There’s a quiet moment in Attack of the Clones—a glance, really—that feels loaded in hindsight. As Palpatine talks about war and fear, Yoda turns and gives him a look. Not aggressive, not obvious. But enough to make you wonder: did Yoda already suspect something? Or was it just the Force whispering that something wasn’t right?
Yoda Knew Palpatine Wanted Power, But Not That He Was a Sith
The scene opens with Chancellor Palpatine in his office, surrounded by key Jedi Council members. The first words out of his mouth are telling: “I don’t know how much longer I can hold off the vote, my friends. More and more star systems are joining the Separatists.”
At face value, it sounds like a concerned leader trying to preserve peace. But there’s a careful undertone to it—he’s framing himself as the only one standing between the Republic and collapse.
At this point in the story, Yoda isn’t blind to Palpatine’s ambition. He can sense the Chancellor’s growing influence and the way he’s slowly tightening his grip on the Republic. The Jedi have grown uneasy about how long he’s stayed in office, and Yoda especially seems aware that Palpatine is not someone who gives up control easily.
But that doesn’t mean Yoda suspected he was a Sith Lord—at least, not yet. As far as the Jedi knew, the Sith had returned with Darth Maul, but Maul’s “death” left them chasing shadows. Even when Count Dooku later claimed a Sith controlled the Senate, the Council didn’t fully believe it.
The Jedi Never Truly Believed Palpatine Was the Sith Lord
Even though the Jedi Council had grown wary of Chancellor Palpatine’s influence, they never truly believed he could be the Sith Lord they were looking for. By the time Attack of the Clones takes place, Palpatine has already been granted emergency powers and essentially controls the Republic’s war machine. As Mace Windu says in Revenge of the Sith, “The dark side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor.” They sense the corruption, but they can’t see the source. The dark side clouds everything.
It’s only when Anakin reveals Palpatine’s true identity that the Jedi finally act—and even then, Windu’s hesitation shows just how unprepared they were. Palpatine had played his role so well, masking his true nature behind layers of bureaucracy and patriotism, that not even the galaxy’s greatest Force users could see the Sith hiding in plain sight.
Yoda Giving The Look Because Palpatine Was Forcing the Jedi to Become Warriors
Right before Padmé and the Loyalist Committee enter Palpatine’s office, we get a key exchange that reveals growing tension between the Jedi and the Chancellor. Mace Windu reminds Palpatine, “We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers,” clearly pushing back against the Republic’s slide toward war. But Palpatine brushes that aside and doubles down, framing the situation like there’s no other option.
Then Mace says something important: if systems start breaking away, “there aren’t enough Jedi to protect the Republic.” That line sets the stage—Palpatine is laying the groundwork to reframe the Jedi’s role. By suggesting the Jedi protect Padmé (a political figure), he’s already pulling them into military and security responsibilities. Not just guardians of peace anymore—but defenders of political interests. And that shift doesn’t sit right with Yoda.
That’s why Yoda gives him that side eye. He senses the Jedi are being pushed into a role that goes against everything they stand for. The war hasn’t started yet, but the transformation has. And Palpatine, masked as a concerned leader, is quietly steering it all from behind the curtain.