Why Do Jedi and Sith Hate Each Other?

Ever since their introduction to the Star Wars franchise, the Sith and the Jedi have been at each other’s throats. 

Given that they both exist on opposing sides of the Force, the Sith and the Jedi are natural enemies. They butt heads in every conceivable way. Where the Jedi believe in peace and keeping themselves as empty vessels for the Force, the Sith believe the exact opposite. 

The Sith believe in passion over everything else. They believe in using their seething rage, hatred, and any other emotion to fuel their quest for power over the galaxy. 

They do not believe in peace like their light-side archenemies. To the Sith, there is nothing but passion. 

Even though the Sith and the Jedi have conflicting views on the Force, they hate each other for other reasons as well. 

This raises the question of why the Sith and the Jedi hate each other so much. Do they all hate each other? 

The answers to these questions and more will be looked at throughout this article, so stay tuned. 

What Happened Between the Sith and the Jedi?

The hate between the Sith and the Jedi may seem to have begun with the Jedi. In the days of the Brotherhood of Darkness, the Jedi could not understand anyone who did not follow the way of the light side. 

What’s more, it seemed as though they were not willing to learn about the Brotherhood of Darkness’ new beliefs so they could all coexist. 

Instead, the Jedi dubbed all of the Sith evil and opted to commit the most horrific act they had ever committed.

This act was genocide against the Brotherhood (also known as the Old Sith). This heinous act of carnage pushed the Sith into hiding. Along with them, the Jedi also exiled any Jedi who took an interest in the dark side. 

From that point on, Darth Bane created the Rule of Two for the Sith to not only work on their revenge plan but to do so secretly. 

What was the rule of two? It was the law that the Sith could only train in twos (master and apprentice), so they could secretly prepare for their act of vengeance. 

The Sith eventually got their revenge when Order 66 occurred. Order 66 led to the mass murder of ninety-nine percent of the Jedi Order. Of course, the Jedi retaliated once they gathered their strength. 

Which led to trapping the two sides in a seemingly endless cycle of being at odds with each other. 

Do all Sith Hate the Jedi?

Contrary to popular belief, the Sith did not truly have a problem with the Jedi. They did not hate them; rather, the Sith merely acted in retaliation to the hate they received. 

What’s more, the Sith saw gaining power over the galaxy as the only way they could be free to follow the dark side without having to look over their shoulders. Consequently, the Jedi were viewed as an obstacle that stood in their way.

Therefore, in addition to defending themselves against the Jedi who actively sought to get rid of them, they did whatever it took to achieve their goal. 

To that end, the Sith did not care who they had to trample to gain ultimate power, and sadly, the Jedi were among the few who had to be demolished. 

Ergo, the Sith did not “hate” the Jedi, it was more that they did not care about them or what happened to them. Still, there were some Sith who genuinely hated the Jedi. 

One such Sith is Darth Sidious, also known as Palpatine. 

Do the Jedi Hate the Sith?

In theory, the Jedi did harbor hate towards the Sith. However, this, in and of itself, would have been a direct violation of the Jedi Code. 

A more accurate assumption would be that the Jedi did not understand the Sith, nor did they want to. You see, the Jedi were set in their ways. They believed that what they were doing was the only correct way to use the Force. 

So when they came across dark-side Force-sensitives, the Jedi automatically viewed them as being evil. This was made worse by the fact that, more often than not, these Force-sensitives were once Jedi who betrayed the Order and turned to the dark side. 

Conclusion 

The Sith and the Jedi have had a long and complicated history with each other. The one constant in their relationship is that both sides seem to hate each other’s guts. 

However, it is apparent that this long-winding feud was probably started by the misguided actions of the Jedi: namely, when the Jedi annihilated the vast majority of the Sith Order, causing the rest of them to retreat into hiding. 

Naturally, the Sith came back with a vengeance, and so the story continues of the many wars between the Sith and the Jedi. 

Even so, neither side collectively hates the other. From the Sith’s end, the Jedi are a threat to their way of life and, more importantly, their thirst for power and freedom. 

On the other hand, the Jedi are stubborn and believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the dark side is evil. Thus, the Sith are evil by association.