Jedi and Sith Forever Intertwined?

[Stravo]

While we can scoff at the EU's crutchlike reliance on old standby villains like the Sith - despite the fact that the last two Sith lords were destroyed in ROTJ - is it actually that laughable a scenario that the Sith would always be resurfacing every once in awhile to screw with the Jedi and the galaxy?

After all there is precedence in galactic history with the Sith Order constantly rising and falling and one can say the same of the Jedi Order as well.

When one takes into account the fact that the Sith are the other side of the coin of the Jedi isn't it natural to assume then that while the Jedi Order exists the Sith will always be there, like some skulking shadow? Afterall the Sith merely take up the opposite end of the spectrum from the Jedi and how hard is it to believe that the Jedi will always be able to train good Force users as Jedi - that no one will feel passion, hunger forpower, thirst for vengeance? That no Force user will ever feel the siren call of the Dark Side?

The Jedi order has been rife with disension throughout most of its history, it is only in the prequel era that the Order has been graced with a period of unprecedented tranquility and stability.

So while there is any sort of disension and disatisfaction with the way things are done Jedi style there must always be a Sith Order. It may not be a Darth Bane style Order, it may be more eclectic or mystical but it will always be at its heart a shadowy reflection of the Order it is opposed to and always linked to the dark side just as the Jedi are inexorably linked to the light.

So in the end are EU writers really being quite deep when they keep bringing the Sith back. After all Luke Skywalker rebuilt the 10,000 strong Jedi Order in a single lifetime, what is to stop a dark side user from rebuilding the Sith Order, whether it be Rule of Two or full blown Anti-Jedi order Sith. Can the shadow exist without the light and vice versa?

[Rawtooth]

I like it, although I would be slightly more general and just say "Dark side force-users" or "Light side force-users". It also plays into the balance mentioned during the prequels.

[Lex]

hmmm to me you answered the question yourself. if there is light, there will always be dark; this counts for all things in life, hell even the smallest pieces of matter all have their counterparts.

the only difference I would wish to point out is the one between Dark Side and Sith order... the dark side will always be there, but the Sith order can be extinct, because it's an offspring of an ancienct civilization. new dark jedi may call them Sith but technically they are none...

Jedi on the other hand seems to be a term that is used for all extensive users of the light side...

[000]

There are always going to be Dark Siders, obviously, whether they're Dark Jedi, Sith cultists, or other various sects; the Sith, though, are heirs to a millennia old tradition that, so far as we're aware, died with Palpatine at Endor.

There is the possibility that Lady Lumiya and Lord Krayt were both ordained by preexisting Sith Lords on Korriban, making their orders legitimately Sith (in Lumiya's case this is strongly implied), but if that's not the case then their respective Orders are Sith in name only.

Basically, for there to be Sith, there needs to be continuity between Orders, otherwise they're just your average Dark Side cult, no matter how steeped in Sith teachings they are.

[Darth Fanboy]

I thinkt he reason the writers want to keep bringing back the Sith (other than the obvious creative bankruptcy apparent in most) is because to bring up a new Dark Side Order of sorts to oppose the Jedi would invite fans to refer to their new creation as "Sith-Lite" or something along those lines. They know they will never be able to (or perhaps never allowed to) come up with an idea as great as the Sith Order.

And if I may be so bold, why do they even have to have one unified Jedi Order also. I'm not referring to that bogus "Imperial Knights" order from the Legacy comics. But a schism of Jedi, whether they even wish to be referred to as Jedi would even be up in the air. But we've seen just as many differences in how Jedi serve the "Light" if not more differences than we see in Sith/Dark Jedi.

Wouldn't that have been in interesting story arc born out of the end of the NJO? A Jedi Order victrious, yet ultimately divided along some line such as government oversight. That would have been more interesting than the Kiliks.

[Vaporous]

You also have to take into acount what calling themselves Sith does for Dark Siders. They could just call themselves "Dark Jedi" but it still has the word "Jedi" in it. Its akin to the "Federalist/AntiFederalist" divide. If your name implies that you're nothing more than "Not the other guy", you look like a dope. By taking on the name Sith, and all it implies, they can set out on their own independent path to dominance while still maintaining a link to the past, a sort of royal heritage, like when ancient warlords tied their ancestry to legendary warriors or Gods.

[Gunhead]

I was just the other day thinking about this whole jedi/dark jedi/sith business. It would be better if people would sit down and think some fresh angles to this ye olde jedi good sith bad thing that's been done to death. It's easy to play the "spot the bad guy game" when they're so bleeding obvious it hurts my brain.
Something along these lines, for example, could generate a whole new can of worms. Take the New Jedi Order. It's council is confronted by the old jedi council who have emerged from hiding after building their strenght and are demanding that they should be in charge of all jedi. Now they can prove their claim is true and they are asking the senate to confirm this. Now you propably guess where I'm going with this. Both sides are In fact the good guys. Both sides know that if it get's violent... Well you know violence, dark side and blah blah blah.

I'm not saying this really fits the SW canon, but I just brought it up as an example how you can bring up threats that threaten the jedi and so forth, without that lame uber sith manipulator in the background pulling the strings.

The other major problem is that in order to do good you need power. The jedi, as they have no legal political power, can only do good where others let them. So how about something about the jedi seeking to have their say in the galactic arena officially, and how it forces them to fight against powers that would drag them down into the cesspool of underhanded politics.

The Sith are the arch nemesis of the Jedi. But if they're used too often they just become another monster of the week. I also don't like the one note "all jedi must die" shit that gets spewn from left and right, whenever the sith a) open their mouths b) are even mentioned.
It would be fun to have a story where the sith get to be the heroes of the hour. Maybe even prevent some jedi fucking things up and saving his/her sorry ass. Why? Just to prove that they infact are better. I think the sith need just a tad bit more depth. They should be elusive and enigmatic to the jedi. The jedi just can't wrap their heads around what makes them tick. In fact. They fear what they don't know.. And as I said before fear dark side and yadda yadda yadda.

I think the sith have to be there to foul things up, but there are many ways they can be used that the current SW writers haven't brought up, or haven't even thought of.

-Gunhead

[Darth Fanboy]

The idea of the Sith being "Heroes of the hour" is, to me, fanwank on par with the Fandalorian glorification of Boba Fett. They're thge bad guys, if they manage to do things that could be considered good I can accept it if and only if it it does so in a way to further the Sith/Dark Jedi's evil intentions.