Often, the difference between good and evil, right and wrong has been clear cut. However, things may not be as clear cut as they seem.
In our world, everything is about balance. Because one side of the spectrum often cannot exist without the other, both sides must work in tandem for everything to remain in equilibrium.
Think about it, without the more unfavorable moments in life, there’s no growth. No innovation. No character development, if you will.
Of course, the Star Wars universe mimics our own. Therefore, there must be balance within the galaxy, right?
Yes! The Force is balanced in and of itself.
Given this fact, is there a need for the Sith? Would there even be any Jedi without the Sith?
Without further ado, let’s dive into the importance, or lack thereof, of Sith in Star Wars.
Table of Contents
Can there be Jedi without Sith?
The Jedi are essentially like the military forces in the galaxy.
They are there to protect the citizens from the enforcers of the dark side. This makes the Sith the enemy of the Jedi.
Consequently, there theoretically cannot be any Jedi, per se, without the Sith. The answer is a touch more complicated than it may seem.
Let me explain.
The Jedi are the peacekeepers of the Star Wars universe. Ergo, if there were no Sith then there would be absolutely no reason to have peacekeepers. Everything would be calm, almost tranquil.
Now there would still be Jedi. They would still exist as a religion; however, their roles would change as there would be no one trying to oppose their beliefs.
The Jedi are essentially like the Buddhists of Star Wars; thus, their religion would still be in tack. Even so, they would not have to defend anyone or anything on the light side from the nonexistent Sith.
How is the Force Balanced if there are no Sith?
The Force itself is inherently balanced.
This is reminiscent of our mother nature. In our world, no matter how bad of a beating mother nature takes, it always bounces back.
Yes, it may take some time and need a little help to hasten the process, but mother nature has a way of solving its issues.
Within the Force, there is both good and evil. The light and dark sides of the Force exist internally, both working in sequence to achieve equilibrium.
Given this, are the Sith truly necessary?
Keep reading as we dive into the answer.
Are the Sith necessary?
The Sith is the dark side equivalent of the Jedi Order. They are both the force users and the more Force-sensitive beings of the galaxy.
Aside from being on the light or dark side, the major difference between the Jedi and the Sith are their values.
The Jedi adhere to the Jedi Code, which teaches them to be peaceful. It also teaches them to steer clear of negative emotions such as hate, jealousy, anger, and anything else for that matter.
The Jedi Order is so wary of falling into the dark side that they are not supposed to form attachments or feel positive emotions, for that matter.
Though starting with good intentions, it’s believed that these emotions are a slippery slope to the dark side.
The Sith, on the other hand, is thought to embrace any and every emotion they feel. They are taught to give in to hate, anger, and jealousy. They are encouraged to form any attachment. They can do whatever they need to, to go to the dark side.
Because of this, it’s safe to say that the Jedi and the Sith are generally equivalent. Meaning they essentially cancel each other out.
On that account, the Sith, and by extension the Jedi, are completely irrelevant to the balance of the Force.
Are there dark side Jedi who are not Sith?
The Sith are not the only Force users living life on the dark side. They are just an organization built to oppose the Jedi Order.
On the dark side, there are also Force users known as Dark or “Fallen” Jedi. These are Jedi who chose to forfeit their life on and practice the light side, and finally embrace the dark side of the Force.
Even though the term Fallen Jedi is mainly for those Force-sensitives who don’t receive regular Jedi training, instead they get trained by another Dark Jedi.
Moreover, the Dark Jedi also choose not to join the Sith or any other groups on the dark side.
Should Sith and Jedi Coexist?
The Jedi and the Sith cannot coexist peacefully.
Their beliefs are far too different to exist without major conflict breaking out. The only way the Jedi and the Sith would coexist would be if one of the two altered some of their core beliefs.
They would need to see things from each other’s perspective and be willing to at least try and understand where the opposing side is coming from.
The only other way for the two sides to live in comradeship is if they have a strong combined power that makes war far too risky to engage in.
Even though the Sith and the Jedi can’t coexist, they should. If they somehow found a way to live harmoniously then there would be no more war.
Both sides would enjoy their freedom of expression without fear of the other side. Even so, this would not make for good cinema.
Conclusion
The Jedi are the peacekeepers of the Star Wars universe. There would be no peace to keep if there was no one to oppose said peace.
For that reason, there, in essence, cannot be any Jedi without the Sith and vice versa.
Despite that, the Jedi and Sith are theoretically useless when it comes to the balance of the Force. The Force does it all on its own.
The only thing Jedi and the Sith do is tip the scales in favor of one side. Momentarily, of course.
Because of this, it’s safe to say that the Jedi and the Sith can’t coexist. Given their conflicting political, military and moral standpoints, the two sides would remain in a state of constant conflict.
If the two do somehow manage to exist side by side for some time, eventually the differences would become too much.
Ultimately leading to an explosive array of incompatible views. This could then result in a major war.