Page 1 of 3

Would you rather be a Jedi or a Sith?

Posted: 2005-05-23 07:51am
by Perinquus
Which would you rather be Jedi or Sith? This coice is contingent upon accepting all the sacrifices of being a Jedi, i.e. no emotional attachments, no wealth, etc. and all the risks of being a Sith, i.e. risks of being corrupted by power.

You have been granted force powers. You know that if you give in to the Dark Side, you run a serious risk of being corrupted into a monster, since the Dark Side opens the door to all the baser aspects of human nature. However, the Jedi way, with no emotional attachments is a difficult one to follow. What do you do? Do you decide that you will be a Sith, having faith that you know best, and reasoning that the end justifies the means; or do you decide that the best course, the surest safeguard against corruption by power is to follow the strict Jedi rule? Or do you trust your own judgement and nature to pick the best way between the two, deciding to follow a different course than either?

Think about this, and decide which course of action, according to your own moral sense will be the best overall.

Posted: 2005-05-23 08:00am
by Stofsk
I assume you mean the Jedi of the prequel era?

I'd rather chart my own course, to be honest. The Sith do not appeal to me because their "give in to passions" thing sounds nice on the surface, but runs too close to the dark side. Conversely, the Jedi and their "No attachments" philosophy isn't any better, and seems to deny me a basic human need to feel closer to my fellow man. I got the feeling that the Jedi life is hard not for any intrinsic reason but because the Jedi made it hard for themselves.

So yes, I'd rather chart my own course. That assumes I even have a choice in the matter. If my master is Sidious, I may not have any choice but to do as he says. Ditto if I'm found by the Jedi and made into one of their padawans. Anakin was unique in that he actually did have a choice to become a Jedi, while almost all Jedi are chosen by others rather than by themselves. As for the Sith, I don't know Tyranous' story but Maul was definitely grabbed by Sidious when he was too young to know better.

Ideally I'd rather be a Jedi in Luke Skywalkers NJO. But that kinda falls under 'Option Three'. :)

Posted: 2005-05-23 08:08am
by 18-Till-I-Die
I agree with Stofsk, it was the 'no attatchments' BS that made the Jedi emotionally weak and easy prey to Sith seduction in the first place, and the Sith are, IMO, batshit fucking crazy so no thank you Palpy.

I'd rather be a latter-day Jedi, with more emotional freedom but still following the Light Side.

I'd probably have to be a diplomat Jedi or something, though, i dont know if i could kill someone. I coudl train people to like use the force, like a teacher i guess or a monk. That'd be cool enough for me.

Posted: 2005-05-23 08:34am
by Crown
Jedi of the post RotJ EU - which I guess falls under the 'chart your own course' option given that Luke is making it up as he goes along - ... at least they get laid unlike both the Jedi and Sith of the movie era (Anakin being the one noticeable acception of course) :wink:

Posted: 2005-05-23 08:35am
by Crown
18-Till-I-Die wrote:I agree with Stofsk, it was the 'no attatchments' BS that made the Jedi emotionally weak and easy prey to Sith seduction in the first place, and the Sith are, IMO, batshit fucking crazy so no thank you Palpy.
Only because not all of them were able to achieve the 'no attachment' philosophy - were they able to do this then they would reach Nirvana - I mean enlightenment - no I mean peace, yes, Jedi peace.

Posted: 2005-05-23 09:02am
by Medic
I would not limit myself. The full spectrum of the force, not some narrow-minded, dogmatic view of it (think one eye closed), is for me. I vote Sith.

I'm extremely level- headed and stick to my own devices so going to the darkside in my personal case probably wouldn't lead to slaughtering children and making Empires. As long as my emotions are anchored to a just ideology I don't see how I can go wrong. Anakin had an overwhelming desire to be ever more powerful, as did the Emperor but both of them were extroverted whereas I, am not.

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:21pm
by Enforcer Talen
jedi of my own course. courrption is bad, mmkay?

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:24pm
by Crossroads Inc.
I wonder why you can't do both? You know, like some 'Ying Yang' Thing? No light without Darkness, no Evil without good. I mean, how can you keep yourself from becoming fully evil if you never learn of it? SHouldn't a true Jedi be able to balance both Light and Darksides?

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:25pm
by Stofsk
Crossroads Inc. wrote:I wonder why you can't do both? You know, like some 'Ying Yang' Thing? No light without Darkness, no Evil without good. I mean, how can you keep yourself from becoming fully evil if you never learn of it? SHouldn't a true Jedi be able to balance both Light and Darksides?
That would be 'option three'.

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:25pm
by NecronLord
New Jedi for me, thank you.

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:25pm
by Kaintukee_Bob
Hail to the Sith.

So long as you can avoid arrogance, the Sith is the way to go. Force Lightning, Force Choke, more raw power, and the guarentee of a sweet looking saber? Hell, not to mention that no Sith (other than Vader's 'fighting in water' style of the original trilogy) fights using a standard Jedi style (note Dooku's fencing-like style which takes advantage of the blade's lack of weight and Sideous' style). Since the standard Jedi saber style is what they train to fight against, using a non-standard style puts you at a distinct advantage. The only Jedi most Sith would have to worry about is Yoda, with his Super-Jedi-Bouncy-Ball style.

No Sith should ever lose a lightsaber battle against a single opponent of roughly equal power, barring environmental factors. Lightsaber battles are about finesse, and that's what the Sith are all about.

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:39pm
by RedImperator
I guess nobody who voted Sith has actually paid attention to Star Wars. Yes, I'm sure it's nice not to deal with all the Jedi bullshit, but the price seems a bit steep. Every single Sith ever seen in the films and the EU has been twisted, corrupted, and evil for evil's sake. If you're a true Sith, you have no friends, no family, no love, and no joy: just lust for power. Plus, either you're the apprentice, and bound to the will of a completely miserable fuckhead who'll kill you without a second thought if you get out of line, or the master, and constantly watching over your shoulder for the day your apprentice sticks his lightsaber up your nose.

The Sith we know the most about, Darth Vader, was plainly completely miserable. Palpatine was a twisted old gnome with nothing but powerlust left. Tyrannus was a pawn. Revan and Malak nearly destroyed everything they once believed in. As far as not turning completely evil goes, the Sith are basically batting .000. I sincerely doubt anyone on this board somehow has the self-control to resist the Dark Side.

Posted: 2005-05-23 12:43pm
by Aeolus
RedImperator wrote:I guess nobody who voted Sith has actually paid attention to Star Wars. Yes, I'm sure it's nice not to deal with all the Jedi bullshit, but the price seems a bit steep. Every single Sith ever seen in the films and the EU has been twisted, corrupted, and evil for evil's sake. If you're a true Sith, you have no friends, no family, no love, and no joy: just lust for power. Plus, either you're the apprentice, and bound to the will of a completely miserable fuckhead who'll kill you without a second thought if you get out of line, or the master, and constantly watching over your shoulder for the day your apprentice sticks his lightsaber up your nose.

The Sith we know the most about, Darth Vader, was plainly completely miserable. Palpatine was a twisted old gnome with nothing but powerlust left. Tyrannus was a pawn. Revan and Malak nearly destroyed everything they once believed in. As far as not turning completely evil goes, the Sith are basically batting .000. I sincerely doubt anyone on this board somehow has the self-control to resist the Dark Side.
I certainly could not be trusted with the Jei mind trick and if I could force choke thier would be no stopping me...

Posted: 2005-05-23 01:23pm
by Rye
I would certainly choose Jedi. Preferably Mace Windu's style, so I get to be passionate as well as do a generic "good" for the people around me.

Edit, since i didn't notice the chart one's own course option, and thought people were just avoiding the dilemma:Charting one's own course sounds good in theory, but I honestly don't know how well it would turn out. If a healthy grey area could be reached, complete with happy family and riches and passion, but not an endless thirst for more, then sure.

Posted: 2005-05-23 01:51pm
by Mark S
Power corrupts. It is very hard to get away from this idea. The Jedi seem to have found a way to avoid it for the most part, they've been around and done generally good for their galaxy for thousands of years. I would choose to be a Jedi. The sith are batshit evil and the draw of the dark side is too strong for 95% of people who would choose their own path. You'd end up using the Force for your own ends anyway and falling into evil.

Posted: 2005-05-23 01:53pm
by Mr. T
I picked chart one's own course. I wouldn't want to be a jedi, cause life without sex just isn't worth living :P , and I have enough thirst for power on my own, so I'd hate to see me after becoming a sith. Hopefully, I can find a happy middle between the two, and use my powers to get laid alot

Posted: 2005-05-23 02:16pm
by Noble Ire
Mr. T wrote:I picked chart one's own course. I wouldn't want to be a jedi, cause life without sex just isn't worth living :P , and I have enough thirst for power on my own, so I'd hate to see me after becoming a sith. Hopefully, I can find a happy middle between the two, and use my powers to get laid alot
Remember, Lucas says Jedi of the Old Order can have casual sex. :P


Anyways, I'd go for Jedi of the post RotJ period, so I guess that's plotting my own course.

Posted: 2005-05-23 03:19pm
by Sephirius
RedImperator wrote:Revan and Malak nearly destroyed everything they once believed in.
There is evidence that Revan 'Saved' the republic by becoming it's worst enemy, and never actually fell to the dark side.

Posted: 2005-05-23 03:36pm
by TrekWarsie
I would choose my own path. I could never give up my attachments to my family and friends. But I would also not like to go Sith because in the end, I'd be giving up everything I ever really cared about anyway. I'd probably be a grey knight. I wouldn't be scared of the darker side of the Force, but I would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

Posted: 2005-05-23 03:42pm
by Knife
The path of a Jedi. I'm just an old softy, I suppose. For the get go, I wouldn't trust myself with that type of power, so an organization that'll not only train me to use the power, but one that'll help me focus those powers to some purpose would be benificial.

It's possible that later on, with the dogma of the Order, that I'd do the 'Lost Twenty' thing. Leave the Order and live a life some where. There was only Dooku that we know of out of the Lost Twenty that turned evil, so it seems that you can leave the Order and if your mature enough (or perhaps trained enough) you can resist the Dark Side with out the Order.

So it's possible I might go that route after being fully trained.

Posted: 2005-05-23 03:54pm
by Adrian Laguna
I would do what I ussually do with RPG characters. Chart my own course between good and evil. Lusting for power, but enjoying emotional attachments. Being something of a mercenary regarding who I fight and who I kill. Handing out mercy or punishment acording to my own moral compass. And finally being sufficiently sick and twisted enough to actually enjoy slaughtering my enemies, but still having strong reservations about killing innocent civilians, especially children.

The coolest thing about the middle way is that you can do Jedi stuff, like Force Healing; and you can do Sith stuff, like Force Neck-Snap and Force Heart-Crush (Force Choke is so cliche).

Posted: 2005-05-23 04:03pm
by Manus Celer Dei
Knife wrote:The path of a Jedi. I'm just an old softy, I suppose. For the get go, I wouldn't trust myself with that type of power, so an organization that'll not only train me to use the power, but one that'll help me focus those powers to some purpose would be benificial.

It's possible that later on, with the dogma of the Order, that I'd do the 'Lost Twenty' thing. Leave the Order and live a life some where. There was only Dooku that we know of out of the Lost Twenty that turned evil, so it seems that you can leave the Order and if your mature enough (or perhaps trained enough) you can resist the Dark Side with out the Order.

So it's possible I might go that route after being fully trained.
Since I read the RotS novelisation I've been wondering: are there any sources in the EU that mention anything about the other ex-Jedi of the Lost Twenty, or was RotS the first mention of it?

Posted: 2005-05-23 04:16pm
by squidman001
definitely chart own course, and use both sides. it seems to me that you could become a whole heck of a lot more powerful with both sides at your hands with no boundaries. just have to watch how far you stray to the dark side corruptness

Posted: 2005-05-23 04:23pm
by Knife
Manus Celer Dei wrote:
Since I read the RotS novelisation I've been wondering: are there any sources in the EU that mention anything about the other ex-Jedi of the Lost Twenty, or was RotS the first mention of it?
AotC's actually was the first mention of it. As for EU, *shrug* nothing really comes to mind. In KOTOR II, you play the exile who was tossed out of the Order. So I guess there's one.

Posted: 2005-05-23 04:25pm
by Noble Ire
Knife wrote:
Manus Celer Dei wrote:
Since I read the RotS novelisation I've been wondering: are there any sources in the EU that mention anything about the other ex-Jedi of the Lost Twenty, or was RotS the first mention of it?
AotC's actually was the first mention of it. As for EU, *shrug* nothing really comes to mind. In KOTOR II, you play the exile who was tossed out of the Order. So I guess there's one.
Of course, without knowing what happens to him in KOTOR 3, its hard to say if he doesnt come back to the Order.