The problem is that Yoda talks in his verb object subject order way more in the prequels than in the originals.
Not wishing to excuse it, but Yoda is definitely the most obscure for Luke when he's
trying to appear obscure and inconsequential (or so my memory tells me), but possibly also it's a first-contact-in-a-long-while-with-anybody-he-can-talk-to situation.
Obviously in the Prequel Trilogy he's mostly in the situation of being in a formal Jedi Council setting. Could his archaic (he
is old) language in both cases be based upon a formal 'high Jedi' from days of yore?
Or something based upon his own species' native grammar (easiest to dredge up at each point of great import), even though he realises he needs to use the 'galactic standard' vocabulary?
Or could it be a practical need to say "see those people...? Protect them!" rather than "I want you to protect...
those people!", effectively, and in the most efficient way of giving such an order... Draw attention to the subject,
then define the action required.
Or it gave him an extra few moments to decide on the best action to precisely define
1.
Or just lazy dialogue, it was. Entirely possible, that is.
1 I know... knew at least, not sure about his status at this precise moment... a guy who often spent several moments before replying, with him plainly (to those who were used to him) considering his
precise wording before uttering it. He ran a bookshop from... time immemorial until at least 2012 (I've just found a message of that vintage from someone else mentioning that he could use some help moving his stock because of needing to move premises, but nothing since) and was by no means 'dumb slow',
nor pretending. Different approach, but perhaps the same aim.