From the Holocron of Jedi Master Coren Starchaser
The Force. An energy that connects all living things. So many Jedi Masters in the past have had their own say about what it means to use the Force, and what it means to use the sides. Going back, the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. I think it was Obi-Wan that had said that, a student of the famed Jedi Master Yoda, and the teacher of the even more famous Luke Skywalker. Through what I’ve been able to gain from certain holocrons, Yoda had always said the Jedi were to use the Force for knowledge and defense, but never attack.
The dark side was quicker, more seductive. This was written as being said to Luke Skywalker.
This is where the story becomes difficult. Yoda says one thing, but its been known that he was there during the time of the Clone Wars, on the front lines, fighting the Seperatists force, and bringing the Force to bear against not only Count Dooku, but Emperor Palpatine. This is where my thought process continues next.
Luke Skywalker, perhaps my personal favorite Jedi Master, was a man of action. He was trained for a singular purpose. To remove the Sith from the galaxy. To redeem, or end, the reign of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. At least the story goes. Trained as a living weapon. Then why did Master Yoda state that the Jedi were to use the Force for defense and knowledge? Could defense be a bit more than merely physical defense?
Could it be the path of offense, to stem the tide of destruction and defend the galaxy? Defend the light side? Defend life? Skywalker flew as a Rebellion pilot and is the legendary hero who destroyed the first Death Star. Accounts from the Jedi Master state that Obi-Wan Kenobi had urged him to ‘Use the Force’ to destroy the world destroying station. But it was an offensive move that killed untold numbers of Imperial citizens to save the Alliance. And he used the Force to pull it off.
Again, the training goes back to Luke, Yoda, and Kenobi. Luke Skywalker had ‘rushed’ off to face Vader at Bespin. But the point remains. It was known that Luke Skywalker was trained to fight against the dark side, to fight Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, to redeem the latter, but to fight all the same. Defense for the galaxy in the instance of physical offense. Had he used the Force? Yes and no. He was trained as a Jedi, and Vader was redeemed albeit mortally wounded, and the Emperor was slain.
But if we were to look at the fact that if Luke Skywalker had stayed and meditated, stayed on Dagobah, or Tatooine, or any number of worlds he could have remained on, the galaxy would have been a far darker place. Yes, it was his destiny, but it was also what he was trained for.
And it didn’t end there. Yes, following the Galactic Civil Wars and the famed Battle of Endor, stories change for Luke Skywalker. We know he had trained a new generation of Jedi, but were some ready to work? Names such as Kyle Katarn, Kam Solusar, Corran Horn all were considered Sentinels and Watchmen, trained by the Jedi Master. But they could also be the thing of legends. The name Ben Solo appears in history, trained as a Knight of Ren. We don’t know much in the way of these original beings. But again, darkness rose, according to some accounts.
Jedi were murdered, an academy burned, the Jedi Master Skywalker off in hiding. Dark had come to the galaxy.
But light rose to greet it. The warrior known as Rey was not known to Skywalker, supposedly, when he formed his alliance, but she was a being called upon, awakened, to defend, and enforce the Light Side. She fought the Knight of Ren and his Supreme Leader, pushing against the temptation of the dark side, even if she was skirting it. The Jedi Master had died during a defense of a world that protected the Resistance, the last vestige of the New Republic. Or did he?
We have proof that the Yuuzhan Vong exist in this galaxy. And if they are here, are the stories of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order, the one that inspired the thoughts of Omai Rhen, myself, and numerous others. These Jedi were ready to defend the galaxy through their actions. Fighting Sith and Yuuzhan Vong head-on to prevent those that could not fight them, the non-Forcers of the galaxy, the beings not ready to put life and limb on the line for someone else.
The soldiers of the Republic, of the Galactic Alliance, both ancient and modern, were all of the dark side, because they fought to defend their life, liberty, and families? I don’t believe that.
Perhaps we, as Jedi, should recognize that not everyone is suited for a life of mediation, some of us defend life in a form of combat, much like my favorite tale, the fabled Sword of the Jedi. A being who’s life was conflict, never restful. A shining beacon to friends, and a burning brand to their enemies. A Jedi who will forever be at the front line. Someone who’s peace comes from the peace she provided to others. It is not for everyone, but the Jedi that take up this mantle? They will be creating a galaxy that defends others, through aggressive actions of their own, from beings wishing to rule and dominate.
Skywalker’s New Jedi Order, in the tales of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Fall of Jacen Solo, and the Second Galactic Civil War, used the Force to empower themselves, to more evenly match the challenges. Isn’t this the best way to defend? Putting ones life in front of another’s? Especially if you can fight at an even match? Not saying the Jedi need to be starting to use the dark side, lightning, destruction and evil magicks. No, that would be counter to what the Jedi stand for. With that, we can lose ourselves too quickly, and become what we are fighting against. But fight using the weapons in our own arsenal? The ones that encourage light and life, that protect, delay, and push back the dark? That is what it means to me, to be a Jedi.
The Force. An energy that connects all living things. So many Jedi Masters in the past have had their own say about what it means to use the Force, and what it means to use the sides. Going back, the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. I think it was Obi-Wan that had said that, a student of the famed Jedi Master Yoda, and the teacher of the even more famous Luke Skywalker. Through what I’ve been able to gain from certain holocrons, Yoda had always said the Jedi were to use the Force for knowledge and defense, but never attack.
The dark side was quicker, more seductive. This was written as being said to Luke Skywalker.
This is where the story becomes difficult. Yoda says one thing, but its been known that he was there during the time of the Clone Wars, on the front lines, fighting the Seperatists force, and bringing the Force to bear against not only Count Dooku, but Emperor Palpatine. This is where my thought process continues next.
Luke Skywalker, perhaps my personal favorite Jedi Master, was a man of action. He was trained for a singular purpose. To remove the Sith from the galaxy. To redeem, or end, the reign of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. At least the story goes. Trained as a living weapon. Then why did Master Yoda state that the Jedi were to use the Force for defense and knowledge? Could defense be a bit more than merely physical defense?
Could it be the path of offense, to stem the tide of destruction and defend the galaxy? Defend the light side? Defend life? Skywalker flew as a Rebellion pilot and is the legendary hero who destroyed the first Death Star. Accounts from the Jedi Master state that Obi-Wan Kenobi had urged him to ‘Use the Force’ to destroy the world destroying station. But it was an offensive move that killed untold numbers of Imperial citizens to save the Alliance. And he used the Force to pull it off.
Again, the training goes back to Luke, Yoda, and Kenobi. Luke Skywalker had ‘rushed’ off to face Vader at Bespin. But the point remains. It was known that Luke Skywalker was trained to fight against the dark side, to fight Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, to redeem the latter, but to fight all the same. Defense for the galaxy in the instance of physical offense. Had he used the Force? Yes and no. He was trained as a Jedi, and Vader was redeemed albeit mortally wounded, and the Emperor was slain.
But if we were to look at the fact that if Luke Skywalker had stayed and meditated, stayed on Dagobah, or Tatooine, or any number of worlds he could have remained on, the galaxy would have been a far darker place. Yes, it was his destiny, but it was also what he was trained for.
And it didn’t end there. Yes, following the Galactic Civil Wars and the famed Battle of Endor, stories change for Luke Skywalker. We know he had trained a new generation of Jedi, but were some ready to work? Names such as Kyle Katarn, Kam Solusar, Corran Horn all were considered Sentinels and Watchmen, trained by the Jedi Master. But they could also be the thing of legends. The name Ben Solo appears in history, trained as a Knight of Ren. We don’t know much in the way of these original beings. But again, darkness rose, according to some accounts.
Jedi were murdered, an academy burned, the Jedi Master Skywalker off in hiding. Dark had come to the galaxy.
But light rose to greet it. The warrior known as Rey was not known to Skywalker, supposedly, when he formed his alliance, but she was a being called upon, awakened, to defend, and enforce the Light Side. She fought the Knight of Ren and his Supreme Leader, pushing against the temptation of the dark side, even if she was skirting it. The Jedi Master had died during a defense of a world that protected the Resistance, the last vestige of the New Republic. Or did he?
We have proof that the Yuuzhan Vong exist in this galaxy. And if they are here, are the stories of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order, the one that inspired the thoughts of Omai Rhen, myself, and numerous others. These Jedi were ready to defend the galaxy through their actions. Fighting Sith and Yuuzhan Vong head-on to prevent those that could not fight them, the non-Forcers of the galaxy, the beings not ready to put life and limb on the line for someone else.
The soldiers of the Republic, of the Galactic Alliance, both ancient and modern, were all of the dark side, because they fought to defend their life, liberty, and families? I don’t believe that.
Perhaps we, as Jedi, should recognize that not everyone is suited for a life of mediation, some of us defend life in a form of combat, much like my favorite tale, the fabled Sword of the Jedi. A being who’s life was conflict, never restful. A shining beacon to friends, and a burning brand to their enemies. A Jedi who will forever be at the front line. Someone who’s peace comes from the peace she provided to others. It is not for everyone, but the Jedi that take up this mantle? They will be creating a galaxy that defends others, through aggressive actions of their own, from beings wishing to rule and dominate.
Skywalker’s New Jedi Order, in the tales of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Fall of Jacen Solo, and the Second Galactic Civil War, used the Force to empower themselves, to more evenly match the challenges. Isn’t this the best way to defend? Putting ones life in front of another’s? Especially if you can fight at an even match? Not saying the Jedi need to be starting to use the dark side, lightning, destruction and evil magicks. No, that would be counter to what the Jedi stand for. With that, we can lose ourselves too quickly, and become what we are fighting against. But fight using the weapons in our own arsenal? The ones that encourage light and life, that protect, delay, and push back the dark? That is what it means to me, to be a Jedi.
