Rian Johnson Explains Why Yoda Was Brought Back In Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars fans were pleasantly surprised when Yoda popped up in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The backward-speaking Jedi Master had always been a fan-favorite, and it was lovely seeing Yoda's Force ghost return to help Luke sort out the guilt of losing his nephew Ben (Adam Driver) as well as Rey (Daisy Ridley).

Speaking in an interview with Variety (via Express), The Last Jedi writer/director Rhian Johnson not only confirmed that he and his team really used puppetry to bring Yoda back to life but also explained why the Jedi Master was needed in the film.

"It really was [a puppet]," Johnson admitted. "I realized Yoda would have a natural place in this. "Given Luke's story, it makes sense that his old master would come back and kick his butt, to get him back into the fight. That led to the fact that the Yoda whom Luke has an emotional connection with, was in the original trilogy. That's the last time they saw each other. That led me to say ‘Let's re-create the puppet from the original trilogy.'

The filmmaker and his team worked hard to recreate the Yoda puppet from the original trilogy, taking time to look for the original mold. That's not all. Johnson also brought back original puppeteer and voice actor Frank Oz to work his Yoda magic.

"Neil [Scanlan, the creature supervisor] and his team found the original mold and meticulously re-created the puppet," Johnson detailed. "Then Frank Oz came back and puppeteered it, from a hole underneath the set, and doing the voice. It was just like we were back in the early '80s."

Johnson and the cast and crew put so much effort into making The Last Jedi, taking time to iron out all the little details. The filmmaker used 120 sets to create the film (he wanted more actually) and used animatronic puppetry to bring creatures like the Porgs, Fathiers and Crystal Foxes to life. It's hard to understand why some of the fanbase haven't been able to appreciate The Last Jedi.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is currently screening in cinemas.

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