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Mission to Celen Cleansing of New Plympto Skirmish on Eriadu[3] Senate Building, Coruscant[1] Yoda retreats into exile[1] Order of the Sith Lords[1] Jedi Order[1] 2 Imperial Royal Guards (knocked unconscious)[1] None[1] The Skirmish in the Senate was a confrontation that took place in 19 BBY between the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious and the Jedi Grand Master Yoda. The two masters of the Force engaged in a ferocious lightsaber duel, with each making liberal use of their Force powers. Ultimately, Yoda was forced to flee after coming to the conclusion that he could not defeat Sidious. Afterwards, Yoda went into exile while the Dark Lord rushed to Mustafar to rescue his apprentice, Darth Vader, who had been grievously injured by Obi- Wan Kenobi during their duel on Mustafar. Prelude Destroy the Sith, we must. ― Yoda to Obi- Wan Kenobi[src] The aftermath of the duel between Jedi Master Mace Windu and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine-who was also Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious-left the young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker in turmoil—torn between his loyalty to the Jedi and his wish to save his wife, Padmé Amidala, from dying during childbirth, as he had seen in visions.[1] Palpatine, who had played the role of a mentor to the boy for many years, swayed Skywalker to his side by tempting him with the power to save his wife from death, using a power only available to him through the dark side of the Force. With no prospect of returning to the Jedi Order given his inadvertent role in Windu's death, he saw no other option for himself than to join the Dark Lord's cause. At that moment, Skywalker knelt before Sidious and was inducted into the Order of the Sith Lords as Darth Vader. Sidious then sent him to the Jedi Temple with the 501st Legion and orders to kill all the Jedi within it. The Dark Lord also enacted Order 66, a measure programed into the clone troopers fighting.
First of all, he didn't lose. If you go back and look, it's a disappointing performance, but more of a stalemate than a defeat. Take a look: See? The turning point was when he allowed Sidious to get the high ground, a tactical mistake (just like Anakin made in the juxtaposed scene). He was able to recover and get to the same level, but he was semi-exhausted by that point. Ultimately, neither got the upper hand with a lightsaber and in their final combative use of The Force, it caused a shockwave that knocked them both off their feet (again, just like what happened in the other battle). Yoda only fell farther because of where he was standing. In the end, Yoda failed in his objective (didn't stop Palpatine but he wasn't quite defeated either. The fight could've gone either way, especially in another venue. Therefore, I reject the part of the question's description that says how did Sidious defeat Yoda? but I accept the main question that says Why didn't Yoda defeat Darth Sidious? Semantics, sure, but a meaningful distinction. Now, onto the Why. Clayburn Griffin has a point about arrogance ( Emperor Palpatine sure thought so). Yoda did cavalierly walk into battle with someone that just defeated 3 other Jedi Masters and had successfully concealed himself right under their noses. However, it only seems arrogant until you realize there are some serious mitigating factors here. First, Yoda has been the most bad ass fighter in the universe for centuries, it's not easy to suddenly alter that understanding and accept he might not be anymore. Besides, if it was so arrogant to believe he was superior to Sidious, why does Sidious try to run away? If so powerful you are, why leave? Even the Master of the Dark Side was afraid of Yoda. Second, Anakin helped Sidious defeat Mace and the others. Yoda knows Anakin is quite skilled himself, so his assistance should count for something. Third.
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