The Acolyte creator was completely starstruck having Yoda on set

Appear, he did. Yes, we are referring to everyone’s favorite pint-sized, backwards-talking Jedi philosopher, as Yoda himself showed up in the final scene of The Acolyte’s first season. If your reaction upon seeing the cameo was a dumbfounded “I don’t believe it,” the little guy would no doubt look upon you with supreme disappointment and retort, “That is why you fail.”

But yes, Yoda is here, just kind of chilling in the High Republic. Which makes perfect sense, seeing as how Yoda has already made appearances in the High Republic novels set 100 and 200 years before The Acolyte. But as to why the alien who makes it look easy being green showed up in the final scene, series creator Leslye Headland explains that it was imperative to balance the scales after the earlier appearance of Sith Lord Darth Plagueis.

“That's why it was important to introduce Yoda,” Headland tells Entertainment Weekly. “If you were going to introduce Plagueis, then you needed a formidable other side of that. As somebody that knows who Plagueis is and knows where the lineage of the Sith is headed, it would be imbalanced if you didn't have somebody on the light side who carried as much gravitas. So to me it just made sense.”

That philosophy goes back to something the person who goes to seek Yoda’s council in the final scene says during the series. “Vernestra keeps saying ‘tip the scales,” notes Headland, "and I think you just needed something on the other side. If you're going to introduce Plagueis, there can't be that gap. The Jedi have to have their heavy hitter.”

Headland reveals that “Plagueis was always in the script and was always meant to be a tease for a second season.” So once that chess piece was on the board, “It also felt like there needed to be something on the other side. So I was in prep and I thought of literally the shot that you see of Vernestra coming in and seeing him.”

And that was all she wanted to think about at that point. “I knew I didn't want to have a [full] scene with Yoda,” Headland laughs. “I was like, that's not something I'm ready to take on.”

Nor was Headland emotionally ready to take having one of the most famous characters of the Star Wars franchise on her set. “Seeing him in person, I have never been so starstruck in my life. I felt like I saw my entire life flash before my eyes. I felt like I was meeting an entity, not a puppet, but an entity.”

And it was not just Headland. “I had grown men crying on set. My A camera, who was the toughest, coolest guy and won a bunch of awards for All Quiet on the Western Front — just the toughest of the tough guys and sweetie on the inside, had tears of [joy] and was like ‘Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this.’ Yoda brings people to tears. It's just astonishing.”

In a series filled with epic moments, putting Yoda’s iconic ears on screen may have topped the list. “I'm so proud of the show on so many different levels,” Headland says, “and I feel like we achieved so many different things, but that is the f---ing cherry on top that experience. As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it was stunning. Literally, in the true sense of that word, I was stunned.”

So does that mean we will get more Yoda if The Acolyte gets picked up for season 2 — something Headland says she has yet to hear word on? “I can’t tell you that!” she bellows. Well, what about Yaddle, then? Headland laughs. “No comment. I'm not getting dragged into that. You can't get me. No way. Start your letter-writing campaign!”