Reasons The Jedi May Have Been The Real Villains

"Good is a point of view, Anakin." - Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

So I'm pretty confident we all remember the opera scene from Episode III. It has generated memes galore, some of which are pretty funny, to be fair. However, it is actually one of the most pivotal scenes in the Skywalker saga. Not just because we see Palpatine begin to properly groom Anakin for a turn to the dark side, but also because, you actually listen to what he says, he makes some good points throughout the film.

From the start, George Lucas has made it very easy to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. Jedi/light side users are good, Sith/dark side users are bad, right?

As the quote above states, good is only a point of view. Even in real life situations, we all have different beliefs, and whilst some things are just outright wrong, there are some other choices people may not see in the exact same way. So today we are going to look at times where the Jedi themselves could actually be considered the villains. Without further ado, let's start with the most obvious:

Child Snatchers

I know what you're thinking: Where could he possibly be going with this? Well, let me explain. We know Force-sensitive children are brought to the Jedi Temple to progress through the ranks and train to become Jedi Knights. Whilst this sounds like a dream come true for most, the circumstances aren't exactly ideal. For one, most of the children are taken when they are merely babies to help avoid them becoming attached to parents. They are then forced into Jedi training when they can and it's not like it is a relatively easy life.

In the Legends Jedi Apprentice series, we learn that if a child is not picked to become a Padawan by age 13, they are sent to predetermined factions of the Service Corps to work and live for the rest of their lives. When you think about how many Force-sensitive kids there are likely to be, one can only imagine how many end up serving a life of labor and solitude never knowing who they truly are or where they come from.

Peacekeepers or Soldiers?

In Episode II, Master Mace Windu says to Chancellor Palpatine, "We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers." An admirable and seemingly true sentiment, it seems to serve to remind the Chancellor that the Jedi are all about the greater good and would not get involved in war. However, as we know, by the end of Episode II, this seems to have gone right out of the window, pardon the pun.

Thanks to The Clone Wars film and TV series, we see that the Jedi are sent all over the galaxy to fight alongside clone troopers. They are even given the titles of "General" and "Commander," making them very much soldiers, and they seem to adopt their new roles easily. This helps thin the Jedi out completely, making it easier for Palpatine to enact Order 66. Throughout The Clone Wars series, we actually see different sides to some of the characters we've grown to know and love, specifically Master Windu, who is often portrayed almost like a bully at times. There are several moments throughout the show where we see systems who do not want interference from the Republic, basically having the choice ripped away from them, leading many to view the Jedi as a nuisance and, at times, cruel. Despite being heavily involved in warfare, they seemed to still view themselves as peacekeepers, a far cry from what they became.

Lack of Empathy

When Qui-Gon randomly happens upon a child on the planet Tatooine, he believes him to be the prophesized "Chosen One," someone who will bring balance to the Force. He literally rigs a bet to free him and take him to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi. At no point do we see him actually ask his mom if she is cool with this (maybe offscreen?), but we've already covered child-snatching, so we move to when he presents Anakin in front of the council. They test the boy and confirm he does indeed possess a strong connection to the Force, but unanimously decide to refuse training him, based on age. So what's the next step here?

This boy was literally taken from his home by a middle-aged guy promising the wonders of becoming a Jedi, to be told no. The council seem to have absolutely no care about this in the slightest. During the test, they even say they sense him thinking of his mother, and Anakin confirms that he misses her. If he's not to be trained, where does he go now? Will someone give him a lift back to Tatooine? They show no empathy toward him and come across as completely cruel.

Caused Their Own Downfall

Stay with me here. As covered above, the Jedi believe in the prophecy of the so-called "Chosen One." They believe someone would come along and bring balance to the Force, which to them means light winning over dark. However, the prophecy itself does not mention anything about which side, if any, wins. For all we know, it could have originally been a dark side prophecy.

Thanks to their beliefs, an enormous amount of pressure is placed on young Anakin's shoulders. Obi-Wan is also very young and inexperienced to have a Padawan, especially one destined to become so powerful. Considering there are at least 100 other Jedi who would have been more experienced to take on Anakin, what they choose to do seems a bit stupid. This is not a bash at Obi-Wan, by the way. I am merely looking at the situation from a purely logical point of view, so no hate is intended, I promise.

They then task Anakin with guarding Senator Amidala, a mission his own Master says he is not ready for. Obi-Wan is deemed fit enough to train the boy, but not a trustworthy opinion on his readiness?

Finally, probably the best piece of evidence to support my point - assigning Anakin to spy on Chancellor Palpatine. They literally mention the dark side surrounding the Chancellor, and they don't like how close Anakin and him are. Especially when he requests Anakin be his representative on the Jedi Council (where they outrageously do not grant him the rank of Master), so it makes zero sense that their response to this would be to ask Anakin to spy on him. Literally proving they are prone to outright deception if they feel threatened. All of this basically results in poor Anakin being handed to Palpatine on a silver plate, thus leading to the events which cause their own downfall.

While I'm sure the Jedi do start out with their original views intact, it's clear that time convolutes those ideologies to the point where they are just that, an idea and no longer fact. Thanks to the expanded media, we have also gotten a look at individual Jedi and have seen just how far from "good" they actually are.

What do you think? Does Palpatine have a point? Some may agree.

Until next time!

Written By Jordan McGlinchey

Source(s): CBR

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