Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Frank Oz: Yoda

Photos 

Quotes 

• Luke : All right, I'll give it a try.

  Yoda : No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.

• [Using the Force, Yoda effortlessly frees the X-Wing from the bog] 

  Luke : I don't, I don't believe it.

  Yoda : That is why you fail.

• Luke : I won't fail you. I'm not afraid.

  Yoda : You will be. You... will... be.

• Yoda : I am wondering, why are you here?

  Luke : I'm looking for someone.

  Yoda : Looking? Found someone, you have, I would say, hmmm?

  Luke : Right...

  Yoda : Help you I can. Yes, mmmm.

  Luke : I don't think so. I'm looking for a great warrior.

  Yoda : Ohhh. Great warrior.

  [laughs and shakes his head] 

  Yoda : Wars not make one great.

• [Luke can't levitate his X-Wing out of the bog] 

  Luke : I can't. It's too big.

  Yoda : Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship.

• Yoda : Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph! Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless!

• Yoda : Yes, run! Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.

  Luke : Vader... Is the dark side stronger?

  Yoda : No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.

  Luke : But how am I to know the good side from the bad?

  Yoda : You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack.

  Luke : But tell my why I can't...

  Yoda : No, no! There is no "why".

• Yoda : Why wish you become Jedi?

  Luke : Well, mostly because of my father, I guess.

  Yoda : Ahh... father. Powerful Jedi was he. Powerful Jedi.

  Luke : [suspicious]  Oh, come on! How can you know my father? You don't even know who I am. Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! We're wasting our time!

  Yoda : [Looking away from Luke]  I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience.

  Obi-Wan : [voice-over]  He will learn patience.

  Yoda : Much anger in him... like his father.

  Obi-Wan : [voice]  Was I any different when you taught me?

• Luke : There's something not right here... I feel cold. Death.

  Yoda : [points to a cave opening beneath a large tree]  That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go.

  Luke : What's in there?

  Yoda : Only what you take with you.

• Yoda : Control, control, you must learn control!

• [Luke's ship sinks into the mud] 

  Luke : We'll never get it out now!

  Yoda : So certain are you. Always with you what cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?

• Yoda : Your weapons, you will not need them.

• Yoda : You must unlearn what you have learned.

• Luke : I don't know. I feel like...

  Yoda : Feel like what?

  [Luke whips around and pulls out his blaster in defense] 

  Luke : Like we're being watched.

  Yoda : Away put your weapon. I mean you no harm.

• Yoda : [to Luke]  How do you get so big eating food of this kind?

• Yoda : Stopped they must be; on this all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now - if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did - you will become an agent of evil.

  Obi-Wan : Patience.

  Luke : And sacrifice Han and Leia?

  Yoda : If you honor what they fight for? Yes.

  Obi-Wan : If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.

  Luke : I understand. R2? Fire up the converters.

  Obi-Wan : Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side.

  Yoda : Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can.

  Luke : I will. And I'll return, I promise.

• [Luke has seen a vision of Han, Leia and Chewie being tortured in Cloud City] 

  Luke : I saw - I saw a city in the clouds.

  Yoda : [nods]  Friends you have there.

  Luke : They were in pain...

  Yoda : It is the future you see.

  Luke : The future?

  [pause] 

  Luke : Will they die?

  Yoda : [closes his eyes for a moment]  Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.

  Luke : I've got to go to them.

  Yoda : Decide you must, how to serve them best. If you leave now, help them you could; but you would destroy all for which they have fought, and suffered.

• Luke : How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?

  Yoda : Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him.

• Yoda : [Luke is preparing his X-Wing fighter for take off]  Luke. You must complete the training.

  Luke : No, I can't keep the vision out of my head. They are my friends; I've got to help them.

  Yoda : You must not go.

  Luke : But, Han and Leia will die if I don't.

  Obi-Wan : You don't know that.

  [Force ghost of Obi-Wan appears] 

  Obi-Wan : Even Yoda cannot see their fate.

  Luke : But, I can help them. I feel the Force.

  Obi-Wan : But, you cannot control it. This is a dangerous time for you. When you will be tempted by the dark side of the force.

  Yoda : Yes! Yes! To Obi Wan, you listen. The cave. Remember your failure with the cave?

  Luke : But I've learnt so much since then. Master Yoda, I promise to return and finish what I've begun. You have my word.

  Obi-Wan : It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer.

  Luke : That's why I have to go.

  Obi-Wan : Luke. I don't want to lose you to the Emperor, the way I lost Vader.

  Luke : You won't.

  Yoda : Stopped, they must be. On this, all depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight, with the Force as his ally, will conquer Vader and his Emperor. If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil.

  Obi-Wan : Patience.

  Luke : And sacrifice Han and Leia?

  Yoda : If you honor what they fight for? Yes!

  Obi-Wan : If you choose to face Vader, you will do it alone. I cannot interfere.

  Luke : I understand.

  [Yoda looks surprised] 

  Luke : R2, fire up the converters.

  [Luke boards his X-Wing fighter] 

  Obi-Wan : Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the dark side.

  Obi-Wan : Strong, is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you, it can!

  Luke : I will! And I'll return. I promise!

  [Luke takes off and departs Degobah] 

  Yoda : [Obi-Wan and Yoda watches Luke fly away. Obi-Wan vanishes]  Told you I did. Reckless, is he. Now... matters are worse.

  Obi-Wan : That boy is our last hope.

  Yoda : No. There is another.

• Luke : Now all I got to is find this Yoda. If he even exists. It's a really strange place to find a Jedi Master. This place gives me the creeps.

  [starts to eat something] 

  Luke : Still... there's something familiar about this place.

  [R2-D2 beeps] 

  Luke : I don't know, I feel like...

  [suddenly whips around and aims his gun at Yoda, who cowers and whimpers] 

  Luke : ... like we're being watched!

  Yoda : Away put your weapon, I mean you no harm! I am wondering, why are you here?

  Luke : I'm looking for someone.

  Yoda : Looking? Found someone, you have, I would say! Hmm?

  [laughs] 

  Luke : [lowers his gun]  Right...

  Yoda : Help you, I can. Yes, mmm.

  Luke : I don't think so.

  [Yoda frowns] 

  Luke : I'm looking for a great warrior.

  Yoda : Oh!

  [chuckles and comes toward Luke] 

  Yoda : Great warrior!

  [laughs again] 

  Yoda : Wars not make one great, heh heh heh!

  [grunts as he comes over to Luke's area and picks up the thing Luke was eating] 

  Luke : Put that down, now we...

  [Yoda takes a bite of the food] 

  Luke : Hey! My dinner!

  [takes the food out of Yoda's hand and puts it in the lunch pack] 

• Yoda : Yoda! You seek Yoda!

• [Luke has encountered Yoda. Thinking he is a stranger, Luke points his blaster at Yoda who cowers down, holding his arms over his head while holding on to his cane for support] 

  Yoda : [fearfully]  Put away your weapon! I mean you no harm!

  Luke : [lowering his weapon]  Who are you?

  Yoda : [poking his head up, so his eyes are visible]  I was just wondering... Why are you here?

  Luke : I'm looking for someone.

  Yoda : [uncovers his elderly, but friendly face completely, eyes wide]  *Looking?* Been looking at someone, you have! Mmmm.

  [Yoda laughs] 

• [Luke has just encountered Yoda. Yoda is pretending to be senile to test Luke's patience; R2-D2 watches as Yoda plays with a little flashlight-like lamp. Already impatient, Luke tries to take the lamp away from Yoda] 

  Yoda : Mine! Or I'll help you not.

  Luke : I don't want your help. I want my lamp back. I need it to get out of this slimy mudhole.

  Yoda : [insulted; as he speaks, R2-D2 opens a side door and extends a pair of pinchers and grabs hold of the lamp and tries to pull the lamp away from Yoda]  Mudhole? Slimy? MY home, is this!

  Yoda : [startled]  Wha?

  Luke : [Yoda and R2-D2 start a tug-of-war with the lamp; R2 beeping and humming protestingly]  R2, let him have it.

  [Yoda grabs his cane and starts whacking R2-D2 repeatedly with it] 

  Yoda : [as he is whacking R2]  Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

  Luke : [firmly]  *R2!*

  [R2 relents, sinking his pinchers into his metallic body. Yoda uses his cane to close the side door for R2-D2's pinchers]