Star Wars Just Gave Yoda One Of The Most Brutal Lightsaber Duels of His Life (And He Lost)

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Jedi Knights #2Star Wars just gave Yoda one of his most brutal lightsaber duels ever...and he lost. Despite being one of the most powerful and skilled Force users of all time, the Jedi Grandmaster just met his match thanks to a new and incredibly powerful Star Wars villain with connections to the original Expanded Universe. While Yoda of course survives the conflict, it's a rather remarkable and rare moment in the established canon when Yoda actually loses a fight (on a level he never really has before).

In the new Jedi Knights #2 by Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov, Yoda and the brand-new Jedi Knight Vetna Mooncrest are shown investigating the moon of Veeros, having heard whispers of dark genetic experiments being conducted by the new Star Wars villain Atha Prime. Prime was a big bad post-Return of the Jedi character originally pitched by the Kenner towline back in 1986 whom Lucasfilm initially rejected, only to finally debut now in the canon before the prequels. To that end, Yoda ends up dueling Atha Prime face-to-face, revealing the true power of this dark new geneticist in full:

Atha Prime Duels Yoda in Jedi Knights #2

Atha Prime has created hordes of genetic monsters that are essentially Star Wars' version of Xenomorphs, intending to cull entire worlds he deems unfit. However, it's confirmed that Atha Prime is quite the warrior who's capable of going toe-to-toe with Yoda himself.

Atha Prime Bested (And Even Wounded) Jedi Grandmaster Yoda

An Incredibly Rare Feat in the Star Wars Canon

As Yoda and Atha Prime duel, it's quickly proven just how strong the new Star Wars villain is. Wielding an impressive staff, Atha Prime ultimately stabs Yoda in the chest, physically wounding the Grandmaster in a way that hasn't really been seen before in the established Star Wars canon. As such, it's certainly a memorable Star Wars moment and a testament of how dangerous Atha Prime is to the rest of the Star Wars galaxy.

Yoda Wielding Lightsaber and Lightsaber Battle in Background Custom Star Wars Image

Star Wars: Yoda's 8 Best Lightsaber Fights in History, Ranked

While they're pretty rare, here are some of Grandmaster Yoda's best lightsaber battles across the Star Wars timeline, ranked (on-screen and comics).

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The only other time Yoda has really faced such a brutal defeat was his duel with Emperor Palpatine at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Dueling Darth Sidious in the Senate Chambers, the Grandmaster held his own but ultimately fell to the floor below, retreating and going into exile. That said, not even Palpatine was able to physically wound Yoda the way Atha Prime has in this new Star Wars issue.

Despite His Loss, Yoda Still Got An Epic Hit On Atha Prime

Damaging His Mask

Although Yoda lost his newest lightsaber duel and Atha Prima managed to escape with a large collection of his genetic monsters, the Grandmaster still got in some impressive hits. Even after he was stabbed by the dark geneticist, Yoda threw his lightsaber and struck Atha Prime right in his imposing mask, cracking it open to reveal his monstrous face within before Yoda was thrown against a nearby wall. Based on the issue's end, this isn't the last we've seen of Atha Prime, which hopefully means that Yoda and his new arch-foe will eventually get a rematch in future issues of Jedi Knights.

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #2 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.