Balance of the Force- a new theory

The assumption being that, in the end, the Will of the Force trumps all, sort of like a "God's plan" dynamic.

 

I know what you mean, but the will of the force gives the conotation that the force created Anakin - not that it was just something that was predestined. Most people would be p***** if you say God's plan involved Hitler or 9/11.

 

Good point. Now that i think about it, i never heard anyone say that the prophecy was about bringing balance and destroying the sith until after the sith came back. Did someone put words in a dead prophets mouth?

And to stray a little bit off topic....let me just say that "the prophecy" used to really bug me because people used it as an argumentative point a little too often considering we have no idea what that prophecy actually is. But thats my favorite part about it now. It's a written document (or something) that exists only theoretically and in passing reference...and i think thats pretty damn cool. The possible interpretations are pretty much endless.

 

In other words, Mark, the beauty is in the mystery; a central concept of SW, unexplained and inexplicable.

 

When you really consider it, the Sith are not given a choice in the matter. When you look at galactic history we see the first "Dark Lords" being exiled from the galaxy by the Jedi. After that, The Jedi are ready to beat up any Sith Lord that comes by. Naga Sadow of course was the agressor, but it was really almost an outside source. After that we see the Freedon Nadd uprising. These people want to join the Republic, and they want to honor their ancestor. "We must wipe this dark side taint from the galaxy" and all. It's clear that if the Sith want to survive...well...the Jedi must go.

Carnage

 

Not to be a drag, but in canon, it's to destroy the Sith, as Anakin did, as explained by George Lucas. So in-universe there may be questions, but they've been answered for us.

 

Actually, a lot of people say "Everything happens for a reason." Also, few people believe God intervenes in world events directly, and from what we see of the Force it doesn't do that either, it uses the Jedi as intercessors. Perhaps it used the Sith. Maybe Anakin's creation was the sole example of a "necessary dark side act."

::shrug::

Yes, we know from GL that the prophecy involves the destruction of the Sith, and we can assume that the Jedi's certainty implies it's in there somewhere. It's what exactly destroying the Sith mean, or why it brings balance, or what imbalance was to begin with that's in question.

 

I think there's a quote of his out there somewhere where he says it's to destroy the Sith, and that it was the dark side causing the imbalance and by killing the Sith it was to was to bring back balance.

(How many times can I say "Sith" and "balance" in one paragraph? w00t!)

 

Yeah but even when he gives us those quick little explanations i'm still left scratching my head for some reason. I think its a very valid thing to discuss.

 

I?ve never understood the concept of ?destroying the Sith will bring balance to the force?. Sure you can kill Sith lords and destroy Sith holocron but being a Sith is a state of mind that?s why you still have people poping up out there claiming to be Sith.

I?ve always looked at this Balance issue as more of a Jedi problem. The old Jedi order lasting as long as it did just reached a point in which it needed to evolved in order to survive. But instead of adapting the ideals they held so highly, they were then used as a weakness by someone who knew the Jedi well enough that they would not stray from there typical blueprint. The Jedi became so insulated that as an organization they became out of synch with the living force.

Now Anakin Skywalker did play a crucial role in bringing about said balance but only in destroying ?a Sith movement? and clearing a way for his son to restart the Jedi order. I still feel that Luke caters a little too much to the Government and not enough of to the living force, but not as bad as the old order did.

 

...and there's a possibility they'll throw the Force out of whack and have to be destroyed.

Or "the Sith" is referring to Palpatine. Anakin did destroy the Sith. He destroyed Palpatine and redeemed himself, thus destroying Vader. It helps that he died, too. The fact that there were Sith before and Sith after is unimportant, really. Anakin destroyed the Sith where and when he was supposed to.

Or, there's always the idea that the Sith =/= imbalance, but Palpatine's death at Endor brought about Balance.

 

That's what I always get out of his quotes on that. He's pretty consistent on his view of balance. He's always said it's killing the Sith. And Vader "killing himself" also means no more Sith (at the time).

 

Balance is brought about by killing the Sith. Hooray. We know that. The question is why does that bring balance? What is it that's kicking the Force out of balance in the first place? What does imbalance actually mean? What is the dark side? What are the effects of the dark side on the Force? If bringing balance doesn't destroy the dark side, then what does it do? Why Anakin?

Lucas' answers are clear, they're just simplistic.

 

I don't know about the statement that few people believe that God intervenes in world events directly. If you asked a bunch of TRUE Christian followers they probably would say otherwise. I've heard some say that they talk to God and ask him to help them through difficult times and others even say they felt God touch them and give them the strength to face whatever was coming at them. Shrug. I personally do not believe that but I have heard it out of enough people that I won't dismiss it as a load of garbage. On top of that, any in the Jewish Faith or anyone else that truly believes the Old Testament in the literal sense thinks that God has intervened quite often. To not think that God involves himself with affairs here on Earth would mean tossing out the entire Bible.

Carnage

 

Well good luck on finding that, then. He means for it to be simple because it is simple. In his mind, and in the story, SW has alway been a story of good vs evil. To him, imbalance being darkness or evil isn't really something that deep or hard to grasp, I'd bet.

 

But thats why we're here. We want to grasp it more.

 

Not all of us. Some of us just like to crap around.

 

I'm just here for the Katarn jokes.

 

Adopt a hypothetical Jedi perspective temporarily -- the perspective of the prophecy itself. The Jedi (and Lucas) perceive of the their way as in harmony or balance with the Force, or, as Lucas stated, symbiosis.

I can only speculate, but ...
Palpatine built his empire on a substratum of corruption and avarice that'd swelled within the bloated husk of the aging Republic; he laid the esoteric dark side over a prevalent secular dark side. By eliminating the Sith, and their magnum opus, the empire, (the EU remnants notwithstanding, as Lucas probably didn't bear these in mind or didn't consider them significant) Anakin removed this vast concentration of the dark side in the galaxy, tipping the scale to balance.

I think many people try to interpret 'balance' as a moderation between the light and dark sides, but clearly this conflicts with the Jedi view of 'balance'. Instead, i think these people should recognise a new balance-imbalance dichotomy that parallels the light-dark dichotomy.

Oh, and i just made my first post, so hello everyone.

 

When Lucas says "Bringing balance to the Force means destroying the Sith" in interviews, he's talking to the average Star Wars fans out there who have only seen the movies and never read any EU. He's saying this to people who don't know there were a huge number of other users of the Dark Side then just the Sith, or that the Sith rose again. As far as the EU goes, his explanation just doesn't make sense.

 

I agree! He's explaining it so the lamer can understand it. I'm sure even in his non-EU head theres so much more to it. Thats why i get a little frustrated when someone tries to slam the door shut at "this is what Lucas says and thats it, not up for debate." He cant possibly get all of his ideas across in the 15 minute interviews that we see. I bet if you got him at the dinner table talking about Star Wars he would talk your ear off.

 

I'm here for novel spoilers.

 

I was merely positing the questions to illustrate why there's more to be known than "destroying the Sith brings balance." But yes, I agree with you. The Sith didn't necessarily bring about the imbalance, but they totally took advantage of it. The galaxy paved the way for the Sith's rise to power.

And I also agree with your definition of balance, and I think it may be better to think of the dark side in terms of the id or the unconscious rather than a cancer or a sickness. Those are things that should be cured. The dark side cannot be eliminated, but it can be held in check. Someone who's mind isn't working properly is referred to as "unstable" or "imbalanced."

 

I'm just here for the chicks.

 

The difference is that there are some things Lucas says, and then fans argue contradictory things. That doesn't fly. Something like this is explained simplistically - and is clearly a simplification - and so there's plenty fo room to expand or ruminate upon it.