Summary

• Yoda's clash with the Dark Side in Star Wars: Yoda - Dark Rendezvous reveals the horrifying vision of a destructive Sith Yoda.
• Yoda's 900 years of experience could wreck the entire galaxy if put to use in the wrong way.
• Yoda didn't have to turn evil to bring down the Jedi Order; the complacency and arrogance of the Jedi leadership played a major role in their inevitable downfall.

For the briefest of moments, the Star Wars galaxy came perilously close to annihilation by the Dark Side, but not by Emperor Palpatine or even Darth Vader. No, this cataclysm would have come at the hands of someone even more powerful and unexpected: Yoda.

The Jedi Grand Master's clash with the Dark Side is revealed in the 2004 novel Star Wars: Yoda - Dark Rendezvous, which is now a part of Legends, and, thus, no longer canon. In the book, the fallen Jedi Count Dooku lured Yoda to a secret meeting during the Clone Wars, where he hoped to turn the Jedi Master to the Dark Side. What happened next, however, was a horrifying vision Dooku couldn't have imagined.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on January 29, 2024: The Star Wars franchise is continuing to expand with new and exciting Disney+ series like Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and Tales of the Jedi. These spinoffs give audiences a chance to learn more about supporting characters who have never had the chance to lead their own films. However, one character that audiences still want to learn more about is Master Yoda--whose dark side has yet to be adequately explored in Star Wars.

Darth Yoda Could Bring About the End of Everything

Dooku believed if Yoda turned to the Dark Side, he would be powerful enough to defeat Darth Sidious. Dooku hoped a Dark Yoda would clear a path for him to usurp Palpatine's Sith rule. However, Yoda wasn't tempted by Dooku's offers of power and control. Yoda's devotion to the Light Side of the Force is what makes him one of the greatest Jedi. It's a power in and of itself, and why he could be a huge threat to the galaxy should he have turned to the Dark Side. Yoda's unfailing devotion to the light is partially rooted in his refusal to wield selfish power and control over others, despite his ability to do so. He understands the Force should always be used for good -- and that no matter how tempting the Dark Side might be, it always leads to destruction.

During Yoda's encounter with Dooku, he opens himself up to the Dark Side for a moment. Through a realistic vision, he shows Dooku the unimaginable terror a Jedi Master as powerful as he would unleash should he turn to the Dark Side. Yoda's 900 years of Jedi experience and knowledge would be weaponized on a scale never conceived. Sith Yoda's destructive power would be so strong it could wreck the entire galaxy. Once Dooku saw the vision, he couldn't deny the threat a Darth Yoda would pose. Of course, Yoda didn't turn to the Dark Side. However, it's always possible someone like him might.

The Mandalorian Offers a Glimpse of a 'Sith Yoda'

There is one moment in The Mandalorian that offers a possible glimpse of the danger Grogu--or a member of his species--might pose if consumed by the Dark Side of the Force. In Season 1 of The Mandalorian, Grogu briefly used the Force to choke ally Cara Dune. This sort of power is usually only used by Sith. While Grogu uses the Force for good like Yoda, this moment could offer a possible clue of something yet to come: a Grogu turned Sith Lord. However, Luke Skywalker did the same thing to Jabba's Gamorrean guards in Return of the Jedi, and his Light Side pedigree is pretty rock-solid.

With Grogu being only 50 years old, this could also be a sign of lack of control over the Force, not necessarily a clue that he is already tempted by the Dark Side. Despite spending about two years training with Luke Skywalker before choosing to return to Din Djarin's care, there have been plenty of hints that young Grogu follows his impulses rather than employing the discipline needed to control them. In the event that he doesn't learn the necessary control and discipline required to avoid the allure of the Dark Side, Grogu could potentially become the deadliest threat the universe has ever known.

Yoda Didn't Have To Be Evil To Destroy The Jedi

Unfortunately, Master Yoda didn't have to turn to the Dark Side in order to bring the Jedi to their knees. When the Jedi Order fell during the events of Revenge of the Sith, their doom had been inevitable for many years due to their waning leadership and growing arrogance. Yoda's failure to maintain the Jedi as the galaxy's peacekeepers was a major reason for Count Dooku's fall, leading to the beginning of the Clone Wars and, eventually, Order 66.

The complacency of the Jedi Order in the prequel trilogy was the real reason for its fall. Chancellor Palpatine, Count Dooku, and Anakin Skywalker merely knocked over the house of cards, but its destruction was inevitable long before it actually occurred. In fact, the Jedi, including Yoda, had become so consumed with their own power and might that they failed to see a Sith Lord standing directly in front of them. It is clear to see that, even without actually turning to the Dark Side, Yoda and his compatriots on the Jedi High Council brought the Order to its doom. Yoda eventually saw his failures--but it was already too late--and he was forced to exile himself to Dagobah rather than continue the fight to save the galaxy.

Yoda Taught His Apprentice To Learn From His Mistakes--Almost

Although Yoda himself was unable to save the Jedi Order from complete and utter destruction on his watch, he was able to instill better practices in his final pupil. After spending decades in exile on Dagobah, Yoda encountered Luke Skywalker, who had begun his training with Obi-Wan Kenobi. While Yoda was hesitant to take the young man on as his final student, he eventually took the opportunity to teach him a better way. Yoda trained Luke Skywalker in the hope that he would turn out differently than his father. While Yoda was able to steer the young Jedi away from the Dark Side, he failed Luke in one very crucial area.

Yoda continued to advise Luke to avoid attachments to his friends and family, much as the Jedi Order taught during its height. What Yoda failed to realize, however, was that this doctrine actually kept the Jedi cold and callous when they were supposed to care for the people whom they protect. Luke went against his master's wishes by going to Cloud City to save his friends from Darth Vader, choosing his personal attachments over his duty as a Jedi. However, it would be his love that would win in the end, helping him overcome the draw of the Dark Side, restoring the galaxy and bringing balance to the Force. In so doing, Luke did something that Yoda never could.

Yoda was one of the most powerful Jedi Masters to ever live, whose amazing abilities could have been terrifying if he had ever turned to the Dark Side of the Force. However, even without actually turning evil, Yoda was still able to inadvertently bring about the fall of the Jedi Order by the end of the Clone Wars. Yoda and the other Jedi lost sight of what their position as the galaxy's peacekeepers truly meant, perfectly paving the way for Darth Sidious and his series of apprentices to annihilate them in Revenge of the Sith.