Are Both Jedi and Sith Evil?

[Darren Onyx]

Alright, alright. I know there is already a thread about "Are Sith Evil?" and I know there is another about "Are Jedi Evil?". But come on, this is a legit question I have.

So I have been a Star Wars fan since I was a very little kid and a Star Wars nerd since I was a very little kid. So being a nerd I take my time to read about a lot of the characters, places, read the books and comics, and see all the extra movies and television specials (worst moment ever: Star Wars Christmas Special. Shivers).

My brother-in-law is also a Star Wars fan but hasn't looked so deeply into it. So when he has a question he asks me. One question he always brings up that I can't find myself giving a straight answer for is, "Aren't both Jedi and Sith evil?".

I mean are they? Well let's take a minute to analyze them real fast.

So the Jedi are the peacekeepers. They are tasked with defending the Republic and all the innocent civilians within it.

The Sith, on the other hand, want to rule the galaxy and take it over from the Republic.

Well to get an understanding of why we have to look at the two core elements. The first is the obvious one, the Sith are Dark Side and the Jedi are Light. This is obviously going to cause conflict between the two. The other element is why the Sith are, well, Sith.

It's said that the very first Sith, Dark Jedi who were exiled to Korriban, were Jedi. The Jedi is a religion that focuses so heavily on the Light Side of the Force that eventually some Jedi began questioning, "Why only use the light?". Pretty good question. Well the answer, or at least the one Jedi usually give when someone asks that question, is that the Dark Side corrupts your mind and you become a shadow of your former self.

This is the point where my answer to this question is lost. At first I do think the Sith are evil, I mean they are so bent on taking over they are willing to do anything for it. But at the same time I do feel the Jedi are evil. Look at it this way: The Jedi created the Sith. Because they didn't want to play with unknown power, they exiled the 'Dark Jedi' and created the Sith.

Then again my point is lost once more, since I realize that the reason why the Sith are so bent on ruling because the Republic betrayed them. But wait, if you were betrayed by your entire government you would want some revenge too right? Is it so wrong that they had feelings of revenge afterwards? It's something that you really have to think about.

Then the argument I get for this is that the Dark Side corrupted them into wanting revenge. I would say yes but there is actually a quote from Episode I that contradicts this. "At last we will have our revenge." That was said by Darth Maul while he and the emperor discussed the fact that they were close to starting a war with the Republic and close to making themselves, the Sith, known once more. This quote directly supports the idea that the original Sith wanted revenge against the Republic.

Now onto the Jedi side of things. Usually I will say that the Jedi aren't evil. But there are a few moments where I do believe they are. A good example would be how they handle the moments leading up to the Clone Wars. As tensions between the CIS and Republic were building, the Chancellor was getting nervous and asked if the Jedi would be ready to fight for the Republic. You know what Mace Windu, a Senior Member of the Jedi Council said? "We're not warriors." (If I got that wrong I do know it was along those lines). What?!?!? You aren't warriors!?!?! I'm sorry I believe the title was "Jedi Warrior". I mean what?

So yea not the best of points but one to really consider. The fact the the entire Republic was threatened with war and a Senior Member of the Jedi Order says that they can't fight for the Republic, the same Republic they are sworn to protect with their lives, boggles my mind.

The only other major point I tell people is the fact that they created the Sith. Let me explain this in a simpler way then I did above. The Jedi learned of the Dark Side and stayed away from it, believing it would corrupt them. Several Jedi saw the power and thought, "It's kinda dumb how we can't use it...". So they used it. And because of this the other Jedi, whether because they were scared or jealous of their power wielding friends, decided to exile them instead of working out any sort of compromise. Well that's lame. If you knew the Dark Side had all this power, because let's be honest the Dark Side does have more power then the Light, then why would you exile the very users of it? It just isn't logical.

Regardless of all this I still find myself caught in the middle. I do believe the Sith are evil for wanting to get revenge and keeping the revenge through so many generations. But I also believe the Jedi might be just as evil for allowing the Sith to form in the first place.

So what do you all think? Are the Jedi evil? Are the Sith evil? Are they both?

Also, as a side note, I know the Jedi didn't discover the Dark Side first, it was the Sith Purebloods on Korriban, however the Dark Jedi are considered the first Dark Side Users since they enslaved the Purebloods when they were exiled.

 

[Mrrew]

Isin't it 'Jedi Guardian' and 'Sith warrior'?

Also, to quote Mace Windu; "The Jedi do not fight for the republic, it is a notion built on sand, we fight for civilization, a notion bulit on stone."
Or something like that.

 

[Darren Onyx]

Yea. Either way he was saying he didn't want to fight. Which just annoys me. I mean they are suppose to fight and protect the Republic and he was refusing to do so.

And there are, "Jedi Knights," "Sith Warriors", "Jedi Councilors," "Jedi Warrior," and a few other titles. Both sides have a lot of titles.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

One little fact I must state here. Not a single person of us would know how the Dark Side of the Force changes people. So we have to rely on the canon, which shows us the Dark Side generally makes people evil.

And really, what kind of religion in the world do you find to accept other religions? It's obvious that Jedi don't like Sith and maybe because of the things which the Dark Side does, they have abandoned it?

We can only speculate, so my opinion is that everybody who uses the Light Side is generally good and who uses the Dark Side is generally evil. Because of limitations the Light Side has, a person has to be good... I may have described it in a confusing way, but that's how it is.

And also, when did the Jedi get a Jedi Warrior tag? Warring has never been a Jedi thing, at least according to their titles. They have Knights and Guardians and everything, but it doesn't meant Jedi are warriors. At least to my knowledge. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Mrrew]

Ah, I never heard of 'Jedi warrior', my bad.

And ye' it's annoying, but you can't judge thousands of years worth of Jedi based on one guy. Look at Yoda.

 

[Noamd]

In my mind Jedi are evil in their own ways. Sith run around trying to rule over everything through brute force but Jedi, Jedi essentially kidnap force sensitive kids then mould them into perfect soldiers; No emotion, following what their masters/council say. Even though it's little it's still evil. This is just my opinion.

 

[Darth Veles]

I see both as neutral... Neither side is better or worse than the other.

 

[Nyxie]

#Illuminati.

I tend to look at it in a mix of Qigon's and Vergere's philosophies. Note that the Chosen One never eliminated the Sith. He stopped one man. "Good" and "Evil" are really perspective, and polarities of the same entity.

 

[Darth Carnifex]

*Genocide intensifies.*​

 

[Caulder Dune]

As a rule, Sith are evil, because they are generally selfish, hostile, and destructive. They want what's best for them and nothing else.

As a rule, Jedi are not evil, because they are generally helpful, nurturing, and diplomatic. They just want everyone to get along.

This conversation needs to stop happening, because it makes me worry for the people who keep bringing it up.

 

[Oka Osaa]

As a rule, Sith are evil, because they are generally selfish, hostile, and destructive. They want what's best for them and nothing else.

As a rule, Jedi are not evil, because they are generally helpful, nurturing, and diplomatic. They just want everyone to get along.

This conversation needs to stop happening, because it makes me worry for the people who keep bringing it up.

True but Jedi dont turn because of influence. They turn because they want the power. My theory

 

[Caulder Dune]

True but Jedi dont turn because of influence. They turn because they want the power. My theory

Jedi turn for a myriad of reasons. Most, if not all, are mislead into doing so.

 

[Trenchcoat Man]

This conversation can't stop happening. It's the meta-conflict that contains all other conflicts inside of it. This is the big question you'll always return to, and your answer will reflect how many loops you've taken through the Tarot trumps and the wisdom gained.

Duh.

Anyway, Jedi fall to the Darkside because the'yre people. Additionally, everyone on this board knows what it feels like to "fall to the Darkside." We've all been jealous, greedy, hateful, entitled, or so drunk we've done something we've not been proud of, and rather than admit our ugly, continued down the path in an effort to legitimize it only to be shamed later.

 

[Noamd]

Both Sith and Jedi are evil..... from a certain point of view.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

Jedi are good, Sith are bad.

If you don't like that, then RP your characters in a different way. Do what you want, but Jedi were made to be the good ones and Sith were made to be evil and NFUs were made to be... not sensitive to it?

If you want both of them to be evil, then RP them as so. If you want them both to be good, RP them as so. Chaos is a RP board, for kark's sake. This is the third time this kind of question has been brought out and we can all agree on the fact that it doesn't make it any better but makes it worse, destroying the good stuff this community has done.

 

[Ellie Mors]

Yea. Either way he was saying he didn't want to fight. Which just annoys me. I mean they are suppose to fight and protect the Republic and he was refusing to do so.

And there are, "Jedi Knights," "Sith Warriors", "Jedi Councilors," "Jedi Warrior," and a few other titles. Both sides have a lot of titles.

No, no, and a hundred times no.

There is Jedi Guardian, Sentinel, and Consular. Then there are the ranks within them, the Padawan(Apprentice), Knights(Regular Jedi), and Masters(Members given recognition). Then there is the council. There are no Jedi Warriors, there is no hundred billion titles.

The Jedi exist to preserve the balance of the force, they are not good, they are not bad, they exist solely to keep the dark side of the force at 0.

The dark side corrupts, this is not something made up by Jedi, this is George Lucas canon, and EU has it explained further. The Dark side causes bodily deformations, mental corruption, and a falling into rage, envy, and so on. The light side is more or less emotionless and apathetic to a degree, while the dark side is the embrace of all of your passions. To some the dark side is seductive because it seems more natural, less sterile, and more true to human nature.

And everyone always tells me, "The dark side isn't evil".

I'm sorry, but the force is the force, there is no dark side. You made up the dark side to use it as evil, and as such it is inherently evil.

The Sith are evil, and not because of their desires, but because of what they do and how they do it. This is not conjecture, this is again canon. The Sith were not exiled for using the dark side of the force, because the Sith existed a millenia before the Jedi. The first of the Sith that you are thinking of are Dark Jedi who discovered the pureblood sith and interbred with them and followed their religion of the dark side. They had left the order willingly, not because they were exiled. It was not, and is not, the Jedi way to shun those who use the dark side, it is the Jedi way to try to change them back, and only after they have no other option is it the former.

There were also Sith Lords before the inception of the Jedi, which you can see here.

The reason the Jedi are not good is because they do not do it for the purpose of being good, they do it for the purpose of serving the force above all. (Which they call the greater good).

I could name a million reasons the Sith are evil, but if you don't get that they are already, there is no amount of explaining that will help.
[member="The Onyx"]

 

[Jsc]

Alright, alright. I know there is already a thread about "Are Sith Evil?" and I know there is another about "Are Jedi Evil?". But come on, ...

...And may this asinine discussion never die. *salutes*

 

[Fatty]

Nope, you're all wrong, obviously both sides are potato.


Yummy delicious potato.


Mhmhmhmhm....

 

[Noamd]

[member="The Onyx"] are these enough answers?

 

[Darren Onyx]

I couldn't agree more with everything everyone said. Though I have always been more sentimental for Sith then Jedi and I find both sides are selfish in their own ways.

So great points however I still think both sides aren't "good". If anything they are both neutral and the people within them fall under a certain alignment within the scale.