“Star Wars: Episode VII” was a highly polarizing movie by all accounts. It would have been pretty much impossible for the studio to handle the production in a way that left everyone satisfied, but they still put a lot of work into it and managed to make many fans happy. Some were of course disappointed with the way the film was handled, claiming that it steered the franchise away from its core values. But whether you liked the movie or not, one absence was painfully obvious to everyone – that of Master Yoda.
There was a lot of speculation leading up to the release of “Episode VII” regarding the current fate of the little green Jedi and some were convinced that Disney would not leave him out of the picture. And yet, the film came and saw no actual appearances of Yoda. And it looks like the next film in the franchise will be surrounded by just as much speculation as before, if not more – especially given the fact that Frank Oz, the actor behind Yoda, has reportedly been spotted around the film’s sets several times.
It’s not yet clear if the actor was actually taking part in the production of the film or if he was just visiting someone in the vicinity, but many fans saw his appearance in the area as a clear sign of his involvement. It should go without saying that the return of this character is going to be a huge event for many fans of the film, and it might even sway some of the previously skeptical viewers to the other side.
And the fact that Yoda made a small cameo appearance in “Episode VII” was seen by many as further proof that he is likely going to return to the series sooner or later. If that happens, it’s entirely possible that we may see other prominent characters that were given a break in the last movie, and as some publications have pointed out, the possibilities would then be pretty much endless.
Another point that gets brought up, both by critics as well as in fan discussions, is that the return of Yoda would strengthen the link between the current trilogy and the past of the franchise. A link that, according to many fans, has been somewhat put to the background with the release of “Episode VII”.
In fact, the main problem that many people had with the film was the huge change in the character line-up and the overall tone, but some saw that as inevitable. A lot of time has passed since the last installment and it would be unthinkable to see another “Star Wars” featuring the same cast of actors, seeing as how they’ve all aged quite a bit. The producers did what they could with the available performers, and even though many characters ended up missing from the film, it’s perfectly possible that we may see them in one of the next installments.
The producers of the film have at least found a good way to reintroduce characters that were supposed to be gone, and the idea of featuring them as “ghosts” was enjoyed by many. Some saw it as a bit of a cheesy move, but in the end it served its purpose as a plot device quite nicely and allowed the writers to resolve a conflict that must have surely been giving them a lot of trouble. Some pieces of criticism were aimed at aspects of the film which would likely be more difficult to change, however.