Where is Yoda in The Acolyte? Why the Star Wars Jedi isn't involved, explained

Mark Hamill in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back still
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

The Acolyte, Star Wars' brand new show, has finally hit Disney Plus – and, though it's set in the High Republic era, long before the prequels, there are a handful of Jedi with lifespans long enough to be around this far back on the Star Wars timeline

One of those Jedi is Yoda, who, at this time, is actually the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Naturally, then, you might be expecting him to show up in The Acolyte. 

But, the Jedi Master is so far completely absent in the show. If you're scratching your head, we've broken down the mystery below to answer just why Yoda is absent from The Acolyte.

Where is Yoda in The Acolyte?

Yoda

(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

It's a little surprising that Yoda hasn't shown up in The Acolyte so far, considering his high rank in the Jedi Order, and his importance to the saga as a whole. So, where is the little green guy?

Well, at the moment, the handful of Jedi involved in Mae's killing spree haven't yet shared the situation with the Jedi Council. That means Yoda might not even be aware that something is going on at all – unless he's sensed it in the Force, of course. 

Showrunner Leslye Headland has also denied that Yoda will be in the show. "Can you imagine? Can you imagine if they were like, 'No problem. You can use Yoda. Not a big deal. Go for it,'" she said in an interview with ComicBook.com. "No, there is not [a Yoda cameo]. We are pulling characters from the High Republic and characters from EU [the Expanded Universe, AKA Legends]. That's it." 

By the sounds of it, then, we won't be seeing Yoda – though, never say never. It would fit pretty neatly with The Acolyte's representation of the Jedi Order if its Grand Master never did show up, though. After all, the show is exploring the faults of the Jedi, all inevitably leading to the fall of the Republic as depicted in the prequels. Yoda sitting out a huge crisis like a mysterious Sith Lord and string of Jedi murders would tie nicely into that theme…


The Acolyte continues weekly on Disney Plus. For more on the show, check out our pieces on: 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.