# Yoda and his lightsaber... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884 "2002-05-20T01:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chekmate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@Chekmate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chekmate)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/1 "2002-05-20T01:40:10Z")
I just saw AOTC today, and I was just in shock after seeing Yoda do battle. I don’t know what to think! I always thought he was so frail and old, and then he comes bustin’ out with the force and that lightsaber, all jumping around, changing directions midleap, swingin’ that sword around… I don’t know what to think about it. Maybe I have a new found respect for little people. Maybe I think that they overdid it. Maybe I am just still in shock. But Damn, that was _ **COOL!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/2 "2002-05-20T01:53:54Z")
Can we do retro-active spoilers? I’ve seen the movie, but maybe this thread could do with them for those that haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/3 "2002-05-20T03:22:03Z")
Does it need it? I haven’t been paying much attention to Episode 2 hype but I still knew that Yoda was gonna duel at some point in the movie before I saw it. Thanks Rog. ---
**Author:** ![JaxBeachBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@JaxBeachBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaxBeachBoy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/4 "2002-05-20T03:46:59Z")
well, he IS frail and old…he summons power through the force to do battle…did you notice how he looked older and more tired after it was over? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/5 "2002-05-20T15:51:50Z")
Jax, it seemed to me that he looked just as old and frail as he always does. It was just a sight gag, IMO. “I’m going to flip around and kick some major ass, but man is walking hard! I really need this stick…” Did Yoda’s lightsaber look a lot shorter than Dooku’s? Makes sense, otherwise it’d be hitting the floor everytime he swung. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/6 "2002-05-20T20:44:26Z")
My impression was that Yoda walks with the cane and hobbles because it’s always better to have people underestimate you. That’s why, in ROTJ, he’s nonplussed that Luke is looking for someone else to be a great Jedi master. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/7 "2002-05-20T22:39:49Z")
i agree it was a sight gag that resulted from the “make your enemies underestiamate you” line. With Yoda’s reputation, people see him all old and with cane, and they are like “what a little old shrimp. I can beat him with one finger” Then Yoda backflip-Ninja-Karatisizes the crap out of them. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/8 "2002-05-20T22:53:04Z")
Remember, reference to Yoda’s swordsmanship was made right after Anakin caught Obi-Wan in the speeder in the first chase. I think that Yoda can kick ass when necessary. It’s just tiring. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/9 "2002-05-20T23:50:05Z")
Damn! I thought this was going to be a dirty thread about a muppet and his … Boy, am I disappointed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bubba\_Ray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bubba\_Ray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubba_Ray)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/10 "2002-05-21T10:18:03Z")
Yoda simply rocked the house when he grabbed gor his lightsaber. I guess I can fiddle a slight highjack here, is it just me or did the small wrinkled green one speak a lot more coherent and normal when commanding the Clone Army? ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/11 "2002-05-21T12:35:48Z")
[sigh] To those big-time SW fan weinies, this scene was just logical. This is discussed in-depth in the novels and comics. In the years after the movies, Luke continues to gain in power, and he slowly slides to the dark side because he is constantly using the Force for even the most mundane things. It goes along the lines of “never realising what you have until you don’t have it.” The more you rely on it, the less respect you have for it. That’s why Yoda rarely uses all the power he has. So the tired-old-greenguy routine wasn’t _solely_ to keep people off-balance, since obviously all the Jedi knew not to screw with him. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/12 "2002-05-21T14:44:30Z")
Part of the film made me enjoy Yoda quite a bit. The other half made me think he is the annoying guy who always seems to get seated next to me on long airplane flights. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Salads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mr\_Salads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Salads)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/13 "2002-05-21T19:12:19Z")
It was a sight gag. Kind of distasteful, but if it’s for laughs, I guess people will try to go to the lowest denominator. ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/14 "2002-05-21T19:54:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr Salads \* > \*\*It was a sight gag. Kind of distasteful, but if it’s for laughs, I guess people will try to go to the lowest denominator. \*\* I’m sorry you saw it that way. Both times I saw the movie, the audience response was mostly about two seconds of giggles and then awe for the rest of the fight. I don’t think it was a gag. It was meant to make you rethink his character. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/15 "2002-05-22T00:47:38Z")
CGI Yoda is much better than Muppet Yoda. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/16 "2002-05-22T02:17:12Z")
When I saw it, the audience slowly errupted in chears as soon as they saw Yoda’s shadow entering the room. When he went for his light-saber the whole place was going nuts. During the battle the audience was silent with awe. After the battle when Yoda picks up his cane everyone giggled. ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/17 "2002-05-22T02:27:30Z")
I strongly disagree with the sight-gag point of view. This was not for cheap laughs and not for the lowest common denominator. People can do amazing things with adrenaline, Yoda was in an extreme circumstance. Furthermore, most of his moves were done using “the Force” by way of levitation, etc. It is perfectly “plausible” that he mustered all of his strength to do battle and of course, resorted back to his frail side after the duel. I was amazed that they were able to pull off this scene without making the whole thing a big joke. I knew about his duel before I saw the film and was expecting a stupid-fake scene. I was not only happily surprised but in awe of his powers. I have new respect for Yoda, as do most of the movie-going audience. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/18 "2002-05-22T03:59:48Z")
/yoda on Kick your ass I can hmmmmmm. /yoda off ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/19 "2002-05-22T06:14:11Z")
Yoda likes people to underestimate him. The cane may be something of an affectation, but there’s a reason for it. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884/20 "2002-05-22T17:13:18Z")
I got the impression that Yoda channeled the Force rather seriously to give himself the agility he needed for that battle…after all, he is about 800 years old. It also kinda explains why he had trouble catching that pillar - he was tired! After the fight, he seemed to lean more heavily on his cane than before. Yes, I noticed that Yoda spoke normally when commanding the Clone Army (“Concentrate your fire on the nearest starship!” instead of “On the nearest starship will you focus your fire, YES?”). I chalked that up to Yoda’s role as mentor and teacher to the Jedi - If close attention you must pay to what he is saying, then forget it easily you will not, and therefore learn from his wisdom you will. However, if you’re not used to him, and it’s a really important occasion (such as conducting combat operations with Yoda as your Jedi strategist and commander) then he’ll use normal syntax to ensure he is understood. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoda-and-his-lightsaber/109884.md?page=2)