Luke Skywalker. Princess Leia. Han Solo. Yoda. These are the names of major Star Wars icons, or so we thought. As it turns out, though, long before one of the galaxy’s most legendary Jedi Masters was the tiny green sage we know, he nearly had a very different name.
Most Star Wars fans can recite Yoda facts in their sleep: puppeteered by Frank Oz, backwards-talker, Dagobah dweller. But what if we told you that Yoda might not be his full name?
Thanks to a resurfaced tidbit from an early Star Wars sourcebook, fans are just now rediscovering a bizarre and long-forgotten footnote. Yoda’s original first name was actually “Minch.”
The name comes from George Lucas–approved expanded material released a decade before The Phantom Menace hit theaters in 1999. In West End Games’ Star Wars: Galaxy Guide 4 – Alien Races (1989), the backstory of a mysterious green Jedi named Minch was included. Later, creators revealed the character was an early draft version of Yoda himself.
Seemingly, Lucas originally considered calling the diminutive Jedi Master Minch Yoda, or simply Minch (or, even more strangely, “Buffy”), during the development of The Empire Strikes Back. This, of course, makes perfect sense since the eccentric Jedi is first introduced in the Star Wars sequel.
According to archives – captured via early script drafts, including Leigh Brackett’s – the character was first introduced as Minch, a frog-like creature and mysterious Force user. Over time, Lucas settled on “Minch Yoda” and then, finally, just “Yoda”—and wisely so.
In a lengthy Reddit thread about Yoda’s moniker, fans have expressed relief that Lucas pivoted, with one user writing, “It's crazy how many horrible ideas he had for the original trilogy that didn't happen seemingly almost by luck. I feel like the luck was probably a bunch of people around him convincing him stuff like Minch as Yoda's first name was terrible.”
As Star Wars lore expanded, the name resurfaced in the Legends material mentioned in the intro. When Alien Races hit shelves, featuring the aforementioned profile of a green-skinned Force-sensitive being named Minch, fans immediately pointed out how this matched Yoda’s early description, fueling theories about their connection.
A few years later, a 1993 Star Wars Tales comic briefly featured a Jedi Knight named Minch, though Lucasfilm later confirmed he was a separate character entirely.
Lucasfilm’s official continuity gatekeeper, Leland Chee—Keeper of the Holocron—confirmed that the name “Minch” was never part of Yoda’s canonical name. He clarified that it appears only in early drafts and Legends entries, not in the current canon. As Wookieepedia summarizes, “And Minch is not part of Yoda's name.”
Chee’s expertise has guided what does, or doesn’t, count in Star Wars lore, and his statement effectively seals the deal: Yoda is the name, and Minch is a fun footnote from draft pages and Legends stories.
This is the kind of trivia Star Wars fans live for: scrapped concepts, shifting names, and paths not taken. Minch Yoda shows us how flexible world-building can be in early drafts, and how much of what we love survives only by chance.
Right now, Minch remains a neat footnote with no canonical ties. That said, with fans constantly digging through databanks and Legends lore, canonical resurgence isn’t impossible, at least in some capacity. Who’s to say Dave Filoni won’t make mention of “Minch” in The Mandalorian and Grogu?
Yoda nearly had a very different name, and while Minch Yoda ended up on the cutting room floor, the name’s recent resurfacing reminds us just how much early drafts shape the galaxy we have come to adore so much. It also leaves the door open for future storytelling surprises.
May the Minch be with you.
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