The Empire Strikes Back had some serious expectation subversion when Luke went to Dagobah to train with a Jedi Master. He was quickly met by a goofy frog-like character that was half his size. Later on, it was revealed that this little critter was actually the fabled Jedi Master, Yoda. Not only did Yoda train Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force, but he was one of the greatest Force users in history. Not only was he legendary among the galaxy, but he was the head of the Jedi Council. On top of that, he was a commander during the Clone Wars and faced several Sith Lords before his exile once the Emperor took over the galaxy.

While it might seem that we know everything there is to know about Yoda, there are several things that the Jedi Master failed to disclose. The movies certainly didn't address his history either. Despite his wisdom, Yoda was involved in some shady decisions as much as any other Jedi that lived during the Galactic Republic. After all, he wasn't able to since the infiltration of Darth Sidious in the Senate. Be shocked, you will, with these 15 dark secrets about Yoda you never knew.

15 WHAT HE IS NO ONE KNOWS

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There's no denying that Yoda isn't exactly a human. The question remains: what sort of species is this all-powerful Jedi Master? The short answer is that we don't actually really know. Whether he's canonically a Jim Henson puppet or some sort of galactic talking frog is anyone's guess at this point.

The Jedi Council has asked him a few times what species he is, but even Yoda refuses to tell them, keeping his full identity a complete and total mystery. There's also no record of a planet containing his particular race, so investigating won't do much good for anyone either. This gets even more complicated when you consider that another of Yoda's race, Yaddle, also served on the Jedi Council as one of it's higher ranking members.

14 FORCE SENSITIVE HE DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS

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Yoda is arguably the strongest Jedi to have ever been created, and many forget that he started in the same place that many Padawans did back in the day. When he was still a young creature in the galaxy, Yoda and his best friend had no clue that they were Force sensitive. It was when they traveled to another planet that a Force user there pointed out that he was a fellow Force user.

From that point on, Yoda and his friend both became Jedi Padawans. Yoda moved up quickly in the ranks of the Jedi, being respected as one of the strongest to have ever lived. He's even compared to Jedi that existed centuries before him. Not bad for a little critter smaller than an R2 unit.

13 ON A STRANGE PLANET TRAINED HE WAS

When on his home planet, Yoda left with a human friend into the cosmos. Unfortunately, an asteroid struck their ship and they crash landed on a mysterious location and had no idea where they were. It's there that they came across a lizard and bug-like alien named Master Gormo. Despite his monstrous appearance, he was a being who knew the Force well and could sense it on Yoda.

Sensing the Force in Yoda, Master Gormo took him in as his Jedi Padawan. Spending years there, Yoda eventually left with that extensive level of training to a Jedi Temple and become integrated with the official Jedi organization. The special training he received on that distant planet served him well in the years to come, making him a formidable opponent.

12 AN ARMY OF WITCHES HE FOUGHT

There are many aspects of the Force that reveal themselves in several different abilities all across the galaxy. This gave rise to a group known as the Witches of Dathomir (or the Nightsisters). These Dark Force users could manifest this energy in certain powerful abilities that the Jedi felt were completely and totally immoral.

Yoda and a few other Jedi rallied together to fight this dark and evil coven, but they came to a stalemate and it ended up that neither side came out as the victor. However, the Jedi Master had an in-depth vision of one of his apprentices working to bring an end to their cult. Years later, it would be his last apprentice, Luke Skywalker, who would take down the Witches once and for all.

11 EXPELLED JEDI FROM THE COUNCIL HE DID

Jedi Council

The Jedi High Council was full of some of the most arrogant minds in the galaxy, which ultimately led to their inevitable downfall at the hands of the Emperor. Many years before Anakin Skywalker was born, Yoda and the other members of the Jedi High Council noticed a significant change in the Force. They interpreted this as the power of the Dark Side growing exponentially. However, Yoda also theorized that it could be because of the "Chosen One" prophecy being fulfilled.

While some of the Council agreed with this idea, there were a few younger members who did not. They disagreed so strongly that they formed their own section of the Council separated from the rest. The other members of the High Council didn't like this segmentation, so Yoda cast them out of the Council altogether.

10 STATUE ON A DISTANT PLANET HE HAS

Before the Clone Wars ever took place, Yoda was actually one of the Jedi who went out on diplomatic missions to several distant planets and destinations. One assignment saw him traveling to the planet known as Cestus, which was home to all kinds of insect-like creatures called the X'ting. While Yoda was there, the species was in very grave danger and in need of some serious help.

Using his lightsaber skills and superior knowledge of the Force, he was able to save the aliens from certain destruction. They were so grateful to his contributions that they created a statue in his honor that sat in their fabled Hall of Heroes. Needless to say, Yoda's statue had to upscaled massively in order to fit the hall properly.

9 SKYWALKER FAN HE WAS NOT

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This was something explored in The Phantom Menace. When Qui-Gon Jinn encountered Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine and saw how high his Midi-chlorian count was, he proposed that the boy was the Chosen One. After being brought before the Council, Yoda stated that he couldn't sense the boy's future. He feared that Anakin could do more harm than good and never wanted him trained (even after Qui-Gon's death).

What's ironic about this situation is that Anakin wasn't born of the Force. He was (allegedly) created at the hands of Darth Plagueis as a way of putting the events in motion that would lead to the Sith and Trade Federation bringing an end to the Jedi Order and the Republic. Despite Yoda's initial doubt, Skywalker was trained anyway, and we all know where the story goes from there.

8 INJURED BY THE DARK SIDE HE WAS

There are several legends told of Yoda's connection to the Force, but only those on the Jedi Council knew the extent of his powers. There was an incident that resulted in the death of many lives. Recall that in A New Hope, a similar thing happened with Alderaan. Obi-Wan Kenobi heard it as many voices crying out. Yoda, on the other hand, took it a step further.

This significant disturbance in the Force caused him to feel so sick that he couldn't even function properly. This sort of connection to the Force would prove to be a tactical advantage for the Jedi, as they had an easier time pinpointing threats to the galaxy. If only they could've seen the threat of Darth Sidious invading the Senate.

7 OLD FRIEND HE KILLED

When the Clone Wars began, Yoda experienced a lot of casualties in the form of old friends leaving to join the Separatists or the Dark Side of the Force. Among these traitors was King Alaric of Thustra. Being the leader of an entire planet, he planned to have his home leave the governing of the Republic and join the Confederacy. Yoda knew that something was up and decided to try and negotiate with his friend to see what was the matter.

Unfortunately, Alaric wasn't in any sort of talking mood. After Yoda tried to talk some sense into him, Alaric pulled out his blaster and fired a shot at Yoda. The Jedi Master knew that he had no other choice than to deflect it back at the king and kill him in his own throne. Yoda always hated having to draw his lightsaber.

6 EXILED AHSOKA TANO HE DID

The Jedi Temple was full of the most powerful beings in all of the galaxy. Unfortunately, a lot of Padawans and Jedi Knights grew disillusioned with the Order and found them to be arrogant space police rather than the meditative guardians that they claimed to be. This led to many plots put together to bring an end to the Jedi Order.

One plot saw Barriss Offee bomb a Jedi Temple and frame Anakin Skywalker's apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, for it. Unfortunately, while she plead her case, the evidence was overwhelming. Yoda chose to make a decision despite having a clouded judgment at the time of all this chaos. Going purely based on what was presented, he had no choice than to exile Tano from the Jedi Order.

5 DOOKU'S MASTER HE ORIGINALLY WASN'T

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Count Dooku showed a lot of promise in his connection with the Force. When Yoda found him on his home planet, he saw potential in the very promising Force user. Dooku was quickly taken in by the Jedi Order and trained by a particular Jedi. Contrary to what Attack of the Clones might've communicated, Yoda didn't initially train that man who would eventually be called Count Dooku.

Instead, Yoda took an interest in the apprentice and served a surrogate mentor while he was being trained. Dooku actually looked up to Yoda for any and all moral and Force-related advice. This became even more heartbreaking when Yoda discovered that he became the Sith Lord known as Darth Tyranus and defected to the Dark Side of the Force.

4 FIRST TO HEAR QUI-GON HE WAS

Qui Gon Jinn's Force ghost speaks to Obi-Wan on Mortis

After Qui-Gon Jinn died, the Jedi Council expected to never hear from him again. After all, immortality wasn't an ability that was widely known to be capable through the Force. Not even Darth Plagueis, a Force-user obsessed with manipulating life, could even unlock its secrets. That's why it was so frightening when Yoda starting hearing the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi Council said that it meant nothing, but Yoda was determined to find the source.

He followed the voice to discover that Qui-Gon had still maintained his life through the Force and was still alive. Despite his unorthodox methods in the eyes of the Council, he unlocked the greatest Force ability in existence. He specifically taught Obi-Wan and Yoda how to do the same.

3 HOW TO LIVE AFTER DEATH HE LEARNED 

After listening to the words of Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda knew that greater Force abilities were possible that the Council was initially blind to. Willing to learn the new powers, Yoda became a Padawan hundreds of years after he was ordained as a Jedi Knight. With that training under his belt, he successfully learned the trick that Qui-Gon unlocked.

This was why Yoda was ready to pass away at the start of Return of the Jedi. He knew that he could use the Force to maintain his spiritual form after death. This way, he could still help out any more Jedi who rose up to face the Dark Side of the Force long after his death. He was one of the handful of Jedi to learn how to do this.

2 DARK SIDE CAVE HE CREATED

One of the more confusing moments of The Empire Strikes Back came when Luke went through this swamp cave where he fought Darth Vader. However, when the mask was cut off, it was Luke's face underneath. This was the Dark Side Cave, which manifested the fears of all any person who went in. Yoda often saw Darth Sidious there.

The interesting part of this cave was that Yoda inadvertently created it. During the Clone Wars, there were a group of Dark Jedi that Yoda had to fight. After a duel lasted over a day, the Dark Jedi were beat up and fled to Dagobah. They passed away near a cave, and the Dark Side energy that came off of them created the Dark Side Cave.

1 LEARNED TO HIDE FROM THE EMPIRE HE DID

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When Yoda fled to Dagobah, he didn't randomly pick the planet because he liked it. Dagobah was wiped from the Jedi Archives and was very out of the way for any galactic transports. Yoda was essentially off the grid once he made it to Dagobah. However, that would still theoretically leave him open to being sensed through the Force.

Here's where the Jedi Master made a smart decision. He set up his hut near the Dark Side Cave. The Dark energy coming off of it counteracted the Light energy that came off of him, making Dagobah a neutral zone in the galaxy. He was completely invisible to any Force user. The Emperor even put insane bounties on any information regarding Yoda's whereabouts, but nothing came of it.