Star Wars legend Yoda has a secret first name, and we all missed it

Yoda is a man of mystery.

Well, he’s not really a ‘man’ at all, but that leads me to my point; to this day, Star Wars has not confirmed Yoda’s species.

We know that he’s not one of a kind thanks to the existence of Yaddle and Grogu, but clearly this species is either rare or hidden away.

That’s a part of the character's mystery and like many other fans, I’m hoping Yoda’s ambiguity remains a constant within the franchise.

My personal theory is that the species hides itself away for safety.

Yoda, Yaddle, and Grogu are all incredibly strong with the force which leads you to believe that it’s a trait of their species.

Given how dangerous it can often be to hold force powers, I wouldn’t be surprised if the species’ planet had concealed itself in some way for protection - just like we saw At Attin do in Skeleton Crew to shield its wealth.

One tidbit about Yoda that has come to light though concerns his name.

While the ‘Yoda’ part persists, George Lucas actually had a different version of the name originally in mind.

Once upon a time, Yoda was to be known as Minch Yoda.

It doesn’t sound quite as good, does it?

But this was the character’s original name in The Empire Strikes Back’s scripts, as revealed by the official Star Wars Databank.

In fact, there was a time before that where simply Minch was used within script drafts.

As for why Lucas changed his mind, well, we’re not entirely sure and I’m sure only he can answer that question.

Perhaps someone on his team quietly told him that Yoda sounds much cooler.

It’s funny to imagine though what a version of this story might have been like had Luke ventured out in search of the great Jedi Master Minch instead.

Master Minch … I can’t say I’m a fan. Thankfully, George Lucas saw the light and Yoda went on to become the icon of cinema that he is.