I never said they couldn't do it, you're not paying attention. I said that they couldn't do it in the middle of a battle with deadly enemies trying to kill them. It takes focus on your objective, and I doubt Yoda or Palpatine is gonna stand there and focus on gaining info on the Surfer, while they're fighting for their lives. Plus they would still have to find a way to communicate with someone who could get the materials together who could create the machine. And even if they do get Surfer off, someone on the Marvel team can hold on to it until he regains his composure.
And once again, EU doesn't ccount for SW, and comics don't count for Marvel. Strictly movies.