Where is Yoda in The Acolyte? Why the Star Wars Jedi isn't involved, explained

The Acolyte, Star Wars' brand new show, has finally hit Disney Plus – and, though it's set in the High Republic era, long before the prequels, there are a handful of Jedi with lifespans long enough to be around this far back on the Star Wars timeline. 

One of those Jedi is Yoda, who, at this time, is actually the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Naturally, then, you might be expecting him to show up in The Acolyte. 

But, the Jedi Master is so far completely absent in the show. If you're scratching your head, we've broken down the mystery below to answer just why Yoda is absent from The Acolyte.

Where is Yoda in The Acolyte?

It's a little surprising that Yoda hasn't shown up in The Acolyte so far, considering his high rank in the Jedi Order, and his importance to the saga as a whole. So, where is the little green guy?

Well, at the moment, the handful of Jedi involved in Mae's killing spree haven't yet shared the situation with the Jedi Council. That means Yoda might not even be aware that something is going on at all – unless he's sensed it in the Force, of course. 

Showrunner Leslye Headland has also denied that Yoda will be in the show. "Can you imagine? Can you imagine if they were like, 'No problem. You can use Yoda. Not a big deal. Go for it,'" she said in an interview with ComicBook.com. "No, there is not [a Yoda cameo]. We are pulling characters from the High Republic and characters from EU [the Expanded Universe, AKA Legends]. That's it." 

By the sounds of it, then, we won't be seeing Yoda – though, never say never. It would fit pretty neatly with The Acolyte's representation of the Jedi Order if its Grand Master never did show up, though. After all, the show is exploring the faults of the Jedi, all inevitably leading to the fall of the Republic as depicted in the prequels. Yoda sitting out a huge crisis like a mysterious Sith Lord and string of Jedi murders would tie nicely into that theme…

The Acolyte continues weekly on Disney Plus. For more on the show, check out our pieces on: 

• A guide to The Acolyte
• The Acolyte release schedule
• When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
• Who is the masked villain in The Acolyte? What we know about the Star Wars Sith explained
• New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
• Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
• The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
• Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
• The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
• Upcoming Star Wars movies
• How to watch the Star Wars movies in order