Summary
- George Lucas wrote the Jedi as wise warriors who recognized the corruption in the Republic.
- In contrast, recent Star Wars projects have misunderstood this concept, portraying most Jedi as unaware of the Senate's corruption.
- Recent Star Wars projects have changed how the Jedi views the Senate.
The destruction of the Jedi Order is the centerpiece of Star Wars Canon, however, recent projects seem to have misunderstood George Lucas’ original concept. The fall of the Jedi—or Order 66—was the culmination of decades of careful planning by Sheev Palpatine. The betrayal of Anakin Skywalker and the clone army effectively wiped the Jedi religion from the galaxy. But despite Palpatine’s genius plan, the Jedi had been waning in power on their own. In Attack of the Clones, Mace Windu suggests telling the Senate that the Jedi Order’s power had diminished from what it once was.
Several factors led to the destruction of the Jedi, including Qui-Gon Jinn’s misplaced faith in Anakin Skywalker. However, one of the key factors often overlooked is the Jedi Order’s relationship with the Senate. Both groups were key to the Republic properly functioning. However, by the time of the prequel trilogy the Senate was a corrupt and broken system where there was more arguing than action. And the Jedi’s perspective on the Senate’s corruption is where one big difference in Star Wars has occurred.
