One Palpatine quote from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith perfectly explains the fall of the Jedi order. First released domestically on May 19th, 2005, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the Star Wars film that introduces the most widespread and sweeping changes across George Lucas' canonical Star Wars universe. This rampant change is owed in no small part to the fall of the Jedi, with Revenge of the Sith showcasing the tragic consequences of Order 66 and Palpatine/Darth Sidious' (Ian McDiarmid) Machiavellian machinations.

One of Revenge of the Sith's most memorable scenes sees Yoda (Frank Oz) confront the newly crowned Emperor Palpatine in his personal chambers on Coruscant. As Yoda asks Palpatine if he is surprised by his survival, the Sith lord responds with a telling barb in the form of "Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda." It is clear from Palpatine's voice and expression the absolute disgust he has for both the Jedi Order and its leader Yoda, with Palpatine noting the brazen manner in which Yoda saunters into his office.

Related: Star Wars: Yoda's Greatest Defeat Was Before Revenge Of The Sith

Yet beyond Yoda's confidence in confronting the Sith lord, Palpatine's arrogance quote perfectly explains how the Jedi Order has been brought to its knees by his schemes and Order 66. Palpatine's verbal riposte to Yoda is steeped in Star Wars lore and history, which harks back to the first clashes between Jedi and Sith canonically. As a result, here's why Palpatine's arrogance quote perfectly explains the fall of the Jedi in Revenge of the Sith, as well the pertinent Star Wars history surrounding the two sides of the force's eternal struggle.

 The Jedi Became Dogmatic Within The Old Republic

Coruscant-The New Republic Capital in Star Wars

With the Jedi keeping the peace largely unopposed over the galaxy for 1000 years, the Jedi Order's beliefs became rather rigid before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Following the assumed destruction of the Sith in 1032 BBY, the Jedi Order set about maintaining peace and order throughout the galaxy for millennia, and while this undoubtedly put them on a collision course with other foes, none could match the Sith's initial threat.

As a result, when Darth Maul (Ray Park) reveals himself during The Phantom Menace, Yoda begins to prepare the Jedi for their old enemy using the same techniques and practices that had aided their crushing victory a thousand years prior. However, this approach essentially failed to recognize that the Sith had evolved, both in terms of how they would assault the Jedi and approach the force. In this way, Yoda and the other Jedi Council members built a large militaristic hierarchy using the same template as previous incarnations of the Jedi Order, expecting to use the Republic as an army to stand against the Sith forces whenever they revealed themselves fully.

However, without understanding their ancient enemy's evolved machinations and ideals, this structure created too many weaknesses for Palpatine to ruthlessly exploit in the build-up to Revenge of the Sith's climactic events. The first of these was undoubtedly the ideal the Jedi built their beliefs around, prizing the preservation of the Republic above all else. This dogmatic way of thinking is the root cause of how Palpatine was slowly but surely able to twist and pervert the righteousness of the Jedi, eventually but very purposefully allowing the Jedi Order to act in morally gray ways united under the belief of a higher purpose. A fantastic example of this is the Jedi failing to consider the moral implications of using a clone army to defend freedom, which not only led directly to the Jedi having a diminished connection to the light side of the Force but also eventually acted as the Jedi's Achilles heel - with Palpatine able to install a self-destruct mechanism for his enemy in the form of Order 66.

Related: Star Wars: Did Yoda Almost Turn To The Dark Side Fighting Palpatine?

The Sith's Rise To Power Was Facilitated By The Jedi's Arrogance

Anakin before the Jedi Council in Star Wars Phantom Menace.

While the Jedi's systems and overreliance on their assumed allies heavily contributed to their downfall, it must also be said that arrogance played a part in their mortal enemy's rise to power. This arrogance manifested primarily in the form of their practices that allowed Palpatine to so easily sow discord among their ranks, particularly by twisting an already conflicted Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to his own purposes. The Jedi's single-minded approach when forbidding romantic relationships and personal attachments pushed Anakin to seek comfort elsewhere, just as their decision to essentially shame Anakin as a non-Master member of the Jedi council showcased their dogmatic ideas regarding the rank of Master and how it should be obtained.

Furthermore, while the Jedi had good reason to fear and distrust the Sith, their closed-minded approach to dealing with their sworn enemy robbed them of the curiosity needed to combat the ever-evolving Sith. This is evidenced several times throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy, with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) noting to Anakin that the Jedi would not listen to his words even if he wanted to parlay with them in the future. Even the ordinarily even-keeled Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) acknowledges that "Only a Sith deals in absolutes" despite already committing to eradicate the now powerful Sith in his plan with Yoda. Although the Sith are undoubtedly deplorable, this blind hatred allowed the Jedi's enemy to grow far too powerful uncontested and gave the Jedi Order an insurmountable task to tackle by the time Palpatine chose to reveal himself.

How Palpatine's Arrogance Quote Perfectly Explains The Jedi's Defeat In Revenge Of The Sith

Star Wars Emperor Palpatine executes Order 66.

In this way, Palpatine's arrogance quote perfectly explains the Jedi Order's ruin in Revenge of the Sith, with Order 66 taking the Jedi's number from approximately thousands to only a handful of survivors. Despite Yoda witnessing Palpatine almost single-handedly level the playing field and essentially put the Jedi in a two versus two situation, the Jedi Master still chooses to walk into his enemy's office with his guard down. The Jedi were undoubtedly a force for good across almost the entirety of their uncontested 1000 year prominence, but, in this instance, Palpatine's words are right on the money, with their arrogance blinding the Jedi Order to the point that Palpatine is able to undo their legacy almost overnight in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Next: Star Wars: Why Yoda Ran Away From His Duel With Palpatine