Along with the breathing style of Darth Vader and the gargling call of Chewbacca, if you ask anyone to impersonate aStar Warscharacter, chances are they will start by saying out of order words, they will. That is because, along with his iconic appearance debut inThe Empire Strikes Back, short though it was, Yoda is a character that is as distinctive in his speech as he is in his look, and that was all down to puppeteer andMuppet Showlegend Frank Oz. While talking in a recent interview, Oz spoke about how the original plan for Yoda didn’t involve any of the word trickery he has become known for, but instead was just scripted as a normal speaking voice.
“It’s funny you ask about that because I was just looking at the original script ofThe Empire Strikes Backthe other day and there was a bit of that odd syntax in it, but also it hadYodaspeaking very colloquially. So I said to George, ‘Can I do the whole thing like this?’ And he said: ‘Sure!’ It just felt so right.”
Frank Ozhas never been someone to suffer fools, and when he has a point to make about something, he will certainly make it. He is also often protective of many of the works he has been involved with over the years, whether it be his own directorial efforts such as the 1986 musical version ofLittle Shop of Horrors, which was years was denied its full ending due to budget restraints and the need for the hero to save the day, or the memory of his good friend and Muppet mastermind Jim Henson and the characters that they worked on together for decades, and he has been one of the most outspoken participants ofStar Wars: The Last Jediwhen it comes to showing love for the movie that divided many fans.
WhenThe Last Jedidirector Rian Johnson was trolled by aStar Warsfan last year, Oz was quick to jump to his defence. “It’s sad to me that you’ve harbored this internal darkness for so long about a movie. Rian is a great director, writer, & human being. Please try to understand that writers & directors are not there to fulfill the audience’s expectations. Good work breaks expectations.”
It is not the first time Oz has spoken up for theStar Warsmovie. Back in 2019, during a panel at South by Southwest, Oz made his love of the movie clear, saying, “I love [The Last Jedi]. All the people who don’t like this Jedi thing is just horse crap. It’s about expectations. The movie didn’t fill their expectations. But as filmmakers, we’re not here to fulfill people’s expectations.”
There is a chance thatThe Last Jediwill also mark the last appearance by Oz in the franchise, with Grogu, or Baby Yoda, taking over the little green man position in theStar Warsworldwith his appearance in The Mandalorian, and Yoda himself having his story pretty much covered across theStar Warsmovies to date. But that is not to say that fans wouldn’t be happy to see him one more time if the chance did arise.
