Luke Was Right: The Fault in Our Jedi (Part 1)

The Jedi are the good guys and the Sith are the bad guys. For most, it’s as simple as that, and not without good reason: the Jedi protect the Republic, whose allegiance is to “the Republic, to democracy” (in the words of Obi Wan), while the Sith seek to dominate through force.

But is it that simple?

In one of the deleted scenes of The Last Jedi, Luke gives Rey another lesson on the Jedi and the force, and without giving away any spoilers, the essence of the lesson is that the Jedi obsession with balance inevitably will lead to certain forms of oppression, or at least some form of complicity in oppression, while the galaxy is in need of Rey’s spirit and allegiance to morality and justice.

Indeed, the Sith do seek to dominate the galaxy, and the Empire rules with an iron fisted efficiency. This is in contrast to the Republic, which, for its lack of an iron fisted rule, is highly inefficient. But this isn’t an attempt to paint the Sith in a better light. I personally hate the Sith (though they are pretty cool aesthetically), and despise their fascistic approach to politics and life in general. They give human emotions free reign, with no regard for social life, and, like the fascists of “our” galaxy, believe in the unhindered domination of the strong over the weak. That just isn’t my style.

However, I’m no apologist for the Jedi, either. In contrast with the Sith, they propound a strict fundamentalist stoicism, swearing away any and all attachments, lest it cloud judgement. This is ironic, because they clearly were attached to the Republic, despite its glaring flaws and rampant corruption, and ignoring the plight of the weaker systems of the Outer Rim. The Clone Wars clearly demonstrate the ambivalence of many systems towards the Republic, which clearly privileges the interests of Core and certain Mid Rim systems. There is class conflict in the galaxy, and the Jedi support the upper classes in the name of “balance.” 

Sound familiar? It should. Many supported the Empire in the name of “stability.” Under both the Republic and the Empire, Outer Rim and some Mid Rim systems received the shorter end of the stick, only the latter did it with brute force while the former did it with a conniving smile. 

Article by: Mohammad "Grand Master" Abou-Ghazala