Throughout our world, there are governmental structures that are put in place to keep various countries in check. There are even structures that are subsets of the overall head.
People such as mayors or constituent leaders are usually put in place to handle specific parts of a country while still reporting to the overall head.
The Galactic Republic is essentially the same thing, except it’s in the Star Wars universe.
Since the inception of the universe, the Galactic Republic has stood as the democratic figurehead for the galaxy. The Republic was made up of the Galactic Senate, which was comprised of individuals from planets all across the galaxy.
Grown to be in servitude to the Galactic Republic are the Jedi Knights, and by extension, the Jedi Order. But why do the Jedi fight for the Republic?
Keep reading as we delve into the answer.
Table of Contents
Why do the Jedi fight for the Republic?
The Jedi were some of the first allies the Galactic Republic had. Given that, they grew as the Republic grew.
The Jedi Order was big on loyalty to what they deemed to be the right side of the Force. Unfortunately, just like every other form of politics, the Galactic Republic became corrupt.
Naturally, along with their corruption came that of the Jedi Order. Now don’t get me wrong, the Jedi Order itself is not inherently tainted by corruption. That being said, their affiliation with the Republic is questionable at best.
The Jedi were dubbed the Force-sensitive peacekeeping guardians of the Galactic Republic. They were so adamant about doing what was right that they blindly followed whatever the Republic did.
They would defend it regardless of the massive red flags that came about in the later years. The Republic isn’t inherently terrible, but they made some calls that weren’t the best for those in the galaxy.
Even so, the Jedi were so faithful to the Republic that they ignored all of that. So much so that it seemed like it caused them to lose the true reason why the Jedi Order was created in the first place.
Why did the Jedi fight in the Clone Wars?
The Clone Wars was mainly orchestrated by Sheev Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious. Essentially, the entire premise of the Clone Wars was to eradicate the whole Jedi lineage.
That being the case, the Jedi ended up fighting in the Clone Wars by default. They had no other choice but to defend themselves because their entire group was under attack.
In terms of why they fought for the Galactic Republic, well, there were multiple factors in this regard. The overall consensus was that the Jedi Order was the best defensive force the Republic had to offer.
Knowing that the Jedi felt morally obligated to help protect the people in the galaxy. After all, they were the peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic.
Moreover, it is in their rule book, the Jedi Code, that they must respect, and by extension, protect all forms of life.
What role did the Jedi play in the Republic?
When the Republic was first created, it had no army, military, or any other protective forces. As a matter of fact, they had no intention of forming forces like this.
Regardless, the Jedi had already established themselves as the universe’s peacekeepers. As a consequence, they extended their help to the good guys, the Galactic Republic, as the guardians of peace.
Whenever there was a battle to be fought, or war came knocking at the Republic’s door, the Jedi would be the ones to run to their aid. Especially if there was a disturbance in the peace of the galaxy.
Of course, the Jedi had to try to address these disturbances in a particularly non-violent manner. Yet, if the situation called for it and they had no other option, they were allowed to do whatever it took to ensure the continuation of peace.
As you would expect, if the battle did come down to the Jedi having to take especially harsh actions, then they would understandably have repercussions to bear.
This is per the honor code of the Jedi Order.
Why did the Republic betray the Jedi?
As it seems, the Republic did not outrightly betray the Jedi. This form of treachery came subtly and perhaps could not have been sensed by the Jedi at first glance.
As time progressed and the seasons rolled by, the Galactic Republic eventually, like a fair number of organizations, became corrupt.
Given the pure-hearted, peaceful nature that the Jedi have to adopt once they join the order, this corruption was strictly against their operative coding.
Corruption means that there is a disturbance in the otherwise harmoniously peaceful organization of the Republic.
The Jedi were the tried and true peacekeepers of the entire galaxy. So once there was a disturbance in that peace, they would know about it.
Despite this clear Judas kiss that the Republic handed out to the Jedi, they still stood firmly alongside them.
It is not immediately obvious why the Jedi kept up their servitude to the Republic upon their discovery of the betrayal.
It may be that they felt obligated to keep their word to serve the Republic. Or maybe it even had something to do with the fact that the Jedi took an oath to protect all lifeforms.
Conclusion
Without rules, there would be no order. The world would descend into pure chaos.
Sure, things would start great because everyone dreams of a life without rules, but when tough decisions have to be made and no one wants to take the lead, all hell would break loose.
Absolute pandemonium would ensue. The figureheads of the Star Wars world were fully aware of this and birthed the Galactic Republic.
This was supposed to be a peace-loving, democratic governmental body. They believed so strongly in a non-aggressive approach that they didn’t even form a military body.
This is where the Jedi stepped in.
They, being the guardians of peace and the light side of the Force, decided they would dedicate their lives to doing just that. Thus, they became devout to the Republic.
They did this regardless of all the betrayal and opposing factors that showed up against the Galactic Republic.