What if I told you that the Empire in Star Wars, is, has and always will be the good guys of the saga?
Staring in the prequel trilogy, we are thrown into a theocracy, that we’re to believe is the good guys. In this universe, they are referred to as Jedi. These Jedi are not a normal police department, they are the rulers, due to there exceptional powers. They have their own establishment that is separate from the normal political process, but they undoubtedly have major influence. On top of that, they have the ability to manipulate politicians with a gesture, in order to ensure the greater good is attained. What is the greater good? Balance and the now state sponsored religion.
The balance is simply and illusion and non-existent, as Anakin is said to bring balance to the force. Yet, Anakin living can never truly bring balance to the force. The Jedi were secretly all about power and control. They would find children, calling them force sensitives and train them to be part of this ever growing super team. What type of good guys willing go in search of children to take? Imagine the Catholic Church taking children now a day because they would fit well among their flock. Everyone would be pretty upset but the Jedi do this in the Star Wars Universe and we’re supposed to willing accept this as positive? Seems absurd to me.
The need for these children is because the Jedi believe that you’re too old to begin training after a certain age. In other words, you’re no longer impressionable to groom to their way of thinking. This is pedophilic in nature!
Anakin was taken at 10 years old, from his slave life on Tattoonie and thrown into another form of slavery, protecting and serving those around him. Doesn’t seem like a much better life, but the biggest concern with Anakin is not the child’s life, but instead, how we help the Jedi matain this balance. The reality is, Anakin was considered so powerful that the only way for him to have brought balance to the force would be to have died or not been trained in the first place. Yet the Jedi were selfish and couldn’t risk the “Dark Side” getting to Anakin first and bringing him down a Dark Path. The Sith, for all their faults, never harmed children or took children to groom to their mindset. It wasn’t until Episode three that the Sith finally harmed children, with Anakin tasked to kill the Jedi. Yet, he was never ordered to kill the younglings, he did that of his own volition, left over remnants of the conflict within him dealing from his Jedi Training, were kids lives do not matter.
By the end of episode three, we are left with the Sith having over thrown the republic and theocracy that plagued their world. No longer did that Jedi have full control of anything and for once, it was relatively balanced. A two to one ratio, “Dark” side to “Good.”
When we begin episode four, we are trust into a chase to find Princess Leia, born during the demise of a anti-child theocracy with a twin brother, Luke. Both were left to others to be raised and groomed with how much better the republic was, with truth about the Sith and Jedi being hidden from them. Here she is treasonous, for attempting to over throw, what she considered a fascist dictatorship. She has no facts as to the old way or how the republic was doing things, she just knows the empire is to be destroyed. So she sets about attempting to get the plans to the Death Star to her treasonous friends, in an attempt to overthrow the peace and balance that has come to exist in this world. The Empire has created half a dozen jobs, structured the universe, has created a weapon that will keep rouge, treasonous systems from overthrowing the peace, with no intent to use it, until Aldeern, a system harboring terrorist within the Rebel Alliance! All the while, the Emperor has keep his word and even adhered to his own rules, by keeping the Sith to just a master and an apprentice. This is a secular government that was very inclusive of those with differences. The republic was much more exclusive than the Empire ever was. Remember the scene of hiring the bounty hunters in The Empire Strikes Back? How many different species were present? The Jedi Council only truly listened to two of its members, Mace Windu and Yoda. A very exclusive point of view.
Obi-Wan, one of the last members of the old theocracy, intentionally lies to Luke the entire time, to attempt to bring about the extinction of a more modern society, because he’s racist and an alcoholic. He would punish Anakin for disobeying the rules of the Jedi, but oh, he wanted a drink at the bar, he could. He was a hypocrite, just like the rest of the Jedi. Would you have continued to obey? Most people would of seen the inner conflict as conscious coming to light about who were truly the bad guys in the universe, and it was not the Sith.
By the end of Return of the Jedi, the Empire was betrayed by Anakin, destroying everything. He’s now a hero to the Rebellion.
Now we get to The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren, who was dumped on Luke by Han Solo to be raised, started to exhibit similar conflict. He knew deep down the light side was the wrong side, especially when none of them could even be bothered to raise their children, thrusting the responsibility onto others. This continues the legacy of anti-child sentiment that was present in the old republic, were kids are second class citizens, ordered to obey and be forgotten about. The old republic was truly a society bent on grooming children, if this wasn’t established by the end of the original six films, it is established now.
Kylo worships Darth Vader, because Vader represents all the good in the universe, all that was right, an inclusive order or structure and prosperity that was brought about. Deep at its core, this is a story that mirrors our own world, where the Boomer generation has destroyed our democracy with their absurd ways and a millennial desire to bring about our world to the 1990’s, but failing to do so. Yet, I digress.
Kylo is all that stand between an establishment of the old and a creation of the new order, bringing us back to peace within the universe. Yet, this is not what will happen at all! Kylo new that Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force, the rebellion and he will not allow that to happen to himself, but we might find out that is not the case, as he is conflicted with what is or isn’t right. He cannot make up his mind, unsure who to believe, and having to work it out for himself.
By the beginning of Episode Eight, we shall start to see a decent, in my opinion, towards the truly evil, that of the Republic. Luke will be responsible for training Rey, who will find understanding that she is supporting the wrong side, with a duel swap between Rey turning to the side of the Empire and Kylo joining the Rebellion. Rey will attempt to lead the universe to a higher understanding, while Kylo will still be too busy destroying things.
I expect this whole new trilogy to be all about reverse character arcs, as they signed the writer of Breaking Bad to write and direct Episode Eight and Breaking Bad was known for good guys go bad, when pushed. While it’s too early to be sure, the clues are already planted within this new movie. Proving, once again, that evil is just a matter of perspective, apparently, as opposed to any true objective criteria for such atrocity!
Best in Your Girl 