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My letter:

When I think about the scene in which Yoda is battling Palpatine, I see it not as a battle for freedom but a battle for the title of Emperor. The jedi council is exterminated and there are no other rivals except for Palpatine and Anakin. Obi-Wan is no threat for the time being. The galactic senate at the time still mostly trusted the jedi so there would be few rivals there. More powerful jedi who existed in the past 1000 years to keep Yoda in check have long since died out. Previous Grand Master Jedi Sifa Dias died under mysterious circumstances. Thus all Yoda had to do was kill Palpatine, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and a few other freedom lovers then ultimate power would be finally his after many hundreds of years.

He failed though. He underestimated Palpatine's power, assuming he would be very weak after his battle against Mace Windu. He barely survives a long fall and retreats, depressed that he couldn't oust Palpatine. He could get help from others but would lose the chace to be emperor. He still has his hopes up though as he plots to try at least one more time to take power. He couldn't trust that Obi-Wan would allow him to be emperor but still he could trust in his gullability. Yoda connvices Obi-Wan to let Leia be sent away and for Luke to begin his jedi training much later. If Leia and Luke were both trained young and together they wouldn't allow Yoda to be emperor so thus seperation and late blooming were Yoda's plan for them; Leia out of the picture and Luke powerful enough to defeat Palpatine and Vader but weak enough (in both power and mind) to bend to his will.

Yoda bided his time on Dagobah, dreaming of the day he would finally rule the galaxy. No more powerful jedi to keep him in check. No more monkish lifestyle. Just absolute power and luxary. What did he care of the jedi order? Remember when the jedi were being slaughtered and Yoda's reaction? What looked like Yoda feeling distressed at their deaths (dropping his cane and clutching his heart then his head) might've been instead simply heart burn and headache because after a few more jedi are killed the screen goes back to him being well composed. The heartburn and headache bring me to another point: Yoda's aging. Yoda has waited for nearly 1000 years to control the galaxy. More powerful jedi kept him in check. When he finally has an opportunity he is already old both physically and with the force. He can't fight as well when he was younger. Heavy objects he used to move with ease with the force now cause him strain. His ability to see through time is dimmed. In fact the only force ability of his that works unhindered is his mind reading ability. He knew of Palpatine's plans but allowed him to go through with them, thinking he could be overthrown later.

He trains Luke well but not too much to where he would be uncontrolable. But uncontrolable he is, for he leaves Yoda to save his friends. Yoda can read minds but not control them. He watches helplessly as his chance to obtain power flies away. Obi-Wan comforts him (not knowing Yoda's real intentions). Yoda then remembers Leia and hopes to use her in his plan. Leia though goes out to find her love Han and Luke returns over a year later.

But by that time it is too late. Yoda has aged faster than he anticipated, his power with the force almost gone now. Yoda has finally excepted the facts that he will never be emperor and he will die. He had gambled his lifespan, his jedi council, the existence of the jedi themselves, his nice home on Corusant, a massive war, the lives of billions if not trillions of sentient beings (whether killed or made worse); and it all was for nothing but to spend the rest of his days in a swamp. Only when dying did he realize that he threw away a decent life to be had as head of the jedi, high advisor to the galactic chanselor, and a decent if monkish life on Corusant to rot away in a lonely swamp.

Yet he had a death wish: to have Luke kill Palpatine and Anakin as revenge for denying him his chance to be ruler of the galaxy. He lies to Luke, telling him that he has to kill his own father to become a jedi. Earlier he had convinced Obi-Wan of the same thing thus the conversation is repeated again (By this time Obi-Wan now blindly follows everything that Yoda says, becoming to Yoda what Anakin had become to Palpatine, except more brainwashed and a helpless slave-ghost). Instead of becoming one with the force like he told Anakin years earlier was a good thing, he instead uses the last of his force powers to become a ghost and wander the galaxy helplessly for possibly all eternity just so he can see his hated rivals for power die.

After Luke cuts off Anakin's robot hand Palpatine encourages Luke to join him. Luke looks at Anakin and with the force power to see through time he sees it all: Yoda's true intentions, how Anakin had been manipulated by Yoda and then Palpatine, how they both corrupted him and made him into Vader. He finally see Yoda's lies and that he was about to fall into the same trap his father did. He thus throws his lightsaber away and chooses death. He manages to survive though and attempts to save Anakin.

Anakin appears as a ghost to Luke for one last look before he becomes one with the force/wander the galaxy. Yoda and Obi-Wan also appear. Finally accepting the fact his vengeance didn't turn out the way he had hoped for (Anakin killing Palpatine whilst being electrocuted and having his son remove his breathing mask) Yoda just smiles, knowing that Luke's ideas of freedom and caring for the welfare of others were far better than ruling the galaxy. Obi-Wan smiles, thinking it was Yoda's grand plan, never knowing the truth. Thus the three of them disappear, never to be seen again.

-J. Durr

His response:




Wow!

First, I haven't met anybody who goes FARTHER with the "Yoda is vile" trip than I do!

Your scenario makes sense in many ways, including helping (incompletely) to explain why Luke would be "hidden" in his father's own home town. Plus why Yoda didn't roam the galaxy looking for more Jedi to train, which was his job, if he hadn't been in a big sulk.

Not sure I accept the explanation for Yoda's "death. Remember. Luke is a good guy... but kinda dim. I think Yoda just pulled a fast one... the old pretend-to-die fade-away trick, and the gullible twit fell for it!

Wish I had more time. You should post this online somewhere! Feel free to include my paragraph I sent you. And link to STAR WARS ON TRIAL! I'm sure you already have a copy, right?

All best for the rebellion.

With cordial regards,

David Brin

http://www.davidbrin.com

blog: http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/

twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidBrin1