Star Wars series The High Republic will explore Yoda's younger years for the first time

We know surprisingly little about Yoda. Despite being a mainstay of Star Wars – appearing in each main-saga trilogy – we still do not understand the Jedi Master's race, age, or how he became one of the most influential presences in the Republic. 

That's all about to change. Thanks to the new Star Wars series The High Republic, set hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace, we're going to see some of Yoda's origins. However, don't expect every small detail about our "little green friend" to be revealed as, when we meet Yoda, he's already a member of the Jedi Council.

Yoda will, though, be "a journeyman out in the galaxy,” according to author Daniel José Older, who has penned The High Republic Adventures. "We meet Yoda doing what he loves best: looking out for the young folks – in this case, a group of Padawans travelling around the galaxy to learn the ways of the Jedi with a hands-on approach,” Older says. “The Force study abroad program, basically.”

The official Star Wars website reveals a first look at the Young Yoda, who's holding a familiar green lightsaber and does not look too dissimilar to the Yoda we already know and love. 

Talking about the artwork, Troy Alders, Lucasfilm art director, said: “Well, Yoda is not that much younger – around 700 years old instead of about 900. But we thought that with it being hundreds of years earlier, he would definitely have a different outfit, maybe even more than one.

"His age, as far as the way that his hair and face look, is maybe just slightly younger, but fairly close to his look in The Phantom Menace.”

For a look back into Yoda's true beginnings, we will probably have to wait until The Mandalorian season 2, as the upcoming seasons look set to offer more details about Baby Yoda's race. Of course, Baby Yoda and Yoda may not be blood relations – but learning about the even smaller green fella could help us understand Big Yoda that little bit more.