After 47 years, Star Wars has finally admitted Anakin Skywalker was right to betray the Jedi. Modern viewers tend to take the story of Anakin Skywalker’s fall to the dark side for granted, but Lucas is known to have changed his mind quite a lot over the decades. Lucas’ original prequel trilogy plan didn’t even feature the theme of attachment at all.
Lucas didn’t originally plan for the Jedi to forbid attachments. Marriage was normal for the Jedi, and the marriage between Anakin and Padmé was conducted in the open. Plans changed, and so did Anakin’s motives… and, ironically, it increasingly feels as though Anakin had a dark and sinister point about the Jedi.
We’re Finally Seeing How Bad The Jedi Practice Of Non-Attachment Was
What Does It Mean To Take An Initiate From Their Family?
Star Wars: Jedi Knights #8, by Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov, opens with the recruitment of a new Jedi initiate named Soona. Her Force-potential is discovered by Jedi seekers named Seera Longa and Berem Khana, and the conversation takes a sad turn when they insist Soona must come with them to Coruscant if she wants to become a Jedi.
“To be a Jedi means to forsake attachments,” Seera explains to the child. “To turn away from other paths you might follow, giving up all that you were so that you can become something far greater.“
According to Seera, this is why Jedi initiates must leave their homeworlds and train at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. It’s presumably why Qui-Gon Jinn didn’t make much effort to free Shmi, because he knew Anakin would have to be separated from his mother and homeworld in any case.
The Jedi Code Wasn’t Always So Strict
It Changed In The Centuries Before The Prequels
This shines a subtle light on the way the Jedi Code had changed in the 200 years before the prequels. Most readers are familiar with the mantra at the heart of the Jedi Code, but there’s far more to it than that; the Jedi Code is basically a series of rules that describe the day-to-day life of the Jedi.
For centuries, the Jedi had deliberately chosen not to sequester themselves on Coruscant; rather, they had built temples wherever they went, training initiates and even Padawans on their homeworlds. They established countless temples on the Outer Rim during the High Republic Era, meaning children were never separated from families to this degree.
We’ve long wondered why this changed. Until now, it’s appeared to be a practical change, tied to the increasing politicization of the Jedi Order; now, though, we’re seeing hints of a philosophical reason, a hardening of the Jedi policy on attachments.
It’s impossible to overstate the impact of these changes. It meant Jedi were trained separate from the rest of the galaxy, never mingling with ordinary citizens (and note the implication in Seera’s words, the arrogant presumption that to be a Jedi is to be “far greater“). Emotional ties were severed abruptly, leaving children deeply scarred.
Perhaps even worse, the Jedi developed a reputation for being child-snatchers. The Jedi generally tried to compensate families when one of their children was taken away, but some seekers – such as Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas – were negligent in that matter. The relationship between the Jedi and the galaxy broke down.
There’s a certain irony in the fact that the Jedi policy on attachment ultimately led to Anakin’s fall, and to the destruction of the entire Jedi Order. This latest Star Wars issue suggests he had a point.
Star Wars: Jedi Knights #8 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren