Star Wars' Smartest Jedi Made Yoda Look Like an Amateur (By Predicting Palpatine's Fall)

Summary Master Tsui Choi foresaw Palpatine's fall while Yoda lost himself in grief and hopelessness after the rise of the Empire.

Tsui Choi wisely urged patience, knowing the time for the Empire's downfall would come, unlike Jedi consumed by thoughts of revenge.

Yoda's responsibility as Grand Master clouded his foresight upon the Jedi Order's fall, making Master Tsui Choi arguably the smartest Jedi in Star Wars lore.

Yoda may have a reputation in Star Wars lore as a Jedi Master whose wisdom outclasses all others, but there is one lesser known Jedi who makes Yoda look like an amateur, as he was able to predict Palpatine’s fall while Yoda could not. Sadly, this Jedi-in-question was cut down by Darth Vader and his 501st Legion soon after the rise of the Empire, though even in his short time in Star Wars canon, Jedi Master Tsui Choi proved to be even smarter than Yoda.

In the Legends comic Star Wars: Purge by John Ostrander and Doug Wheatley, Jedi Master Tsui Choi - an alien from the planet Aleena - is killing a squadron of Clone Troopers (turned Stormtroopers) not long after the official rise of the Empire. Tsui Choi is then approached by another Jedi, who invites him to a secret meeting of surviving Jedi, where they hope to come up with a plan to destroy the Empire before it really gets off the ground.

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At this meeting, Master Tsui Choi listens more than he speaks, and he hears all those around him speak of ‘justice’, when, in reality, they mean revenge. The Jedi are angry that Palpatine fooled them, and they’re even angrier that he wiped most of them out. However, Master Tsui Choi notes that the Empire is the current body of government in the galaxy that was decided by the Senate itself, and while Palpatine’s actions were villainous, the Jedi did not have to immediately retaliate, as that would only throw the galaxy even more into chaos.

While it sounds like Tsui Choi is pro-Empire with these comments, nothing could be further from the truth, which is made clear with his profoundly intuitive statement, “The situation changed, and it will change again. This Empire will learn to groan under the heel of the Sith. Then it will fall to us - or others - to take up the fight. But now is not the time”.

Master Tsui Choi Knew the Galaxy Would Revolt Against the Empire, While Yoda Lost Himself to Grief & Hopelessness

Star Wars: Yoda #7 by Marc Guggenheim Alessandro Miracolo

After Yoda failed to see the rise of the Sith, and then failed to defeat the Sith Lord himself, Palpatine, in combat, the Jedi Master went into exile on Dagobah. While it is true that he would later become directly responsible for the fall of the Empire by training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi, Yoda spent years on Dagobah believing that Palpatine had won, and that there was nothing he or anyone else could do to defeat him.

Yoda lost himself to grief and hopelessness, as he believed the Jedi missed their one chance at destroying the Empire right at the start of its rise to prominence. In a way, Yoda was a lot like the Jedi who were trying to convince Master Tsui Choi that they needed to launch an attack against the Empire while it was still young. Except, Yoda was even further gone than even them, as he’d already accepted defeat, unlike Master Tsui Choi, who could foresee the Empire’s fall.

Yoda Felt Responsible for the Jedi Order’s Fall, Which Clouded His Foresight

While Tsui Choi was, indeed, a Jedi Master, he didn’t carry the same responsibility for the entire Jedi Order as Master Yoda, who was a Grand Master on the Jedi Council. Yoda was effectively the leader of the Jedi, which means he felt directly responsible for its fall. Plus, once Yoda saw who the threat really was, he wasn’t strong enough to defeat him, which only added to his feelings of inadequacy and failure. The weight of Yoda’s title in the face of defeat clouded his mind, leaving him unable to see as clearly as Master Tsui Choi.

Though the reason for Yoda’s clouded judgment and foresight is understandable, it still doesn’t change the fact that he was blind where Master Tsui Choi could clearly see. Therefore, Master Tsui Choi can confidently be considered Star Wars’ smartest Jedi, as he predicted Palpatine’s fall while Yoda had already decided the Emperor was unbeatable.