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As the title asks, how old was Yoda when he attained the rank of Grand Master of the Jedi Council? (Canon answers greatly preferred) According to Yoda's Wookieepedia entry (emphasis mine):

Around the age of 100, Yoda was ready to pass on what he had learned. Having attained the rank of Master, he spent the next eight centuries training and tutoring generations of Jedi. It was estimated that over his lifetime, he trained around 20,000 Jedi.

So, this tells me that he was a Jedi Master around 100, but he certainly wasn't yet appointed as the Grand Master of the Council. Further:

During the invasion of the planet Naboo by the Trade Federation, Yoda served on the Jedi Council as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, having trained Jedi students for about 800 years.

Another tidbit I found on the Wookieepedia entry for Grand Master states:

The title of Grand Master was reserved for the oldest and wisest living Jedi Master.

There are obviously other long-lived species and races that make up the Jedi Order, including another member of Yoda's species (Yaddle, who happened to be younger than Yoda) who was even on the Council, but, at least at the time of the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo, Yoda was far and away older than any of the members on the High Council.

I simply can't seem to find a direct reference to really pin down when he actually took on the mantle of "Grand Master". Has he held that title ever since it was first granted, or, as might be indicated by the "age" requirement, has it passed between Masters as the years progressed?

As a part of the answer, while not "required", if there's any specific information regarding when Yoda was actually appointed to the Jedi High Council, that would be useful as well. Additionally, if there is a list somewhere of Jedi Grand Masters through the history of the Galactic Republic, that would be tremendously helpful.


EDIT (reference from Legends): So, the closest thing I've been able to find so far is, in the Legends section of the Wookieepedia entry for Grand Master (referring to the Jedi Order), there is a reference to "Notable individuals". There are several Jedi listed here, including Master Yoda, with what I assume are the dates of their tenure. However, many of these time span references do not include definite start or end dates.

I bring this up because the nearest predecessor mentioned is Fae Coven, who served as the Grand Master from approximately 990 BBY. The end of her tenure, however, is not specified, although, in the same Legends article for Grand Master, it states:

Master Coven served a long term, even meeting her eventual successor, Yoda. Master Yoda was the last Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order, holding the title as early as 82 BBY.

While this may be as close as I'm going to be able to get, as I stated above, I would prefer a canon source, if available.

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    it may be easier to just figure out the previous Grand Master and when they died.
    – Jeutnarg
    Apr 1, 2019 at 18:24
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    To some extent. But, is the position of Grand Master one that only passes along after the previous Grand Master dies or is otherwise removed from office? I suppose it's possible that the age "requirement" could mean that, if an older Jedi is appointed during the current Grand Master's tenure, that older Jedi could conceivably supplant the sitting Grand Master. Apr 1, 2019 at 18:45

1 Answer 1

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Somewhere between 696 and 814.

(Canon level: Legends)

The title of Grand Master has passed among many Jedi Masters over the years (and at times even multiple Jedi at the same time, forming a sort of guild). The earliest recorded Grand Master was Biel Ductavis in 10966 BBY.

We don't know when Yoda was appointed. However, the page you mentioned also states (emphasis mine):

By 200 BBY, Yoda, along with other Jedi Masters of that time, discovered that the shape of the Force had begun to flux, becoming murky and uncertain. Studying the perplexing mystery in silent meditation, the Jedi High Council, of which Yoda was now a senior member, was unanimous: the power of the dark side was growing.

Note that he is "a senior member," not "the Grand Master." In 200 BBY Yoda was 696 years old, so this gives us a floor.

Then, in 82 BBY, Yoda says this to a young Padawan named Scout:

"Secret, shall I tell you? Grand Master of Jedi Order am I. Won this job in a raffle I did, think you? 'How did you know, how did you know, Master Yoda?' Master Yoda knows these things. His job it is."
--Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

In 82 BBY Yoda was 814, so this gives us a ceiling. His ascension to Grand Master happened somewhere in the intravening years.

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  • Thank you for that information. I appreciate the reference to Dark Rendezvous. That's one I hadn't seen myself. That gets me within about 118 years, which should be close enough for my purposes. Apr 2, 2019 at 18:43

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