Star Wars: The best moments from The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back best moments: Yoda Raises Luke’s X-Wing From the Swamp

The Empire Strikes Back is one of the few films in the Skywalker Saga that shows actual Jedi training. We see Luke running through the jungles of Dagobah with Yoda on his back, standing on his head and floating rocks, and confronting his fears in a cave.

After one intense day of training, Luke watches his X-Wing sink further into the bog. Yoda encourages him to use the Force to lift it out the way he has with rocks. Luke gives it a shot but ultimately fails, and the X-Wing sinks further into the dirty muck. As Luke sulks off, he tells Yoda he wants the impossible.

Yoda lets out a disgruntled sigh and then walks towards the sinking ship. He closes his eyes, raises out his green little hand, and suddenly the ship begins to move. Once Artoo starts chirping Luke stops his pouting and looks up in awe as he sees his X-Wing rising to the surface and out of the pond altogether.

Yoda places the ship nicely on the shore and then open’s his eyes. Luke goes over and touches the craft and then tells Yoda he doesn’t believe it. Yoda then gives that legendary reply, “That is why you fail.”

This is such a great moment for many reasons. It gives us our first glimpse of how powerful a Jedi that Yoda truly is. It also is the moment where Luke begins to understand just how powerful the Force is, and it truly doesn’t matter how big you are when the Force is your ally.