How Long Did Luke Skywalker Train With Yoda on Dagobah?

Luke Skywalker crossed his path with Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. Based on a story by George Lucas, the second movie from the Star Wars series takes both us and Luke Skywalker on a journey on which Luke finds the force within him. Of course, training is required, so for how long did Luke train with Yoda, his master?

According to Mr. Pablo Hidalgo, creative executive member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, it is possible Luke Skywalker was on Dagobah only for a few weeks but it would have felt to him more like months, approximately about six months.

In the rest of the article, we will take a closer look at Luke’s training with Yoda on Dagobah.

How did Luke Skywalker know about Yoda?

As we said before, this meeting took place in the movie “The Empire Strikes Back”, which was set three years after the events of the first film “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”. The Galactic Empire under the leadership of the cruel Darth Vader is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and his friends – Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and others.

Participating in the regular patrols of the Echo Base surroundings, Luke Skywalker was attacked by a wampa (white-furred carnivorous ice creature from the planet Hoth). When he collapsed from exhaustion, after a long walk in the wind and near death, he had a vision of his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, who told him to go to the place where he would find his new teacher Yoda. 

“You will go to the Dagobah system.” “Dagobah system?” “There you will learn from Yoda, the Jedi Master who instructed me.” The Dagobah system was the home system of the planet Dagobah, located in the Sluis sector.

Luke Skywalker discovered Yoda without knowing who he really was. Stuck in a swampy world, Luke met a comical dwarf creature who promised to help him. His foolishness tested Luke’s patience, and it was the first of many tests Luke would fail.

Revealing that he was Yoda, the Jedi teacher began training Luke. The telekinetic challenges, the challenges of mind and body, and even more than Luke had ever experienced helped to shape the reckless young man in Jedi. What Luke lacked the most was faith in his own abilities and the power of the Force. It was not clear to him how he could lift heavy objects only with his mind.

Master Yoda always told him that nothing should be left on trying, only to dare and do, which he proved to him in various situations. Luke’s skepticism and lack of faith were then the sources of his failure.

Why did Yoda decide to train Luke?

Yoda, however, took on the difficult task of making Luke a Jedi Knight, even though he was constantly testing Luke’s patience. In addition to Luke’s teaching, he had to endure Yoda’s pointing out of his own mistakes by showing him that he had countless flaws such as recklessness or the constant rage that boiled within him.

Yoda’s choice would certainly be Leia, who has always been extremely focused, disciplined, and cool-headed, and these are the qualities that adorn the future Jedi Knight. 

The training proved difficult and forced Luke to strengthen his body as well as his spirit. Yoda feared that Luke was too impatient and might fall under the influence of the Dark Side.

In the end, though, it proved right for Yoda to do training with Luke Skywalker, despite the obstacles he constantly faced. The vision of his friends in danger (who were then on Bespin, in Cloud City) forced the young Skywalker to leave training. 

Despite Yoda’s opposition, Luke left Dagobah to save his friends, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids, promising to return. He failed in his endeavor, falling into the trap set by Darth Vader, and in the end, he was the one who needed to be saved.

Fortunately, by paying a high price for all his mistakes, Luke finally managed to beat Darth Vader and made his master proud.

Did Luke Skywalker finish his training with Yoda?

Luke Skywalker has certainly completed his training with the most powerful Jedi Master Yoda, becoming a Jedi Knight. 

A year after he left Dagobah, he returned to his master Yoda who told him that his training was over. More than anything, he needed to learn how to empathize with the person who turned to the Dark Side, his father. He had to learn to forgive and love his father as he was, not who he had become.

While he was gone, Yoda fell sick. On his deathbed, he revealed another detail from Luke’s past – there is another Skywalker. Soon after, he died.

In his last words to Luke, it has been reflected all his wisdom: “Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Luke, we are what they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.”