After years of waiting, Star Wars fans finally have an answer to why Yoda abandoned Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith. Notably, during Episode III's climactic third act, the two iconic Jedi heroes part ways so that Yoda can take on the terrifying Darth Sidious and Obi-Wan can confront Anakin on the lava planet Mustafar. For decades, fans have wondered why the pair did not stay together to go two-on-one with their opponents.
Well, Star Wars has provided an official answer in honor of the movie's 20th anniversary. Revenge of the Sith novel writer Matthew Stover pulled the curtain back on the controversial Prequels moment as a part of the new deluxe edition of the official novelization of the 2005 film (as transcribed by The Holofiles).
In the book, Stover revealed he did not know the answer to why the pair did not join forces to take on Anakin and Palpatine, but decided to write in that "the dark-side initiation links Vader and Sidious in the Force somehow," so "attacking Anakin might distract or weaken Palpatine and improve Yoda’s chances:"
"Why not team up against Palpatine, then handle Anakin after? Yeah, I didn’t know either. I decided to hint that the dark-side initiation links Vader and Sidious in the Force somehow, so attacking Anakin might distract or weaken Palpatine and improve Yoda’s chances against him. Or, at least, that’s what Yoda and Obi-Wan might think."
This means that the pair attacking on both fronts simultaneously was a better option than going up against Palpatine and then taking care of Anakin separately.
Obviously, things did not go as planned, as Yoda was forced into hiding after his duel with the Emperor, and Anakin was left burned to a crisp before being saved by Palpatine and transitioned into his life-saving Darth Vader armor.
This is not the only revelation to come out of Stover's special reissue of the Revenge of the Sith novel, as it was also revealed that one of the movie's most impactful moments almost did not make it into the script.
Would Obi-Wan and Yoda Have Been Better Off Together?
There is a reason that both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda are two of the only Jedi left over at the end of Revenge of the Sith. They are survivors, as well as being two of the strongest Jedi in the entire Star Wars franchise.
One might think that the pair could have offed characters like Palpatine and Anakin had they, as a duo, taken on each of them separately. However, it seems they may have believed that attacking each of them alone could, through the Force, weaken the other.
That belief was either not inherently true or Palpatine and Anakin were simply that strong, as they ultimately failed in their two-pronged attack, resulting in Anakin's fall off the Dark Side deep end and Palpatine assuming power.
It would be interesting to know if the pair of Jedi could have succeeded in their mission had they stuck together. Of course, there is no way to know with 100% certainty what this 'what if...?' scenario would entail, but it's a fascinating query for fans to consider.
Perhaps even if Obi-Wan and Yoda had been able to take out Palpatine, Anakin would have seen the two Jedi Masters coming to 'save' him as even more of a threat, turning him to the Dark Side even faster.
This could have seen Anakin harnessing the ways of the Sith to a level not previously seen in the movie, killing Yoda and Obi-Wan, and ultimately taking the seat as Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
