The image a lot of people had of Yoda and the Emperor in the original films was of beings who had no need for traditional weapons, since they could shoot lightning and lift X-wings with their minds.
… It’s even worse with Yoda against Palpatine. The fact that either of them thought that a swordfight would be decisive shows how small these characters really are.
Just wanted to voice my total agreement. Not all Jedi and Sith need to have lightsabers, I think that’s quite silly. There’s usually a catering to the people who watch Star Wars for the swooshy lightsaber duels, but with one arguably over-choreographed lightsaber fight in Revenge of the Sith already happening at the same point in the film, Yoda and Palpatine really shouldn’t have fought with them.