Why Yaddle Doesn't Talk Like Yoda In Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi
There's a long-running tradition in "Star Wars" to improve upon elements and characters within the universe that weren't exactly well received when they were first introduced. Famously, Ahsoka Tano was vastly unpopular when she debuted as Anakin's feisty young apprentice in "The Clone Wars" movie. Since then, Dave Filoni has made her one of the most beloved figures in all of "Star Wars."
When Yaddle was first seen sitting on the Jedi Council in "The Phantom Menace," her presence was largely distracting and her appearance immediately became the focus of more than a few jokes when George Lucas' first entry into the prequel trilogy hit theaters. Although Yaddle did actually speak in a deleted scene, the theatrical release only shows her looking on quietly with lifeless puppet eyes that honestly make her look like she's been puffing on a little rankweed in between meetings. Leave it to Filoni, however, to revamp her character and give her a fairly compelling backstory in the animated short series "Tales of the Jedi."
In the episode, "Star Wars" fans get to catch up with Yaddle in between the events of "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones." Growing suspicious of Master Dooku (before he became a Count) after discovering the shady Jedi hatching plans with Sith leader Darth Sidious, Yaddle trades a few lightsaber blows with Dooku. Unfortunately, this is where Yaddle meets a tragic fate at the end of Dooku's blade.
Before her untimely demise, we do hear Yaddle speak and, to our collective surprise, she doesn't talk in the backwards riddling cadence of Master Yoda. Voiced by actor and director Bryce Dallas Howard, who is already a big part of the "Star Wars" family after helming episodes of "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," the reason for Yaddle speaking like a regular person has finally been revealed by one of the saga's most trusted and revered collaborators: Frank Oz.
It's a Yoda thing
In the "Tales of the Jedi" episode, Yaddle treats Dooku with compassion and she admits that she's stepped down from the Jedi Council because she shares some of the same concerns that he does. Her valiant attempt to bring Dooku back from the edge of the dark side shows Yaddle standing strong in the face of evil, a heroic quality that "is very Bryce," according to Filoni in an interview with Nerdist. A huge fan of all things "Star Wars" including everything on the animation side, Feloni was easily able to convince Bryce Dallas Howard to become the voice of Yaddle to help give the character a chance at redemption after her lifeless performance in "The Phantom Menace" (no disrespect to Yaddle puppeteer Phil Eason).
When Howard asked if Yaddle speaks backwards, too, Filoni was quick to say, "No, I don't think so. I think that's a Yoda thing," based on something that the original puppeteer and voice actor for Yoda had told Filoni years before.
"Frank Oz told me once that Yoda speaks that way specifically in honor of his own master. That was what he had thought about it. I try to keep moving forward these thoughts. And Bryce on her own made a great Yaddle."
Originally, Yaddle's rather laughable cameo in "The Phantom Menace" only served to confirm that Yoda was not the only existing member of his species. That was actually pretty monumental considering that Grogu wouldn't be introduced in the first episode of "The Mandalorian" for another twenty years. Combining that information with Yaddle's backstory in "Tales of the Jedi," Franks Oz's comments about how Yoda's speech patterns pay homage to his own Jedi Master add a lot to Yoda's own mythology.
Within Legends, Yoda was trained by a Force-sensitive reptilian named N'Kata Del Gormo but his Master's name remains a mystery in canon. The question is, how much do we really want to know about Yoda's own backstory? With the Disney+ show "The Acolyte" set 100 years before "The Phantom Menace," a little bit of Yoda and Yaddle fan service may be on the horizon.