Star Wars has always been known for its weird names, from pod-racer Ebe E. Endecott to the part-time singer, part-time bounty hunter Sy Snootles. However, none of these names are anywhere near as mind-blowing as the full name for Jedi Master Yoda.
As to be expected from original creator George Lucas, the introduction of Star Wars’ little green friend in Empire Strike Back’s Dagobah scene would’ve had a much stranger name than the iconic Yoda. Instead, the swamp-dwelling Jedi Master was to be known by his scrapped full name “Minch Yoda”.
Who is Minch Yoda?
In a since-deleted entry on the old official Star Wars Databank website, Lucasfilm revealed that Yoda’s name was originally known as Minch in early treatments for Episode V. In multiple scripts for the iconic, and best, Star Wars movie, George Lucas had this name attached. However, in the original script, he was only known as Minch, Yoda not attached.
As we all know, Yoda’s full name was eventually scrapped in favor of a single-word name, like Zendaya or Beyoncé. Over the course of Empire’s development, Minch Yoda was turned from an incredibly large alien to a cute, tiny one that can ride on your back. Somewhere out there, in one alternate universe, Minch Yoda was a huge swamp monster and far less popular.
Big Star Wars Script Changes
Star Wars’ early years are rife with drastic changes between story treatments, despite how many people stand by “George Lucas’ plan”. Obviously, Luke and Leia were originally love interests, Luke Skywalker originally knew all about the Jedi Order, and Vader was never originally Luke’s father.
Even in recent movies, Star Wars has seen huge changes between scripts. Star Wars: Duel of the Fates, the original incarnation of Episode 9, was drastically different from Rise of Skywalker. No Palpatine, no Rey “Skywalker” and a Luke Skywalker Force Ghost that actually followed through on his promise to annoy Kylo Ren in death.
The next Star Wars movie to release is The Mandalorian and Grogu, a feature-length continuation of The Mandalorian series. Additionally, Daisy Ridley is returning for a new Rey movie set after Rise of Skywalker and Logan director James Mangold is working on a movie about the first-ever Jedi.