The Prime Jedi - Last Jedi Discussion

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The Wookieepedia Article

A Mosaic lies in the floor of the first Jedi Temple depicting what Disney's Story Group is calling The Prime Jedi. The first member of the Jedi Order. The picture also contains the essence of the Yin Yang. A balance in the Force.

This thread is about picking apart this specific mosaic and trying to figure out just what exactly it is trying to express. For instance? Why is the Prime Jedi depicted as a single person? Why a sword in their hands? Why a dark orb in the middle of the light? Why a light orb in the middle of the dark? Why is the physical expression for balance found in the act of sitting? Why does this symbol look so much like the traditional Jedi symbol? etc etc etc.

Discuss.

 

[Malok]

It's almost like they're acknowledging something Je'daii.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

"if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi. If you are to become a complete and wise leader you must embrace a larger view of the Force."

​I believe the dogmatic and narrow view of the Jedi was something that came to fruition later on down the line, I believe the prime Jedi is a variation of the chosen one. Whom, understood that the force is a balance. To be a Jedi is to have balance, it's basically just being a good person; remaining vulnerable and in touch with your darker emotions yet being able to control them via discipline and positivity.

FEAR, dominated the jedi in the height of their power. Aka, the jedi of the prequel trilogy. What is luke? Not afraid. He stands, disarmed and embracing the force before the emperor, he's able to control himself. Balance = Control. Which is why Luke was truly a Jedi.

Therefore I think the Prime Jedi was like an example of that balance between rage and serenity. Like the chosen one is supposed to bring balance, it's just balance includes dark just as much light.

That doesn't necessarily mean that there has to be dark and light side force users, just people not being dominated by emotion or dominated by the fear of them.

​

 

[Jak Sandrow]

I like what Luke was almost trying to grasp - the character Luke was so close to figuring out that balance requires equal parts good and bad. I believe, had he actually decided to train Rey thoroughly, he would have realized that a Grey Jedi could exist, one who doesn't allow the dark to flourish, but allows it to continue alongside the Jedi.

I think this was the Prime Jedi - one that would balance both sides of the Force, with a lightsaber neither blue nor red, but the most balanced - grey/white.

 

[Jorus Merrill]

I suspect it has to do with what Yoda taught him about learning from failure and mistakes and imperfections. If that's the case, he was on the same island as the answer the whole time.

There's also a good chance it reflects the balance of the Force between life and death, like he was explaining to Rey.

 

[Er'in Tenel]

You also have the stuff from SWTOR, which they don't have to include but makes perfect sense in this context:

The force is a paradox, it both guides, yet wishes to be controlled.

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@Er'in Tenel

Good thought. Think that stems from Obi-Wan:

"You mean it controls your actions?"

"Partially, but it also obeys your commands."

 

[Green Ranger]

Luke basically went all the way back to the beginning of the Jedi to figure out where he went wrong, and still couldn't figure it out until Yoda more or less spelled it out for him that being a Jedi meant taking the good with the bad and learning from both. The fact that the Jedi Order forbid learning about the Dark Side, and then Luke went on to make the same mistake (and both situations to more or less have the same outcome) has a lot to do with this mosaic.

I don't believe the Force in balance is about using both the Dark and Light Sides of the force in some sort of 'grey' way that is superior. To be brutally honest, I've always believed the whole Grey Jedi idea to be kind of silly. But the Jedi teachings are undeniably flawed in that they avoid teaching students about the Dark Side at all for fear of corrupting them, and it's that lack of knowledge or training that inevitably causes the fall to the Dark Side. And what we find is that Jedi who go through the gauntlet of darkness come out all the stronger for it - Luke in ROTJ is the perfect example, as he learns to put aside his anger and hatred and become a true Jedi only after having been tempted by the Dark Side and resisting it.

So while I disagree that the Prime Jedi depicts a Jedi using both Light and Dark sides of the Force in balance, I think there's something to the idea that they learn to balance themselves - experiencing emotions, but not succumbing to it or being ruled by it, and creating an inner harmony of complementary duality - balancing the darkness and light within themselves to gain true balance.

 

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[member="Darth Metus"] - That would be pretty cool eh. Maybe we'll see more nods to them in the films to come.

[member="The Matador"] - I think you're on to something there. The Jedi dogma of the prequels was definitely strange and unique in it's approach to good and evil.

[member="Jak Sandrow"] - Maybe. We'll see what the Story Group does with it. Though, they haven't favored Grey things thus far. Who knows?

[member="Jorus Merrill"] - I like the simplicity of that. Like how an image can take all the complexities of life and bring them all down to a man sitting.

@Er'in Tenel - SWTOR is a strange, strange animal indeed. One I am only too happy to remain, unfamiliar.

[member="Green Ranger"] - Grey is silly. I'll too easily agree. However, I do enjoy the idea of the Jedi experience being so closely tied to the human experience of our world as well. As if the Prime Jedi was simply this small painted circle that sought to encompass the meaning of human nature, moral agency, and the struggle of the natural world; all in one.

...

Great comments all. Brilliant stuff. Cheers.

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

The image is based from the Chinese Yin and Yang symbol. Nothing new, Star Wars itself has asian influence and philosophy. There is a white dot in the black and a black dot in the white, just like the yin yang symbol. Light and dark are complimentary and is the nature of the order. Yin is lighter and masculine while yang is soft and feminine.

It's two sides of the coin. There is yin and yang in everything.

Such is the Way, the belief of Taoism. A flowing river is yin, but reach the edge of a cliff and it becomes a waterfall, yang. Or is it? Is the flowing river yang because it is soft and the waterfall yin because of its power? Why not both?

Put that into Star Wars, there is the Force. There is good in darkness, darkness in good. Just like there is good in Dark Vader, there is darkness in Luke Skywalker. Only by understanding both light and dark, can one truly understand the Force. There is such a thing as too much darkness or too much light, resulting in imbalance of the Force. A balance is needed to achieve harmony.

So, the prime Jedi is one who is in harmony with the Force.

Just interpreting it from my cultural point of view. I will go with [member="Green Ranger"]'s explanation as something close. There is only The Force. Dark and light are just terms, labels. Even saying you are Grey is a label.

 

[Jsc]

[member="Mariya Fleischer"] - Down with labels! Up with Porgs!