Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious may be one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith and the biggest villain in Star Wars’ movies and TV shows, but he was right about Yoda—and the Jedi more generally—in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Revenge of the Sith is one of the most pivotal points in the Star Wars timeline. In just one movie, Anakin Skywalker falls to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader, the Jedi are nearly eradicated by Order 66, and Palpatine finally completely overthrows the Republic and establishes the Empire.

Although Revenge of the Sith is the movie to depict all these events, this had been a relatively slow burn. Really, Palpatine had been pulling the strings even before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, and his plan had been meticulously laid. This has often raised questions about how the Jedi could have been deceived when working in such close proximity with a Sith Lord, but one Palpatine line from Revenge of the Sith reveals why his plot against the Jedi was so successful.

Yoda WAS Blinded By His (And The Jedi Order’s) Arrogance

The Jedi Missed Palpatine Hiding In Plain Sight

In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine tells Yoda, “Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda.” While that may sound a bit rich coming from Palpatine of all people, whose own arrogance arguably destroyed him not once but twice, Palpatine was right that Yoda’s arrogance, and the arrogance of the Jedi Council more broadly, was a major factor in their downfall. It has always been a bit bewildering that the Jedi were able to work so closely with Palpatine for so long and not have a better inclination that Palpatine was a major threat.

Yes, Palpatine may have hid himself in the Force so that the Jedi did not know he was a Sith Lord, but the Jedi still should have perceived Palpatine as a corrupt politician. There was nothing blocking them from recognizing Palpatine’s increasingly alarming grabs for power, and it was quite evident, especially by the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, that Palpatine’s motives were self-serving, concerning, and dangerous. There were moments when the Jedi acknowledged that Palpatine’s political moves were cause for concern (Obi-Wan especially), but they ultimately failed to act.

This arrogance was clear even before Revenge of the Sith, though. In The Phantom Menace, the Jedi were convinced the Sith were destroyed and couldn’t be back, even with Qui-Gon Jinn standing before the Council and saying he’d encountered one. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones also revealed that the Jedi Council refused to believe Dooku could be the one behind the ᴀssᴀssination attempt on Padmé. Because he had once been a Jedi, the Council was inflexible in their belief that killing wasn’t in his nature (obviously, they were wrong).

Yoda Ignored All Of Anakin’s Warning Signs

Yoda Sensed Anakin’s Pain And Suffering And Knew Of His Nightmares But Failed To Truly Act

Palpatine’s troubling behavior also wasn’t the only glaring problem Yoda ignored in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In The Phantom Menace, the Jedi Council seemed very worried about Anakin’s age and attachment to his mother. Yet, around a decade later, Yoda had evidently become a bit less troubled by these concerns.

The most significant example was in Attack of the Clones, when Anakin carried out his brutal slaughter of the Tusken Raider men, women, and children. Yoda didn’t know that Anakin had done something this heinous, but he did sense pain and suffering surrounding Anakin in the Force. He seems to have failed to ever follow up. While it makes sense that Yoda’s focus would have shifted to the Clone Wars and the mounting galactic tensions, given Anakin’s history, this should have been a priority for Yoda.

The same could be said of Yoda’s interactions with Anakin in Revenge of the Sith regarding Anakin’s nightmares. Shockingly, Anakin did the right thing, bringing his fears to Yoda—although he would have been wiser to be more honest with the Jedi Master than he was. When Yoda heard about Anakin’s nightmares, though, Yoda didn’t take him seriously enough, essentially telling him to ignore them, which was not all that helpful. In the end, this was a major factor in Anakin’s fall to the dark side.

Palpatine Used Yoda’s Own Arrogance Against Him For Years

Palpatine Knew The Jedi Would Believe They Were Safe From The Sith

Clearly, Palpatine used the hubris of Yoda and the Jedi Council to his advantage. He benefited enormously from the Jedi’s continued denial of the threats facing them—Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Palpatine, and even the clones, which Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed they had some degree of warning about. For whatever reason, the Jedi had become so arrogant, they ignored multiple signs that, had they been heeded, may have been enough to prevent the catastrophes that followed.

It was of course not solely the Jedi’s own flaws that led to their downfall. Palpatine proved to be a mastermind and the true ‘phantom menace’ for generations. Even so, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious was sadly correct in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith when he pointed out that the Jedi’s arrogance had blinded them.