To the casual viewer, the Jedi are the stoic, unflappable heroes of the cosmos. We grieve over their sacrifices, and we cherish their triumphs. Yet, hardcore Star Wars fans will no doubt understand that the Jedi Order isn’t nearly as pristine as they would have you believe. While they might look like they are the sole purveyors of good in a galaxy riddled with evil, tons of their efforts are misguided, and their closed-minded approach to policing the universe has nearly caused more trouble than it has solved.
What’s worse is that, before Darth Sidious’ infamous Order 66 nearly destroyed them, the Jedi, in their apparently infinite wisdom, essentially sowed the seeds for the destruction of the Republic for which they vowed to protect. Their strict doctrines also had a hand in shifting Anakin Skywalker, one of the series’ most iconic characters, to the Dark Side. Sure, they know a lot about the Force and don’t literally exude evil like their Sith counterparts, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have a few skeletons in their closets.
Even some of our favorite franchise characters tend to cause more harm than they correct: Luke was a bumbling idiot who asked way more questions than he answered, Yoda and Obi-Wan saw the fall of the Republic and didn’t stick around to clean up their mess, and Qui-Gon Jinn introduced us to Midichlorians and Jar-Jar Binks. With that in mind, and with a new film coming out in a few months, let’s recount 20 dark secrets the Jedi don’t want you to know.
20 Mace Windu Uses The Dark Side Of The Force
Famously portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the oft-despised prequel films, Mace Windu is actually heralded by some as one of the most powerful Jedi to ever live. Yet, his powers don’t come from the light side alone, and his authority within the council is suspicious when you consider some of the unsavory stuff in which he’s involved himself.
Plus, Windu’s one-of-a-kind purple lightsaber symbolizes how precariously close to the dark side he lives.
Purple is an amalgam of the Jedi’s trademark blue and the Sith’s notorious red blades.
He championed an ancient fighting style known as Vaapad, which used to be popular among the Sith before their downfall. This unique form of combat requires the combatant to enjoy the battle and relish the idea of conquering their enemies. This, of course, is a state of mind of which the Jedi certainly would not approve.
19 These Are Not The Droids You’re Looking For
Ben Kenobi’s influence over the minds of some unwitting stormtroopers in A New Hope is often thought of by fans as one of the most well-known scenes from the extensive Star Wars franchise. Yet, few have really considered the terrible implications of such a power. Sure, Kenobi only used it briefly, and for a noble purpose, but we can’t assume that’s always the case. It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine that a rogue Jedi might use this power to subjugate the innocent.
The order claims to maintain peace in the galaxy, but what kind of peace could ever be brought in part by mental conquest?
Sure, you could say that I’m looking into things a bit too deeply, but a power like that seems almost too devastating for anyone to wield. However, only weak-minded creatures can be persuaded by these tricks, which is great news for any Toydarians reading this.
18 The Force Is Not With You
Though we’ve never really seen it in any of the films, some Jedi have the ability to sever another Force-sensitive being’s connection from that which permeates the entire galaxy. While non-Force users can still make fearsome combatant—General Grievous, for example—they could never really amount to the potential of a force-sensitive being. In comparison, I suppose it would be something like a muggle living amongst wizards; you might have an idea of what magic can do, but you can’t manipulate it.
This is particularly dark when you acknowledge the fact that the Jedi treat The Force as the end-all, be-all of life; without The Force, there could be no Jedi. Thus, cutting someone off from The Force would, to some, be a fate worse than extermination. In a universe that relies to profoundly on connections to Midichlorians, severance from that which allows such power would be a punishment befitting none but the most sinister.
17 A Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy
In Episode IV, Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi famously connect with Han Solo on Mos Eisley before departing for Tatooine. Beforehand, Luke has a bit of a run at the bar with an ugly-looking space walrus and Chunk from The Goonies, who is actually a wanted criminal in twelve star systems. Well, that’s kind of an exaggeration—they were really just some bar scum who wanted to pick a fight with a fresh-faced teen. Kenobi quickly breaks up the scuffle with a flash of his lightsaber, though he did admittedly attempt to verbally dissuade Luke's assailants beforehand.
Obi-Wan was way too quick to break out his saber, though. This scene comes right after he explains that he can manipulate the minds of the weak, and he could have easily dissuaded the attackers. Instead, he opted to cut off some limbs. If this is indicative of how Jedi act, then they are much too quick to jump into confrontation.
16 There Shouldn’t Be A “Forbidden Knowldege”
The Jedi claim to be a peaceful, open-minded bunch. Yet, they’ve completely shunned an entire line of thinking, as well as a large section of their members who opted to embrace this way of thinking. If the Jedi were truly as accepting as they claim, they wouldn’t curtail the use of the dark side of The Force entirely—they would embrace some of its useful aspects.
While the dark side of The Force has proven to be a corrupting and dangerous thing, you can't have balance if you only embrace the teachings of one aspect of a whole.
Take Mace Windu, for example: he incorporated dark side ideology into his thinking, and he became one of the most powerful Jedi to ever live. That kind of power wouldn’t be so rare if the Jedi order wouldn’t act as thought police and indoctrinate everyone into their shallow line of thought.
Art by DeanSpencerArt.
15 They Led Ben Solo To The Dark Side
While Ben Solo’s conversion to the dark side isn’t totally known, it was explored in November’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Following the fall of the Empire, Luke took it upon himself to continue the Jedi order by passing on what he knew to a talent group of would-be Jedi. Yet, his suspicion that his padawan would shift to the dark side caused Luke to try and eliminate him before he became to powerful.
This, as we all know, was an awful idea, and it sowed the seas of the Knights of Ren and the First Order.
Solo was likely being persuaded by Snoke, but that doesn’t change the fact that Luke’s code of conduct didn’t allow for any dark ideology, and it limited his ability to change the matter. If Luke had only allowed Ben to get in touch with the dark side of The Force and to get a grasp for the balance within, perhaps the events which led to his conversion would not have occurred.
14 What Kind Of Republic Gets Revenge Outside Of The Law?
The Jedi, as I’ve already brought up a few times, act as the peacekeepers of the galaxy, only resorting to violence when absolutely necessary. This isn’t really the case, though, and even Jedi can give in to their basic human urges from time to time. For instance, in the beginning of the third episode, Anakin Skywalker ends Count Dooku at the request of Chancellor Palpatine. Sure, he was encouraged to do so, and he was pretty conflicted about it, but he ultimately betrayed his teachings and sentenced his adversary without a trial. So much for due process.
And, yes, Anakin was little more than a confused teenager at the time, but even Jedi Masters commit this fatal error.
Though his original intent was to simply arrest Palpatine, you’ll recall that Mace Windu eventually endeavored to do away with him once discovering his true intentions. The justice system can’t just be ignored when you don’t feel like using it, guys.
13 Eliminating The Sith
I’m sure the Jedi were pretty upset about accidentally creating their greatest enemies, but that’s no reason to go around destroying hundreds of lives, now, is it? Thousands of years before the films took place, there was a huge battle between the Sith and the Jedi which occurred primarily on Coruscant, the planet which would eventually serve as the center of the Republic. This prolonged engagement between these two factions eventually led to the prevailing Jedi entering into peace talks and living in harmony with their Sith brethren.
Just kidding, of course that didn’t happen.
Following their victory, the Jedi hunted down and eradicated every single Sith they could fine. Well, all but one, who eventually went on to restore the Sith, and his protégé would later erect the first Galactic Empire. It didn’t have to be this way, but the Jedi’s failure to co-exist with those philosophically opposed to them would ultimately be their undoing.
12 The Jedi Are Tyrants
Given the state of affairs, it’s fair to say that there are many, many more people out there who would prefer to live outside of the rule of the Republic—there was a whole movement of separatists, in fact. While they ended up being nothing more than pawns in Darth Sidious's massive game of space chess, I am willing to bet there were a few guys in there who earnestly wanted an alternative to the Republic’s rule.
Yet, the Jedi are tyrannical, and they believe that all beings should live under the rule of their precious governance—even when they suspect that their ruler might actually not be a super great guy. There can’t be a whole bunch of sovereign systems out there, everyone must be under the watchful eye of the Republic, which means that the Jedi basically have control over the galaxy.
11 They Pretty Much Created The Sith
In the beginning, the Jedi were formed from a group of force-sensitive beings dedicated to the knowledge and power granted by the light side of The Force. While there’s nothing wrong with that, eventually some members of their group became curious about the possibilities of the dark side. As we know, that’s a major no-no to the Jedi, and they basically ex-communicated those who sought to unlock the secrets of the other side of The Force.
Turns out, that was an awful idea. Rather than open themselves to some constructive criticism regarding their struct ruleset, they decided to do away with a chunk of their members. This came back to bite them, as those ex-Jedi strong with the dark side eventually became the Sith and fought endlessly with the Jedi. Again, this all could have been avoided if the Jedi weren’t quite so unaccepting of foreign Force powers.
10 They Think The Force Is Hereditary
Liam Neeson infamously upset almost the entirety of the Star Wars fan base in 1999 when his character in The Phantom Menace introduced the concept of midichlorians. To some, this was a major deal breaker, as the ubiquitous nature of The Force made the franchise feel inclusive, and it was the kind of thing for which there didn’t need to be an explanation.
Yet, an explanation is exactly what we got.
Despite an absolute absence of them in the classic film trilogy, midichlorians are apparently microscopic living beings that exist in everyone’s cells and help them to commune with The Force. Um, what?
Midichlorians don’t exactly define the skills of a Jedi, but they’re involvement in the series still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. You’re telling me that Darth Vader was so powerful because he had 20,000 nanomachines in his bloodstream?
9 Their Way Or The Highway
It's ironic that the Jedi fought to crush rebellions and unify the galaxy under a leadership which they couldn’t even trust. The Clone Wars was a rough time for the Republic, to be sure, but, as they came to a close, they began to realize that Palpatine wasn’t really the glorious leader he purported to be.
They never questioned what they were doing, and they never second-guessed their involvement in the fall of the Republic. For a large group of omniscient monks, a shocking amount of stuff goes over their heads.
Granted, they did make an effort to arrest Chancellor Palpatine once his intentions were known, but not before waging a war to keep the galaxy under his control. Sidious had been scamming the Jedi for years, and, rather than catching on, they blindly fought to ensure the rise of the Galactic Empire.
8 For A Bunch Of All-Knowing Space Monks, They’re Pretty Dumb
Unfortunately, I’m not Force sensitive, so I can’t really claim to know exactly how it works. Neither do the Jedi, apparently, because, though they often believe the Force to hint at the future, they have no idea what’s going on most of the time. Remember that moment in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon tells the council about his encounter with Darth Maul and insists that he had to be a Sith Lord?
Instead of taking the threat seriously, they basically concluded that that would be impossible since the Sith were eradicated.
Clearly a shining moment. Great move, guys.
Worst of all, though they had an idea that Anakin and Palpatine’s friendship would be bad news, they shrugged their shoulders and did nothing about it. Sure, we’ve all made mistakes, but none this catastrophically awful.
7 Luke, I Am Your Father
The Jedi were very, very wreckless with Anakin Skywalker. He was clearly very troubled in Episode III, and yet nobody recognized it or acted on it. Mace Windu seemed to sense the struggle brewing within him, but he never sought to end it. Instead, he was brooding and suspicious around Anakin, which didn’t help either of their causes. Plus, Anakin was plagued by visions of Padmé’s demise, and he knew that if he went to the Jedi for help, they would disown him for his marital status.
All in all, I would argue that the Jedi did little to improve Anakin’s life, and, in their eagerness to fulfill some prophecy, they created a monster. He did restore balance to The Force, though, just not in the way they were hoping.
6 They Are Super Arrogant
The Jedi always assume that the light side of The Force is the only side worth exploring, but how could you achieve a balance if you are only knowledgeable about half of a whole? I’ve spoken already about how they arrogantly assume that the Republic they serve is constantly on the side of righteousness, but they are also arrogant in the assumption that their use of The Force is the only acceptable use.
They wouldn’t have generated an entire lineage of enemies if they had only made an effort to understand the ways of the Dark Side.
In the Star Wars mythos, the difference between light and dark lies mostly in semantics. Sure, one sounds virtuous, the other malevolent, but that isn’t necessarily the case. There are heroes and villains on both sides of The Force, and the definition of good and evil depends largely on perspective.
5 The Jedi Code Is A Joke
The Jedi act as if they are a deeply disciplined, thoughtful group who always think before they act. I’ve been watching the prequels recently, and I can tell you that this definitely isn’t the case. They talk a big game, but when their pious principles are put to the test, some of the Jedi don’t really make the mark.
This sacred order has crushed, hunted down, and eradicated tons of those deemed to be enemies of the Republic, but, when the Sith do it to pursue their cause, suddenly it’s evil? Anakin was down to sever some hands and capitally punished Count Dooku, and, while he was encouraged to do so by Chancellor Palpatine, that’s far from the only time. I’ve already mentioned Mace Windu’s treatment of Darth Sidious, but the same could be said of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s attempted slaying of Darth Maul.
That’s kind of a major violation of the Jedi code of conduct, wouldn’t you say?
4 Not As Clumsy Or Random As A Blaster…
If the primary function of the Jedi is to broker peace amongst the colonies of the galaxy, why do they pack such heavy artillery? I understand that they need to protect themselves, and they do often engage in combat, but, for a group of people committed to peace, they involve themselves in lots of violence.
I understand that Jedi carry lightsabers because it pairs well with their unique abilities, but why does it have to be so shockingly powerful? A Jedi can seemingly eliminate hordes of adversaries in just a few short swipes—that’s not really the kind of weapon you’d bring if peace was the primary objective.
At the end of the day, these famous blades look cool and can easily be made into children's toys and collectors items. Everyone knows what a lightsaber is, and, had the Jedi carried around less elegant weaponry, the original film might not have done as well.
3 They Run From Their Problems
Didn’t your mother ever tell you that nothing good ever comes from running from your problems? Yet across the eight main storyline Star Wars movies we’ve been graced with, we see Jedi abandoning ship after their actions led to awful outcomes. While they aren’t exactly dealing with playground bullies, this prestigious order has a long history of giving up.
There are three major Jedi guilty of this!
To begin with, Obi-Wan chooses to live in exile once he learns what his protege has become. As the Empire rose to prominence, he was nowhere to be seen.
Yoda also went into hiding and dropped from the series’ plot until Luke found him in The Empire Strikes Back. Ironically, Luke also does a disappearing act after his failed attack on Ben Solo. Well done, guys. Make a mess of the galaxy, and leave others to clean it up.
2 From My Perspective, The Jedi Are Evil
This has less to do with the Jedi than with the government they serve. Honestly, what exactly is the difference between the Republic and the Empire? One claims to be benevolent, yet it has seen as much damage and strife as the other. Plus, the Republic actually became the Empire, so, in a sense, they really are the same thing.
Anakin says it best when, after turning to the dark side, he states that, from his perspective, the Jedi are evil.
This also relates to DJ, the controversial “master hacker” from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As he would say, these are two warring factions who have both done great and terrible things for the galaxy. The Jedi order would have you believe that the light side of The Force must always be in power, but many saw them as nothing more than one of a number of groups vying for power.
1 They Use Younglings How?
Alright, that may be a bit dramatic, but the Jedi are well-known for separating Force-sensitive beings from their parents at an early age and indoctrinating them into their order. Sure, they aren’t sending them out into the unknown, but they do deny these kids any connection to their parents for fear of attachment.
What if they never wanted to be Jedi Knights? Does being Force-sensitive automatically mean that you have to be a part of the order?
Worse still, if these kids are later discovered to be inadequate, the Jedi still doesn’t let them go. Plenty of would-be Jedi go on to lead menial lives in the Republic’s service corps. Is this too drastically different from the First Order’s kidnapping of children to fill the ranks of the Storm troopers? Both of these entities are benefiting from the work of children separated from their parents.