In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin Skywalker exclaimed the infamous line, “From my point-of-view, the Jedi are evil!” While the Jedi looked like a flawless bunch on the surface, their inherent flaws led Anakin to lose his trust in them and turn to the Sith.
The Jedi Code prohibited emotional attachments, forcing Anakin to keep his marriage to Padamè Amidala secret. He further lost trust in them when they ordered him to spy on Palpatine while denying him the rank of Jedi Knight.
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Why Did Anakin Say the Jedi are Evil?
Per the Jedi Code, Jedi cannot form attachments, fall in love, or get married. They can love, but the love must not be exclusive.
When Anakin had visions of Padamè dying at childbirth, he wanted to do anything in his power to save her. If he sought help from the Jedi, he’d reveal his illegal marital status and believed the Jedi would stand in his way.
They could have handed him dire consequences from his marriage to Padamè. Or, they may have forced him to choose the galaxy’s fate over his wife’s.
He also thought the Jedi would take custody of his children and raise them in the Jedi Temple, knowing they would end up Force-sensitive.
Even if he killed Darth Sidious, who by this time he realized was the Sith Lord controlling both sides of the war, the Jedi would have still interfered with his marriage.
The Jedi Council were set in their ways, believing no other way of life was worth considering. Anakin saw through the Jedi’s pride issue, and further believed they became self-serving and corrupt.
Was Anakin Right About the Jedi?
To a degree Anakin was right. Before his turn to the Sith, Count Dooku left the Jedi Order for similar reasons. Qui-Gon Jinn, Dooku’s former Padawan, also butted heads with the Jedi.
Also, the unorthodox Qui-Gon never wanted a seat on the Jedi Council. Others referred to Qui-Gon as a Gray Jedi, since he dissented against the Order’s ways, with his insistence on training Anakin serving as an example.
During the Clone Wars. Anakin also saw through the Jedi’s hypocrisy. They told him his role in the galaxy was that of a peacekeeper. However, during Anakin’s time as a Jedi, the Order led clone troopers across the galaxy as generals of war.
Even worse, without sound evidence, their actions wrongfully accused and almost convicted his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, for the Jedi Temple Bombings. Ironically, Barris Offee committed the crime because she, too, felt the peacekeeping Jedi became ruthless warmongers.
While Palpatine was a Sith Lord, Anakin trusted him over the Jedi. And rightfully, as Palpatine empathized with Anakin’s anger while the Jedi suppressed him.
Anakin was wrong about Palpatine, but he did what any normal individual would by trusting him and showing sympathy.
The Jedi further showed their hypocrisy regarding Palpatine’s potential arrest, where they sought to kill him. Anakin reminded Master of the Order Mace Windu that Palpatine deserved a fair trial and ignored his reminder.
It was the final straw for Anakin, who severed Windu’s hand before Palpatine killed the Jedi Master with Force lightning.
And what was Yoda’s answer to Anakin when he voiced an indirect concern about Padamè before the latter’s turn to the dark side? “Fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side.” Not the greatest advice one can give an emotional individual.
Can We Justify Anakin’s Turn to the Dark Side?
It’s easy to see why Anakin believed the Jedi were evil. However, this article does not justify his actions.
After turning to the Sith, Anakin still killed thousands of Jedi Younglings. He also Force-choked Padamè, and the action contributed to her death.
Although Anakin saw flaws in the Jedi Order, he failed to see flaws in the dark side. The Sith wield their power from negative traits like anger, hate, and rage. They believe power bests all, and can even defeat death via the Force.
Fear, something Anakin struggled with, is a precursor to anger and hate. Darth Sidious knew this and used Anakin. Therefore, while his turn to the Sith is understandable, it’s hard to justify because Anakin may have made a better choice had he seen through Sidious’ ruse.
Are the Jedi Actually Evil?
The Jedi were not evil. And while on the surface, they represent good and the benign light side of the Force, they were flawed.
For one, the Jedi engaged in activities that most of us would find immoral, as they snatched Force-sensitive children from their parents. And no, the baby’s parents could never see them again.
The Jedi considered parents to be emotional attachments. And from their point of view, emotion led to the dark side, although prominent Jedi like Luke Skywalker, Rey, and Obi-Wan Kenobi each displayed emotional attachments during the Skywalker Saga.
They also used a fear mongering tool to justify taking Force-sensitive children, citing if they go untrained, they can fall to the dark side.
The Jedi indoctrinated their Younglings into what they believed was a flawless Code, while they were young. If the Jedi could not condition their Younglings or even Padawans if major dissent occurred at a later age, the Jedi Council forced them out of the Order.
Of course, the Jedi Order was all these exiled Force-sensitive beings knew, which left them with few options but to submit and obey to those who took them from their parents as babies.
Was the Jedi evil? No. But they were flawed and many, like Generation Tech, saw those flaws.
Why did Anakin Think the Jedi Betrayed Him?
Anakin believed the Jedi held him back. Deemed the Chosen One, he was also the only known Jedi to serve on the Council without becoming a Jedi Master, given the Council’s denial to promote him to the rank. Yet, they expected him to spy on Palpatine.
The Jedi forced Anakin to do their dirty work to compile evidence and accuse a man he trusted as the Sith Lord controlling the Clone Wars. While Anakin deduced this fact regarding Palpatine, he also, given the way the Jedi treated him, believed the Sith Lord to be in the right.
Conclusion
The Jedi would have reprimanded Anakin had they discovered his marriage to Padamè. And given the Order’s flaws, Anakin feared they would even take custody of his kids given their eventual Force sensitivity.
While Anakin was right in his assumptions about the Jedi given the way they treated him after issuing the order to spy on Palpatine, it’s hard to justify his turn to the dark side. Anakin still committed atrocious acts of his own.
The Jedi were not evil, but they were also not as good as they led the galaxy to believe. They brainwashed the youngest in their Order and became ruthless warmongers for the Grand Army of the Republic, under the guise of peacekeeping.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in both Star Wars Canon and Legends. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.