Sith = Evil; Jedi = Good?

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oh I can come up with reasons; I just never heard them "on the screen" so-to-speak. (and of course I would argue that if you have no love, then all you can have is hate; or maybe that love is a better buffer against hate than "nothing". Yadda yadda yoda...)

Heheh, yeah. There are some real world beliefs that follow the same ideas. For some reason, though, what they are elude me at the moment...

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Oh I can come up with reasons; I just never heard them "on the screen" so-to-speak.

Didn't Obi-Wan say some jive to Anakin in Ep. II along the lines of "a Jedi's first commitment must be to the Force"? I get the feeling it's the same sort of rationale the Catholic Church uses to keep priests and nuns from marrying. Become a Jedi and you're married to the Force.

The practical explanation that the movies suggest but don't follow through on is the potential for abuse if Jedis married and procreated. Since Force powers are inherited, an unscrupulous bunch could breed powerful Jedi to create a master race. I take it that it's a big deal to the Jedi that the Force chooses its wielders, not the other way around.

Wasn't there also a technological reason they couldn't just take Anakin (some kind of exploding implant or something that all of the slaves wear)?

Yeah you're right, I forgot about that. Still, Qui-Gon did say that he wasn't there to free slaves.

 

[Welverin]

regardless of his feelings about slavery, Qui-Gon couldn't just take Anakin from Watto.

Slavery is illegal, Qui-gon didn't just take Anakin and his mother because it suited Lucas' needs for the story. Though you could also say it would have been rather problematic.

Eric: There were no implants or the like stopping them from just taking Anakin.

I think it has something to do with love being an emotion that can easily lead to anger. Like when Anakin killed the Sand people for what they did to his mother.

Bingo! Attachments are forbidden by the Jedi order and Anakin is a perfect example of why, when his mother dies (the focus of his major attachment at the time) it leads to all of the emotion that lead to/are of the darkside.

I find it funny when people complain about what Anakin is like in Ep 2, because all of the aspects of his character they don't like in the future Darth Vader are exactly what lead him to become Vader.

 

[Suldulin]

The Sith (as per the philosophy presented in Knights of the Old Republic) seem more Chaotic Neutral/Evil to me personally. . .

 

[Erekose]

I have to say that while in the original trilogy I had no worries about the jedi being the equivalent of paladins, the first two films of the new trilogy have made me deeply worried about the Jedi Order.

I'm not sure I can put this across well as it's more of a feeling than a well thought out argument.

It's just that, from a certain perspective, the jedi in the new films are like enforcers for the New Republic. Take EPII where they are hunting for Jango Fetts acomplis, Anakin says something to the crowd like, "On your way this is jedi business". May be this is Lucas' idea that they are well trained soldiers of the New Republic just like samurai were well trained soldiers of their lord.

It makes it feel like jedi are above the law and see themselves as above the populous. I know they have abilities beyond the norm but they should also have humility.

I guess the impression you get from Obi-Wan, Yoda and Luke doesn't necessarily have to mirror that of the Jedi Order.

Any way . . . I'll stop rambling now!

 

[EricNoah]

The Yoda of ESB and RotJ is quite different than the cocky SOB from the prequels, that's for sure. He's one of many jedi who will be learning a lesson in humility.

 

[Thanee]

EN: I think it's the whole control of emotion thing coming with walking the light path.

Bye
Thanee

 

[kingpaul]

Slavery is illegal, Qui-gon didn't just take Anakin and his mother because it suited Lucas' needs for the story. Though you could also say it would have been rather problematic.

I don't think that Slavery was illegal on Tattooine. Let's face it, it was home to Jabba.

Eric: There were no implants or the like stopping them from just taking Anakin.

Are you sure? I could've sworn that Shmie (sp?) said something along those lines. I'll have to watch EpI again.

 

[Quasqueton]

I confused my point with adding the "Lawful" part of the alignment. I'll change that in my opening post.

What I was really meaning is that isn't it Sith = Evil, Jedi = Good in the Star Wars universe? But I never saw any Jedi do anything demonstrably Good.

Even Ben's shutting down the tractor beam was not really Good. He was stuck there too because of the tractor beam. I can see how allowing himself to be struck down by Vader (or "Darth" as Ben called him) could be self-sacrificing, but is that the only Good act by any Jedi on screen?

Quasqueton

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I confused my point with adding the "Lawful" part of the alignment. I'll change that in my opening post.

What I was really meaning is that isn't it Sith = Evil, Jedi = Good in the Star Wars universe? But I never saw any Jedi do anything demonstrably Good.

Even Ben's shutting down the tractor beam was not really Good. He was stuck there too because of the tractor beam. I can see how allowing himself to be struck down by Vader (or "Darth" as Ben called him) could be self-sacrificing, but is that the only Good act by any Jedi on screen?

Quasqueton

Expect ending the rule of the Emperor (Who clearly WAS evil. We know it, because he ordered the construction and use of the Death Star - twice - and wanted Luke to give in to his heat and anger..) and Darth Vader(who also was evil, because we saw him killing - choking to death - underlings just because they made some mistakes..).

Rescuing someone from an assassination attempt (Episode 2) is probably also a good act, and trying to solve the problems between the Trade Federation and Naboo had also good intentions (Episode 1).

And even if you benefit from an actiont, that doesn`t mean it or you wasn`t good. If this would be true, nobody can be good, since every good-doer does it also because he feels better when he does something good...

And Ben wouldn´t be trapped on the Death Star if he wouldn`t want to do something good. He could have stayed on Tatooine. And he didn´t deactivate the reactor for his own good, he wanted to help others.
(The intent can be as important as the outcome.)

Mustrum Ridcully