I keep thinking about this quote from Count Dooku (I believe it is from one of the books that is no longer considered canon or maybe not, it does not really matter. There is definitely some truth to it and if you are reading The High Republic, then you may kind of see where I am going with this.
In one of the THR books there is a senator who wants to form a defense force to protect the Republic, instead of relying on the Jedi to serve as the protectors of the Republic. There are jokes from some of the Jedi about the council members being bogged down with the bureaucracy in the Senate. During this time period though, the Senate is good (I am sure there is corruption, but Chancellor Lina Soh seems to be a great leader who helps lead the Republic towards the betterment of the entire galaxy).
As the years go on though, the Senate becomes more corrupt. Sometimes it is hard to understand that the Separatists were fighting for during the Clone Wars, but one of their complaints was the Senate was becoming ineffectual. They had other complaints as well, but the rot inside the Senate was a big one.
The Jedi during the High Republic considered themselves as the protectors of life and that their goals and the goals of the Senate & Republic were in alignment. Unfortunately, as the corruption took hold inside the Senate, the Jedi continued to support them. They were still the protectors, but it was never their job to mettle in Senate affairs. Mace Windu makes the comment about the Jedi having to remove Chancellor Palpatine and take control of the government until the Senate can take over.
This brings me back to Yoda (and Dooku’s assessment of his short-comings). Dooku makes a good point. I do not think Yoda became corrupted by the corruption of the Senate, BUT I do think constantly taking the stance of “we do not interfere in Senate politics, but we do serve as the protectors of the Republic and allow ourselves to be intertwined within their political machinations” can probably have a negative result.
I wonder if the Jedi had backed that Senator’s proposed protection force, would they have become a more independent body that could have focused on the betterment of the entire galaxy (and their own order). Or if they would have took a more active role in the business of the Senate, maybe they could have been the check on the political corruption. And that is a problem with a being like Yoda, he lived too long. That is what Dooku is right about. Not the power, the centuries.
A little corruption does not matter to someone who lives for 900 years. A corrupt Senator will be gone shortly, but as corruption takes root, it spreads, until the entire system is rotten. This is where Yoda failed. He could not see the system failing until it was too late.
And that is the Tragedy of Master Yoda.
