Really Internet: Does Yoda Have a Napoleon Complex?

In general, the world of online theorizing is a dark and confusing place. However, the web’s propensity for insanity becomes next level weird when it comes to shows with obsessively dedicated fan bases. Sure, your pet theory on how meta BoJack Horseman is may be fun, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the thousands of terrifyingly well-researched theories about Star Trek, Game of Thrones, or Breaking Bad. All of this brings me to almost everyone’s favorite sci-fi franchise, Star Wars.

For almost 40 years now, we’ve known Jedi Master Yoda as a composed and highly competent source of goodness in this troubled universe. But what if he was actually harboring a deep, dark insecurity? What if a fight that we witnessed in the prequels scared Yoda, making him doubt himself and influencing his teachings for years to come? Welcome to the world of Really Internet.

WHAT’S THE THEORY?

For years we’ve known Yoda as the perpetually wise leader Jedi Master who taught us valuable lessons about controlling your emotions, always doing your best, and never judging others based on their size. However, there’s a chance that every sci-fi nerd’s favorite teacher may not fully believe that last lesson. As one Reddit sleuth explains, there’s a possibility that Yoda only lost his fight with The Emperor because of his size, and that knowledge has haunted him for years.

WHY IT’S NOT THAT CRAZY

Let’s pretend that Episode III isn’t terrible for a minute because that’s where we’re heading. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda travels to Coruscant to confront the baddest of the bad — The Emperor, aka Darth Sidious, aka Senator Palpatine. Look, our bad guy has been very busy. Prior to this point, Darth Sidious has had a fun old time turning Anakin to the dark side, and Yoda is having absolutely none of this. Yoda, like everyone in the prequel trilogy, is ready to fight over Anakin’s life, and we as an audience are absolutely ready to see Yoda kick some dark lord butt.

The Jedi Master and the Sith Lord seem to be evenly matched, but according to ParameciaAntic, Darth Sidious may have had one major advantage in this fight — his size. At one point, the foes attack each other with Force lightning, which causes them to both fly backwards, Dragon Ball Z style. However, whereas Darth Sidious is only pushed to the edge of the platform, Yoda “shoots off like a champagne cork” and lands a few platforms away. Unable to keep his grip, Yoda then falls to the bottom of the Senate Chamber they’re fighting in, allowing the future Emperor to escape. More bluntly put, one of the only reasons why Yoda was unable to defeat the man who would become the ultimate source of Force-based evil was because he was too small.

ParameciaAntic goes further in their fan theory, speculating that this loss allowed The Emperor to continue his reign of terror, and Yoda knows that. He also likely knows that his loss can be credited to his small stature, and this is a secret burden Yoda carries with him the rest of his life. So when Yoda says things like “size matters not” to Luke, he’s overcompensating for a deep insecurity that he thinks may be responsible for much of the galaxy’s bloodshed.

WHY IT’S QUESTIONABLE

In the original trilogy, Yoda talks about size a good amount, and he’s not really a character who’s known to lie. He pretty much embodies the opposite of that, so the idea that everyone’s favorite pint-sized Jedi would preach something he doesn’t believe seems dubious.

However, Yoda is nothing if not hyper intelligent and wise. I’m sure that fight never left him, and I’m sure he deconstructed it many times throughout his lifetime. He had an opportunity to prevent so much evil, and in a way, he failed. Surely during all of those years of swampy self-reflection he considered his size being part of this stalemate. I’m tempted to think that fight and Yoda’s size did affect his future teachings, even if it was merely on a subconscious level. It’s a sad one, but it’s not an entirely insane fan theory.