star wars - Why didn't Yoda and Obi-Wan kill Darth Vader and the Emperor? Why wait for Skywalker?

Given their fighting skills in the prequels, it seems odd that Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi should decide to wait for the Skywalker kids to grow up. Shortly after the Episode III, it seems like they could have dispatched Vader and the Emperor all by themselves.

Obi-Wan had better lightsaber skills than Anakin, so surely he could best Darth Vader. Yoda fought Palpatine to a stalemate previously, perhaps with Obi-Wan's help he could win.

Instead, they waited decades for Luke and Leia to grow up, while millions suffered under the heel of the Empire. Why not attack earlier than that?

Answer

Because by the end of Episode III, the Emperor controlled the entire Republic (shortly to be renamed Empire), whereas the "good guys" were basically just Yoda, Obi-Wan, and the families who raised the Skywalker twins. They really weren't in a position to even get to the Emperor, never mind fight him in a duel, never mind beat him.

When Yoda fought Palpatine in Episode III, it was like a last chance to stop him before he fully gained control of the Republic, and made it the empire. But Yoda failed, and fled, and there was no way to really try again.

Comments

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