NEW FOOTAGE makes Yoda VS Sidious duel 10X BETTER

Star Wars Episode III: Alternate Ending
Yoda VS Sidious deleted scene

In this video we analyze some pre-vis animatics to reveal what the Yoda VS Sidious duel was supposed to be like in its entirety...

Checkout my lightsaber shop:

Instagram: @StarWars_Analyst

I do not own any material shown.

All images, clips, and music used are property of The Walt Disney Studios.

"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

[grievous]

"If so powerful you are, why leave?"
Damn even I feel threatened

[jocro]

I'm not gonna lie, Palpatine riding away on a senate pod like a witch on a broomstick is fuckin hilarious.

[Torterra]

If I recall, the reason Yoda fled was because during a brief moment in that lightning clash, the Force was clear enough for him to receive a vision of him training Luke Skywalker. So he decided to leave in order for him to live long enough to train his future apprentice whom he believed would defeat Sidious.

[UltramanII]

This deleted scene finally explains how did Sidious suddenly end up on the high ground throwing chairs at Yoda, it's been a mystery for me since forever

[toomberrebmoot]

Yoda using those guards as neat shields against Palpatine’s lightning seems a bit cruel and unusual for him. I’m glad he had the mercy to just knock them out instantly in the final version.

[jimbeaux]

I will never EVER forget going to see the midnight premiere of RoTS, in my jedi robe..

And then skipping school that day to see it again.

Some of the best memories of my life. I literally saw everything I wanted to see. I was in tears leaving that theater.

[hyperion]

The fate of the galaxy depended on a frog's ability to kill a senior citizen

[yarnickgoovaerts]

Sidious wanted to flee because he felt something was going to happen to Darth Vader

[mRibbons]

Honestly, I just want to see more of Yoda fighting the agents of evil. I understand hes centuries old, hes a peace seeker, and a climactic show stopper... but damn dude, gimme more warrior Yoda!

[bigfish]

The thing is, I actually prefer the official version by a large margin. Yoda smashing those imperial guards against the wall was just so satisfying, and made you feel how resolved he was in this fight, and I liked the little exchange they share in the beginning with both overwhelming each other turn to turn. Giving an explanation as to why palpatine stopped using his lightsaber is good, since I always kind of figured he went for a more drastic approach instead. But Palpatine fleeing the battle in the end would have really been anti climatic. If I remember correctly, the novel clearly explains how Yoda was just weaker and overally inferior to the sith lord, and him fleeing in the end was an important part of it: he admitted defeat because he saw he couldn't win. Plus, the whole battle was a struggle to determine who would get on top of the other. Yoda falling all the way to the bottom of the senate losing his jedi cloak while palpatine stays on top, laughing is as symbolic as it gets

[MCSPARTAN]

The original version of this duel was quite interesting. Yoda narrowly defeats Sidious, but Sidious is able to retreat and send Clone Troopers after Yoda, which means Yoda fails anyway.

[CarnageRulez]

I don’t really agree with the notion that this would be better. It’s great to see this as deleted content, but it would have ruined the pacing of Anakin vs Obi-Wan.

[michaelrobertson]

The thing is Sidious wasn’t running away from Yoda more like he was luring Yoda into a trap. If Yoda had fought Sidious in the Hallway then Yoda couldn’t have used his preferred form of lightsaber combat to its full effect. Yoda uses Ataru or Form IV the most acrobatic of all the Lightsaber Forms. As such it requires a larger open space to be the most effective. A closed space like the hallway was literally the worst place for Yoda to fight Sidious in. Sidious was basically attempting to pull an Obi Wan and take “the high ground” in that duel. As for the Duel, Yoda won in terms of lightsaber combat. Sidious might have mastered all 7 forms of Lightsaber combat but he seldom used them and preferred to rely upon his powers in the Force which is why he put so much distance between himself and Yoda, meanwhile Yoda had 900 years worth of experience in lightsaber combat under his belt, Sidious had to keep him at bay otherwise Yoda would have won. But the main reason why the duel was the way it was is best explained in the Revenge of the Sith novel. Yoda realized when they were fighting in the Senate chamber that the Sith were no longer the enemy that he had been training for the past 900 years to defeat, the were philosophers, scientists and politicians, they had evolved. And the fact that they were fighting in the Senate Chamber proved that it was already too late, the Sith had won, they turned the Senate and the Republic against the Jedi and the Order had fallen. Even if Yoda had climbed back up and reengaged in the fight and won it would change nothing, the Jedi Order had fallen and the Republic now Empire had turned against them. So Yoda decided to flee into exile to await the time when the Jedi could rise again. Once you know this then the fight that was just portrayed losses some of its meaning. So ultimately I can understand why it was edited to be the way it was in the movie and with the context that I’ve provided hopefully others will understand why they chose to edit it in that way too.

[Darthpsychonis]

This is absurdly cartoonish. Really happy with what we have in the finished film.

[blademancano]

This was awesome to see for the first time, so you’re correct to assert that we should have felt honored to see it, it was mind blowing! The anakin /obiwan fight was amazing as well, and is still one of my favorites! For the longest time all we knew was that they fought on a volcanic planet. To finally see it happen was incredible

[Mr.Man]

I would argue that Sidious wasn’t fleeing Yoda at the beginning he was repositioning. Sidious knew Yoda used form 4 so instead of fighting in an open area which would allow Yoda to maneuver, Sidious wanted to move to a more confined area to limit Yoda’s movement.

[sylquinn]

1:37 I'm so sorry, I cannot stop laughing at Palpatine flying like a javelin across the room.

[tperson]

I'm so glad they didn't use this.
There are very very few deleted scenes I think should've been included.
One such deleted scene is the duel in ROTJ, which I was made aware of through your channel.
Thank you for THAT :)
And thank you for doing these videos

[Justmyhandle]

*My preferred version of this battle would have mixed elements from the official scene in Revenge of the Sith & its deleted scene with some minor dialogue changes. Here's a rough idea, apologies for the length but feedback is welcome:*

Yoda enters the room, Palpatine's Royal bodyguards having a fraction of a second to react and start to raise their weapons as if to attack Yoda from both sides. But he effortlessly knocks them out with the Force and addresses the Emperor.

Palpatine: "Master Yoda... You survived."

Yoda: "Surprised?"

Palpatine: "On the contrary. I expected as much from the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order."

Palpatine chuckles and displays holocron footage of Yoda & Obi-Wan killing the Clone troopers outside the Jedi Temple, revealing that he knows Kenobi has set off to confront Anakin on Mustafar and anticipated Yoda's arrival from the beginning.

Yoda: "A trap for me then, this was, I take it?"

Palpatine (taunting): "Ah, the great Yoda... Many generations of Jedi, you have taught. You knew every one of them, did you not, the old and the young? And yet, for all your centuries of power and wisdom, when they needed you most, you were powerless to do anything but feel them through the Force... as their lives were snuffed out... The culmination of your great failure."

Yoda grimaces a bit, but does not take Palpatine's bait to get emotional. His eyes turn for a second to the alien attendant by the Emperor's side, deducing that at least some in the Republic willingly joined his cause despite knowing he was a Sith.

Yoda: "I hear, a new apprentice you have, Emperor. Or should I call you... Darth Sidious."

Palpatine: "Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda, as it has your entire Order. You assured your own defeat long before you even knew what you were up against. Now, you will experience the full power of the Dark Side."

The Royal bodyguards begin coming to, at which point Palpatine blasts his Sith lightning at Yoda. The Jedi quickly levitates the bodyguards and the alien attendant into its path, shielding himself behind the three bodies, but the Emperor manipulates the electricity to gradually move them apart before arcing the current between them. Yoda jumps upward at the last moment onto the wall behind him, narrowly evading the lightning as the charred bodies hit the floor.

Palpatine follows up with another blast, Yoda briefly Force-wall running to avoid it before accelerating with Force-enhanced speed (as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon did in TPM). He rapidly dashes in and out of visibility, Palpatine's lightning chasing him. The shocks blacken the room's walls where they hit and blow up a few ceiling lights in dazzling explosions, sparks dancing through the air. But neither combatant needs their eyes, as they're sensing each other's movements.

The power begins to blink on and off, the room lit up infrequently by the lightning's purple glow, as Yoda continues outmaneuvering the blasts until grabbing & spinning around a support beam in the room to launch himself forward. Palpatine can't dodge or redirect his aim in time before Yoda Force-kicks him with both feet through the air. His lightning dissipates in violet sparks from his hands as he hits the back wall with a powerful "thud" that mildly shakes the room before falling. In his masterful timing, however, the Emperor had Force-shielded himself just enough to dull the blows.

Yoda carefully approaches, unsure of Palpatine's condition since he's masking now his power in a ploy to appear unconscious, his head turned away. The lights keep blinking in this moment of suspense as Yoda nears the body. Palpatine sneers, his yellow eyes standing out in the darkness. Suddenly, his lightsaber moves out of his robe sleeve into his hand and he swipes it in a red flash. Yoda jumps away just in time, Sidious laughing sinisterly as his blade illuminates the room until the lights recover.

Palpatine (slowly standing): "You will not stop me... Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us!"

Yoda (activating his lightsaber): "Faith in your new apprentice, misplaced, may be. As is your faith in the Dark Side of the Force."

Palpatine raises his saber above his head in the Makashi stance, with Yoda entering Ataru stance, the music building.

Yoda: "At an end, your rule is... And not short enough, it was."

The two then begin their duel, Yoda pressuring Sidious onto the podium before it rises up into the Senate chamber. They are evenly matched in swordsmanship, pushing the Sith Master to change tactics and put distance between them by Force-jumping to the surrounding platforms. Yoda then notices that the chamber's camera droids and video screens are turned off.

Yoda (pointing his saber at Sidious): "The truth of what you are, always hidden in the shadows... That is the only way the Sith have ever succeeded. And that... is why you will fail."

Palpatine chuckles before hurtling the chamber's platforms at the Jedi. Yoda dodges and Force-speeds like before, trying to close the gap, but they keep coming. He takes control of a few mid-flight, taking advantage of the momentum to turn them back at his enemy like a boomerang. In this instant, Palpatine attempts to use Sith lightning again but Yoda levitates a platform in front of him to block it. At the same time it explodes, Palpatine jumps to avoid the platforms Yoda directed at him.

He lands on a podium a few rows below just as Yoda Force-jumps above the explosion, landing on the same platform with his lightsaber reactivated. Sidious quickly fires another current, which Yoda uses Tutaminis to absorb with his free hand. Unfortunately, a one-handed Tutaminis is not powerful enough against Sidious' two-handed lightning and the electricity blasts the saber out of his other hand. With both hands now using Tutaminis, Yoda pushes against the energy but it's so strong.

The lightning grows bigger than before, arcing all around the chamber with random bolts blowing platforms away along with pieces of the ceiling and the video screens. Their fragments drop and shatter in big chunks of glass. Yoda visibly struggles, Sidious pressuring him against the podium's edge as the energy focuses on its target. On the verge of being consumed by the current, Yoda closes his eyes and concentrates, silently calling out to the Force as Palpatine grins, believing he's won.

Giving himself over to the Light Side, Yoda's eyes open and he calmly begins turning the electricity away from himself, regaining his footing. Palpatine, feeling the tide turning, gives everything he has to push back only for his opponent's empowered Tutaminis to match it. Finally, the sheer buildup of power results in the current collapsing in on itself as both Yoda and Sidious are blown back. The shockwave shakes the whole chamber violently, the ceiling cracking and beginning to destabilize.

Yoda falls, barely Force-slowing his descent enough to not splatter on the floor but still landing hard. Seeing huge pieces of the ceiling drop, he raises his hands as the debris lands with thunderous "BOOMS", Palpatine jumping from where he landed to a door on a higher floor. Clones enter through the hallways and tell the Emperor they must evacuate, the chamber collapsing behind him. When the dust settles, Yoda levitates some rubble off of himself and crawls out. He's dusty, but uninjured.

Exhausted, he looks up to see Palpatine looking down on the mess with a triumphant smile, the Clones emerging from other doors around the intact chamber walkways while more are setting up ropes to drop in from the open hole in the roof. Accepting that even he cannot win this battle, the Jedi flees through a vent before the Emperor can spot him. As he makes his way outside the building, the Clones find his tattered robe (which he deliberately left behind) and present it to the Emperor.

Clone Commander: "My lord. We found this."

Palpatine (sneering wider): "He's not dead... Search the wreckage."

Clone Commander (nodding): "Yes sir."

The Emperor turns to leave back through the hallway where they'd previously evacuated and takes one last look at the chamber with that sickening grin, the beginning of the "Empire's March" theme slowly building as he walks away.

*Edit: I added the "At an end, your rule is" line (I forgot to include that when writing) and the two entering their stances.*

[katieell]

We saw all we needed to see to understand why Yoda fled - he had not only taken lightning directly from Sidious in his office and then a lot of it in the Senate chamber, but he had also fallen a long way and was probably badly hurt from that. Add to that the fact that he had lost his lightsaber earlier and Yoda didn't have a chance of killing the Emperor.