Having lived for hundreds of years, Yoda was not only one of the most powerful Jedi—with an extremely high midi-chlorian count—in the Star Wars franchise, but he was also one of the most knowledgeable ones. He had gone through many ups and downs in his lifetime and had an understanding of the Force that very few of the Jedi or the Sith ever have. So, to see him make bad decisions, in spite of there being warning signs all over the place, was quite disappointing.
Perhaps it was to do with age, and how tired Yoda had gotten over the course of being a member of the Jedi Order. Or perhaps a certain level of complacency had set in, or even a little bit of arrogance, that had made him think he was making the right choice when in fact he was not.
10 He Mentored Count Dooku, Who Turned To The Dark Side
His rigidness could be a good thing in the face of enemies, but at times his refusal to believe in anything that went against his ideas could become a huge problem. A case in point is when then-Jedi Dooku came to him and the Council and told them about a vision Sifo-Dyas had had, which showed the destruction of a planet called Protobranch. Yoda and the others called it hogwash, not putting their weight behind visions, and had to suffer immense guilt when the planet's citizens died.
This was only the start of Dooku's disillusionment with the Jedi Order and the Council. He was disgusted with how indifferent they all were to the real problems and how they were more occupied with politics. And Yoda, who was his Master, did nothing to assuage his concerns.
9 He Knew Anakin Was Full Of Fear And Still Gave Him More Responsibilities
The one thing the Jedi fear the most is fear itself. Any kind of extreme emotion, in fact, which can make a person take drastic decisions is a matter of great concern in the Jedi context. An angry and emotional Jedi is extremely susceptible to the Dark side.
Yoda knows of this very well, yet he does nothing to alleviate Anakin's anxiety when he comes to him seeking help. He gives him a very detached response. And later, he and the Jedi Council add more to his plate, by asking him to spy on Palpatine while humiliating him by refusing the rank of a Master on him. Being a highly sensitive Force being, it's odd that Yoda didn't pay much attention to the emotional storm brewing in Anakin.
8 He Didn’t Do Anything About The Sith’s Involvement With The Clones
A major mission of Count Dooku, as a member of the Sith, was to manipulate Sifo-Dyas into creating a clone army and then to carefully infiltrate the project to ensure that at the right moment the clones would shift loyalties and become part of Darth Sidious' army.
When Yoda and the others came to know about the clones' existence, thanks to some sleuthing by Obi-Wan, they believed it was Sifo-Dyas alone who had the foresight to help them create an army reserve. It was much later that they realized Dooku was behind it all. They knew, therefore, that the clones' loyalty could not be trusted, yet Yoda did nothing to ensure the safety of the Jedi in case of a betrayal. As a seasoned Jedi, Yoda should have known that trouble was brewing.
7 He Allowed Anakin To Be Trained As A Jedi
Not one Jedi on the council could deny that there was much fear in the young Anakin Skywalker. Yoda himself thought the boy untrainable because of what he could sense in him. And though Qui-Gon Jinn thought him to be the Chosen One, the others were a bit wary. Obi-Wan, his Padawan, was unsure as well.
But it all changed when Qui-Gon died. Obi-Wan himself took up the cause to train Anakin, citing it to be his Master's last wish. Yoda, even though he knew it was not a good idea, gave in and allowed Anakin to be trained.
6 He Didn’t Realise Palpatine Was Darth Sidious
The fact that Palpatine was able to fool the entire Jedi Council and was successfully able to hide his true identity, as Darth Sidious, speaks volumes for the abilities of the Jedi Order. They could sense a disturbance in the Force from miles away, but they could not figure out that a most powerful Sith was among them. Palpatine even fooled Yoda, who had lived for hundreds of years by this point in time.
By the time Palpatine revealed his true self, Yoda was away, in Kashyyyk, and Anakin had shifted loyalties to the Dark side. Had Yoda taken note of the little details, would he have been able to stop Darth Sidious in time? Or would he have perished with the other Jedi Masters?
5 He Had A Hand In Ahsoka’s Ouster From The Jedi Order
Having lived a long life, there have been many regrets in Yoda's life. Some of these regrets even crop up in his subconscious, as revealed when he had a vision of Ahsoka Tano wondering if she would be allowed to merge into the Force after her death, even though she had left the Jedi Order. He believed himself to be at fault for not believing in her innocence when she was accused of bombing the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and for sending her on a mission that led her to get embroiled in the mess in the first place.
In fact, of all the Jedi, only Anakin and Plo Koon had supported her during the ordeal and believed her when she had said she was not at fault.
4 He Sent Ventress Out With Master Vos To Kill Dooku
Finally, there came a time when the Jedi Council realized they needed to put a stop to Count Dooku's plans once and for all, and there was no way out but murder to eliminate him as a threat. Quinlan Vos, an experienced Jedi Master known for his sleuthing, was chosen to carry out this task.
Aone, perhaps, he might have been able to accomplish his task, or perhaps he would have faced early defeat and returned to the Jedi Council. But this scenario evaporated the instant Yoda assigned him a partner—Asajj Ventress. She taught him the ways of the Dark side, to help him understand Dooku better, but that ended up making him more susceptible to Dooku's influence and he turned to the Dark side.
3 He Withheld Information From Luke
It was a decision taken in conjunction with Obi-Wan, of course, to keep the truth of Luke's paternity from him. So they are both to be blamed for that. But Yoda was the sole resident of Dagobah when Luke came around for training and he acted in a very odd manner. He didn't reveal he was Yoda, made Luke stew in the belief that he was perhaps lost, and then was quite strict with teaching Luke the ways of the Force.
He let Luke find out his paternal truth in the middle of a battle, leaving the young man quite shocked at the revelation. And then, despite knowing very well that Vader would be able to sense Luke’s thoughts, Yoda told Luke that Leia was his sister.
2 He Didn't Listen To Mace Windu
Oftentimes, Mace Windu seemed like the only logical mind in the Jedi Council. He was cautious, as they all should have been in such a charged environment, and he never quite trusted Anakin as a Jedi. Even though Yoda came to accept Anakin and gave him more responsibility, such as assigning him a Padawan of his own, Mace was ever mindful of the fact that there was something dark deep inside Anakin.
Another time, when Obi-Wan told them of the clone army and how it was organized right under their noses, Mace suggested they tell the Senate about the shortcomings of the Jedi Council. But Yoda disagreed. This would have terrible consequences not long after.
1 He Accepted Defeat And Ran Away
One of the most crucial events in Revenge of the Sith was when Yoda and a newly-revealed Darth Sidious fought each other with their lightsabers. It was clear to see that Sidious was evenly matched, if not more powerful, than one of the greatest Jedi Masters of all time. They battled inside the Senate Building, at the auditorium where Sidious was first voted in as the Chancellor.
But soon Yoda realized that there was no way to restrain him. So, instead, he chose to ask Bail Organa to come rescue him. So he then he decided, later on, to go into exile altogether, seemingly giving the Sith free reign of the galaxy, and it felt a lot like abandonment.
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