Yoda is one of the most powerful Jedi who ever lived, but did he fail as the leader of the Light Side of the Force?
Yoda is about as beloved as Star Wars character as there is. With his wrinkled green skin, diminutive stature, and backward way of talking, he quickly became a fan favorite. After making his debut in The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda has either appeared or been heard in every saga movie made ever since.
He’s a wise and powerful Jedi who provides great wisdom and leadership to not just the other Jedi, but to anyone who crosses paths with him. He truly is the embodiment of the Light Side of the Force and is the Jedi that all others aspire to be.
Despite his wisdom and strength, it is fair to wonder if Yoda actually failed as a Jedi. He was basically the Jedi in charge when the Sith returned to power and the blame for their resurrection could largely be attributed to Yoda. Here four reasons why Yoda actually failed as a Jedi.
Yoda couldn’t sense Palpatine was Sidious
In The Phantom Menace the Jedi learn that the Sith had returned. During the Battle of Naboo, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn fatefully cross sabers with Darth Maul. This battle ends up killing Qui-Gon and apparently Maul, then the Jedi ponder what Maul’s role was. They say there were only two, a master and apprentice but can’t figure out which Maul was.
In the film, we see that Yoda works in close proximity to Senator Palpatine. They are in many meetings together and brush shoulders on at least a weekly basis. Despite all this, Yoda, as powerful as he is, can’t sense that the Senator and later, newly appointed Chancellor, is in fact an evil Dark Lord of the Sith.
If Yoda truly was as powerful as he appeared to be, he should’ve been able to sense the darkness in Palpatine. Whether it was some counter Force powers on Sidious’s behalf or just ignorance and hubris on Yoda’s part, the fact he couldn’t realize this dark presence was controlling the war, was truly an unforgivable sin.
Yoda couldn’t defeat Count Dooku or Darth Sidious in combat
Yoda is supposed to be a powerful warrior, and he does show his prowess in Attack of the Clones. After seeing Yoda’s debut in The Empire Strikes Back, many fans wondered for years what the little green Jedi would be like in combat. Would he use his own version of Force lighting? Would he just use the Force and not fight with a lightsaber? We got the answer to this when he saved Obi-Wan and Anakin from Count Dooku.
In this battle, we see that Yoda does, in fact, use all of his Force abilities. He can absorb lighting, he can throw rocks, and he uses a crazy fighting style incorporating flips, spins, twists, and screams. He’s a fiery little combatant and a true spectacle to behold.
In Revenge of the Sith, we again see Yoda in battle. He fights Darth Sidious in lightsaber combat and also through the Force as they battle onto the senate floor throwing chairs at each other. While Yoda holds his own in both of these fights, he doesn’t win any of them.
We never see the greatest of Jedi win a fight. They both end in draws. It makes sense that he’d battle to a draw with Darth Sidious, but he should’ve easily been able to handle his old apprentice Count Dooku. Sure, he chose to save Obi-Wan and Anakin rather than destroy Dooku, but if he was the strongest of all Jedi he should’ve made short work of his former Padawan.
Yoda went into exile rather than continuing to fight
Yoda is the most powerful Jedi who ever lived. Despite all this, instead of joining the uprising Rebellion, he went into exile on Dagobah. Some of this was for his own protection, but a lot it had to be based in fear. Yoda was certainly aware and scared of Order 66. He knew that if he showed his face in public, he would be hunted down. Yoda should’ve been strong enough to first sense any attacks coming, and then fight them off if they did get too close. Instead, he just hid.
Yoda also was pouting for losing his fight with Sidious. He battled to a standoff with the most powerful and evil Sith Lord to ever live and as soon as he lost, he declared that he must go into exile. That seems like a chicken move for a powerful leader of a powerful group but that is what Yoda chose to do.
If Yoda was a strong leader, he never would’ve given up the fight. Sure he could’ve hid for a few years, but then could’ve sent his buddy Bail Organa a signal to come and pick him up. The Rebels could’ve benefited greatly from having Yoda in their corner, and wouldn’t have had to let the galaxy suffer for years under the oppression of the Empire if Yoda would’ve joined the fight.
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He initially refused to train Luke
Yoda basically had one job after he lost to Darth Sidious and watched the fall of the Jedi. That was to stay in exile until Luke Skywalker was old enough to be trained. That time finally came and when Luke came to Dagobah and met the wrinkled old Jedi, Yoda refused to train him. Sure it could’ve just been a test of Luke’s patience, but it really didn’t come off that way.
The Jedi master argues that Luke is too old to be trained, and has too much anger. It takes Obi-Wan to intervene through the voice of his Force ghost to finally convince Yoda to train Luke. If Yoda was a great and honorable Jedi, he should’ve been exploding with excitement through his green skin to train a new Jedi. He witnessed the fall of the group he committed basically all 900 years of his life to and now had a chance to right the wrong.
Instead of eagerly agreeing to train Luke, he truly seems disgruntled and uninterested in the task, and either became disillusioned in his isolation or bitter. It’s also possible Yoda wasn’t just physically beaten by Darth Sidious, but also mentally. His will was broken so much that he had to be convinced by Obi-Wan to go through with their original plan, and that is a sign of someone who has failed in his role as a leader.
Do you think Yoda failed as a Jedi?