Why Did Yoda Say “There Is Another”? Who Is the Other Skywalker?

When we first met Yoda during the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, he was an impatient Jedi Master that didn’t want to train Luke Skywalker due to his lack of discipline and patience. Of course, he knew what was at stake but was cautious enough in his approach with Luke because he understood what it would mean if Skywalker fell to the dark side. So, when Luke felt that his friends were in trouble and rushed in to help them against Yoda’s wishes, the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi said that Luke was their last hope, only for Yoda to correct him that there was another. So, why did Yoda say, “There is another?”

Yoda referred to Leia as a “backup” for Luke Skywalker when he said, “There is another.” That’s because we all know that Leia was Luke’s long-lost twin sister and was as strong as Luke in the Force. The fact that Yoda said that line was George Lucas’ way of slowly revealing Leia as Luke’s sister.

Let’s not forget that Leia’s true identity wasn’t revealed until the events of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Before it was revealed that she was Luke’s sister, there were no hints about her identity as a Skywalker. As such, the fact that Yoda said, “There is another,” was a way of telling the audience that Luke wasn’t alone. Now, let’s look at what Yoda’s words mean in greater detail.

The Other One Yoda Was Talking About

The way that Yoda was introduced as a Star Wars character was quite interesting because no one would ever suspect that an old and green goblin-like creature barely two feet tall would be the greatest Jedi Master of the Jedi Order before its demise. Of course, Luke Skywalker was in disbelief when he learned that this goofy old man was the Yoda that Obi-Wan Kenobi was talking about. And when he got over his disbelief, Luke started training with him in the ways of the Force.

Of course, Luke initially struggled with his training, especially regarding his thoughts. During his training, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca were in trouble because Darth Vader got to them on the planet of Bespin after Lando sold them off to the Empire. Luke’s feelings were getting the best of him, and Yoda was trying to make him understand that he needed to let go of his friends to be a true Jedi.

Yoda told Luke that he shouldn’t leave Dagobah to go to his friends because he couldn’t complete his Jedi training if he couldn’t let go of his attachments. After all, Yoda always preached that having attachments in life could lead someone to the dark side.

But Luke insisted on leaving Dagobah for the sake of his friends, as Yoda was disappointed in the young Skywalker’s decision. Of course, Yoda saw how the very same attachments in life led Anakin to the path of the dark side, as did Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose Force Ghost appeared, and said that Luke was their final hope. However, Yoda corrected Kenobi and said, “There is another.”

People then wondered what Yoda meant when discussing “the other” hope. This led to speculations regarding the possibility of another Jedi appearing. But the person Yoda referred to was none other than Leia Organa.

Of course, fans didn’t know Leia’s true identity then because Episodes IV, V, and VI were released before Episodes I, II, and III. And Leia’s true parents were revealed during the events of the prequel trilogy.

But the truth was that Leia was actually Luke’s sister, as revealed in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi when the two talked about their feelings. But there were already hints regarding Leia’s sensitivity to the Force, as this was revealed during the final parts of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back when Leia could feel where Luke was.

The fact that Yoda said that there was another hope stemmed from the fact that he had known Luke and Leia since the day they were born. He was there when Padme Amidala gave birth to the twins. And it was Yoda that came up with the plan of splitting Luke and Leia to keep them away from the Empire.

As such, Yoda always knew that Luke and Leia would be very important to the galaxy’s future, especially because they were related to Anakin. So, when he said there was another, he referred to Leia because she was half of the galaxy’s final hope. And that means that Yoda knew that Leia was just as important as Luke to the eventual downfall of the Empire.

Could Yoda Have Been Referring to Anakin?

While most fans do believe that Yoda was specifically referring to Leia when he said that there was another hope, there is a theory that fans came up with regarding the possibility that the Jedi Master was referring to none other than Anakin. That’s because Anakin was still the Chosen One even though he was already Darth Vader. So, the theory says that Yoda believes that Anakin could be the other hope because a part of him believed that he could still fulfill the prophecy of the Chosen One.

Of course, we all know that Anakin eventually redeemed himself by sacrificing his life to save Luke and kill Emperor Palpatine, thus fulfilling the Prophecy of the Chosen One and bringing balance back to the Force. That means he was the true hope of the galaxy, as he was the only one to defeat the Sith.

However, it was always clear that Yoda was not referring to Anakin but to Leia. As much as he believed that Anakin was the Chosen One, Yoda had already given up hope on him when he turned to the dark side during the events of Order 66. After all, Yoda ordered Obi-Wan to kill Anakin back then, which means that Yoda had already given up hope that Vader could still redeem himself. And we all know that Luke didn’t give up on his father, as he was able to help him realize who he truly was.

Did Yoda Lose Hope in Luke?

As mentioned, Yoda tried to stop Luke from leaving Dagobah to save his friends because he believed attachments would only push him to the dark side. This was the same thing that Yoda preached during his time as one of the most prominent Jedi Masters of the Jedi Order. And he saw how Anakin fell to the dark side due to his attachment to Padme.

In that regard, there’s a good reason to believe that Yoda did indeed lose hope in Luke when he said, “There is another,” as it is possible that he was thinking about shifting his focus over to Leia because Luke had decided to save his friends instead of staying on Dagobah to continue his training. A part of Yoda must have thought Luke would die or turn to the dark side. After all, Yoda witnessed Anakin falling to the dark side because he just couldn’t let go of his attachments.

Nevertheless, Luke never joined Darth Vader even after learning the truth about him. This was when Luke turned his attachments to his friends as his strength and source of inspiration, as this was something that the Jedi had never thought of before out of fear of losing their fellow Jedi to the dark side. And the fact that Luke could resist the dark side’s temptation ultimately made him worthy enough for Yoda to train into a true Jedi Knight when he returned to Dagobah.