6 Reasons The Jedi Would Be The Villain In Any Sane Movie

[Elfdart]

#4 is like a monument to stupidity.

Firstly, Qui Gon and Obi Wan were sent by the Supreme Chancellor, on behalf of the senate. And they are referred to as ambassadors. So no, they're not elected, they're exercising their function as agents of the Chancellor.

It's in the fucking opening crawl. Why is it people who complain about Phantom Menace being too dumb and childish, can never seem to understand the plot?

Because they are themselves dumb and childish. I mean, there's an imbecile who makes multi-hour videos in which he proudly claims he can't follow the plot or tell who the bad guys are in TPM, and he's the patron saint of many an internet neckbeard.

[Galvatron]

How will you react if Han Solo doesn't have any stripes on his pants in Episode VII?

[Galvatron]

Oh understand that, it's just a personal preference. Just like one can explain the logic behind a moody, bratty, emo Anakin turning into Vader; none of that matters when it comes down to the fact that I simply would have preferred a different approach. Similarly, I would have saved Yoda's first appearance for TESB.

Then again, I'm well known for having a lot of unconventional ideas for how the prequels should have been done.

No, they're pretty conventional -for those who think they knew the characters and story better than the man who created them.

It's not hard to to think that when the man who created Han Solo is the same one who decided 20 years later that he shouldn't shoot Greedo first.

[Terralthra]

And he is also wrong in another major area. Yoda claims that the Dark Side is not stronger. In actuality it is. At least in terms of its combat potential. Luke only defeats Vader by drawing on his anger. And Yoda himself lost to Palpatine. But the weakness of the Dark Side lies in its lack of control. When relying on the Dark Side in combat, it makes one more vulnerable to doing stupid things. Hence why Anakin charged in against Obi-Wan in ROTS and lost his three remainig limbs and got caught on fire as a result.

Luke doesn't "only" defeat Vader by giving in to anger. That's what happens, but there's no indication given (quite deliberately) that Luke was destined to lose unless he calls on his anger.

Similarly, Yoda doesn't lose to Palpatine. He fights him to a stalemate, defeats him in a telekinetic/acrobatic battle, then utterly counters his force lightning. The "loss" is that the counter to the force-lightning shoved both of them off the platform; Yoda couldn't hold on, Palpatine could, and Yoda knew that superior in the Force or not, now that Palpatine had a sizable distance between the two of them and was forewarned, Yoda was never going to get close enough to him again to actually duel. It was more or less luck (or, if you want to take a physics perspective, Yoda's lack of mass, as the backlash from the force lightning feedback loop pushed Yoda back way further than Palpatine, presumably due to F=ma). Yoda was defeated strategically, not tactically.

[The Romulan Republic]

There's also the fact that Palpatine had reinforcements coming. While Yoda could take on Palpatine or an army of Clone troopers, its unlikely that he could do both.

Of course, the novelization contradicts this by saying that Yoda couldn't beat Palpatine or something to that effect, but the film presentation, if anything, shows Yoda as stronger, unless you figure that Palpatine was holding back (he seemed to screw around somewhat during the fight).

As for Luke vs. Vader, not only was Luke holding Vader off pretty well before he went into a rage (aside from when Vader threw his sabre), he ultimately won the entire engagement by refusing the Dark Side, causing Vader to be redeemed. The Dark Side might be good for combat power if you're corrupt enough that you don't mind the evil, but it wasn't what won at Endor. And its results that count in the end.

[The Romulan Republic]

Another great example of the Dark Side not being stronger is Anakin vs. Obi-wan, which Adamskywalker007 ironically brought up. Not only was Obi-wan presumably weaker in the Force overall because Anakin is the Chosen One and a prodigy, he was a Jedi fighting against someone who had fallen to the Dark Side, but guess who won? Anakin made a dumb move at the end, but even before then Obi-wan was holding up well. Particularly notable is when they both try to push the other telekinetically at the same time and neither is clearly stronger.

[Galvatron]

I always figured that the "dark side" was simply a Jedi concept for using the Force directly to inflict harm. Yoda even said they can only use it for knowledge and defense, while the Sith give zero fucks about using it to strangle and electrocute.

This is why I dislike Vader's overuse of his lightsaber in the EU, new and old. In none of the movies did he ever use it against anyone but other Force users. Everyone else got choked like a bitch. He didn't even need to use his lightsaber to block Han's blaster shots for chrissakes.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Another great example of the Dark Side not being stronger is Anakin vs. Obi-wan, which Adamskywalker007 ironically brought up. Not only was Obi-wan presumably weaker in the Force overall because Anakin is the Chosen One and a prodigy, he was a Jedi fighting against someone who had fallen to the Dark Side, but guess who won? Anakin made a dumb move at the end, but even before then Obi-wan was holding up well. Particularly notable is when they both try to push the other telekinetically at the same time and neither is clearly stronger.

Not arguing with you, just jumping off to elaborate further.

In terms of raw energy applied per unit effort, the dark side is not actually stronger. But because it is fueled by rage, there are more direct offensive applications (lightning and the like), while the light side is better for use in defense (absorption/protection etc. though it is worth noting that those who use the dark side can also use these abilities, just like technically someone using the light side of the force is capable of using lightning). It is also easier to apply rage than it is to control ones emotions, which is the dark side is easier.

The time-power curve of a dark side acolyte or sith is a lot steeper than that of a jedi, but they level off at the same value of power, provided raw talent is controlled.

There's also the fact that Palpatine had reinforcements coming. While Yoda could take on Palpatine or an army of Clone troopers, its unlikely that he could do both.

Yoda is also almost 900 years old. He is almost as old as the republic itself (counting from the Ruusan reformation). His stamina is not where it once was.

Look at how he operates. He goes hard-core Ataru style (even if they are not named, the distinctions between fighting styles are pretty evident in the films) against force users, even when doing so is sub-optimal to counter their own preferred methods, and despite being a master of all other forms. He does this because he has no choice. His own small size and resulting lack of reach mandate the use of acrobatics to bring his saber to bear. But it is also exhausting to use, and he is 900 years old and infirm enough that he has to limp around on cane or use hover chairs.

He just got exhausted.