Nobody sensed a potential turn to the dark side like Yoda. So when Count Dooku’s passion as a Jedi Youngling affected his emotions, Yoda took action. But Dooku’s passion led to frustration during his Padawan days, and it led him down a dangerous path.
Yoda served as Count Dooku’s Master because he feared the young Jedi was headed down a dark path. Yoda was right, and years later, the two dueled during the events of Attack of the Clones. Had Yoda killed Dooku, it may have saved Anakin’s fate.
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Is Yoda Count Dooku’s Master?
Count Dooku became a Sith Lord after the Jedi Order disillusioned him. But there was a time when Dooku wished to hunt down and end the Sith, even if the Jedi believed their old enemies to be extinct.
During Dooku’s days as a Jedi Youngling, he excelled in dueling. Mostly because of his growing obsession with hunting down and destroying anything related to the Sith. His obsession grew when he discovered Sith artifacts in the Jedi Archives.
Dooku also designed his curved-hilted lightsaber to fit the Form II, or Makashi fighting style.
Something he mastered so well that he defeated his old friend Sifo-Dyas during the Padawan Tournament at a time when the Jedi phased out Makashi in favor of Form VI, nor Niman.
He wanted to train as Lene Kostana’s Padawan, given her tendency to embark on missions to find Sith artifacts. However, Kostana chose Sifo-Dyas, while Yoda stepped in to train Dooku.
Yoda acted as Dooku’s Master because he knew Dooku’s growing obsession with the Sith was becoming emotional. And those emotions would inadvertently lead Dooku down a dark path.
Did Yoda Fail Dooku?
Yoda’s fear regarding Dooku’s emotions came true. But not in the way he thought. While Dooku’s emotions grew regarding the Sith, a chain of events would instead turn Dooku against the Jedi.
This started during Dooku’s Padawan days.
Following Sifo-Dyas’ Force vision in 85 BBY that a solar storm would hit the planet Protobranch, the Jedi Council refused to intervene despite protests from Dyas and Kostana.
Dooku also sided with his friends and spoke with the planet’s representative, Tavetti. However, Tavetti only cared about the planet’s resources, and not its people, leading Dooku to accompany his friends and a reluctant Yoda to the planet.
The solar storm occurred, and it wiped out most of the planet’s population. The incident disgusted Dooku. He felt if the Jedi had taken Dyas’ vision seriously, the planet could have avoided catastrophe. This was his first step toward disillusionment with the Jedi Order.
Dooku later became a well-respected Jedi Master and held a seat on the Council. However, he left the Order in 42 BBY and returned home to the planet Serenno, where Darth Sidious eventually recruited him into the Sith.
Did Dooku’s Downward Spiral Fall on Yoda?
Even in 86 BBY, Yoda was a high-ranking Jedi Master with a seat on the High Council. It was rare for a Jedi of such a high rank to take a Padawan.
By the time Yoda stepped in, Dooku had already let his emotions get the best of him. This downward spiral occurred when he was a Youngling.
And Dooku, witnessing the corruption around him, such as the Protobranch incident, grew frustrated with the Jedi Order in the years since.
Even before Protobranch, he was already frustrated with them during his early days, given their insistence that the Sith were gone.
Yoda didn’t fail Dooku. The future Sith Lord was already too shrouded in darkness when Yoda took him as a Padawan.
Can Yoda Beat Count Dooku?
By 22 BBY, Dooku believed his new Sith powers outlasted those of any Jedi, even Yoda’s. Formerly a calm lightsaber duelist, Dooku added a layer of aggression to his finesse Makashi fighting style upon joining the Sith.
Yoda was an aging Jedi Master when he encountered Dooku during Attack of the Clones in 22 BBY. Dooku tried to best Yoda in a Force duel. But when Yoda absorbed and reflected his old Padawan’s Force lightning, Dooku insisted they settle their confrontation with lightsabers.
Yoda won when Dooku, realizing his powers, even as a Sith Lord, did not eclipse Yoda’s. In one last attempt to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, Dooku used the Force to knock down a pillar before fleeing the battle.
Why Dooku Ran Away In Attack of the Clones?
While Dooku exerted himself to the best of his ability, Yoda was not dueling at 100 percent capacity.
However, as the battle wore on, Yoda realized Dooku had at least closed the gap from a talent standpoint.
Yoda further realized his power still superseded Dooku’s, allowing him to push harder until his former Padawan retreated.
Knowing his former Master would overtake him, Dooku had no choice but to flee for his life.
What if Yoda Killed Count Dooku?
Yoda spared Dooku, but he could have killed him if he wanted to. And while Dooku impressed Darth Sidious with his grit in challenging Yoda, he also realized he would eventually replace his apprentice.
Anakin Skywalker became Darth Sidious’ choice. And during the early events of Revenge of the Sith, he successfully ordered Anakin to kill Dooku.
Had Yoda killed Dooku instead of Anakin, there is no guarantee Anakin would not have fallen to the dark side to become Darth Vader.
But Darth Sidious would probably have recruited another apprentice over Anakin, whose emotions had not yet grown so vulnerable.
Sidious may have still gone after Anakin in the end. Maybe it was his plan the entire time. But it’s also probable that any potential apprentice Sidious recruited could have taken Anakin’s place had they proven to be more successful than Dooku.
Conclusion
Yoda defeated Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones, and he wasn’t even dueling to the best of his ability, although he slowly added pressure to Dooku before the latter fled.
Before Dooku left the Jedi Order and joined the Sith, Yoda served as Dooku’s Master, hoping to keep the wayward Padawan’s emotions in check. Yoda did not fail Dooku when the latter left the Jedi Order. He just didn’t intervene in time.
Dooku ran from Yoda because he realized, even with his newfound powers, he could not beat him in Force or lightsaber combat.
Had Yoda gone all-out and killed Dooku, it’s possible he could have saved Anakin Skywalker from falling to the dark side three years later.
Dooku’s loss told Darth Sidious he needed to replace the Sith Lord with someone stronger. And had Yoda killed Dooku, Sidious would have needed an immediate replacement.