Should we ever have seen Master Yoda use a Saber?

No lightsaber for Yoda. And none for the Emperor, either.

The Emperor's strength was his ability to manipulate. He got Padme to call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Vellorum's leadership, got Anakin to wipe out the Jedi on Corusant, and even got Yoda to take possession of the very clone soldiers that would eventually destroy the Jedi and enforce the Emperor's rule. The Emperor with a lightsaber? Why, when he can manipulate the Chosen One to do his fighting for him? It cheapened the character.

Yoda's role is that of the anti-Emperor, the Light to the Emperor's Darkness. As such, a lightsaber is beneath him. A Jedi Master shouldn't have to fight. Again, it cheapens the character.

 

Seeing Yoda fight in that lightsaber battle ruined his entire thematic presence. Size matters not, right? Well I guess size DOES matter, you gotta use a comically small lightsaber and flip around like...I don't know what it was like. It was just awful, and his Grover-sounding yell as he leaped in just added insult to injury.

 

I always saw Yoda as a calm powerful Buda-Typ...Someone that was beyond any usage of weapons but the Force...It would have made him a bit more special imho...

If Yoda was to fight and use his lightsaber against Sidious, a Character that wasn´t that fond of the ligthsaber either, as he discribed it as a Jedi weapon, to make the Situation tense so that even Yoda had to bring out his saber out, a single fight in Episode III where Yoda wasn´t jumping like a Flubber could have been powerful enough...A fight of all skills so to say that would end in an all out Force-Fight...

 

I actually never had a problem with Yoda using a lightsaber in the PT, I just wish he wouldn't have done the flips like Sonic the Hedgehog! I always thought Dooku shouldn't have been able to use force lightning as only the Emperor should have had that power.

 

From what I remember, Lucas would not allow anyone to write a book about Yoda or his origins. The only thing he has ever revealed is that his species is a Frog (I know, I know).
I believe that this is why it was highly rumored that he was saving his ideas about Yoda as a spin off movie.

 

This also reinforces the idea that the Emporer should not have used a lightsaber:

(Vader brings Luke before the Emperor and hands him Luke's weapon)

Darth Vader: His light saber.
The Emperor: Ah, yes. A Jedi's weapon, much like your father's. (Said in disgust)

At that time, Lucas imagined that the Jedi were the only ones who used lightsabers. Vader was the only Sith who used one because he was a fallen Jedi.

He even wanted to keep with that theme in The Phantom Menace, when he created the Sith weapon that Maul used (although he tiptoed that line quite a bit).

Dooku also used a lightsaber because he was also a fallen Jedi. It wasn't until The Clone Wars cartoon came out when everyone and their neighbor started using lightsabers.

 

Despite the interesting places TCW takes it, I'm more inclined to think that Sidious didn't really gain any characterization by using a lightsaber but Yoda? Of course he did. The cool thing about Yoda is his choices, not his natural limitations. The prequel and TCW Yoda's actions, choices and responses to consequences make every second of ESB Yoda more meaningful.

The more Yoda I see, the more I want to see.

 

And there it is right there. How are "masters" supposed to engage in combat with each other if/when they are pretty much on par with each other power-wise? During their dual, both Yoda and Sidious realized that a battle of Force powers was gonna be futile (at least, within the circumstances of their immediate environment at the moment). Same goes for Yoda's duel with Dooku ('...I see that this contest will not be won by our knowledge of the Force, but by our skills with a lightsaber.' -Count Dooku).

I appreciate anyone's reservation regarding not wanting to- or- feeling like there was a need for seeing Yoda (or Sidious) have and use a lightsaber, but it simply doesn't bother me at all. I thought it was a nice, unexpected touch to the story, considering that a master doesn't inherently start off as one . Even the flipping around and howling, I thought, was cool, if, for no other reason, it represented the notion that even the "top dog" has to get down and dirty every now and again when duty calls for it (-which is why I think GL included it into the film, although I'm well aware that a lot of folks think he merely only did it as a "fan-service" gesture and the "neato-look-at-that!" factor.).

Sorry, it didn't bother me then....and it doesn't bother me now

 

The thing is: it wouldn't nor shouldn't take all that long for a pair of masters in combat to realize that they're at a proverbial stalemate, least of all, Yoda. Plus, we're dealing with the Force here...you know, that power essence thing that imbues a user with hyper-enhanced mental and physical reflexes?? Yeah, machine guns, bullets and knives don't exactly provide these type of capacities and advantages to the user. Sidious thought/hoped he had Yoda outmatched based on size and age, so he hit him with some quick lightning to test the theory and hopefully cripple him badly enough for a win. Yoda showed him that he wasn't going to score an easy K.O. and that's when the blades came out. (Similar situation with Dooku)

As far as Yoda even being there....who ELSE should've attempted a takedown of an obviously mega powerful Sith Lord?! Windu was the ONLY other master truly qualified for such an attempt- and even he took 3 other masters with for back up.

Again, this type of battle scenario wasn't even called for because we're dealing with Masters that know when a battle requires a certain approach and weapon .

 

I appreciate your not being sold on how it went down on screen, but that's mostly a matter of your own personal preference (of course), as it is for anyone that watches the scene. For me, a lot of times, it's the subtle nuances that deliver the credibility to the idea that's being conveyed, such as Yoda's body language and the look on his face when he sees that Dooku has become extremely powerful with his use of force power(s). Yoda recognized that the distance between himself and Dooku's lightening strikes and environmental destruction powers put the battle in a risky situation for not only himself, but for everyone that was in the area. After demonstrating to Dooku that his force usage wasn't gonna win him the day, he invites Dooku to a saber challenge- partly as a way of preserving the physical environment while protecting it's inhabitants and partly because he felt that Dooku wouldn't be able to outlast him in that type of combat and partly because he figured that Dooku's pride wouldn't be able to resist the challenge (afterall, he IS a Sith at this point). To me, the decision to pull out the blade was wisdom and confidence on Yoda's part.

Again, this is more a matter of your feeling that a Master's use of a Lightsaber is somehow a downgrade to his/her display of ability. I think it goes hand-in-hand with what is required of being a "master".

 

Not so much as a preference as it is an acceptance. "Violence" isn't inherently bad- as it is inherently indicative of being physical, hostile and/or aggressive.

I'm sure Yoda just figured him and Sidious were gonna just be able to talk everything out and come to a mutually beneficial arrangement ... coz... u know... that's what masters do..and all .

 

Hm... When I watched the OT as a kid, I somehow envisioned a Jedi Master was faaar beyond the use of a lightsaber, whilst a Jedi Knight wasn't. And I thought the same rules applied to the Dark Side. So for me it was a big let down to see first Yoda use his saber (and jumping around like crazy) and then see the Emperor do the same; to me this just wasn't what I had imagined. Then again, I never envisioned the Jedi the way they are portrayed in the PT; always thought they would be more like mysterious Samurais, passing through the galaxy, doing justice. It all transformed into something higly... non-mystical.

 

I'm not trying to convince you of anything either way; we're just having a conversation. But, let me get this straight: So, Yoda is supposed to be a master, that, although trained and highly skilled in martial combat (violence)- so much so that he is qualified for- and, thus- training others to be as well (violent), that he should be above employing said martial combat (violence) when the situation may call for it??? Um...yeah... that uh... really stands to reason. Not to be facetious, but of course you do realize that he, along with the other Masters in the order teach their underlings, and, even each other all kinds of Force skills and abilities including, yup, you guessed it- martial combat. Why? Because, at any given time, it may be necessary and/or even advantageous to employ this skill- even as a master.

Now, I understand that you feel that a master should be above such action, and yes, I admit that makes absolutely no sense to me. And, also, yes, I'm definitely approaching my position on this matter from the perspective of how the story has been presented on film and in writing because...well..ya know...that's the story as it was...I dunno...conceived by it's own creator?? Hmm...so I guess Obi-wan should've just Force-pushed that guy away from Luke at the cantina, potentially harming other non-involved patrons that were in that tight space- potentially starting an all-out bar brawl, while simultaneously Force-pulling any weaponry the guy and everyone else may have had away from them, so as not to have to use his saber to, otherwise, simplify the matter- or, is Yoda the only person capable of pulling this off properly? Sure, ok.

Yoda, the leader of entire legion of Jedi warriors, is simply supposed to delegate all potentially violent matters to his subordinates because he, himself, is just too strong and wise in the Force than to be bothered by such a matter? That's not a leader that I would follow, nor a leader that anyone else should want to follow.