One of George Lucas’ most cherished creations, the Jedi master Yoda encapsulates the archetype of the eccentric yet wise old warrior. As an alien of an unknown species, he extends the “old” aspect of that archetype far beyond human capabilities. But just how old is he? Yoda addresses this question shortly before his death in “Return of the Jedi,” telling his concerned student Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.”

According to the established “Star Wars” timeline, Yoda would have been 864 years old in “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” 874 in “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,” 877 in “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” and 899 years old in “The Empire Strikes Back,” where he first appeared. He would have been 764 years old during his cameo in the series finale of “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” though we may never discover his potential role in Season 2 due to the Disney+ show’s unfortunate cancellation. When Yoda reappears as a Force ghost in “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi,” he looks roughly as he did at his death, aligning with how Force ghosts typically appear, with Anakin Skywalker being a notable exception.

George Lucas intentionally chose to keep Yoda’s origins shrouded in mystery, and Lucasfilm has respected this decision. The name of Yoda’s species remains undisclosed, and only two other members of this species have been introduced in canon: Grogu, the breakout star of “The Mandalorian” affectionately dubbed by fans as “baby Yoda,” and Yaddle, a female Jedi Council member seen in “The Phantom Menace.” These characters raise intriguing questions about the aging process of Yoda’s species.

Grogu is 50 years old at the start of “The Mandalorian,” old but still appears to be an infant. His species is able to mature slower, it seems, because of their gifts with The Force — being tiny isn’t as much an issue when you can lift giant creatures in the air with a wave of your hand. Grogu can’t speak, but he does appear to be able to psychically communicate with Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson). Some fans have theorized Grogu’s development is stunted due to the trauma of surviving Order 66. Yoda, for his part, started training other Jedi at age 100, so even if his species are still babies in their fifties, they would seem to mature rapidly.

Yaddle was 477 in “The Phantom Menace” — and, as the “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” episode “The Sith Lord” revealed, at the time of her death — making her 387 years Yoda’s junior. According to Yaddle’s own description of a 514-year-old Yoda in the novel “The High Republic: Cataclysm” by Lydia Kang, that means she was killed around her “middle age,” but to human eyes, she appears almost as ancient as Yoda at his oldest. Yaddle’s full head of hair could be a sign of her relative youthfulness compared to Yoda, but could also just be a matter of sexual differentiation in their species. Basically, we still have no idea what a young adult Yoda looks like.