The uncanny connections between Palpatine and Yoda are being reinforced by Star Wars tie-ins. The Sith have been operating in the shadows for millennia, waiting for the ideal opportunity to exact their vengeance. Palpatine was the climax of their schemes; the Sith entered politics in order to defeat the Jedi, knowing that their adversaries were politically naive and uninterested. Palpatine wriggled his way into the position of Chancellor of the Republic, where he worked alongside the Jedi for nearly a decade, conducting innumerable sessions with members of the Jedi Council, including master Yoda.

Yoda was without a doubt the Sith's greatest threat. The elderly Jedi Grand master had years of experience and had developed a high level of Force sensitivity. Yoda had become the exact definition of the Jedi, both to the galaxy at large and to the Order itself; his long life and love of Younglings meant that his Force philosophy had become prevalent within the Order. Recognizing this, Palpatine appears to have made Yoda his main focus, appointing Count Dooku, a former student of the Grand master, as his Sith Apprentice.

Surprisingly, there are significant similarities between Palpatine and Yoda. The parallel was recently highlighted in Star Wars: Crimson Reign #3, which revealed how Yoda hid himself on Dagobah during the Dark Times by exploiting the fact that Dagobah is a tremendous light side vergence in the Force, capable of concealing even his luminous presence.

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