Jedi Poodoo!

Here's the last blog I posted before my final ban. It's pretty good, I suppose, but not the best I've ever done. In any case, it was fun to write, and I hope it's fun to read!


Snips: Welcome, Mr. Nerak Enivob! Thank you for joining us today.

Nerak: A pleasure to be here. I almost thought you weren't going to do this interview, the way you seemed to be kind of...uh...lax for so long.

Snips: Wouldn't miss it for the galaxy and everyone in it! Actually, it helps that my Star Wars: Galaxies character's had a glitch and I wasn't able to play for a day and a half. Anyway, we already know about obsession with the game.

Let's start with the reason you're here! Why are you here, Mr. Enivob?

Nerak: Because I'm a rational and logical human being who's going to enlighten you as to the evils of your judgment?

Snips: I believe you have our roles reversed.

Nerak: Oh, oh, I see. I'm here because I've decided I don't like Jedi.

Snips: Don't like Jedi?

Nerak: Nope, not at all. Would be safe to say that I hate them.

Snips: And when did this hatred of Jedi start?

Nerak: Well, right of the bat, they never really impressed me. Like most people, I saw the OT first, and I didn't really take to Luke, Ben, or even Darth Vader.

Snips: Why's that?

Nerak: Luke was a wimp, Ben was a liar, and Vader was a washed-up maniac who didn't know what he wanted.

Snips: Ok, we'll start with Luke. Why do you say he was a wimp?

Nerak: Because when he had the opportunity, he should've just killed the Emperor and ended it all. Or joined Vader and destroyed the Empire from within. He just didn't have the guts to do that. He grew up on a farm, raised by people who did everything in their power to shelter him because they didn't want him to grow up to be like his bipolar father. Not exactly hero material.

Snips: Sounds to me like somebody's having a hard time with the difference between the light side and the dark side.

Nerak: Ah...they're both just words that mean the same thing. At least those who say they "use the dark side" are honest enough to admit that they're using magical powers to serve themselves.

Snips: Mr. Enivob, it seems like you haven't been paying attention to anything that was said or done during any of the films! No difference between the dark side and light side? Let's think about that for a second.

There's more than one way to channel the Force. Doing so by use of anger, hatred, pain, jealousy, or any other negative emotion is, by nature, the dark side. Doing so out of an aloof compassion that focuses on your place relative to the Force is, by nature, the light side. These are not the same thing.

I bring to your attention this guy, [url=http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/6181/312939-attonpromo_large.jpg]Atton Rand.[/url] The picture you just saw was of Atton on the light side. Now here's Atton on the [url=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/2/27/Attondsportrait.jpg]dark side[/url]. As you can plainly see, the dark side is a destructive force that plays havoc on the Force-user and his surroundings.

Nerak: Who's to say what's destructive and what's not? The Jedi serve a corrupt and volatile government.

Snips: Wrong again, Nerak. The Jedi don't serve a government.

Nerak: The Republic--

Snips: --is not the government. What's the greatest representation of civilization in the whole galaxy? The Republic. What do most galactic citizens depend upon to protect them? The Republic. Why do they trust that their lives are stable? The Republic. By serving the Republic, the Jedi don't serve a government. They serve the galaxy, and the Force.

Nerak: And are subject to the whims of politicians who give them the funding they need to continue to exist. Yeah, I see how it is.

Snips: First of all, in the waning days of the Old Republic, the Jedi Order was far from perfect. It was dysfunctional. Too much complacency born from the fact that they were unable to sense things clearly through the Force -- because of the machinations of Darth Sidious -- meant that they did bow to the wishes of many politicians. Just when that was about to stop, of course, Order 66 went down.

Second of all, it's in the best interest of the politicians to keep the cash flowing to the Temple. More training remotes for the younglings mean that they can grow up to save the lives of some of those Senators. Makes sense to me.

And Vader?

Nerak: What about Vader?

Snips: The washed-up maniac?

Nerak: Yeah, well, he was.

Snips: You must remember that Vader is hardly an exemplification of Jedi behavior. He is actually a perfect example of what happens when a Jedi is put out of focus because of attachments.

Nerak: Ben was still a liar.

Snips: Obi-Wan had a hard life, Nerak. There are some who are starting to say that he's overrated, but really, you can't give him enough credit. This is a man who gave his life, his very [i]being[/i] to the service of the Force. In terms of actual strength in the Force, Obi-Wan was not extraordinary. He was quite average. But he was not an average Jedi. This man was all compassion, and he earned his remarkable inner strength through years of heartache. Obi-Wan can never get too much credit.

Nerak: He had a hard life? So it's ok for him to lie?

Snips: Mr. Enivob, did your mom ever lie to you?

Nerak: Uh, yeah, I guess so, but--

Snips: But what? It's the same thing. Ben lied to protect Luke, who wasn't ready for the burden that was yet to be placed upon him. Your mom lied to you for the same reason, only on less-than-galactic scale.

Next question: You stated that you never really felt drawn to Jedi. But when did you begin to really despise them?

Nerak: The Clone Wars. The Clone Wars really made me see how dishonest the Jedi truly are. They're an organization that advertises "peace" and "justice" but go and enslave human beings and force them to fight for a government that doesn't care if they live or die. I don't know what galaxy you're from, but in mine, we call this "hypocritical". Just because they have powers that we mere mortals can't understand, that makes it ok?

Snips: What gives you the impression that the Jedi enslaved anyone?

Nerak: Were the clones paid? Nope. Were they treated with dignity and respect by most of the Jedi? Nope.

Snips: With all the material that's been presented about the Clone Wars, it seems as if it was a conflict that lasted a very long time. Not so at all. Realistically, the Clone Wars only lasted three years, in which the many clone regiments rotated so each and every clone was only subjected to battle for as little time as possible.

In addition, George Lucas has specifically stated -- and it is continually apparent throughout both AOTC, ROTS, and TCW -- that the clones admired and revered the Jedi not just as commanders, but as great leaders. And there was a reason for that; because the Jedi [i]were[/i] great leaders. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Aalya Secura, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Mace Windu, and Yoda, just to name a few Jedi, had great relationships with their troops.

Furthermore, if you consider the history of the Republic, there is nothing whatsoever to suggest that the clones would not be integrated into society after the conclusion of the war.

What is your general impression of the way the Jedi Order trains its members?

Nerak: Well, I can't say I care for it. Have you heard of the Case of Baby Ludi?

Snips: Yes, would you care to explain it?

Nerak: The Baby Ludi custody case was basically a dispute between the Jedi Council and a woman named Jonava Billane over the fate of Jonava's daughter: Aris-Del Wari. There was a massive earthquake on Ord Thoden and a team of Jedi rescue workers found a Force-sensitive child in the ruins of the capital. They were unable to find the kid's parents, so they assumed they were dead and took the girl to Coruscant to be trained in the ways of the Force.

When her mother, Jonava Billane, who was actually very much alive, recovered from her injuries, and learned that her daughter had survived, she traveled to Coruscant to reunite with baby Ludi. By that time, about a year or so had passed, so Jonava had to petition to get her daughter back. But the Jedi Council rejected her petition, arguing that it would now be "too dangerous" to return her child -- now named Aris-Del Wari -- because her mind had been opened to the Force.

Snips: Let's stop here real quick. You mentioned that Jonava had to petition to get her daughter back. What's your opinion on that?

Nerak: That shouldn't have even happened in the first place. This was her child. I don't know exactly how old she was, but she was very young, and her mother obviously loved her. The Jedi have absolutely no right to split up a family, no matter how "dangerous" they think any part of the family might be.

Snips: I don't know about you, Mr. Enivob, but if my mom had lost me in an earthquake, she wouldn't even wait until she'd recovered from her injuries to start thinking about where I am. She'd start searching for me immediately, in any way she could. Jonava apparently didn't do that, so we can assume that her priorities were elsewhere, as was shown later, when she dropped the investigation to review casting for a holo-production being made about the incident.

You see, people love picking on the Jedi -- in that universe and in this one --because they're such food for hatred. We love to hate what we can't understand, and many refuse to understand -- or simply are unable to comprehend -- the good that the Jedi do. Then, you'll probably wonder, why didn't the Jedi make more information about themselves available to the public? Well, even if they did, (and I can't imagine them hiding much about their organization) they would still be subject to such contempt.

Because, even in our own galaxy, it's hard to do good despite the ignorance of others. And that ignorance breeds hatred, and those who hate love to spread that hate around. Many individuals would do anything to quash the goodness of a hero's life and heart with illusions about their motivation. Anyway, I'm digressing big-time, so let's get back to the case.

Nerak: The Jedi Order splitting up baby Ludi's family?

Snips: Yes. Now, imagine for a second that there were thousands of Force-sensitive kids scattered around the galaxy, surrounded by uncontrolled emotions that they perceived in ways they couldn't understand, and individuals incapable of comprehending or nurturing the power and innate intelligence that the children carried. That's what the situation would be if the Jedi didn't take these children and educate them.

And it's often made to sound as if the Jedi broke into homes during the night and stole the kids out from under their parents' noses/tusks/beaks/etc. This is not the case. Many parents often dreamed of having their kids trained by the Jedi, especially if they were unable to provide for them. It was considered a great honor to have kids in the Order, where they would be given the best education in the galaxy, as well as a chance to attempt to attain their full potential.

Nerak: Ludi stayed with the Jedi, anyway. It's not like Jonava had any power against a galaxy-spanning organization of wizards.

Snips: The Jedi have long been regarded the "true heroes" of Star Wars. Would you agree?

Nerak: No, not at all. When the Sith commit murder, it's not ok. When a bounty hunter commits murder, it's not ok. When an assassin commits murder, it's not ok. But when a Jedi commits murder, it's ok?

Snips: Jedi don't--

Nerak: You're going to tell me that Jedi don't murder. Well, that's not true. Anakin murdered Count Dooku.

Snips: Like I said before, you can hardly use Anakin as the pinnacle of Jedi behavior.

Nerak: It doesn't matter. Jedi have shown time and time again that they're dangerous.

Snips: Everything and everyone has the potential to be dangerous. But everything and everyone also has the potential to do good. The Jedi Order has stood between the galaxy and utter chaos more times than any other organization ever could, despite the hate-mongering ignorance of others.

Do the Jedi always do the right thing? No, not at all. But neither do I. Neither do you. There's always an intriguing moral element that's a significant participant in everything Star Wars, and it never leads us to believe that Jedi are infallible. But they're the good guys. It doesn't stop them from being human.

That's why I love the Jedi. An individual whose heart is shredded by what he perceives as his own failure, but who struggles against this pain and sorrow to forge the next generation of guardians of peace and justice -- that's my idea of a true hero.

Nerak: This is end of the interview, then? You failed to sway me, you know.

Snips: I know. Hatred of specific Jedi and a general aura of doubt and suspicion that seems to follow the Order has been growing greater and greater, especially of late. I only hope that The Clone Wars, which portrays the Jedi as unbridled heroes to our younger fans, will raise said fans with a balanced opinion of these good guys: flawed, but noble. Something to emulate.

Nerak: Now what?

Snips: What do you mean?

Nerak: Are you back to mainstream blogging for a while?

Snips: Yes, this is the end of this small blog duology. And I'll be back to mainstream, one-shot blogs. Well, as mainstream as anything of mine can get.

Nerak: Oh dear.

Snips: You got that right. Until next time!