Prepare to have your Star Wars universe shaken! Did you know Yoda was almost blue—or even purple? Yes, the wise and wrinkled Jedi Master we’ve come to love as green was nearly a completely different color, according to archival sources and behind-the-scenes revelations. But here's where it gets controversial: Why was this change made so late in the game, and what does it say about the creative process behind one of cinema’s most iconic characters?
Jedi Master Yoda’s famous words, “You must unlearn what you have learned,” take on a whole new meaning for fans now. Archival reviews and fresh insights from a special effects makeup artist who worked on the original Yoda puppets suggest that filmmakers flipped the script—literally—on the character’s skin color during the final stages of development. If the producers of The Empire Strikes Back had stuck strictly to the screenplay, Yoda would have been described as “bluish.”
In the script, Luke Skywalker and his droid companion, R2-D2, encounter a peculiar creature on the swampy planet of Dagobah. The text reads: “Mysteriously standing right in front of Luke is a strange, bluish creature, not more than two feet tall. The wizened little thing is dressed in rags.” This screenplay, penned by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan based on George Lucas’s original vision, raises a fascinating question: Why was this detail altered when so many other elements made it to the final cut?
And this is the part most people miss: Early concept art from around 1978 shows Yoda in various hues—colorless, light blue, even pink. Yet, two printed works from 1980, the same year the film released, describe or depict Yoda as blue or purple. A novelization published during the film’s theatrical run calls him “blue-skinned,” and a Marvel Comics adaptation portrays him as purple, with long white hair and a more elf-like appearance. These inconsistencies hint at a last-minute decision, but the why remains a mystery.
Attempts to get answers from Lucasfilm and Disney have gone unanswered, and many key figures from the original production, like Stuart Freeborn (the makeup artist behind Yoda’s creation), are no longer with us. Freeborn, who reportedly modeled Yoda’s face after his own and drew inspiration from Albert Einstein, passed away in 2013. Nick Maley, a special makeup designer who worked on Yoda’s skin, recalls the decision was already made by the time he joined in 1979. “By the time I got to work on him, he was green,” Maley said, though he noted a rushed period in 1979 when Yoda’s final look was locked in.
Maley speculates that green might have been the obvious choice, given the cultural association of little green aliens with Martians. “I never questioned the fact that he was green,” he admitted. But was it a creative choice, a practical decision, or something else entirely? Could Yoda’s green skin have been a nod to his mysterious species, whose home planet and origins remain unknown?
Yoda’s species is one of the most enigmatic in the Star Wars galaxy. They live for centuries, possess strong Force abilities, and are always depicted with green skin—a detail that feels almost intentional now. The recent Disney+ series The Mandalorian reignited interest in Yoda’s kind with the introduction of Grogu (affectionately known as Baby Yoda), though their relationship remains unconfirmed.
So, here’s the big question: Does Yoda’s color change matter, or is it just a footnote in Star Wars history? Let us know in the comments—do you think the blue or purple versions could have worked, or is green the only Yoda you’ll ever accept? The debate is open!
