Who Trained Yoda In The Force? A Dead Star Wars Legend Explained

While all records of Jedi Master N'Kata Del Gormo's existence were lost during Emperor Palpatine's Great Jedi Purge, there's a similar lack of evidence surrounding Yoda's new canonical master, making it a mysterious aspect of "Star Wars" lore.

In the current "Star Wars" canon, Yoda's master was an unknown member of the Jedi Order, with little to no information specifying anything about the mysterious Jedi. "Master & Apprentice" by Claudia Gray reveals they took Yoda on as a Padawan when the alien was young. However, given his species' long lifespan, this happened hundreds of years before the Empire usurped the Galactic Republic.

Interestingly, the only source of information regarding Yoda's master comes from "The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?" This is a junior novel retelling the film's events. In the book, Yoda recounts a story his master once told him about Jedi K'ungfu and Chuang. The tale taught Yoda how to live in peace, as Jedi Master K'ungfu sees Chuang enjoying his life after the death of his Padawan, showing that death isn't the end but the start of becoming something new within the Force. Yoda tells Luke this story as part of the latter's Jedi training on Dagobah.

Outside of that, there's not much information regarding Yoda's canonical Jedi Master. In an interview with Nerdist, Dave Filoni recalled, "Frank Oz told me once that Yoda speaks that way specifically in honor of his own master," but "Star Wars" has yet to officially confirm this.