There was a 35th anniversary screening of "The Empire Strikes Back," and it was big enough that Lucas was not only there, but also chatted with TCM's Ben Mankiewicz for the occasion. TCM has posted 25 minutes of their conversation on YouTube, and we will link to the whole thing. However, the folks running the YouTube page over at Turner Classic Movies know where the bread gets buttered vis-a-vis Lucas, so the video is literally titled (as of this moment):

George Lucas Reveals Why Yoda Talks Backwards at 'Empire Strikes Back' Anniversary Screening

Yoda is the little green dude with the idiosyncratic syntax that has inspired many an impression over the ensuing decades. So why, then, did Yoda talk "backwards." We will note that "backwards" isn't exactly correct, but it's close enough for jizz. Jizz, of course, being a canonical style of music popular in the "Star Wars" universe.

Lucas had a clear answer on Yoda's speech patterns, but it's also, all things considered, fairly anodyne:

Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much, but if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying. He was basically the philosopher of the movie. I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen — especially 12-year-olds.

So, there you have it. Lucas wanted you to pay attention to what Yoda was saying. Of course, he also wanted you to see Han Solo step on Jabba the Hutt's tail and Jar Jar Binks, so his wants are a mixed bag.

(h/t Variety)