Saga Why did the Jedi want to bring balance to the Force?

During the Prequel trilogy, the Jedi wanted to bring balance to the Force, in accordance with a prophecy. There seemed to be a general agreement that this was a 'good thing', but a disagreement with the assertion that Anakin was the one to do it.

Why did the Jedi Council believe it was good to bring balance to the Force? The Republic was mighty (in theory), the Council was established as THE source of Force users, the Sith were thought extinct, and the number of Dark Jedi was apparently very, very low.

It seemed, for all intents and purposes, as if the Force was strongly imbalanced in favor of the Light side...so why did the Council want to 'balance' it?

 

I think it is because imbalance is usually bad and balance is good. Just look at most religions, philosophies and older medical knowledge.

 

I don't think they really did want to at first, which is partly why they were so reticent about Anakin. They thought everything was pretty much Kool and the Gang, to quote Mace Windu. It wasn't til later on that they started to consider that matters were amiss with the Force. The shroud of the dark side has fallen etc.

 

The Republic was far from mighty. It didn't have it's own military, the Senate was rife with corruption, and simple trade disputes led military conflicts. The Jedi, despite their history, weren't really trusted by the citizens of the Republic because no one outside the Jedi really understood them. The Force wasn't in balance because of the negative energy created by everyone else in the galaxy. Lying, greed, slavery and violence were all rampant throughout the galaxy, the Jedi were the one group devoted to improving the lives of others. The Sith, throw this equation further into the dark side by their mere existence, so perhaps even though they were perceived as being "extinct" the Jedi could still feel the fact that there was difference in the Force. As Gamiel said, balancing the Force may be akin to achieving enlightenment in religion, you just kinda know it when you feel it. And the Jedi hadn't felt it, so they knew it hand't come yet.

 

In general, nature strives for balance

It's seen in even very simple concepts like osmosis, diffusion, Newton's Third Law, etc

 

The question of "balance" in the force comes up often, and I think it is mostly due to people's interpretation of the word "balance" in general. As far as the question itself.

• Balance in this context is referring to the darkside throwing the force out of its natural state. It is not referring to an equal amount of light and dark. This seems to be one of the most misunderstood concepts in Starwars. Lucas has referred to the Darkside as a cancer on the force, and I think that is very fitting.

When people are sick and say "my body is out of balance;" it is out of balance because you have a virus or illness; no one is saying "The virus makes up a small part of my body, it needs to grow stronger so my body can be balanced." Instead it is about the natural state of the body being disrupted. By getting rid of the virus, your body goes back into balance.

• The Jedi in the prequels know something is wrong. Even though they believe the Sith are gone, they still can sense the darkside growing. I don't believe the Jedi refused to train Anakin because they feared he would bring balance, they refused to train him because they didn't believe he was really the chosen one, or that the prophecy was fully understood.

• The Jedi in the prequels represent the "lightside" however, they are presented as flawed purposefully. The whole point is, that while they are "good guys" they lack a balanced understanding of the force and instead have found themselves in a position where they no longer have a proper perceptive. A big example is, they see love as a possible path to the darkside so they reject it all together. Instead of learning how to cope and understand their flaws to overcome them, they have tried to ignore them. Those are the kind of ways they had become "unbalanced," but they were unable to fully understand that until it was too late. That is what Luke is able to show Vader, and partly why balance is finally brought to the force.

 

They wanted the Force to pass a sobriety test.

 

They were reticent because they couldn't see into his future, not because they didn't believe in the prophecy.

 

Not that they didn't believe in it. More, initially, that they didn't think it needed fulfilling at first. They seemed pretty content to me to begin with.

 

The Council had rejected the Chosen One at first...
But when they had confirmed the Sith came back, they finally accepted him...

So, the Council must have seen the Sith as an unbalance.....

 

I don't think the Jedi did bring balance nor do I think they really wanted to.

 

There is also that Anakin blow up the 'Federation's battleship by himself, something that really pointed to him being a bit more guided by the Force then most.

Can you expand on why you think that?

 

Firstly, the Jedi are way to stringent and restrictive. Secondly, they are arrogant in assuming they are top dog and all is right within and without their tiny Order. Thirdly, look how poorly they handled Anakin. The Jedi needed balance *themselves* way before they can even consider bringing it to the galaxy.

 

I don't think they didn't think it needed fulfilling. They just didn't really put a whole lot of stock in things being so bad. Yoda was the only one who seemed to sense something was off which is why he said, "Hard to see the dark side is."

 

I would not say that that they assumed the "all is right within and without their tiny Order" since they do say things like -

Yoda: The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is.

Obi-Wan: But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him... well arrogant.
Yoda: Yes. Yes. A flaw more and more common among Jedi. Too sure of themselves they are. Even the older, more experienced ones.

 

The Jedi want balance because they respect the will of the Force.

...and of course, they want a healthy universe.

 

It wasn't. It was imbalanced in favor of the dark side.

It does refer to the light and dark sides on equal footing ( the dark no longer ascendant ).

He never said that.

 

Guess you better call up George Lucas and Wookieepedia and let them know they are making false statements:

"The dark side is always there. It is experienced daily by people. It is like a huge cancer, alive, festering—both a reminder of a moral state and, at the same time, symptom and symbol of a very sick society."

--George Lucas, “The Mythology of Star Wars,” Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth DVD, 2001

Many fans incorrectly assume that balance refers to an equal mix of both light and dark side users. However, as George Lucas explains in the introductory documentary for the VHS version A New Hope, Special Edition, this is not the case:
"[...] Which brings us up to the films 4, 5, and 6, in which Anakin's offspring redeem him and allow him to fulfill the prophecy where he brings balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith and getting rid of evil in the universe..."

In an interview, Lucas compared the difference between the light and dark sides as being like the difference between a symbiotic relationship and a cancer. A symbiotic relationship is one which benefits both parties and in which neither is harmed, whereas a cancer takes without giving back, eventually causing the death of both parties

-- From Wookipedia

 

Wookieepedia is the work of random anonymous people. It contains various inaccurate assertions, some of which are totally unsourced, and if someone edits it to better reflect the facts, the edit doesn't last. The page is merely re-edited back to its original state. I don't think a phone call's going to help matters.

"The Mythology of Star Wars" can be watched, in its entirety, on vimeo. It does not contain that quote. At this point no actual original source containing that quote has emerged.

It is inappropriate to read that quote entirely literally for several reasons. For one thing, Anakin isn't redeemed by his children plural, but by one specific child. That's Lucas speaking imprecisely. This tendency toward imprecision also appears in "getting rid of evil in the universe", which some people seem to have read as "getting rid of all evil in the universe". Except no such thing occurs in ROTJ, nor is it reasonable in any way for the audience to believe that it did. Throwing a Palpatine down a hole doesn't magically remove the presence of all evil in the galaxy. It doesn't even get rid of all the Imperials. But the point is that "the dark side is a cancer on the Force" doesn't appear anywhere in that quote. Lucas never said that, as it conflicts with his view of the Force.

The Sith and the dark side are not the same thing. Thus, it is invalid to substitute one for the other. So a statement about the interpersonal dynamic between the Sith does not transform into "the dark side is a cancer".

 

Agreed, arrogance is certainly evident on th epart of younger and older Jedi, even extending to the Jedi Council.

In answer to the OP's question, I dont think the Jedi do want to bring balance to the Force. They don't even believe/think/know its out of balance. If you take the appearance of Anakin as a result of a convergence in/of the Force, its the Force that is seeking balance not the Jedi.

 

They do; this is evident in their dialogue.

They do. They say so outright.

These things are not mutually exclusive.

 

And what do you mean by that? Did the Jedi cause the appearance of Anakin?

 

The will of the Force and the Jedi can both seek balance.

 

Thats if you:
1 - believe that the Force has a "will" rather than a natural equilibirum that when out of kilter natrurally realligns itself
2 - believe that the Jedi's perception of balance and balance in the Force are the same.

In both cases, I dont believe.

I dont believe the Force has a "will" but rather a natural state of balance, a balance which is, during the PT, out of kilter and requires rebalancing hence the "production" of Anakin. Neither do I believe that the Jedi's perception of balance is the same as balance in the Force. Their view of balance is biased by their "doctrinal" viewpoint.

 

And why do you believe this?