Posted by Professor Walsh in News | 4 Comments
Ask A Jedi: What Are Dark Jedi, Really?
If you spend any time on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forums, you are sure to have seen his passion and prose regarding all things Jedi. You know him as Professor Walsh. Each week (or thereabouts,) Professor Walsh will answer a few reader-submitted questions in order to enlighten us all with the ways of the Jedi. You can submit your own question at the end of the article!
Welcome everyone to another week of Ask A Jedi! As always, I’m your host Professor Walsh and I’m here to answer your questions regarding all things Star Wars lore. Remember, if you have a question, no matter how big or small, please submit it! I may not get to it instantly, but I will get to it in time.
This week we have one question with two parts:
Dear Jedi,
What actually “defines” a Jedi to George Lucas? I mean, according to G-canon, are there such things as Dark Jedi? It would seem that there must be a minimum checklist somewhere that all persons carry the label “Jedi” should have/be.
Obviously I’d like to know this in the context of The Old Republic, but any general information would be appreciated!
– Rebel
Good question Rebel. Unfortunately I can’t really answer what George Lucas defines a Jedi as, and the reason of course is because I am not George Lucas. I can only state what he seems to have defined them as.
As to the second portion of your question, you want to know if there are such things as Dark Jedi in G-Canon? This is a little more complicated.
First you have to understand, unlike what some people believe, G-Canon is still part of canon and thus follows a strictly defined set of rules. So G-Canon is not separate from other canon. In fact, if G-Canon, since it is the highest level of canon, says that there is no Dark Jedi then, well, there are no Dark Jedi… anywhere. Until such a time as he specifically says that there is no Dark Jedi in G-Canon then due to how canon works there simply are Dark Jedi in G-Canon.
So, yes, there are indeed Dark Jedi in G-Canon. Though that is, of course, subject to change.
Now, from a canon standpoint a Dark Jedi is simply a Jedi who has been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. Often people who were never Jedi are erroneously identified as Dark Jedi as well. In canon Dark Jedi are not part of, nor are they recognized by, the Jedi Order.
In order to be a Jedi one must meet one criterion only: the person must be a member of the Jedi Order in good standing.
By the words, “In Good Standing” I mean that the person must be not disavowed, as it were. So, for example, Revan was a Jedi even though he fought in the Mandalorian Wars until such a time as he fell to the Dark Side. The Exile was not a Jedi anymore because she had been, well, exiled. Jolee Bindo was a Jedi because the Order never exiled him, he left of his own free will but never officially was kicked out.
The Old Republic definition of Dark Jedi will likely be a Jedi who has accumulated more Dark Side points than Light Side points by a significant margin. I don’t think that TOR will make the distinction really between Light and Dark Jedi, and I personally think that is a shame.
I hope that answers your question, and until next time, remember: The Force will be with you… Always.
Dark Jedi Namman Cha
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I think BioWare has taken some inspiration from Anakin for the in-game dark Jedi path. Anakin drew upon the dark side, fueling his power with emotion. He openly embraced the philosophy of “the end justifies the means.” At first, this did not make him evil in the classic sense – he was motivated by love as much as hate, and he was fiercely loyal to his friends.
The dark side corrupted Anakin by reinforcing his craving for power, leading him to the point where he refused to accept any limitations upon himself, whether internal or from others. The dark side made him paranoid and unable to trust others, other than the Sith lord that was manipulating him.
Without that manipulation, however, Anakin would probably have remained a Jedi. While he scorned democracy, he would have continued to fight for the Republic because of his emotional attachment to people who supported it. If you remove any possibility of a “faction change,” Anakin becomes a clear dark Jedi prototype.
I think I remember Bioware saying faction change isn’t something they’re interested in including. As for Dark Jedi, it will be interesting to see if a person’s Jedi character in TOR can be removed from the Jedi Order.
It is truly an interesting concept in how far can you go in your story of being a Sith or Jedi in the Swtor game itself.
*Spoiler Alert for Deceived*
In Deceived by Paul Kemp, the main Jedi character actually leaves the order to fight Darth Malgus. So it seems that although you can’t become a Sith, you affiliation with the Order may not have to be exact in nature.
It seems to me that, it could be a scenario that we might see in game. With both Kotor 1 and 2, having different endings based upon how you play, it’s seems there will be similar style endings as well. But how far you can go, what it exactly that means is very much so up for debate! Not a faction change, but I’m sure that your actions will have affect on your companions but the story as well. Also it would seem you could leave the Sith as well, and become a grey/light side Sith as well.
In the Darth Bane series, there was a ex-Jedi (Set Harth) who studied as a Jedi but then left the Order. He ended up using his powers for purely selfish reasons and when offered an apprenticeship to become Sith, he ultimately turned it down as well.
I see this as an excellent example of a Dark Jedi. I’m guessing that there will be many players in SWTOR that may run this way, gaining themselves dark side points but ultimately not following the dark side of the force completely.