Thoughts on the Jedi in Episodes I and II

Like many people my age, I grew up with the Star Wars Universe. That's not to say that I've read all the books, etc., but I have read a few, and I've seen SW, TESB, and ROTJ many times, and when I was a wee lad I liked to play with the action figures. So I feel like I have an investment in this Star Wars thing.

Like many people my age, I was sorely disappointed by Phantom Menace. It was really bad. And I was disappointed by Attack of the Clones, too. I even wrote a review of the latter for Film and History (not currently available online). There's much to dislike in these movies. But what bothers me the most is the protrayal of the Jedi.

Remember the Jedi in SW, TESB, ROTJ? There were only three (not counting Vader): Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker. When we meet Obi-Wan, he's living in the wastes of Tattooine. I've always assumed he's out there to keep an eye on Luke. But the point is he's "a crazy old wizard" living on the fringe of a fringe world. He has great powers--how great, we never know, because he usues them sparingly. The whole point, it would seem, is not to draw attention to himself.

Yoda lives on the swamp planet Dagobah, in similar isolation. But with Yoda, Lucas seems to go further, because Yoda's appearance is such that when Luke first meets him, he assumes that Yoda is not a threat. Again, the point of the Jedi would seem to be that these are creatures with great powers, but these powers are (1) not apparent on first glance (one does not advertise that one is a Jedi), and (2) Jedi use their powers sparingly--only for defense, never for offense.

Similarly with Luke. The Force is with Luke, and he's clearly the most important rebel fighter. But is he the leader of the Rebellion? No. He fights in an ordinary squadron, except in ROTJ, when he has other business.

Here's the point: The Jedi were originally protrayed as a group of powerful wizard-like beings. They may move about and do things, but to the average observer, they should appear to be "crazy old wizards" or, like Yoda, insignificant beings. The comparison I would make here is Gandalf in LOTR. Butterbur in Bree has no idea who or what Gandalf is. Nor do the Hobbits, for the most part. One has to be initiated into the lore of the Wise to know such things, and most people aren't. It always seemed to me that the Jedi were just like that.

But in PM and AOTC, the Jedi are all wrong. First of all, there are so many of them, and they have their own "academy." The model seems more like some kind of martial arts academy than wizards. Second, the Jedi do not have a withdrawn, on the fringes and margins type of existence. They are at the center of the action in Coruscant. Think about the original Jedi, living in some kind of communion with Nature--the desert, the swamp. Now think about Yoda living on the city-planet, Trantor--er, I mean Coruscant. How does Yoda experience the Force there? This is not to say that Jedi wouldn't serve larger ends, but would they do it this way? Plus, the Jedi are completely dependent on technology. It just goes on and on.

The worst moment is Yoda's lightsaber duel with Count Dracula, er, Dookoo (sp?). The whole point of Yoda, it always seemed to me, was that Yoda shows that the power of the Force is manifold. One can be a dashing young swordsman, or an old wizened wizard. But don't think that the latter is less dangerous than the former. Here, Yoda is some kind of whirling dervish of a swordsman. This violates everything the character should be about, including his RESERVE.

Oh well, just some thoughts down on the blog. More to come.