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One Attack of the Clones Line Reveals Who The Most Powerful Jedi Really Is
While many believe that Master Yoda was the most powerful Jedi, one line from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clone suggests otherwise.

One Attack of the Clones Line Reveals Who The Most Powerful Jedi Really Is

The power scale in the Star Wars universe is not always easy to decipher, but one line from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones reveals who was the most powerful Jedi. While the original trilogy treated the Jedi as mythical figures and as such featured only three of them, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and later Luke, the Star Wars prequel trilogy showcased the Jedi during a period of time closer to their prime. That transition from mysterious wizards hiding on distant planets to an Order of warriors that was involved in the galaxy’s most important conflicts helped make more clear not only how powerful the Jedi really were, but also how their ranks worked.

For example, in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the term Jedi Master was no longer just a generic title attributed to an old, wise master like Obi-Wan and Yoda, but rather an official rank in the Jedi Order, the most important a Jedi could achieve. The term Jedi Knight also won another meaning – someone who was a Jedi but not a Master yet – and a new designation, padawan, was crafted to refer to Jedi’s apprentices. Such a well-defined hierarchy helps sort out the Jedi, especially those of the prequel era, in terms of power, but identifying who was the strongest among them is a bit more complicated.

While many believe that Master Yoda, leader of the Jedi Council and one of the most important characters in the saga, was the most powerful Jedi during the Star Wars‘ prequels era, one Attack of the Clones line suggests otherwise. In the film, when trying to speak well of his master, Anakin says that Obi-Wan is “as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu.” That particular choice of words strongly suggests that Yoda is recognized in the Jedi Order more for his wisdom than for his fighting skills, while Mace Windu is the reference when it comes to the use of the Force. If Yoda was really the most powerful Jedi, then there would be no reason for Anakin to compare Obi-Wan with Windu in that matter. Therefore, Mace Windu, not Yoda, must have been the most powerful Jedi before Palpatine’s Order 66.

Anakin’s line could also suggest that Obi-Wan was in the same league as Mace Windu, but there is no evidence to support that a younger Jedi, who at the time was not even part of the Jedi Council, could actually be as powerful as Windu. Samuel L. Jackson’s character’s place at the top of the Jedi hierarchy is also supported by Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. In the film, Mace Windu was able to defeat Palpatine and only died at the end of the fight because of Anakin’s intervention. Yoda, on the other hand, struggled against Darth Sidious and had to retreat without causing landing any major hits on his opponent.

Anakin Skywalker was the chosen one and would eventually grow to be the galaxy’s biggest threat, but neither he nor Yoda seemed to have been on the pair with Mace Windu during the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, as revealed by Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Had it not been for Anakin’s betrayal, Windu could have defeated Darth Sidious once and from all and stopped Order 66 before it even happened. After his death, however, Darth Vader was born, and only Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, was able to put an end to the Empire.