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.

How did I end up here?

Last week, I saw Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D on the big screen or as the cool kids would call it TPM3D.  My buddy Josh and I reminisced before the show about our first experience when TPM3D was just TPM for the first time in May 19^th, 1999.

How did we end up being the first in line for TPM?

Like everything in life, it was a process.  I remember seeing TESB (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) for the first time and just blowing my 5yr old brain away.  I spent hours playing with my Star Wars action figures in my sand box and building sand castles/bases for my Star Wars figures to explore whole new worlds.  We would get new sand every year and it was like finding a long lost treasure as I dig through the sand and find some of my old Star Wars figs that didn’t quite make it back from the last mission.   “Look sir, Droids!” as a famous stormtrooper once said.  I would also put my Star Wars figures in a glass of water and freeze and unfreeze them countless times reenacting my own twisted version of Han Solo in Carbonite.   There were many winters I spent pretending my sled was a snowspeeder racing down the hill dodging the ever imposing AT-AT’s leg from crushing me.

But life moved on and my love for Star Wars faded as I grew older, well I should say it was buried under all that growning up being teenager stuff.  One day, I was in the high school cafeteria and my lunch acquaintance was deeply entrenched in a book, so I was curious on what had him so engrossed.  He simply stated that it was a Star Wars book.  “A Star Wars book?” I questioned quizzically.  He was reading Timothy Zahn’s - Heir to the Empire which came out in May 1992.  He started talking about there was a clone jedi in the book and the Imperial City, Coruscant and I was like I must read this now.  So I have Timothy Zahn to thank for my putting my interest back into Star Wars.  Soon after that the EU (Expanded Universe) exploded with Dark Horse Comics and Del Rey books expanding the Star Wars on amazing levels.

Then came my second jolt, toys. In 1995, Kenner release the Power of the Force 2 Action Figures.  Now I was that 5yr old kid again playing in my sand box, but this time my toys didn’t have broken limbs or sand imbedded in them.  I kept them nice and bought two, (applying the rule of two of the Sith, a master and an apprentice) one to display and one to keep pristine.  It was a sickness or the force, or my addictive nature, but my love for Star Wars was ever present and it never changed.

Around this time, there was rumors that Lucas was thinking about re-releasing the Sacred Trilogy or Original Trilogy with additional footage.  Soon that rumor became reality and in 1997 the 20^th anniversary of a New Hope the Special Editions were released to some controversy because the little tweaks made to the films, but as a rabid Star Wars fan it was just awesome to see them back in the theaters on the big screen.   

Soon after that there were rumblings that a Prequel was planned when in fact Lucas started writing the draft in 1994 for TPM.  The “internet” this new tool of information was all a buzz about when principal photography began.  There were rumors of the film melting in Tunisia aka Tatooine cause it was so hot and that there was a sandstorm and everything was ruined.  Despite all that I try not be distracted because focus on the positive; that there was going to be a new Star Wars film in 16yrs.

Then, which is so common place now, the “trailer” was going to be released on the starwars.com and I would look daily on the internet to gooble up any morsel I could get of TPM.  I wanted to be a purest and I didn’t want to know everything, but I wanted to know everything when it came to the film.  Once the trailer was released, I must have watched it a 1000 times analyzing every single frame of film to see if I can fill in the gaps of what I read and what I felt the story was goig to be.  I went even so far as to see a terrible movie, Wing Commander in March 1999 with Freddie Prinze Jr. just so I can see the trailer on the big screen.

As the countdown, began for May 19^th, 1999, Star Wars was in a fever pitch. The fanboy in was like wait a minute half of this people didn’t know what Star Wars and just along for the ride.  But I felt cool, like you were part of something special when us kids that saw it when it first come out and now going to be able to share that with their kids or just people who never got it the first time around.  Hasbro was releasing the first set of action figures on May 3^rd.  Toysrus had a midnight release and you best believe I was there in line.  A bunch of grown men throwing their money on plastic toys and it was Star Wars nirvana.  It was awesome.

So as the days approached, it was determined that we had to be the first one to see the film. Now granted, I was not going to go as far as camping out for days, weeks, months in front of the Chinese Mann Theater in Hollywood, CA where Star Wars was shown first on the big screen in 1977 to see it first like some dedicated fans were doing.  I still had a day job, but I was going to see it at Midnight.  So we figured out the logistics and had our tickets pre-purchased.  The Paramount Theater in Kankakee, IL was going to be our destination.

Now when I say we, I mean my close friends: Micah, Luke (yes, Luke is a biblical name as one of Jesus’s 12 disciples, but a little bit of me thinks that had to do something with Luke Skywalker) and Josh.   I can’t remember who or how it was decided, but we had to wait in line and get there early.  Of course, we had our ticket and of course we would be able to get in, but this was Star Wars and we wanted to be the first.  There was no plan, there was just like after work we just go wait in line.  And we just showed up, for all thise time to wait, we really didn’t think about it, just had ticket in hand we are ready to go.  In retrospect, you would think we had a better game plan for waiting in line, but I guess we just blinded by the fact we need to see this movie.

Why do people go see bands? When they can listen to them anytime on the radio, digitally or whatever means…it was for that experience to feel the music to soak up the energy to be with people that equally enjoy the music and want to have a good time…the same can be said with going to see a midnight release.  These people are crazy/stupid as you to wait for hours, to see a movie.  And we we were there and just sat and talked and reminisced on Star Wars and had our own theories on the TPM plot.  Of course, being the resident expert on EU, I had some serious backing to my theories but again, there was still that unknown….

As time progressed, people showed up some more prepared then us, but we were the first and that all that mattered.  As the sun faded, and the lights began to turn on, the marquee was changed to read to read simply Star Wars.  It was finally here, now the line began to wrap around the building it was 100 strong, and we would take turns and walk down and see all the costumes the bad and the good and see everyone as excited as us.  The local paper interviewed us and we super stoked we are going to be in the paper, local celebrities, ha.  Instead of your local hopped up cars, blasting rap music ….now it was Imperial March being blasted to roars of the crowd waiting along the building.

About 9pm, the energy was electric and the anticipation was overwhelming.  By 10pm, they let us into the theater and we were the very first and the Force guided us to our prime seating of course.  Like a heard of Banthas, we invaded the theater.  The theater was filled with every walk of life, just as Star Wars with unique and interesting characters.  The staff was doing its best to get everyone to push in cause it was packed house.  Everyone had their toy lightsabers out and making their Star Wars sounds and quote references.  The staff a let a couple people on stage for a costume contest.  We even had a couple peeps get on the stage and do a little lightsaber.  A fanboys dream, a dude in a Yoda costume got on his knees and fought the infamous Darth Vader entertained the crowd with a fierce lightsaber battle.  Everyone wishing they could control time with some power of the Force, desperately looking at their watches and phones…waiting for time to change, but despite their best efforts, the clock still clicked a second at a time.

Finally at 12:01 am - May 19th, 1999 was upon us….then the 20th Century Foxfanfare came on with wild cheers of 500 people strong, then LucasFilm popped up and then the roar got louder and there is this second pause and the screen goes pitch black and my heart skipped a beat when the famous John Williams score started and Star Wars flashed upon the screen, and a tear of joy was shed as a new Star Wars, a new generation of fans was going to happen, and once again, I was that 5yr old boy seeing The Empire Strikes Back  for the first time….pass the popcorn please.