Welcome back to another edition of the 5 On 5 Roundtable discussion, courtesy of our good friends at Star Wars Geeks Of The World Unite! This week our panel of fans answer five questions about the infamous keepers of peace and Justice, the Jedi.
Our panelists are:
Peter Miller - Admin at the Bounty Hunters Unite and Star Wars Girls, Unite pages
Darryl Roberts - Founder of the Star Wars Geeks community
John 'Mac' McCormick - Founder of the Talking Like Yoda because you're a Legendary Geek page
Lea Sansweet Fett - Admin at the Star Wars: The Communal group
Ronin Soloki - Host of the Clone Wars Weekly Podcast
Peter: True. Anakin was The Chosen One, and in the end, he redeemed himself and brought balance to the Force, even though he had to take down the Republic on the way. But I mean think of it, if Anakin had not been found, Sidious would have still taken over the Republic one way or another. So even though he literally slaughtered the Republic, his place is totally expendable, and good ol’ Palpy could’ve filed for a new replacement any time. Through his actions, Anakin was the downfall of the Republic. He alone is responsible for his wrongdoings, and nobody else.
Darryl: True AND false: he was the vehicle through which Palpatine brought about the Republic's downfall, and he no doubt made it happen quicker and more easily, but if he hadn't been around, Palpy would still have accomplished it, eventually.
John: False. Anakin was the shatterpoint of a decadent and crumbling authority. The greed of politicians, corporations and the Sith influencing all parties caused a terminal cancer. In Anakin Sidious found the right man: a Republic hero who's opinion carried weight and could be swayed to the Dark Side due to his arrogance and fears.
Lea: False, although his actions did assist with it he was not the primary or sole cause of the downfall.
Ronin: True. While Palpatine was the real mastermind behind the fall of the Republic, he could not have done so as easily or even successfully if Anakin had simply gotten over his selfish desires. Mace Windu would have chopped up Palpatine right then and there, and the war would have died away without the puppet master. Actually now that I think about it... Its all Padme's fault...
2. Fact Or Fiction: The Jedi have lost their way in The Clone Wars.
Peter: F-A-C-T!! They have stopped being the Peace-Keepers, and instead have turned into the soldiers of Evil. Barriss Offee’s quote here basically sums up my opinions on this matter: "I did it because I have come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize: THAT THE JEDI ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WAR. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in the conflict. That we are the ones that should be put on trial - ALL OF US! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become, an army fighting for the Dark Side, fallen from the Light that we once held so dear. THIS REPUBLIC IS FAILING! IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME."
Darryl: Fact. The Jedi lost their way BEFORE the Clone Wars. They went from mystical defenders of peace to an overly-politicized "Secret Service" type organization. Though they apparently maintained many of their traditions, their priorities had become sufficiently skewed that it seems the government was their highest authority, rather than the guidance of the Force.
John: Fact: The Jedi were conned, they went from negotiators, sometimes "aggressive" negotiators, to generals of an army of "disposable human clones" something they would of been horrified by once. Some Jedi even used and abused the clones treating them no better than droids and in the end, the Jedi never realized the clones were loyal to only one person. It cost them their lives.
Lea: Fact instead of peace keepers they have become soldiers leading a war.
Ronin: In the clone wars, many argue that the Jedi lost their way because they allowed for a slave army: the Clones. For that, you can blame the senate, and rather Palpatine himself. The Jedi were as much slaves to him as the clones were.
3. Who is your favorite Jedi, and why?
Peter: To me, Yoda alone is a perfect representation of the meaning of Star Wars. He is the ultimate good; the flawless sage like pacifist who knows so much. After all, he is 900 years old, and he has gathered all of the experience and knowledge from the years that he has lived. He goes to infinity and beyond my expectations of any character, and I deeply admire and respect him for this. He is one who has faces many troubles, uses his infinite knowledge to contemplate the perfect strategy, and then always wins in the end, one way or another. He would also be a great chess opponent…
Darryl: My favorite Jedi from 1977 on has been the one and only Obi Wan Kenobi. Of course, at that time, he was the only Jedi we knew of. The prequels reinforced it though, giving us a glimpse of his early life. He, to me, is the embodiment of all the best traits the Jedi have to offer, while still being very relatable to the average person.
John: Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was such a paragon embodying the best qualities of a Jedi and in lightsaber combat his mastery of Soresu was unmatched as he showed against Grievious and Vader. He was wise, wry and always commanded the utmost respect. (EU Jedi my favourite is Quinlan Vos)
Lea: Aayla Secura. I have always been into Twi'leks and I love her character and personality.
Ronin: If Jedi younglings count, then I would pick Ganodi. Her story of learning hope and overcoming despair is something I can personally relate to. She is also the first ever Rodian female hero in Star Wars canon, and is my true inspiration. And unlike Whinakin, she wasn't hitting on some 14 year old Naboo royalty...
4.What makes the Jedi so different than the Sith?
Peter: As good ol’ Palpy once said, “The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way”. It is not the Sith who go more and more selfless, but it is the Jedi who take the easy path and go more and more selfish. The Jedi’s actions during The Clone Wars are a perfect depiction of this theory; they turned upon their most sacred principles and gave in to the demonic greed inside of them. Also, most of the Sith are actually Dark Jedi, like Revan, Malak, Tyranus, Vader, Krayt, and Caedus, and this just proves that there is a major loophole in the Jedi ways. No matter how much you try to purge greed and evil, there will still be a tiny part that will never really vanish.
Darryl: In a word: focus. They operate (in theory) on very separate principles and ideals. Selfless vs. selfish, the ends justify the means vs. the means support the end, and so on.
John: The Jedi are law but they also include empathy and a sense of harmony and naturalism in their idiom. The Sith will do whatever it takes, destroy or use whatever they deem necessary to achieve the power including stepping over each other's corpses to do so! They lie about the cookies too.
Lea: Jedi put others before themselves where as the sith always think of themselves first
Ronin: Both are polar opposites, with their own flaws in philosophy. The Jedi suppress emotion for fear of letting it control them. The Sith embrace emotion in theory, but end up only ever focusing on the negative aspects of it rather than the positives. Rather than embracing love for its advantages, the Jedi shirk away from it, and the Sith view it as a weakness.
5.Who's code is more followed the Jedi's or Sith's?
Peter: I believe the Jedi’s Code is the most followed because it basically expresses all that is good. It represents good, it means good, and it is good. In a perfect world, every Force User would follow this Code, but since life is not perfect, you have some opposition. Though throughout the history of Star Wars, note the amount of Jedi from The Old Republic to the New Jedi Order, and do the same with the Sith. Haven’t you noticed that the ratio from Jedi to Sith is the equivalent of about ten thousand, proving that the Jedi Code is more followed? That is actually all of the proof you need.
Darryl: That comes down to the individual, I think. In general, the Sith Code is easier and comes naturally to most people, whereas the Jedi Code requires more discipline, effort and self-sacrifice.
John: In the general landscape of the galaxy, the Sith Code. The Sith can rise to power or hide themselves so well as Sidious did amongst politicians, crime lords, power hungry capitalists. Corruption breeds hate and fear, perfect for the Sith code. While the Jedi way is more appealing and how people deceive themselves into thinking they are, greed and the need for power and control is always the driving force.
Lea: The Sith's.
Ronin: I would say in popular fandom, the sith code is by far more popular. But in the realm of Star Wars, the Jedi get the main spotlight.
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