Why Did Yoda Leave from Darth Sidious?

We all know that Yoda abandoned his fight against Palpatine in Revenge of the Sith. It was a lengthy battle that left Yoda distraught over his failure to beat the upcoming Emperor. If it was so vital to beat him, why did Yoda leave his duel with Darth Sidious? We have four main reasons to review, with a combination of them proving to be the most compelling.

Reasons Why Yoda Left His Fight with Sidious

Based on the fan discussion here, we can extract four main reasons for Yoda leaving his fight with Palpatine. The first two have to do with Yoda’s larger vision, while the next two speak to more immediate needs.

In the novelization Revenge of the Sith, Yoda had a realization during his fight where he could clearly see what had transpired with the Sith over the last 800 to 1000 years. Yoda realized that he had not properly led the Jedi to fight the new Sith of Darth Bane’s order. The novel indicates how Yoda “had lost before he started.” Perhaps, he had “lost before he was born.” 

This long-range vision provides our first reason. From this vantage point, Yoda left because it dawned on him that the Sith under Sidious had outplayed him in the long term. With that head start of 1000 years, Yoda knew he couldn’t win and decided to leave the fight.

Our second, intersecting reason is that Yoda thought he possibly couldn’t win and decided to leave to fight another day. That is, Yoda was not sure if he would win or lose, but, given his epiphany moment, it was safer to exit and come back at Sidious at a later time. The risk of death was too great in the long term. 

The third reason is based on practicality. Yoda had just taken a terrible fall in the Senate chamber, and his lightsaber had already fallen away from him. He would have had to get his lightsaber, and climb back up to engage Palpatine and knew that clone troopers were most likely on the way. Yoda was thus boxed into leaving. 

Our final reason relates to the third one in that Yoda may have been injured from his fall. If that were true, his age and tiredness from the duel could have prevented him from fighting on and instead prompted him to retire from the scene. 

Which Reason Is Most Compelling?

All four reasons are probable, but the more immediate practical explanation, combining the third and fourth, is most compelling. Beyond the adverse circumstances, we should add how powerful Sidious appeared to be in the fight and how that factored into Yoda’s at-the-moment decision to leave.

As we rewatch the scene, the contest went back-and-forth between the two of them with Yoda rebounding against Palpatine Force-throwing Senate Pods. However, Sidious’s Force lightning knocked away his lightsaber in one jolt (at 2:03). Yoda contended with Palpatine’s pure power until they’re both tossed to the side, but Yoda appeared wiped out from his fall while Sidious laughed on. 

We can see Yoda peering up at “the cackling Emperor above” and coming to the immediate realization that “he couldn’t beat Palpatine in one-on-one combat”, at least not in his weakened condition. These pressing practical concerns, compounded by soon-arriving reinforcements, pressed him to exit. 

The long-term reasons that the novel conveys come into play as well, but more so after the battle. Yoda made a more conscious decision about his exile after his fight concluded, and “he realized the Sith had grown far stronger than the Jedi” and that he had not prepared them for how the Sith developed under the Rule of Two. 

Yoda’s Decision to Leave his Fight with Sidious

While Yoda may have been shaken by his vision of what had transpired over the long term, it seems more likely that the actual conditions of the fight convinced him to leave Palpatine. He realized what had happened with the Sith, but made decisions based on it after the duel concluded. Yoda could thereby live on to fight another day.