Should Jedi Be Held Accountable By Something Other Than The Force?

For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. However, tying themselves so close to a galactic government brings about their downfall. Why did they do that in the first place? Why did the Jedi not remain an independent organization free from any government organization? What would have happened had they remained independent, and how would they have used their powers without being tied to a non-Force user government? It bears the question of how the Jedi are accountable, too. Are they held accountable by the Republic, themselves, or the Force? After all, if there was an organized group of powerful people, many non-powerful people without those powers would be wary of them. So by whom should the Jedi be held accountable?

Let’s face it, whenever a Jedi turns to the dark side, all heck breaks loose in the Star Wars galaxy. An evil empire will rise, war will break out, and a whole lot of other bad things will happen in the process. Most of the major conflicts had a Force user as part of a leader's faction or had Force users as a leader of said faction, be it the Jedi-Sith Wars, the Clone Wars, the Galactic Civil War, and so on. However, when it comes to the Jedi, they are at least bound to a democratically elected Republic, flaws and all. So the idea of the Jedi being a fully independent organization could cause a lot of damage. Something should have some jurisdiction over the Jedi, or they should at least be answering to something.

The Galactic Republic being the dominant force in the galaxy and at least at best a representation of democracy would seem to be the best fit for the Jedi. Even at its worst, the Republic is still a better form of government than the Empire or the Sith. A Jedi should not be above the law of any world they visit, after all, and on a galactic scale, the Jedi of the organization should not be just bursting into a place without some sort of permission, no matter the reason. Of course, all of this can become quite delicate and tricky. Obviously, it’s one thing to aid, it’s another to intervene without permission or, worse, take action just because they have the power to. The Jedi need to be better then that, or at least have something to give it restraint.

As seen throughout Star Wars history, the Jedi are, at the end of the day, servants of the Force. They do good, yes, but not just because they are enforcing some sort of political view on the galaxy, be it the Republic, the Senate, or the chancellor. They are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. They work with the Republic, but still serve a higher purpose. So keeping a balance between that is difficult and has been the great trial of all Jedi orders be it the Jedi of the High Republic, the prequels, Luke’s Order in Legends, and maybe (one day) Rey’s Jedi Order. For the Jedi are powerful individuals, but they are still living beings. Thus, they can make mistakes. It’s just that, when they do, their mistakes can be deadlier than the average person. An organization of these people making mistakes even with the best of intent may cause just as much damage as their great enemies the Sith themselves.

So, at the end of the day, should the Jedi be held accountable by something other than the Force? How would that work and what that would look like is something for future Star Wars storytellers to determine. But the idea of the Jedi needing accountability to something other then an all-powerful Force and perhaps rather something a bit more accessible to average people, is a debate quite worth having in the galaxy far, far away.

Written By Joel Davis

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