I must've seen...

[Negative Sun]

Episode III about a dozen times by now, but I still get chills when "Order 66" is executed...Especially the part with the younglings is crushing every time, the way that wee boy flinches when Anakin turn on his lightsaber is gut-wrenching...

 

One thing still bothers me though:

Why on earth did Yoda run like a coward after he fell in the Senate while fighting Palpy? He could have easily gone back up to open a full can of whoopass on him, but he just ran...why???

[SilentScope001]

Yoda ran because he was too tired to fight and knew he would lose.

 

He's Yoda, for goodness sake. He knows his limitations!

[Negative Sun]

You think?

I thought it was maybe because reinforcements were on their way so he knew he might be outnumbered...but then again he could pwn a few Troopers in a flash.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Yoda knew he was defeated. Why go and try to triumph over Palpatine when he is spent. Like SilentScope said, he knows his limitations. Yoda is wise enough not the risk it.

[Jae Onasi]

I have a tough time as a parent watching the youngling scene, too. *Jae shudders*

 

Sometimes it's best to retreat and come back to fight another day. Granted it took another 20 years to get to that point....

[Pho3nix]

I have a tough time as a parent watching the youngling scene, too. *Jae shudders*

 

I never got shudders from that scene.

 

Episode III still brings back very good memories for me, being out in line two weeks before the premiere waiting for tickets for 13 hours straight. And then the premiere night itself, seeing familiar faces from the day we were out waiting for the tickets and then finally seeing the movie with my best friends.

 

I liked the ending most, I remember getting a little tear-eyed at the cinema that night. Such a beautiful scene combined with beautiful music.

[Vaelastraz]

One thing still bothers me though:

Why on earth did Yoda run like a coward after he fell in the Senate while fighting Palpy? He could have easily gone back up to open a full can of whoopass on him, but he just ran...why???

 

I think Yoda realized that he was unable to eliminate Sidious in single combat.

[JoeDoe 2.0]

Didn't the clone guards arrived to save Palpatine?????

Yoda was old too! like 800 something, so he relied heavely on the Force to keep him going. but he put up a good fight.

 

Anakin activating his saber to kill the youngling was a shock to me, I though he would never go that far.......

[mimartin]

Sometimes it's best to retreat and come back to fight another day. Granted it took another 20 years to get to that point....

 

I guess when you live to be 900 years a little patients is a given.

 

I’d call the duel a draw between Yoda and the Emperor. If the fight would have continued it would have been won by the one that got lucky. Yoda was wise enough not to count on luck.

 

The reinforcements are a good point Negative Sun; in a stand off the Clones may have been the added distraction to key Palpatine’s victory.

 

The younglings thing bothered me when I first saw the movie. I had taken my young cousins and wondered how this would affect them. However, I believe it was necessary to show just how far and how fast Anakin fell.

[ExiledFish]

If the fight would have continued it would have been won by the one that got lucky. Yoda was wise enough not to count on luck.

.

 

IN a Jedi's point of view there is no such thing as luck.

[Prime]

Episode III about a dozen times by now, but I still get chills when "Order 66" is executed...Especially the part with the younglings is crushing every time, the way that wee boy flinches when Anakin turn on his lightsaber is gut-wrenching...

That was a nice part. I also thought the betrayed look on Ki-Adi-Mundi's face was well done.

 

One thing still bothers me though:

Why on earth did Yoda run like a coward after he fell in the Senate while fighting Palpy? He could have easily gone back up to open a full can of whoopass on him, but he just ran...why???

But he had already opened his can, and it wasn't enough...

 

While some of the more practical explanations given here are probably the correct ones, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Yoda had actually won. At that point the Jedi were officially enemies of the Republic, and Palpatine's popularity in the Senate, and probably with the non-seperatist galactic population at large, was very high. As far as most know the Jedi had already made an attempt on the Chancellor's life, and would have been villified in the media. If Yoda kills Palpatine, that would likely only confirm those claims to the larger population. Apart from being defeated, was it in the best interests of Yoda and the Jedi to kill Palpatine at that time? I'm not sure...

[True_Avery]

Yoda could have beaten Palpatine, or at least seriously injured him if he wished. But, as I understand and believe it, Yoda was very prone to visions just like Anakin and Luke were. In that final moment when Palp and Yoda were fighting with the Force, you can kind of see it in his face and guess what happened from there. He saw Anakin was the one to kill Palp in the end, and that it was not his destiny to kill him even though he probably could of in the end. He saw Vader and Luke unite against Palp, bringing "balance" to the Force... whatever that actually means is up to to you.

 

That is my take on it anyway. It could have been old age simply catching up with him, or Palp was honestly stronger than him.

[Jeff]

While some of the more practical explanations given here are probably the correct ones, sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Yoda had actually won. At that point the Jedi were officially enemies of the Republic, and Palpatine's popularity in the Senate, and probably with the non-seperatist galactic population at large, was very high. As far as most know the Jedi had already made an attempt on the Chancellor's life, and would have been villified in the media. If Yoda kills Palpatine, that would likely only confirm those claims to the larger population. Apart from being defeated, was it in the best interests of Yoda and the Jedi to kill Palpatine at that time? I'm not sure...

You raise an interesting point that I never considered. I don't know that Yoda was thinking of that though because he definitely gave Sidious all he had in the battle.

[Arátoeldar]

I have a tough time as a parent watching the youngling scene, too. *Jae shudders*

 

I think all you need to be a thinking rational with emotions human being in order to have problems with that scene.

[HerbieZ]

I just cannot watch that scene. Where all the Jedi die and the music. It makes me cry everytime

[Totenkopf]

Well, haven't seen it more than 3 or 4 times from beginning to end, but do have it (probably seen the original since it came out at least 3 doz times already). Still, thought it (ROTS) was better than the first two prequels. There was definitely a sort of *gulp* moment there when the youngling realized the jig was up. As to Yoda, he no doubt realized that it would probably be more important to regroup and live to fight another day (even if by proxy). Afterall, the dark side was clouding the future and there was no telling for certain whether he would actually beat Palp at that point.

[Rogue15]

the best part of the movie was when the kids get cut down. bad memories at the ms gaming zone (people trying to roleplay in a fps, come on) given justice. thank you darth vader!

[Darth InSidious]

I shudder throughout the whole film.

 

I shudder at the sloppy camera use and bland or at times non-existent direction.

[Vaelastraz]

The music of the "Order 66 scene" is quite touching but apart from that...I've seen worse.

[Titanius Anglesmith]

That scene made me cry first time I saw it, and it still makes me a bit queezy now, even after watching it about 30 times.

[Prime]

I don't know that Yoda was thinking of that though because he definitely gave Sidious all he had in the battle.

I don't think he was either. I was just considering what would happen if he could have actually beat him.

[mimartin]

I thought the “Order 66 scene” was hauntingly beautiful in the way it was shot and was complemented by the perfect score. I didn’t cry, but felt it provoked emotions in the audience.

[Rogue15]

I shudder throughout the whole film.

 

I shudder at the sloppy camera use and bland or at times non-existent direction.

 

get over it

[Negative Sun]

Here's another though on Yoda's "defeat":

I think Yoda might also have been put off balance by the huge disturbance in the Force created by Palpy's Order 66...Remember Yoda's reaction to it on Kashyyyk? Even the wisest Jedi Master of all isn't immune to that kind of emotion...I could also explain why Palpy got such a cheap shot in at the start of the battle, maybe Yoda was dealing with raging emotions and had to focus too much on keeping them under control...And I don't know if he gave in to anger, but there definitely was an intensity in the battle against Palpy...

 

Prime, I think you raised a very interesting point there...

 

And some other good points were raised too, maybe Yoda did realise that it wasn't his duty to eliminate the Emperor at that point in time...Maybe the Galaxy needed a short plunge in darkness to realise how well they had before it and how badly they needed the Jedi...What was good in the Old Republic needed to be in contrast to the extreme evil Palpatine would bring, like Kreia said, the Galaxy was a stagnant beast, unchallenged for far too long...Even in Star Wars, (fictional) history has a way of repeating itself...