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Is the Dark Side Actually More Powerful Than the Light Side?

Something To Think About

By Culture SlatePublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Screen Rant shared an article asking this very question. It may get one thinking about which side may be more powerful, between the light and the dark. While the article does not appear to take a firm stance on the matter, throwing in fair points for either side, it does allude to the exchange between Luke and Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke asks, “Is the dark side stronger?” Yoda’s response to this question is, “No… no… no… Quicker, easier, more seductive.”

Of course, one could say that Yoda was wrong or that Yoda was lying. After all, he and Kenobi certainly kept Luke in the dark regarding the truth about his father. However, Yoda lying or being wrong about the light side being stronger does not appear to be the intended meaning behind the interaction. Star Wars, at its core, teaches us that the light should triumph over the dark.

Just to look at this from another angle, one could look at the word “more powerful” with different meanings. If it is a synonym for “stronger,” then it appears that we have our answer thanks to good old Master Yoda. If, however, (and I know this is a stretch) we mean more “full of power,” then perhaps one could try to gather evidence to make a case for the dark side. We see more Force powers used by Sith Lords such as Force choke and Force lightning. And we have heard the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, who, according to his apprentice Sheev Palpatine / Darth Sidious, could influence the midi-chlorians to create life. Maul and Sidious were even able to use the dark side to cling to life even after they should have been dead. I could see how one might use these as evidence for the dark side being stronger.

However, I think that we should go back to the original Star Wars film. Ben Kenobi tells Darth Vader, “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Once Kenobi is killed, he becomes a Jedi spirit who can communicate with and guide Luke. Sure, the Sith have been shown to cling to life. Sidious used cloning. Darth Bane appeared in The Clone Wars, but it was as a vision that was not really Bane himself. Darth Revan and Darth Bane almost appeared as spirits in the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars, until Dave Filoni and George Lucas went against the idea, thinking it would imply that the Sith, like the Jedi, can become spirits as well. All of this seems to point to the light side being stronger, as far as matters of life and death are concerned. Practitioners of the dark side may cling to life for selfish reasons, but practitioners of the light side can accept their fate, sacrifice themselves, and aid others even beyond their own deaths in the physical realm.

The dark side may look cool. The powers may seem awesome to some. But if one were to take a step back, they would see that a lot of suffering goes into making dark side powers possible. It is damaging to those who practice it, and those that it is used against. The light side is more about being at peace with oneself and recognizing that everyone is connected. I am a firm believer of the idea that the light side is stronger and more powerful than the dark side. While the dark can certainly hold back the light for an extended period of time, it cannot triumph forever. In the end, it is the light that stands triumphant.

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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