Mace Windu’s loss to Palpatine was a shocking event. As the top Jedi below Yoda, death was a devastating blow. If he had survived, Windu could have aided the next attack on Sidious. Yet, Yoda never looked for Mace Windu or his body. Why was that? The two main reasons were Yoda’s inner turmoil and the lack of time.
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Yoda’s Grief and Arrogance
In this video, we are reminded of the importance of Mace Windu to the Jedi Order, and how “Yoda knew just how powerful” he really was. We may agree that Windu was “the second most prominent member of the entire order.” Windu outmatched Anakin in lightsaber dueling and was on his way surpassing Yoda.
With that context in mind, we may think that Yoda was perhaps relieved that this challenger was gone, but that’s not the case. According to the Revenge of the Sith novelization (recounted in the above video), Yoda was overwhelmed by the collapse of the Jedi and at first didn’t believe Windu was dead. So, Yoda didn’t go looking for him.
After he realized Windu was dead, Yoda was lost in regret with what had occurred with Order 66 and the rise of the Sith. Then, he focused on the threat of Sidious and overconfidently believed he could beat Palpatine in a duel. In addition, Yoda eventually sensed Windu’s death and knew that there was no use searching for him.
Fans here emphasize the futility of searching for Windu since Yoda and Obi-Wan would have felt his loss through the Force and had seen the security hologram. If they had gone looking, it could have put both of them at greater risk.
Collectively, we could say Yoda was too consumed with grief and “arrogance” to look for Windu’s body and then realized it wouldn’t matter if they looked and could even endanger him more.
Time Was of the Essence
Another slightly different explanation for why Yoda didn’t look for Windu’s body is that there was no time for it. According to this short video, “as soon as Yoda arrived on Coruscant, he went directly to the Jedi Temple,” with Obi-Wan, and then was quickly off to fight Palpatine. Immediately after his failed attempt to kill Sidious, Yoda was forced into exile.
Along these lines, if Yoda had gone searching for Windu’s body, he would have taken away time from the task of trying to overthrow Palpatine. Events transpired so quickly that Yoda did not have time to consider looking for Windu.
In the novel, Windu conveyed to Kit Fisto how hurried the situation was before they went to confront Palpatine. “Yoda is pinned down on Kashyyyk, and Kenobi is out of contact on Utapau,” Windu said in response to Fisto’s wishes that Yoda or Obi-Wan was with them. Windu also said, “The Dark Lord has revealed himself, and we dare not hesitate.”
They needed to act quickly if they had any chance left to defeat Sidious. The same can be said about Yoda. The situation was even more perplexing and fast-moving after Windu and company had confronted Sidious and lost (thanks to Anakin).
With Anakin’s betrayal, Palpatine issued Order 66, and the Jedi, including Yoda, were attacked by clone troopers. We know this story well, but we can emphasize how hectic it was to make any decisions at all. This scene, which starts with Anakin leading the troopers into the Jedi Temple, is a reminder of that chaos.
What About Obi-Wan?
The same goes for Obi-Wan. Corresponding with the first explanation, Obi-Wan must have struggled with how to emotionally deal with the loss of Windu. He was most likely at the early stages of his trauma, which the Obi-Wan series reflected. The walls were certainly crumbling at that point.
The time issue is also just as relevant. Obi-Wan was tasked with confronting Anakin and stopping his turn to the dark side. Even attempting that under his progressing grief was more than a skilled Jedi could handle. Trying to add in a search for Windu was out of the question.
Yoda Never Looked for Windu’s Body
Between the emotional turmoil of Sidious’s plans and the lack of time to contain them, Yoda didn’t look for Windu’s body. Yoda and Obi-Wan tried to deal with a perplexing situation in real-time, were confused about their feelings, and used what time they had to try to stop Palpatine and Anakin.