George Lucas reveals why Yoda speaks backwards

Have you ever wondered why Yoda talks the way he does? If so, you're not alone — and during the 45th anniversary celebration of The Empire Strikes Back at the TCM Classic Film Festival, George Lucas finally revealed the reason. According to Lucas, it was a deliberate choice to help the audience — especially younger viewers — really absorb Yoda's words of wisdom. That quirky sentence structure actually forces listeners to focus more, which also strengthens Yoda's role as the philosophical heart of the story. George said:

"Because if you speak regular English, people won't listen that much. But if he had an accent, or it's really hard to understand what he's saying, they focus on what he's saying."

Lucas also shared some memories from his early career, his collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola, and how Star Wars came to life. He explained that the original script was broken into three parts because of budget limits, and that he negotiated the rights to the sequels and merchandise — something the studio didn't even see as valuable at the time.

That move, hilariously enough, turned out to be the game-changer, setting up Star Wars for its mind-blowing success and eventually leading to the massive Disney sale.

So, what are your earliest memories of Yoda? How did you react the first time he popped up in the movies?