WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Star Wars fans who saw Yoda die in 1983’s Return of the Jedi were thrilled when the beloved, little green alien popped up on screen in The Last Jedi.
What was undoubtedly an emotional scene for many viewers also raised questions about how Yoda was still around – some 30 years since the last film ended.
In The Last Jedi, Yoda appears just as Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, attempts to destroy a shrine containing the first Jedi scriptures on the planet Ahch-To in a bid to bring balance to the Force.
In typical Yoda fashion, the centuries old Jedi master cryptically reassures his former pupil that he is doing the right thing, hinting that there is nothing in the shrine that Luke’s apprentice Rey does not already posses.
Unknown to Luke, Rey had already taken the Jedi scriptures in an attempt to one day restore the religious Jedi Order to its former glory.
During a moment of doubt, Yoda even calls down a powerful Force lighting strike to destroy the shrine once and for all. But how was this scene possible if Yoda had been dead for over 30 years?
All of this happened because Yoda was not there physically, but manifested as a Force Ghost.
In Star Wars lore, Force Ghosts are the souls and life essence of Force Users such as Jedi or Evil Sith who have become one with the Force.
Fans remember how Obi Wan Kenobi was struck down by Darth Vader in Star Wars a New Hope only to have this spirit reappear in Return of the Jedi.
In fact Yoda himself had previously appeared as a Force Ghost alongside the spirits of Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the battle celebrations on the moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi.
Yoda’s appearance also raised many questions about future of other Star Wars characters who faced the axe in The Last Jedi.
Master Luke himself seemingly found inner peace with the Force when his body vanished into thin air in the final moments of the film’s climax.
Though many fans decried the film for killing off its most iconic character, some fans are holding on to the thought Luke could still reappear in the spirit form in Episode 9.
One Reddit user, Killerjoe13, posted online: “I thought it was obvious he’ll be back. He’s become more powerful than Kylo could ever imagine.
“He’ll be there to help Rey train a new generation of Jedi.”
Supreme Leader Snoke, whose throne was violently usurped by his apprentice Kylo Ren, could also potentially return after fans were outraged about his lack of backstory.
However, this would be the very first time a Dark Force master was seen in the form of a Force apparition on the silver screen.
Star Wars Episode IX will be released in UK cinemas on December 20, 2019.
Star Wars 8: The Last Jedi is out now.