Is the Force Good or Evil?

I am sorry I have been slacking lately, hard to get these out weekly but doing my best.  This turned out to be a larger subject then I imagined.  The subject I would like to discuss this week is ....can the Force only be good or evil?  The short answer to this is No.

I would like to take some time to un-package this a lil bit.  Again, in A New Hope you are really decompressing everything through Luke's perspective.  So as he hears or sees it, so are you.  The other fun part is that you got Han Solo who's grounded;  the particular and reasonable one of the bunch.  Your Space Cowboy but one that brings the reality to the whole situation even though everything around him doesn't seem real. More on that later....

So the first time you get an idea about the Force is from Obi-Wan and he tells Luke "Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." - A New Hope   The idea of the Force is really Luke's spiritual journey as well as the hero's journey.  The odds are not great.  As Han Solo would say never tell me the odds.  Luke and the rest of the galaxy are under some great distress and the Empire/Emporer has a firm control of the galaxy.  "The Force evolved out of various developments of character and plot. I wanted a concept of religion based on the premise that there is a God and there is good and evil. I began to distill the essence of all religions into what I thought was a basic idea common to all religions and common to primitive thinking. I wanted to develop something that was nondenominational but still had a kind of religious reality."―George Lucas on the Force

I think it is very interesting that you see a decline in the Force and then a resurgence in the Force.  I can not mention that with out stating the obvious.  The new movie is coming out it is in the title..The Force Awakens.  There is going to be an awaking in the Force. 

Getting back to Lucas's idea of the Force, holds true in today's society as well.  The common people might have never encountered a Jedi or Sith or any Force Sensitive person.  It goes to almost folklore state.  Plus when the history of the events are controlled, it is easy to forget all things related to that ancient religion.  "The Force was a metaphysical, spiritual, binding, and ubiquitous power that held enormous importance for both the Jedi and Sith monastic orders. Known as the Way in ancient times, the Force was viewed in many different aspects, including, but not limited to, the light side, the dark side, the Living Force, the Unifying Force, the Cosmic Force, and the Physical Force." -Wookieepedia

I think it really important and look at the two codes, first the Jedi:
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.

Now the Sith:
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.

These are two completely different paths and basically built on the opposite of each other.  "Though the Force was categorized in this way, there were no specific abilities or powers that were only usable by a follower of a particular path of the Force; the Force partially existed inside the life forms that used it, and drew energy from their emotions." - Wookieepedia

Again, the question is the Force is split? Is it truly two different sides of the coin.  By just the very creed, you would lean towards, yes.  I have to say no.

 

The reason I like Star Wars so much it definitely reflects our society.  In the comic books and movies, you have good guys and bad guys and some guys that are in between.  In reality,  we are all in between.  The anti-hero became very popular in comics in the 90s. These are your comic book characters such as Wolverine, Deadpool, Hulk, Spawn, Punisher, Lobo to name a few.  Majority of these guys, go by their own code.  Although they can be good, they are not afraid to get their way at a cost.  In most cases, the anti-hero comes across as not a team player but a lone wolf. It is human nature to like the redemption story even with the antihero.  The reason is that black and white polarize people but seeing a person in the grey better themselves makes it more intriguing and relate-able.

Another one of my fascinations is the Walking Dead, the never ending zombie movie.  The thing that is always questioned and always tested what is moral/right when the dead are walking? Rick the leader of the "group".  Turns into from a straight, lace Cop into this alpha male survivor.  As he progresses, he continues to do things and he has to justify.  The reason for this is because the rule book is thrown out the window now.  Cop/Law don't have the same affect on the world where Zombies roam the street.

Every person has the ability to be both good and evil.  In Romans, Paul talks about this in great detail. Paul was persecuting Christians and then God changes his heart and Paul begins to follow God and becomes one of his greatest advocates. Paul continued to struggle with this and states in Romans 7:15 - "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." In James, James talks about taming the tongue. In James 3:5-6  "Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. "   I reference this to say God gives us choice and also there is much grace that God gives us and even though we choose one way to follow doesn't mean we occasionally choose the other side. 

Similarly, Jedi and Sith are established factions with their own moral code.  The Force is a tool for the Jedi, Sith and Force adept to use.  "Though the Force was thought to flow through every living thing, its power could only be harnessed by beings described as "Force-sensitive." This Force-sensitivity was correlated with, and sometimes attributed to, a high count of internal microorganisms called midi-chlorians that were found in a Force-sensitive's blood: the higher the count, the greater the being's potential Force ability, though there were some exceptions to this rule. Force-sensitive beings were able to tap into the Force to perform acts of great skill and agility as well as control and shape the world around them. Sometimes this ability was described as having a strong Force "aura"." -Wookieepedia

"The ways of the Living Force are beyond our understanding… But fear not. You are in the hands of something much greater and much better than you can imagine."―Qui-Gon Jinn

"The strength of the dark side lies with the power of the individual. The Force comes from within. You must learn to draw on it yourself. I will not always be there to teach you."―Darth Bane

So even though people are predisposed to the Force, it doesn't mean that people can not sense it or see its power.  The Force is a tool and by it's very essence an extension of its user.  The simplified version of the creeds is that Jedi are selfless and Sith are selfish.  Could a Jedi think he/she is doing something selfless but really it is selfish?  Absolutely, what if a Sith does something selfless? It could happen.  The predisposition is for that person to continue to do the what they do but human psyche is to complex to pigeon hole it to either good or evil.  The Force is ambivalent to choose sides but merely follows what the person wants from it.   As Shrek eloquently put it to Donkey, orges are like onions....onions have layers.  Orges have layers.  What Shrek was trying to explain to Donkey is that even though everyone sees him as a monster, he is more than that and not defined by people's perception.  Yoda said it the best.  "For my ally is the Force.  And a powerful ally it is."  People are complex and therefore the Force is more then a two sided tool.

Let's peel the layers back a little and take a look at two characters that fall into this category very well, Count Dooku and Quinlan Vos.  

Count Dooku was born at Serenno into wealth, Like many Jedi prospects he was taken early from his family and was raised at the Jedi Temple and led a very dedicated Jedi life for 70yrs.  Dooku was known around the Temple as a Master Swordsmen; one that rivaled Master Yoda and Mace Windu.  In then very next minute he is a Sith Lord? It seems like a stretch.  He is part of the Lost 20.  This can be seen in the Jedi Library with all bronze bust of the Jedi in the Attack of the Clones.  The Lost 20 is the reference too the Jedi that leave the order on their own accord.  The Battle of Galidraan changed Dooku forever and led him to be jaded about the Jedi Order.  It was at this battle where Dooku meets Jango Fett.  Things go wrong and the Mandalorians take on the Jedi and Jedi end up killing 300 Mandalorians.  Jango was the only one to survive the massacre but took out 5 Jedi before being captured.  The senseless killing and how the whole mission was handled led Dooku to the decision of him leaving the Order for good.  Dooku goes back to his homeland, Serenno and reclaims his wealth and the title Count.  While Dooku is recovering, Palpatine reaches out to Dooku.  Like the Devil he is, Palpatine twists the truth and plays on Dooku’s pain to have a fallen Jedi in his pocket.  Dooku becomes Palaptine’s right hand man.  Dooku is pulled in quickly to the Dark side and loves the freedom and power it gives him.  He is on board with Palpatine’s manufactured war and does not mind being the face of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.  Palpatine being the puppet master he is pulling all the right strings.  No better way to have a Fallen Jedi leading the charge on how the  Republic is corrupt and needs control and order.  Dooku doesn't realize that he is being played as a puppet until the very end on the deck of the Invisible Hand.  Dooku following the Rule of Two knows he is next in line to control this new Empire. The problem is he is not the end game, Skywalker is.  Palpatine sets the bait of being captured and Dooku is ready to end the Jedi.  Except the tides turn as Palaptine slyly plants seeds in Anakin to make decisions against the Order and to end the Clone Wars.  Palpatine says kill him and Dooku realizes he just got duped and Anakin just replaced him.  

I say this because how does a 70 yr old Jedi becomes pure evil over night and taps into a different Force? Dooku does start down the path of being selfish and looking for structure and order but is he not the same person? He is in his mind eye feels freedom in his decisions but I don't think he is evil.  Again, the Force is an extension of his will.  He displays that he can use Force Lightning (prominent power of the Dark Side against Yoda and Yoda does not use this but counters with Force absorb.  Are these powers absent on one side or the other? No, but because of the very nature of it one is more aggressive than the other.

Quinlan Vos is a Kiffar and has the power of psychometry.  The ability to see things by touching objects.  It is native to his species but obviously enhanced as a Force user.  Vos has a somewhat muddle back story but based on new Canon is essential your black Ops jedi.  You meet Quinlan in episode in the Clone Wars and he has the swagger of Han Solo and has playful banter then non other than Obi-Wan.  The interesting plot point in Dark Disciple book is Vos sent to kill Dooku or really aid his defunct Dark Acolyte, Asajj Ventress in doing so.  It doesn't seem like a very Jedi way, but the manufactured Clone Wars had put a lot of current Jedi principles in questions and puts Jedi Masters as War Generals.  Vos by his very nature doing covert work is riding a thin line of being very well, Sith. Vos personal endeavor is to find out who is over Dooku in the process gives into the Dark Side and fights alongside Dooku.  Also in the process, shows that he has feelings for Ventress.  Again, this is a Jedi Master sworn to the Jedi Order.  How undercover is undercover? There is several times that Obi-Wan questions the council and say did we really put a hit on Dooku and sent one of our best man to the Dark side?  There is redemption in Vos but again the Force he taps into is the same regardless if he is on the Light or Dark side.   How can the Force be to separate forms?

Finally, back to Han Solo.  The Space Cowboy that has seen everything in the galaxy.  As Luke is practicing with his lightsaber/remote, Han says his famous line. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."  What Han is simply stating is my gun and this ship is real, what I see exists not what I can't see.  Fast forward 30 plus years and as we see in the latest trailer of the Force Awakens,  an older wiser Han is talking to Finn and Rey and says "It's true. All of it. The dark side. The Jedi. They're real".  The realist turns into a believer? The Force is a powerful ally, indeed.

Why the Prequels saved Obi-Wan Kenobi

I apologize for the delay, but life got in the way and I couldn't get this out right away on time.

I am going to get this off of my chest right away after Return of the Jedi, I hated Obi-Wan Kenobi.

My 8yr old head could not wrap my head around the fact that a Jedi, Obi-Wan could lie to Luke. In The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader drops the most quoted line in all of pop culture...I am your Father.  This cliffhanger is so critical in the Star Wars Mythos. It really hard to put into words how much ripple effect this has not only from audience perspective but movie making in general.

From Luke's perspective and you as the audience member know very little about Anakin Skywalker and the lineage.  Obi-Wan gives a crash course to Luke: that he was a freighter pilot, fought in the Clone Wars together and he was a good friend.  Obi-Wan pauses just for second there in his recollection.  There is sadness all in that little pause and it is absolutely powerful.  Obi-Wan states that Darth Vader murder his father. So Luke set on his path on becoming a Jedi and taking on this Evil Sith Lord.  Luke gets another crash course on the light and dark side of the Force in Dagobah from Master Yoda.  Luke's understanding of the Force in a very navie.  Basically, me good Vader bad

...but there is a twist, the Cave.  Luke goes into this temple in Dagobah and sees Darth Vader in all his menacing glory.  Luke does a quick lightsaber battle and goes for the Death blow and lops off Vader's head, it blows up and it reveals the face of ....Luke Skywalker. It is great foreshadowing that Evil is present in Skywalker family and if Luke is not careful he will become what he wants to destroy.

In ROTJ,  Luke reconnects with Obi-Wan (Jedi Spirit Mode) after Yoda passes away.  Obi-Wan says "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. What happened to your father was my fault... from a certain point of view. Anakin was a good friend. When I first met him, your father was already a great pilot. But I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong. During the Clone Wars, it wasn't long before the Emperor sensed Anakin's powers and lured him to the Dark Side."

It is right there it just devastated me that what Vader said was true and that Luke has to kill his father.  It is hard to understand that Vader took down the Jedi and now the only living Jedi has to take down the main bad guy and it is his father you know, no big deal.  So after this exchange between to Luke and Obi-Wan doesn't really provide any closure and it is a little raw and so ever since that point I am like no Obi-Wan for me.

When the Prequels were announced and I am finding out there is going to be a younger Obi-Wan involved.  I was like I don't know how this is going to pan out. Then you hear Ewan McGregor was cast for the role and I get a little bit more excited.

What Ewan does to the role from acting perspective is fantastic, he mimics Sir Alec Guinness role to a "T" and Ewan develops the same mannerisms that was already present in the Original Trilogy.  Besides, Qui-Gon Jinn who had a very limited run, Obi-Wan is definitely my 2nd favorite character in the Prequels.

Star Wars is never known for its writing, but George Lucas does a very good job on portraying Obi-Wan's maturity over the 3 films.  You have a brash but wise Jedi when you meet him in Phantom Menace.  It is Qui-Gon's death that accelerates a lot of things for Obi-Wan. He was just a padawan and then Qui-Gon's dying wish is to train, Anakin Skywalker.  Yoda sees something there and allows it to happen.

In Attack of the Clones, you see a bearded Obi-Wan and looking more Jedi then ever.  You can see the same Brash Jedi in Anakin and Obi-Wan tries to hold him at bay.  There is not much he can do, because Anakin is very powerful, but he wants to be mature but he is not.  Obi-Wan shows wit and charm at the right times and his sarcasm is top notch.  After Anakin loses his lightsaber in the chase of Padme's assassin Obi-Wan says "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"
Anakin smiles and responds "Don't say that, master. You're the closest thing I have to a father."

In Revenge of the Sith, that opening sequence space battle over Corcuscant is one of my favorites. It really shows that Anakin are brothers in the Force and are completely in sync with one another as they fly over the battlefield.  Again, Obi-Wan's wit shows through after they rescue and crash land General Greivous ship after "Another happy landing."

One of my favorite scenes in ROTS is when everything is on a downward spiral and Obi-Wan is reaching out to Padme to find Anakin. Kenobi: He was decieved by a lie... we all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war! After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice.
Padmé: I don't believe you. I can't...
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Padmé, I must find him.
Padmé: You're going to kill him, aren't you?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: He has become a very great threat.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Anakin is the father, isn't he?
Obi-Wan Kenobi: I'm so sorry.

Obi-Wan shows how much love and care he has for the both of them and it doesn't take a Jedi Master to understand there is something more going on between Anakin and the Senator from Naboo.

Like the opening sequence, the end you get this huge lightsaber fight with Anakin and Obi-Wan.  You can tell they are equals and that they did this 1000 times as Master and Apprentice but now it is much more at stake, Jedi vs Sith. At the end, Kenobi: You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness.
Anakin Skywalker:  I hate you.
Obi-Wan: You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you.

Obi-Wan shows his hand. Even though Jedi are not supposed to have attachment...he knows Anakin has it with Padme and he is showing that he also has this attachment with Anakin and it is a little bit more then just Master and Apprentice. 

And this is the point, this is where the Prequels saved Obi-Wan for me.  I can not imagine the pain and torment that Obi-Wan had to go through as he replayed that fight and all the things he could have done when Anakin was under his direction as a pupil.  It would have drove many people mad.  You still see this tenderness in him as he interacts with Luke, but you also get this sense of him holding back.  As I rewatch, the Original Trilogy I like Obi-Wan a lot more and the sting of his words don't hurt as much as they did in the past.

It is cliche, but it is so true never judge a person until you walk in their shoes. Sometimes you need a little more perspective before you pass judgment on someone.  I am sorry Obi-Wan that I doubted a truly wise and powerful Jedi Master. 

Next week, I will tackle is the Force good and evil?