Bringing Balance to the Force: A Response to “Luke Skywalker, Sith Lord”
A couple of months ago Rob Conery wrote Luke Skywalker, Sith Lord. I, of course, avoided reading it until after I had a chance to watch the new movie. The risk of spoilers was too great. But, after having watched the movie (don’t worry, there are no spoilers here), I then went back and read Conery’s excellent article.
I think the theory is right, from a certain point of view, but has a few holes in it that need closing. But before that, you should either read Conery’s article or the short synopsis here:
Luke began his path to the dark side when he abandoned his training on Dagobah and completed his turn to the dark side when he faced Vader and the Emperor on the second Death Star. In fact, it was only through his use of the dark powers of the force that Luke was able to defeat Vader and convince his father to kill the Emperor.
Prophecy? What Prophecy?
Okay, now here’s where I think Conery is wrong. I think that it all goes back to the prophecy that Mace Windu invoked when Qui-Gon Jinn presented Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi Council:
You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it’s this…boy?
We never hear the conclusion of the prophecy. We never have confirmation that Anakin was the child of prophecy, only the speculation of Mace Windu that Qui-Gon Jinn was thinking that.
We need to make a few assumptions here, but I think that they are canonical. First, we must assume that the prophecy is true. There’s no reason to think otherwise given that this is a universe where Force users can see the future. Second, we must assume that the Force has somehow gotten out of balance. That too is supported by the prequels and Mace Windu:
Yoda: Blind we are, if the creation of this clone army we could not see.
Windu: I think it is time we informed the Senate that our ability to use the Force has diminished.
Yoda: Only the Dark Lords of the Sith know of our weakness. If informed, the Senate is, multiply, our adversaries will.
Bad Jedi!
My thought is that the diminished power of the Jedi is the imbalance of the Force. Moreover, the Jedi Code is the root of the imbalance and the progenitor of the Sith.
The Code isn’t explained in the movies (now the only true canon), but it is referred to several times. And, canonically, we know that the Jedi Code prohibits relationship attachments, like marriage.
Anakin: Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi’s life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love.
The fall of Anakin is directly related to his attachments to his mother and Padme. He felt he wasn’t strong enough in the Force to save them without using the dark side.
Anakin: I wasn’t strong enough to save you mom. I wasn’t strong enough, but I promise I won’t fail again.
Palpatine uses that very attachment to turn Anakin fully to the dark side because he promises to offer him the one thing he truly wants.
Anakin: One day, I will become the greatest Jedi EVER. I will even learn how to stop people from dying.
Jedi aren’t supposed to want, they’re not supposed to get attached, they’re not supposed to seek greatness, but Anakin does all of those things and it leads him into the arms of the Sith.
What if the Jedi are Wrong?
It’s possible that the Jedi are the true good in the galaxy and are fighting to keep evil at bay, but it’s also possible that the Jedi have a misguided view of what’s good and they require that practitioners sacrifice half of themselves (their passions, their fears, their hopes, their relationships) to create that artificial goodness.
Now, I’m not saying the Sith are right, but that they are the inevitable response to the sanctimonious Jedi. If feelings are bad, then the Sith don’t want to be good. Why would they? Joining the Jedi is a prison sentence and an intentional crippling of Force powers.
If the Jedi are wrong about what constitutes good, then the imbalance of the force isn’t creating some equality between good and evil in the galaxy, but within Force practitioners. And Luke Skywalker shows that balance. He uses his passions, his connections, his hopes, and his fears to defeat Vader and the Emperor. He unites the peace, compassion, and justice of the Jedi with the passion and power of the Sith to become that balance. His victory was not in defeating his father in a lightsaber duel, but in tasting the power of the dark side and using it for good.
The error of the Jedi is in thinking that passion is evil or that there are sides to the Force. I don’t believe that there are light or dark sides to the Force itself, but that the powers of the Force can be used for good or evil. Luke used the powers that are traditionally associated with the dark side to rescue his friends and free the galaxy from a world-killing tyrant.
Luke is the Chosen One
What if Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn are wrong? What if Anakin wasn’t the Chosen One, but rather Luke? What if the balance of the Force is found when a Jedi learns that attachment, passion, fear, and hope don’t lead to the dark side?
Or, what if I’m totally wrong about all of this?
