Good evening!

Today I spent a bit of time mulling over the following lines from ROTS:


Yoda: Destroy the Sith, we must.

Obi-Wan: Send me to kill the Emperor. I will not kill Anakin.

Yoda: To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not.

Obi-Wan: He is like my brother. I cannot do it.


Of course, there is more to fighting than mere strength. Experience, perseverance, and good strategizing play important roles as well. In my opinion, it may have actually been wise for Yoda to grant Obi-Wan's request in this regard. Allow me to explain my POV.


When Yoda goes to Palpatine's office...

"Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda. Now you will experience the full power of the darkside." Yoda was WARNED that Sidious was about to strike, and once Sidious raised his hands into the force-lightning position, there were definitely a few seconds in which Yoda could've acted to protect himself. But he allowed himself to be fried anyway.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was quick to use his saber and absorb the force-lightning that Dooku radiated at him in AOTC. And even though Obi-Wan was defeated in his lightsaber duel with Dooku on that same occasion, his weapon-wielding skills had improved tremendously by the time ROTS took place. He did, after all, beat the Chosen One.


Furthermore, when Yoda's saber fell during his fight with Sidious in the Senatorial Rotunda, force-lightning was sent in his direction, which he was able to deflect with his hands. If Obi-Wan was in the same situation, he likely would've been knocked off the pod by the lightning. Apparently the lightning wasn't strong enough to do serious damage; for Yoda had been struck with it more than once, and commendably, he continued to fight. However, once Yoda fell, he threw in the towel.

I seriously doubt that Obi-Wan would've given up under these conditions. He had already demonstrated his superior facility with force-jump in TPM when Darth Maul kicked him from one of the tiers during their fight in Theed Royal Palace. It was a considerable and comparable distance. However, Obi-Wan used the force to propel himself all the way back up to where he'd fallen from. Additionally, when he was in the mining pit holding on to the outcropping, Obi-Wan couldn't actually see Qui-Gon's saber, but he sensed it and used the force to draw it to him. And in a stunning move which took his opponent completely by surprise, Obi-Wan adroitly catapulted out of the pit, grabbed and ignited the saber, and sliced Darth Maul in half. I believe there would've been similar results if Obi-Wan had been sent to defeat Sidious.

On the flipside...

If Yoda had battled with Anakin/Vader, Yoda likely would've killed him because:

- Vader wasn't as familiar with Yoda's fighting style as he was with Obi-Wan's.

- Yoda had the advantage of being way more experienced than Anakin in the ways of the Force.

- Yoda didn't have the same emotional compunctions that Obi-Wan did when it came to Anakin. There wouldn't've been any speech about how much he loved Ani, or how they were brothers, etc. Yoda wouldn't've gotten choked up and left it up to the flames to finish off Vader. After chopping off the limbs, he would've went for the head -- just like he did to those two clone troopers on Kashyyyk. End of story.


Thanks for sticking around; you've been wonderful.


*hugs & kisses*
-jeditee