Spoilers The Controversial Star Wars Opinion Thread

[David cgc]

Whether or not the sides of the Force even exist at all would seem to be a fairly important distinction, one that alleged Jedi instructors would presumably want to weigh in on. Yet nobody ever takes the opportunity to correct Luke on this point, and the films somehow manage to avoid providing any evidence at all for the revisionist "Luke was wrong" narrative. Why? Because Luke's dialogue is consistent with what Lucas has said and written about the Force.

Really? You think Yoda would've stopped to explain in detail why Luke wasn't framing his question in the prececisely correct way? This Yoda, in this conversation?

LUKE Is the dark side stronger?​

​

YODA No... no... no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.​

​

LUKE But how am I to know the good side from the bad?​

​

YODA You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.​

​

LUKE But tell me why I can't...​

​

YODA No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions.​

Yes, this definitely sounds like a tiny green man who is itching to go into a five-minute lecture on the precise reasons why casually referencing a "good side" could imply the existence of a capital-letters "Light Side" which the Jedi have an equivalent relationship to as the Sith do to the Dark Side, and so is incorrect and could perpetuate a superficial and misleading understanding of the Force and the Jedi religion's relationship to it.

 

[Set Harth]

It doesn't take five minutes to say "there is no good side". And the only one who cares about capital letters is you.

 

[fireproof78]

Really? You think Yoda would've stopped to explain in detail why Luke wasn't framing his question in the prececisely correct way? This Yoda, in this conversation?

LUKE Is the dark side stronger?​

​

YODA No... no... no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.​

​

LUKE But how am I to know the good side from the bad?​

​

YODA You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.​

​

LUKE But tell me why I can't...​

​

YODA No, no, there is no why. Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions.​

Yes, this definitely sounds like a tiny green man who is itching to go into a five-minute lecture on the precise reasons why casually referencing a "good side" could imply the existence of a capital-letters "Light Side" which the Jedi have an equivalent relationship to as the Sith do to the Dark Side, and so is incorrect and could perpetuate a superficial and misleading understanding of the Force and the Jedi religion's relationship to it.

Agreed. The Force is connected to life itself. It's why I've seen arguments against use of Force lightning because it's meant to deliberately inflicted suffering and pain and inhibit the function of life itself.

The Dark Side offers a faster way to selfish power, antithetical to the way life unfolds.

 

[Set Harth]

If you have a dark side, you have a light side by simple subtraction.

 

[Nerys Myk]

If you have a dark side, you have a light side by simple subtraction.

Less dark.

 

[cooleddie74]

But enough of an opposite that it encourages its users to pursue selfish goals of power accumulation and the acquisition of wealth and influence.

 

[fireproof78]

If you have a dark side, you have a light side by simple subtraction.

Unless darkness is simply the absence of light.

But enough of an opposite that it encourages its users to pursue selfish goals of power accumulation and the acquisition of wealth and influence.

Well, if one takes Yoda at his word (in this crowd probably not), life gives the Force energy and makes it grow. But, even within life systems you have parasites, toxins and hoarding behavior that are a detriment to other life. While a poor analogy I think the Dark Side amplifies negativity already there and causes problems to the system because the Dark Side already occurs naturally but in Dark Side users it's amplified effect.

 

[Set Harth]

Unless darkness is simply the absence of light.

What do you call the part of the living Force that is not the dark side?

 

[fireproof78]

What do you call the part of the living Force that is not the dark side?

The Force.

 

[Set Harth]

But it's not the whole Force, because the dark side is also the Force.

 

[fireproof78]

But it's not the whole Force, because the dark side is also the Force.

What's the whole Force? According the films and shows as the books go their own way at times.

 

[Ithekro]

Is it two sides of the Force, or is it two different ways to access the Force. Just one has a tendency to corrupt not only the user but the Force itself?

 

[Set Harth]

Is it two sides of the Force

yes

 

[fireproof78]

Is that an absolute?

 

[Reverend]

Is it two sides of the Force, or is it two different ways to access the Force. Just one has a tendency to corrupt not only the user but the Force itself?

So far as I understand it, it's neither really. It's more like two aspects of the same thing; they exist as intrinsic properties regardless of how temporally limited living beings might access it.

The light is that part of The Force that is selfless and seeks balance, the dark is that which is selfish and seeks chaos. What trips some people up is the idea that the dark is intrinsically evil, and the light is intrinsically good, where both are amoral cosmic forces. The dark does however attract evil, like moths to a flame (and with similar results for the "moths".) Conversely the light ultimately rewards those that walk it's much more difficult path. Not because it's good, that's simply it's nature.

Now this doesn't mean that one should be using both equally (though the Sith would disagree.) The dark side is still an inherently destabilising influence; it's in it's nature to be so. You don't get to just dip in and out of it at will without a cost, because the dark is selfish and will always take something. One of many reason why the concept of "Grey Jedi" for example is both asinine and self defeating. The Force is not forgiving of anti-heroes. Just ask Ventress how that story goes.

 

[fireproof78]

 

[Nerys Myk]

What do you call the part of the living Force that is not the dark side?

Harold

 

[FredH]

Opinion: In today’s world, there is NO alternate version or story that might have been made as the Star Wars sequel trilogy — none — that would not overall have received the same rough level of rejection and vitriol that the produced ones did. Doesn’t matter who wrote them, how the story went, who lived or died, or how much work was put into them. By and large, the response is predetermined.

 

[Turtletrekker]

The Force is the Force. The darkness comes from the Force wielder's own weaknesses.

 

[cooleddie74]

This never gets old.

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