The Elder Scrolls' Dwarves only share a few similarities with their counterparts in other fantasy media. Like most versions of the race, they live underground and have an aptitude for metalwork and technology. Unlike most versions, however, Tamriel's "Dwemer" are a subrace of Elves, reached technological heights that dwarfed their cousins on the surface, and mysteriously vanished without a trace.
There are some key similarities between the role of the Dwemer in The Elder Scrolls' universe, and the role of Yoda's species in Star Wars. In both cases, there are also some huge unanswered questions. However, there are reasons that it may be in the best interests of the storytellers to avoid revealing too much about either species.
The Disappearance Of The Dwemer in The Elder Scrolls
The disappearance of the Dwemer, meaning "deep elves," was first focused on in The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. Although the game took place in the Dunmer homeland, the third Elder Scrolls game had clear reasons to explore the Dwemer mystery.
The Dwarves are generally agreed to have disappeared in 1E 700 during the Battle of Red Mountain fought between the Dwemer and the Chimer, the precursor to the Dunmer. The war began when the Chimer House of Dagoth discovered that the Dwemer had found the Heart of Lorkhan beneath Red Mountain, a powerful Aedric artifact central to Morrowind's main plot.
The Dwemer were attempting to use the Heart of Lorkhan to build a new god, the Numidium. Why the Dwarves disappeared during the battle remains a mystery, but with the Dwemer gone the Chimer Tribunal used the Heart of Lorkhan to make themselves gods. This was considered blasphemy by the Daedric Prince Azura, who transformed the Chimer into the Dunmer. This lore may have a very different tone to Star Wars, but there are some interesting similarities between the function of the Dwemer and Yoda's species.
From Yoda To Yagrum Bagarn
In Star Wars, there are only three known members of Yoda's species: Yoda himself, Yaddle, and Grogu from The Mandalorian. The species' origins, few numbers, and why all three known members are extremely force-sensitive is an utter mystery. This has animated a lot of speculation within the Star Wars fandom over the years.
Some believe that Yoda's species are created by the Force itself in a process similar to Anakin Skywalker's birth, for example. Few fans, however, expect solid answers any time soon. Yoda's species are supposed to be mystical, and the mystery surrounding its origins plays into that. It's possible that Star Wars storytellers could come up with a satisfying canonical answer, but it's far more likely fans would find that it was the mystery itself that was satisfying.
There are a few different theories about what might have happened to the Dwemer. According to in-universe legend, the Chief Tonal Architect of the Dwemer, named Kagrenac, attempted to use three tools, Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard, to unlock the Heart of Lorkhan's power and turn the entire Dwemer race into divine beings. One Dwemer named Yagrum Bagarn was in another realm during the disappearance of the Dwemer, returning to Nirn to discover his race was gone. He has his own thoughts on what may have happened:
"I think Kagrenac might have succeeded in granting our race enteral life, with unforeseen consequences - such as wholesale displacement to an Outer Realm. Or he may have erred, and utterly destroyed our race."
During the Morrowind quest Mystery of the Dwarves, the Nerevarine has Dwemer texts translated in an attempt to figure out what happened. One is Divine Metaphysics, which Yagrum Bagarn claims is full of Kagrenac's theories, which he says should die with him. Baladas Demnevanni can also translate the book, and backs up Bagarn's claim by saying that it's an explanation of Kagrenac's plan to make a new god. What the book fails to explain however, is what really happened during the Battle of Red Mountain.
Ambiguity And Immersion in The Elder Scrolls
While it seems almost certain that Kagrenac's experiments led to the Dwemer disappearing, exactly why or where they went has never been explained. Some fans have speculated that Kagrenac may have accidentally destroyed the Dwemer due to an effect called "Zero Sum."
In The Elder Scrolls' most metaphysical lore, CHIM is the state achieved by beings like Vivec and Tiber Septim who have realized that they are merely figments of the dreams of a sleeping "Godhead." Despite this revelation, these beings manage to maintain their individuality in spite of that knowledge, granting them godlike powers. Failing to maintain individuality leads to Zero Sum, the erasure of the being from existence.
It is possible that Kagrenac's plan to make the Dwemer divine linked their entire race together, while his own failure to maintain his individuality and achieve CHIM led to Zero Sum, and the erasure of the entire race. It would certainly make sense that the scientifically-minded Dwemer would struggle to accept the flimsy nature of their reality.
Others have theorized that the charged soul gems found inside Dwemer automatons could point to the Dwarves' souls being trapped in their own machinery, while others wonder whether or not the Dwemer really did achieve godhood, but transcended Nirn in doing so. Whatever happened, the Dwemer mystery has animated the Elder Scrolls community like no other, creating theories that draw on everything from in-game items to the metaphysical lore written by former Bethesda writer Michael Kirkbride.
As with Yoda's race, the mystery surrounding the Dwemer disappearance is often far more interesting than the implications of any one answer. It is one of the few questions in The Elder Scrolls' universe that seems to potentially connect the plot of a main installment in the series with some of the series' most outlandish lore. Discovering that the Dwemer are simply in another plane of existence, were wiped out entirely, or were sent through time as others have speculated would likely make the series' universe a less interesting place.
The Dwemer disappearance is one of hints that there could be far more to The Elder Scrolls' universe than first meets the eye, but Bethesda would be right to resist revealing too much. Some installments in the series give the player too much insight into some of the big mysteries of the TES universe. In Skyrim, for example, the Dragonborn visits Sovngarde at the end of the game, confirming the existence of the Nordic afterlife.
With the Dwemer disappearance, however, fans aren't given the same peek behind the curtain, leading to a far more mysterious and immersive sense of uncertainty. After all, it can seem strange roleplaying as the Dragonborn after unambiguous confirmation of life after death. It's possible that The Elder Scrolls 6 will address the Dwemer mystery explicitly, just as The Mandalorian may dive deeper into Yoda's species. However, if either franchise does so, they may find that the mystery itself added more to their worlds than their answers ever could.
The Elder Scrolls 6Â is currently in development.