The darker side of the Jedi?

[Rodders]

I'm not sure how to phrase this, so please bear with me.

GL's universe is not a nice place. Deathsticks, everyone carries a gun, Bounty Hunters etc. For some time i have been thinking about the Jedi and the fact that they are all so Good and Nice. No organisation can be this perfect, so i got to wondering what would be the negatives and immoralities (from the perspective of our own culture) of being a Jedi.

1. I have often thought that ehere must be a subsection of the Jedi trained to seek out potential Sith. Including fallen Jedi and those that may possibly wish to leave the organisation. I can't imagine them trying to turn them to the light side as the potential for risk would be phenomenal. This inquistion would have to be, by its very definition, extremely ruthless.

2. It seems to be a very wealthy organisation. Coruscant has to be the most expensive real estate in the galaxy, yet they have a Huge temple housing many thousands of staff, their council. This temple has to be many thousands of levels deep. The Jedi seem to be able to travel anywhere on a whim. They have their own Starfighters. How do they get their money?

3. They are not permitted to have relationships and do not live a monk like existance. They must have desires? Would they need to exploit women in the form of prostitution?

I'm sure there are others. I was wondering if any one else felt that this organisation cannot be as self sacrificing as they seem to be? (Other than the Sith, obviously. )

 

[Somni]

Mind tricks? Just think what you could do.

 

[Shadow Trooper]

If I try to analyse the Jedi and their ways, I can see why some of them turn to the Sith LOL.

Yes, they are too wrapped up in their own importance, but I think the films were just looking for polar opposites; the old good vs evil.



Somni: Hmmm, I was going to say your comment was 'disgusting!', but for some reason I just want to totally agree with you now. In fact.........what was I doing?.........




OMG I've been Jedi mind tricked

 

[dustinzgirl]

Maybe women on the dark side are exploiting men into prostitution.

 

[Shadow Trooper]

Maybe women on the dark side are exploiting men into prostitution.

Oooh, if I were clever enough I'd come back with a really cheeky comment, but I'm not!

But if I were, I'm sure it would have been really good.

 

[Urien]

Clearly Yoda was either incompetent or a secret sith agent. How else do you explain his total failure (or success if he was a secret squirrel)?

 

[dustinzgirl]

Oooh, if I were clever enough I'd come back with a really cheeky comment, but I'm not!

But if I were, I'm sure it would have been really good.

No worries, I'd let you be in my companion convention at wholesale prices. Provided we lived in an open society where sex work was respectable. And I'd only take 10%.

 

[Dave]

3. They are not permitted to have relationships and do not live a monk like existence.

On the basis of the original trilogy, they did. Obi Wan wore robes, lived alone as a hermit, believed in an old religion that was built around a mystical force, and appeared to be celibate.

All your problems result from the prequel trilogy. I'm not ready to defend those, but if the Jedi Temple was old enough it could have been built before Coruscant property prices went through the roof. Also they were employed by the Senate as peacekeepers. Wouldn't they get remuneration for doing that job from galactic taxes?

 

[Shadow Trooper]

No worries, I'd let you be in my companion convention at wholesale prices. Provided we lived in an open society where sex work was respectable. And I'd only take 10%.

..........Shucks it's settled then, I'm a DG groupie! LOL

 

[Rodders]

Dave, in the OT, Kenobi was basically in hiding. As for the temple. it sits on the very top of the city, so it can't really be that old. Plus it looks pristine.

 

[devilsgrin]

the jedi temple is thousands of years old.

 

[Shadow Trooper]

Dave, in the OT, Kenobi was basically in hiding. As for the temple. it sits on the very top of the city, so it can't really be that old. Plus it looks pristine.

the jedi temple is thousands of years old.

They probably have a system set up where they can claim expenses to do up their temple

I think the general public was outraged, but through Jedi mindtricks they managed to convince everyone that it was the system that was wrong and not them.

In the end I believe it was this general mistrust and outrage by the public that (even with the Jedi mindtricks), led to the eventual downfall of the Jedi

 

[Waziwig]

I think the prob here is how Lucas saw the Jedi in the diffrent trilogies.

With the origional movies, there were only two, and definately the underdogs. They lived in poverty and did ... nothing, as far as I can see. Once you take that poor-underdog-worthyness away, it becomes more of a mixed bag.

Every power system engenders corruption of some type, and the Jedi order must have had its problems. All of a sudden, in the new movies, they are superheroed policemen. Yeah, send anakin to save that planet while I go and save that planet!

The philospophies don't match up correctly - the Sith is all for personal power, while the Jedi are humanitarians and for justice. Yet personal power (cometh the time cometh the man) can be nessesary, and justice can be too harsh. Jedi were apparently the judges of the universe, but how many would that take?

And as for Jedi not marrying, I thought that was a total flop - how can they adore life and the force without producing their own. If its genetic, then how can there be another generation of Jedi, AND if only the dark side deals in absolutes, then how come the jedi have got so many of their own???

 

[Pyan]

I had the impression that it was only while a Jedi was still a padawan that he/she was forbidden relationships...

 

[Rodders]

Any thoughts on Jedi hunting down and destroying potential Sith. (It's this thought that i'm most interested in. The denial of a opposite "Faith".)

 

[Dave]

And as for Jedi not marrying, I thought that was a total flop - how can they adore life and the force without producing their own. If its genetic, then how can there be another generation of Jedi, AND if only the dark side deals in absolutes, then how come the jedi have got so many of their own???

There was a scene in one of the films with Jedi young being taught. There did seem to be quite a few.

Testube babies??

I had the impression that it was only while a Jedi was still a padawan that he/she was forbidden relationships...

Yoda was hundreds of years old. Girlfriends wonder not how many he had.

Any thoughts on Jedi hunting down and destroying potential Sith. (It's this thought that i'm most interested in. The denial of a opposite "Faith".)

Quite a few things don't stack up really then

 

[Rodders]

Yoda was a real player when he was younger.

Not as bad as Vader who did catch a dose of "Sith" after all.

 

[Cayal]

I think it is very much Good vs Evil in the Jedi universe. Remember any Jedi that was not 'pure' (so to speak) could be turned by the Sith. Why would those who hunt down and destroy Sith or potential Sith not be easily suaded to the Dark Side?

 

[ghost8772]

Well, Obi wan was sent to try returning his pupil from the dark side. failing that he tried to destroy him, or whatever.

the Jedi not being in a relationship had to be the worst idea of all. one single quote that becomes completely unfounded by that concept
"The Emporer knew as I did that if Anakin had any offspring they would be a threat to him"
Since Jedi were not supposed to have families etc... how the heck could the Jedi have known that jedi offspring were to be a threat?

Also the change of how the training was conducted, and how Yoda's line of students, Dooku, Qui Gonn, Obi Wan, then Anakin. the great jedi master had 2 students from his personal teachings go Sith, out of the four we know about. Also Yoda appeared to be the preschool Jedi instructor, once they hit a point, a master picked up a pupil for training, one student, one master. hey wait, didn't the sith have that limit too?

 

[Pyan]

a master picked up a pupil for training, one student, one master. hey wait, didn't the sith have that limit too?

Always two there are, a master and an apprentice...

Then presumably, if the Jedi are forbidden relationships, all the young trainees in the classroom in RotS are recruited because they are strong in the Force, and this isn't necessarily a hereditary thing...