Yoda's Theme

Yoda's Theme, a recurring musical composition inside the Star Wars saga, was created by John Williams and is linked to the Jedi Master known as Yoda.

Its initial appearance was during the Dagobah scenes featured in The Empire Strikes Back, alongside the hallway shootout sequences occurring in Cloud City. When Luke Skywalker revisits Yoda as he is dying in Return of the Jedi, it is also used.

Near the conclusion of The Phantom Menace, the theme makes a brief return, specifically when Yoda is in discussion with Obi-Wan Kenobi regarding Anakin Skywalker's future. Within Attack of the Clones, this musical leitmotif is more prevalent: it is initially heard during the segment where Yoda is training the Bear Clan, then throughout the conveyor belt part within the Geonosian droid factory, and ultimately as Yoda rescues Obi-Wan and Anakin from a collapsed pillar caused by Count Dooku. In Revenge of the Sith, the music plays as Yoda departs from Kashyyyk, during his escape alongside Bail Organa following his battle against Darth Sidious, and also within a scene that was removed where Yoda arrives on Dagobah.

When Yoda's spirit manifests before Luke, encouraging him to gain knowledge from his failure involving Kylo Ren, the theme is brought back in The Last Jedi.

In The Rise of Skywalker, the theme can be heard both when Luke Skywalker raises his Red Five X-wing and during the victory celebration against the First Order, specifically within the "Reunion track."

A quicker and more dramatic variation of the primary motif is featured during Yoda's fight against Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones. When Yoda is selected as a "Hero" unit, this specific version is utilized as his theme in Star Wars: Battlefront II. Segments of the motif found within the track "Carbon Freeze/Darth Vader's Trap" are played throughout the Cloud City level of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. The TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars includes the theme in several instances. It makes its first appearance in Ambush, which centered around Yoda as the main character, and also in Assassin, during a moment when Ahsoka Tano shares her visions of Padmé with Yoda.

In the Forces of Destiny episode titled "Teach You, I Will," as Yoda instructs Ahsoka Tano on maintaining her true self, Yoda's leitmotif evolves into "Ahsoka's Theme," which shares its initial notes with "Yoda's Theme."

Ludwig Göransson integrated a piece of the theme into the score he created for The Mandalorian. A short segment of it is featured in the 2020 episode "Chapter 13: The Jedi," when Ahsoka Tano recalls having previously known a being of Grogu's species. Once again, the theme is present in The Book of Boba Fett, with Göransson again composing the score, during a scene in which Luke Skywalker is speaking about Yoda.