yoda used his lightsaber was inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Since Yoda was one of the fewJedi survivors of Order 66, he volunteered to fight Darth Sidious - better known as Emperor Palpatine - while Obi-Wan Kenobi dueled the newly minted Darth Vader.During their duel, Sidious knocked Yoda’s lightsaber out of his hand with a bolt of Force lightning, and it tumbled to the floor of the Senate building. Shortly after, Yoda was defeated and had to flee without his lightsaber, which fell into Palpatine’s possession.
Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious
The senator for Naboo, Palpatine rose to power and influence during the dying days of the Republic. In reality, his public persona was just a mask; he was really Darth Sidious, greatest of the Sith Lords, and he used his political skills and Machiavellian cunning to bring down both the Republic and the Jedi. Palpatine ruled his Galactic Empire for decades, until he was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Vader. Even this wasn’t enough to stop the Emperor, however, as he was resurrected by his followers - only to be defeated once again.
In the aftermath of Order 66, Palpatine began a widespread propaganda campaign against the Jedi to prevent the galaxy from turning them into martyrs. He wanted to paint the Jedi as treasonous terrorists and assassins, and one of the ways he accomplished that goal was by destroying their legacy.Palpatine’s lackey, Mas Amedda, gathered several of the Jedi’s lightsabers, including Yoda’s, and incinerated them during a public display. Thus, the lightsaber Yoda used for the majority of his time as a Jedi was destroyed on Coruscant in 19 BBY.
Yoda Kept Another Lightsaber On Dagobah
Yoda felt an immense amount of guilt and shame after his defeat at Darth Sidious' hands, as he felt that he failed not only in his duel, but also in not seeing Palpatine’s rise to power. To help deal with his guilt, Yoda vowed to never use a lightsaber again.After he fled to Dagobah at the end ofRevenge of the Sithand began his exile on the swampy planet, Yoda began using a bow to hunt for food, and he relied solely on the Force instead of his blade. That didn’t, however, mean he never had another lightsaber.
Stars Wars: Why Yoda Exiled Himself In Revenge Of The Sith
At the end of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Yoda exiles himself to Dagobah, where he remains for decades until Luke finds him. Why?
The Jedi Master had more than one lightsaber over the course of his centuries-long life -Yoda gave away his first lightsaberinYoung Jedi Adventures- and he had more than just those two.Though Palpatine destroyed Yoda’s primary lightsaber, he had another that he took with him to Dagobah. Because of his vow to never use a lightsaber again, though, Yoda hid his second blade in a chest in his home there. His lightsaber would remain in that chest until his final days, and his final Padawan.
Luke Skywalker Took This Lightsaber After Yoda’s Death
Yoda died and became one with the Force in 4 ABY, duringReturn of the Jedi. Luckily, he didn’t die alone, as his final Padawan, Luke Skywalker, was present for his last moments. Yoda was able to give Luke a few lessons and reveal that he had a sibling - Leia Organa - before his death, but he was also able to give Luke something immediately following his final breath.Luke took Yoda’s second lightsaber from his chest on Dagobah and kept it with him for at least a few years after the end of the Galactic Civil War.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Cast
Return of the Jedi concludes George Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy with Luke Skywalker and his allies seeking to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and facing a renewed threat as the Emperor attempts to obliterate the Rebellion through a second Death Star, broadening the epic battle between good and evil.
Grogu Turned Down Luke’s Offer To Take The Lightsaber
Luke never used Yoda’s lightsaber himself - it was designed for a much smaller Jedi than Luke, and he had his own - but he did eventually find a use for it. InThe Mandalorianseason 2, Din Djarin and his adoptive son, Grogu, were searching for Luke.He eventually found them and came to their rescue at the end ofThe Mandalorianseason 2, and Luke took Grogu to become one of his first Jedi Padawans. Shortly after their training began, however, Luke offered Grogu a choice about his own future.
The Mandalorian
Released on August 04, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
The Book of Boba Fett
After pulling himself out of the Sarlaac pit, Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) is kidnapped by the Tusken Raiders. But after gaining their trust, Boba is able to return to Tatooine and claim Jabba the Hutt’s throne with the help of Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). The Book of Boba Fet also directly led into The Mandalorian season 3, which premiered in March 2023.
During their training, Luke could tell that Grogu still had a strong emotional attachment to Din. Since he was going off the teachings of the Jedi Order before him, Luke made it clear to Grogu that if he were to continue to train as a Jedi, he would have to forego any emotional attachments, meaning he would never see Din again. To illustrate that requirement,Luke gave Grogu a choice: if he picked the Beskar chain mail, he would return to Din and never become a Jedi, but if he chose Yoda’s lightsaber, he would forget about Din and continue to train with Luke.
Yoda’s Lightsaber May Have Survived Until Luke’s Jedi Academy
Grogu chose the chain mail over Yoda’s lightsaber, and his training ended there, meaning Luke still had possession of Yoda’s lightsaber for an indefinite amount of time. Years later, however, Luke would start his ownJedi Academy on Ossusand begin training new recruits. Unfortunately, this is a rather sparse area ofStar Warscanon, and Yoda’s lightsaber hasn’t yet appeared at Luke’s Jedi Academy.WhileStar Warshasn’t confirmed who eventually ended up with Yoda’s lightsaber, it’s possible that Luke still had it when he began training younglings, and that one of his Padawans might have been the right size to use Yoda’s historic blade.
The ultimate fate of Yoda’s lightsaber still remains unknown, though, especially given how Luke’s Jedi Academy turned out. The Jedi Temple on Ossus was eventually destroyed by Ben Solo, and many of Luke’s younglings were killed in the fires.Luke then went into exile on Ahch-To shortly after the destruction of the Temple, and he likely didn’t sift through the ruins looking for Yoda’s lightsaber. Therefore, the blade could still be buried in the ruins of Ossus, a scavenger could have found it, or Ben Solo, who would later become Kylo Ren, might have returned for it and the kyber crystal within.
All 6 Times Star Wars Has Shown Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple & Their Inconsistencies
Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Temple has only appeared a handful of times in Star Wars canon - here are all the appearances to date, and how they compare.
Yoda’s lightsaber presents a rather large hole in establishedStar Warslore, namely the period of theStar Warstimeline between the era ofThe Mandalorianand the beginning ofStar Wars: The Force Awakens. While the franchise has begun to fill in some of those holes with stories likeThe Rise of Kylo Ren,Bloodline, andShadow of the Sith, there’s still plenty of room for futureStar Warsstories set during this time. One of those potential stories may reveal what ultimately happened toYoda’s lightsaber, but only time will tell.
Yoda
The aged Jedi Master had trained Jedi for 800 years by the time he met Luke Skywalker on the planet Dagobah. One of the most famed and revered Jedi, Yoda served as Grand Master of the Jedi Order for centuries; he was powerful enough to duel Darth Sidious himself, although he was defeated. Yoda exiled himself to Dagobah, where he learned how to become a Force Ghost and offered guidance to Luke Skywalker.
