The Jedi are often seen as the main protagonists of the Star Wars franchise. As such, most movies have clear lines between good and evil.
The peacekeepers represent the Light Side of the Force, whilst the Sith follow the Dark. For all that, the mythology, as it turns out, is more complicated than that.
In reality, the Jedi are kind of insensible and pompous douchebags.
Indeed, there are a lot of great Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Sith can also hardly be considered the saviours of the universe. Still, the deeper you dive into the lore, the more you learn that the Jedi were arrogant, ignorant, and sometimes outright foolish.
Here are all the receipts to prove it.
Why Were the Jedi So Arrogant?
When you first meet the Jedi in the original trilogy, you are presented with a picture-perfect stoicism. The Jedi are the peacekeepers and the saviours of the Galaxy.
Only later, the prequels went deeper into the law and mythology of the Jedi to prove that nothing and no one can be perfect. Even the guardians of peace can lose their way whilst being arrogant and oblivious to their flaws.
#1 Blinded By Traditions and Unwilling to Change
The first element that made the Jedi arrogant was their inability or the lack of desire to change.
The Code of the Jedi forces people to ignore emotions and get rid of everything that makes them human. The Jedi Order asks their disciples to care for everyone in need without cherishing life.
Even when faced with evidence showing how much the Jedi Code is flawed, the Lightsiders ignored it.
Mantra of the Jedi Code
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
— Credit to The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force by Daniel Wallace
The best evidence of this is Anakin Skywalker. Once little and sweet boy was initially denied entrance to the Order because he loved his mother.
The Jedi, like Master Yoda, claimed that the former had too much fear and it would be his downfall.
No one even once questioned this decision. Is it not okay for a nine-year-old boy to be scared for his mother?
Suppose the Jedi were once willing to change. Anakin might have never fallen to the Dark Side due to unprocessed childhood trauma, slavery, and suppression of his emotions.
For all that, the Jedi Code is not the only thing that made the followers of the Light Side blind.
#2 Overconfident With Their Skills
Even if the Jedi are the protagonists of the saga, I cannot deny that they paved the way for the Empire to rise.
They have grown overconfident in their skills. The Order didn’t believe that there was a Sith Lord roaming close by. They thought they had defeated the Dark Side. The Jedi didn’t even take any measures to stop the likes of Darth Sidious and Darth Maul.
No one can be surprised that Darth Sidious managed to stay in the shadows and orchestrate two sides of the war!
Moreover, Darth Vader was also a creation of the Jedi Order. He was a direct response to the Jedi’s inability to see their flaws and change.
For all that, the Code and the blindness to the Dark Side were not the only problems faced by the Jedi Order.
How often have we seen the Jedi jumping in front of danger with little to no concern over themselves or the troopers? Surely, some might call this behaviour heroic, yet arrogance plays its own role here.
The Jedi haven’t even worn their battle armour for a whilst, choosing to remain in their robes. Even the armour they later adopted hardly consisted of shoulder pads and chest panels.
Not a lot of coverage if you ask me….
Force is yet another segment where the Jedi were lacking development and running too much on self-confidence.
They believed that they knew everything about the Force. Thus, they have limited the use of Force techniques and never tried to learn more.
Rare Jedi with unique gifts like Force visions were hardly guided. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda did nothing to help Anakin manage the visions of the future or use his gifts.
The Jedi also never made emphasis on such talents as healing or slicing. Come to think of it, combat, telekinesis, and mind control were the only techniques taught properly.
#3 Mind Control and Inappropriate Use of Force
Somewhere along the way, the Jedi also decided they could use the Force however they wanted. They still refrained from Dark Side techniques like Force Lightning. For all that, the fear of the Dark Side didn’t stop them from using mind control whenever it was possible.
Qui-Gon Jinn became one of many examples when he was trying to free Anakin and his mother. Obi-Wan is close by, delivering one of the most famous lines in the franchise and showcasing this infamous mind trick.
The Jedi used the Force for centuries, deciding what they could and couldn’t do. Thus, I have a question. Who decided that shooting electricity from fingertips was banned, whilst mind control was more than acceptable?
If this is not a clear example of hypocrisy, I don’t know what is!
The Jedi were ready to take control of other people. Mind you; these were the peacekeepers meant to serve those in need. For all that, they were not above ridding the person of their free will when needed, quite carelessly.
#4 Involved in Political Agendas and War
The Jedi have grown political and were complacent with the Galactic Republic, not even trying to remain neutral. As such, seeking allegiance to the Republic meant the downfall of democracy.
Quite ironically!
Once peacekeepers took the positions of Generals and Commanders, doing the bidding of the Republic and committing war crimes (torture, false surrenders, etc.). Towards the end of the Clone Wars, the Jedi were much closer to the traditional military than the spiritual community.
They have also allowed the Republic to use clones as if they were not human beings. Some, like Pong Krell, even killed the Clones for self-preservation as they saw no value in them. They were just Clones…
All because they have sworn to stand with the Republic. Not once did the Jedi stop to consider that they had grown overconfident and arrogant in their pursuits. They were too convinced that their side was the only righteous one.
Such arrogance allowed Darth Sidious to lure the Jedi Order into the war like puppets controlled by their puppeteer!
The Jedi Order was mistaken about pretty much everything during the Clone Wars. Every move and every decision made went perfectly according to Palpatine’s plan.
They have fueled the war efforts, driven Anakin away, and destroyed all the Republic’s hope because of shady politics!
#5 Taking Kids from Families
The Jedi Order recruitment is one of this religion’s most questionable elements.
First, the Jedi took children away from their families. It was not kidnapping… As such, they never allowed kids to know their mothers and fathers or form attachments.
In return, they were raising a harsh generation of perfect Jedi who never knew love or kinship.
How can you ask someone to care for everyone if you don’t even give them a chance to experience love in the first place?
Moreover, the Jedi always hid behind good intentions, and you know what they say about those. The Order thought that the Galaxy owed them new recruits to keep the peace.
I bet that the families who gave away their children didn’t know that they would be fighting in a Galactic War!
Not to mention that the Jedi denied access to the Order if the child was older than several years old.
They claimed that Force-sensitive children needed a helping hand in managing their powers. It was not safe for them or those near to have all this power and the lack of control.
Hypocrisy was picking through — the Jedi were offering help only to those who fit their standards. Others were of no importance to them.
Even being accepted to the Jedi order didn’t mean that the children would not be outcasts!
An epiphany of the Jedi values, Obi-Wan Kenobi was almost expelled several times out of the Order. All children who were either not taken in as Padawans or failed the trials were meant to find other gateways.
There were many funnels for failed Jedi younglings. AgriCorps, the MedCorps, the EduCorps, and the ExplorCorps were amongst some of them.
Not everyone was good enough for the Order!
#6 Rise to Power Through Genocide
Even though it is rather clear that the Sith have flawed doctrines, it doesn’t justify an outright hatred and fear of the Jedi Order.
The original Order of the Sith was branched out from the Jedi. They felt let down and used by the Jedi Order. In a way, the Sith, like Darth Vader, were created by the Jedi.
The Lightsiders judge everything and everyone according to their standards. There is only black and white. As such, the Jedi were quick to justify the Genocide of the Sith.
It’s also funny how they have interpreted the prophecy of the Chosen One. He was supposed to bring balance to the Force.
Isn’t it weird how the Jedi thought that the balance meant destroying the Sith and leaving only the Jedi to live?
Eventually, the Chosen One did bring balance to the Force — by decreasing the numbers of the Jedi and the Sith alike.
Still, there is no room for another religion. Everyone who uses the Force and is not a Jedi is an enemy to the Order.
For example, when Ahsoka left, no one stood by her side or protected her. Her path was also paved by the hypocrisy of the Jedi. They stood aside watching how petty politicians judged the Padawan.
Did they accept that Ahsoka was following her own path to become something more?
No. They quickly disowned her as if nothing happened, watched Anakin’s resolve crumble, and did nothing.
In the mind of the Jedi, the Sith, the Grey Jedi, and Nightsisters are enemies by default.
This would also explain why Obi-Wan lied to Luke Skywalker. All-encompassing goodness of the Jedi Order, General Kenobi, didn’t even blush when he was lying about Luke’s father.
Good intentions did pave the road for the Empire to rise and Skywalkers to fall!
Final Thoughts
When all was said and done, the Jedi were flawed.
They created an absolute disaster of a Code, forbid attachments, and failed Anakin. Moreover, they joined the military forces, played along with petty politicians, and showed no interest in growth. Add committing war crimes to the list.
Everything they knew about the Force was divided into Dark and Light, allowing no room for grey morals. For all that, the Jedi themselves were not above grey morals when justifying mind control with good intentions. They should also have thought better than to send children to fight in the war or eradicate thousands of the Sith.The moral of the Jedi’s story is simple. Their hypocrisy paved the way for the rise of the Empire, the creation of Darth Vader, and the destruction of the Order itself.
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