Yoda, one of the most beloved characters in science fiction, is returning to the screen to help the Jedi of Star Wars Rebels in an upcoming episode, though the 800-year-old master will appear in an unusual way.
According to TV Guide , Yoda will make his presence known in Star Wars Rebels as he is drawn from hiding to assist Jedi knight Kanan and his new padawan, Ezra, when they find themselves on the remote planet of Lothal. Since Rebels takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope , a time when Yoda was exiled to Dagobah, executive producer Dave Filoni chose to bring back the ancient Jedi master as a disembodied voice.
Original puppeteer Frank Oz will return to voice Yoda on @StarWars Rebels. Exciting this is! http://t.co/fcKEYthlfd pic.twitter.com/e3Yu6IVSts
— ScreenCrush (@screencrushnews) December 15, 2014
“I felt personally to keep Yoda as this disembodied thing it would confuse the audience less,” he said. “I didn’t want you to think Yoda could be teleporting from planet to planet.”
Frank Oz, who has brought Yoda to life in five previous Star Wars films, will once again be lending his voice to the character, according to Comicbook.com . Filoni, who also directed the episode, noted that Oz’s unique vocal talent helped to make Yoda’s unusual return a possibility.
ANOTHER reason to watch that show. RT @ComicBookdotcom : Yoda Is Returning For #StarWarsRebels http://t.co/R1Z4g9UkFP pic.twitter.com/rtD9dxvYEY
— A Vanilla Midget (@aVanillaMidget) December 15, 2014
“What’s great about Frank, by keeping the voice very present and active, you do feel that it’s a watchfulness and that he’s speaking to you from afar,” he observed. “And I didn’t want anyone to think that he had left Dagobah [the planet where Yoda first trains Luke Skywalker]. It was on the outer rim of what we do, but I think we were able to pull it off.”
Rumors have previously surfaced that Yoda would return in the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens , as the Inquisitr previously noted, though as a part of the Force. During his appearance in Rebels , however, Star Wars fans should keep their eyes open for homages to The Empire Strikes Back and the final episodes of The Clone Wars , according to Filoni.
“This show is meant to fit in with everything that’s going on: ‘Clone Wars,’ features, novels… We do a lot of work to make sure there’s continuity between these things now.”
Star Wars fans will get the chance to judge for themselves when the episode, “Path of the Jedi,” airs Monday, January 5 at 9/8c on Disney XD, featuring Frank Oz once again as Yoda.
[Image: Lucasfilm/Twentieth Century Fox via HeroComplex ]
