Vader, Emperor never bring up Yoda in the trilogy

[Jean Paul]

Watching the dvd tril. something came to me:

Palpatine and Vader never make any reference to Yoda.. if they say anything it's always "Obi-Wan has taught you well" or something like that.

Before the prequels, I just assumed that they didn't know about Yoda. However, now we have seen that both Palpatine and Vader were formerly close associates of Yoda.

So what gives? Do they think he is dead?

I wonder if this will be expounded upon in ROTS.

[Aaron]

Perhaps he fakes his own death? Or he just disappears and because of his age they think that he has died naturally.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Both believe that Yoda died in the Purge.

[Stofsk]

So what gives? Do they think he is dead?

I not only would not be surprised, but I'm actually expecting Obi-wan and Yoda to either a) fake their deaths or b) somehow survive the purge without anyone knowing it. Remember, Vader was surprised that he could sense Obi-wan - he must have operated for years under the assumption that Ben was dead, and Ben no doubt never sought to correct Vader for this error.

[Ghost Rider]

Actually in the RoTJ novel...the Emperor specifically brings up Yoda to taunt Luke.

[Stofsk]

Actually in the RoTJ novel...the Emperor specifically brings up Yoda to taunt Luke.

Really? What does he say?

[JME2]

Actually in the RoTJ novel...the Emperor specifically brings up Yoda to taunt Luke.

Really? What does he say?

In the throne room, Palpatine is pondering aloud how it was that Luke could have completed his training with Obi-Wan dead and recalls Master Yoda, asking Luke if it was Yoda.

Luke does not respond and Palpatine knows he has struck a chord when he asks if he still lives and learns from Luke's silence that Yoda has died. He taunts Luke by saying that he did well in trying to hide this from him, but that nothing can escape the reach of the Dark Side.

[Polacanthus]

At the time the novelization was written, Palpatine was indeed supposed to have known who Yoda was:

The Emperor tapped his fingers on the arm of the throne, recalling. "There was
one called…Yoda. An aged Master Jedi…Ah, I see by your countenance I have hit a
chord, a resonant chord indeed. Yoda, then."
Luke flashed with anger at himself, now, to have revealed so much, unwillingly,
unwittingly. Anger and self-doubt. He strove to calm himself—to see all, to show
nothing; only to be.
"This Yoda," the Emperor mused. "Lives he still?"
Luke focused on the emptiness of space beyond the window behind the
Emperor's chair. The deep void, where nothing was. Nothing. He filled his mind
with this black nothing. Opaque, save for the occasional flickering of starlight that
filtered through the ether.
"Ah," cried Emperor Palpatine. "He lives not. Very good, young Skywalker,
you almost hid this from me. But you could not. And you can not. Your deepest
flickerings are to me apparent. Your nakedest soul. That is my first lesson to you."
He beamed.

On the other hand, at the time of the novelization, Anakin didn't know Yoda:

"You already have, Luke," he whispered. He wished, briefly, he'd met Yoda, to
thank the old Jedi for the training he'd given Luke…but perhaps he'd be with Yoda
soon, now, in the ethereal oneness of the Force. And with Obi-wan.

[Cal Wright]

Actually, I take that passage as context that Anakin wanted to thank Yoda for teaching Luke and allowing him to undo all the evils he himself had done.

[The Cleric]

Also, in the EU, the presense of the dark side cave on Dagobah has a sort of cancelation effect from long range. His lightsideness was masked by the darksideness of the cave.