STAR WARS INSIDER / 45CAN YOU FEEL THE FORCE?Jedi become warriors. Very early on in Star Wars:
The Clone Wars, Season One, Episode One,
“Ambush” (2008), Asajj Ventress proposes that
if Yoda can defeat her best droid troops in a test
of battle on the remote, neutral moon Rugosa,
Toydaria—the Toydarian homeworld—will be
free to join the Republic. Yoda agrees, and shows
his prowess in battle plus his compassion and
attention toward the clone troopers who serve
alongside him. But even accepting this bet strains
the defi nition of the Jedi as peacekeepers.
Yoda directly learns this from the Force
priestesses who help him unlock the secret
to living on as a Force spirit after death. Even
Yoda sometimes doubts the will of the Force.
When he hears Qui-Gon Jinn speaking to him
from beyond the grave, he dismisses it as his
imagination. But being contacted by Qui-Gon is
just Yoda’s fi rst step into a depth of Force mystery
that even he has never seen before. During The
Clone Wars, he learns the Jedi might have strayed
down a dark path unknowingly: “No longer
certain that one ever does win a war, I am. For in
fi ghting the battles, the bloodshed, already lost
we have.”Choosing the Right Path
Yoda has a lot to teach in Star Wars Rebels as
well, including knowledge of some of the ritual
of becoming a Jedi. After Ezra Bridger has seen
visions of his fear, Yoda appears to him. “Your
path, you must decide,” Yoda says.
Feeling the Force doesn’t automatically make
one a good person, which is why Jedi need to go
through trials to prove that they can stand up for
the ideals of the light side. Yoda asks Ezra why
he has come to the Jedi temple, and Ezra replies
that fi rst he wants to pay the Empire back for
what they did to his parents, then that he wants
to foster a life for his found family, the crew of
the Ghost. Even though he has seen terrifying
visions, Ezra hasn’t been lost to that fear and
the desire for revenge. “A challenge lifelong
it is, not to bend fear into anger,” Yoda notes.
Although Ezra has a desire for revenge, Yoda sees
that he also has a want to help people. It is this
motivation, not martial prowess, that draws Ezra
to the kyber crystal that will become the heart of
his lightsaber.
Even though we can’t use the Force here on
Earth, all of us can go on our own Jedi journey.
Breathing evenly and deeply and concentrating
on the here-and-now are tips for inner calm
that can reach across the bounds of time and
space from a galaxy far, far away. And if you
struggle, remember: even beings who can live for
hundreds of years always have more to learn.
Ready? What know you of ready?One of Yoda’s tests for Luke
shows the danger of using
the Force for selfi sh means.
This is the dark side, and
it’s an easy path to walk.
03
04