PT David Houghton's article on the PT

Now thats some mental gymnastics...... you're also ignoring this line:
PALPATINE: You are not one of them, Anakin. Don't let him kill me.
MACE WlNDU: Aarrrrggghhhhh . . .
PALPATINE: I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him.
MACE WlNDU: Don't listen to him, Anakin.

Because there aren't enough of them, not because they aren't warriors or capable of being soldiers

 

1. That's not mental gymnastics. Lucas was being consistent with what was written in TESB and ROTJ. That a Jedi who uses fear, anger and hate will feel the dark side and will feel stronger than they were without it. Killing the Jedi in the Temple and the Separatist Council is an extension of that.

2. You forgot this line.

PALPATINE: "Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padme."

That's what he is saying. He has the knowledge of the dark side. He has the ability to help him become all powerful. Powerful enough to learn how to cheat death. Dooku's dead. Ventress is gone. Maul is gone. Talzin is dead. He's the only one left who can teach him the dark side. He is the only one who can help him.

 

Read my post again. You said Leia called him General Kenobi, a military rank. Also unless we are talking of Russia and Israel, nearly every 1st World Country claims Defense first.

 

What they claim and what they do are two different things.
The Jedi have been true to their word. They haven't started any wars. In fact, they've been successful at preventing them until the Sith put the Fore out of balance.

 

The world where I have worked in the US Air Force my entire life.

 

And you don't see the irony....
Ok, I won't go further since it's going to derail the thread.

 

It's funny just an oustretched hand and a "join me" was enough to set up any credible tension that Luke might 'turn' and join Vader. Why? Because we heard Yoda set up the idea of the dark side of the force as partly an overwhwelming intoxicant. Just being near it might burn you.
Luke hadn't done a bad thing in his life, or questioned the Jedi way, yet Yoda and Obi-Wan were scared of losing him.

Later in ROTJ Luke shows a bit of anger while attacking Vader and the Emperor see's this as a potential 'turn' - as if eveything we have seen in the previous movies would make us think there was a possibilty of Luke turning on a dime like that. No of course he won't, but he has to make a point of it, tossing aside his weapon and asserting himself, so we are given dramatically the possibilty that actually just that little chink of weakness might have been a way in.

So the pantomine 'join me' --- " No do't do it !!!" is enough in the other films, wereas a build up over two and a half films is just not realistic for the PT - despite everything, on top of that he should have thought seriously about the relative merits of two schools of thought and working upon this thesis made a carefully considered descision before filling in his ballot paper.

 

IMO this is a very good article. As a critic of the PT, I certainly agree with many of the points and improvements suggested by the author. Don't expect too much support here though, as PT fans can understandably get a little defensive, when they read another critical article about the PT. All that be as it may, IMO the article makes a good case for how Anakin could have been a more relatable character, while making his descent to evil more believable, and also presenting a strong case for how the perception of evil depends on your point of view, adding credence to Anakin's statement, that from his point of view the Jedi are evil, rather than it being a statement from a misguided looney.

 

Except that the film does set up that Anakin thinks that the Jedi aren't as good as he thought that they were. First by having him spy on Palpatine, which goes against the Code and Obi-wan himself all but admits is wrong, but tries to justify it as a by-product of being at war. Then there's the fact that the Jedi don't trust someone who might be willing to do the right thing, regardless of what the constitution says. i.e., Palpatine wants to send a statement that the Republic is not a government to be trifled with and that force must be used to enforce that belief. Finally, Anakin sees Mace Windu about to kill Palpatine, rather than arresting him as he should do. He claimed that he was going to arrest him, then turns around and advocates cold blooded murder of a helpless man, which goes against the Code.

He has every reason to believe that the Jedi aren't the noble institution that he was lead to believe that they were.

 

The article's assumptions are laughable. The Sith are libertarians? Are you kidding me?

 

Yeah strange though I think the Sith would be whatever would suit them best depending on the situation.

 

Because it is a corruption of who and what the Jedi are. Palpatine not only corrupted the Senate, but by forcing this phony war and forcing the Jedi into being the face and leadership of this phony war, he was able to corrupt who and what the Jedi are. From the moment in AOTC where Obi-wan finds out about the Clone Army on Kamino, and the Jedi then take and use that army, the Jedi become a corruption of themselves. Their mission as keepers of the peace now include waging war. The Jedi are essentially waging war on the Republic to keep the peace. Mirroring the old saying about Vietnam, burning a village to save it.

bran