One of the most anticipated Star Wars shows is The Acolyte, which will tell the the Sith point of view. Telling the dark perspective is not something new, John Milton’s Paradise Lost is from Satan’s perspective and C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters is a discussion between two demons. In Legends, formerly The Expanded Universe, there are tales for the dark side point of view in The Darth Bane Trilogy, Book of Sith, and etc. However, in those treatments, the Sith still retain their ruthless nature and their path is always shown as evil. The Acolyte series plans to go another route by the Sith Lord telling its acolyte, “this isn’t about good or bad, its about power and who is allowed to use it.” (The Acolyte). This moral grey was Revan’s perspective, “He no longer clung to the simplistic ideals of right and wrong or good and evil. He understood better than anyone that dark and light were intertwined in strange and complex ways.” (Revan, Drew Karpyshyn). This moral ambguity is anthetical to what George Lucas intended, he wanted a clear moral story of good versus evil, fearing that a whole generation was growing up without knowing right from wrong.
The words of the Master to the Acolyte sounds like abolitionist speech, and the idea is to paint them as underdogs, perhaps like The Legions of Lettow, the first Dark Jedi, who were genocided by the Jedi not because they were a threat but because of their faith in the dark side. Disney seems to be headed into a moral opaque future, Ahsoka even featured Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll who were morally gray, something between Jedi and Sith, and the Tales of the Jedi mini-series (not to be confused with Darkhorse’s comics Tales of the Jedi with the famous Exar Kun, Ulic Qel Droma, Noomi Sunrider, Naga Sadow, Freedon Nadd) showed Count Dooku’s fall as stemming from him seeing the corruption of the Jedi. The theme that the traditional heroes, the Jedi Knights who serve The Light Side are being painted as corrupt started with The Last Jedi, and Luke’s rants on Achch-To, that was the great reset for Star Wars, that the Jedi are not noble, just an inevitability, “darkness rises, light to meet it,” (Snoke), “The Force always strives for balance. The Emperor is an agent of darkness and destruction. It is inevitable that a champion of the light will one day rise to oppose him. I may be that champion,” (Revan, Drew Karpyshyn), and “Shin: do you miss (the Jedi Order)? Baylan: I miss the idea of it, not what it became.” (Ahsoka, Disney+ Series), . Gone is the heroic Luke refusing to kill his Father, throwing his lightsaber hilt away and saying to the Emperor, “No.. you have failed your highness, I am a Jedi like my father before me.” (Return of the Jedi). There has been a concerted effort to taint the Jedi and justify the Sith or morally gray sects in way Vader did, “from my point of view The Jedi are evil!” (Darth Vader, Revenge of the Sith), only now no one is responding like Master Kenobi, “well then your lost!” (Revenge of the Sith).
The Acolyte is the next step in making evil good and good evil. This is not new, Our Lord Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). We see a love of the dark side rising in Star Wars, and now claiming its an underdog story of a persecuted sect to justify that this acolyte is murdering Jedi, and we are suppose to think, “its ok, The Jedi are corrupt, they are hypocrites and pious control freaks.” I think it is no coincidence this story telling is happening as people in the real world are saying the same things about The Church.
When I was growing up The Sith and the dark side was evil. Darth Vader abused people, Force choking his wife Padme, Force choking Imperial Officers, cutting his Son’s hand off, and even abusing women in The Kenobi Series. It was clear the dark lord was wicked, but now we see an agenda to call darkness light, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness,” (Isaiah 5:20-21), and “When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matthew 6:22-23). The idea in The Acolyte that the dark siders have been pressed down, and have the right to do as they do, in the name of equity may shed light on have some evil people think, my concern is that Star Wars is for children. Yes there is mature Star Wars like Dark Empire, and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords with the Lovecraftian Darth Nihilus using the dark side to eat a whole world of people via Force Drain; but these were always a thread in comics, books, and video games for mature audiences, the movies were suitable for children, teaching good versus evil and the heroes always win. That is changing as the stories glorify gray characters Balian Skoll in Ahsoka and justify the Darksider as in The Acolyte. Children cannot read Paradise Lost, with Satan the protagonist and understand its a tale to show his fall in a nuanced and complex way, they are too impressionable and need the truth of the Bible that says of Satan, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:43-44).
The Sith Code states,
“Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion, I gain Strength.
Through Strength, I gain Power.
Through Power, I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.”
It was written by David Gaider for the 2003 Knights of the Old Republic video game who said the inspiration was Hitler, “Gaider reversed the existing Jedi Code and complemented it with a Sith philosophy partly inspired by Mein Kampf, the 1925 infamous autobiographical manifesto written by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.” (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Code_of_the_Sith), This made sense because The Sith were the hierarchy of the Empire, which George Lucas had purposely made Nazi looking, look at the grey uniforms of the imperial officers they match German officer uniforms in WWII and the Stormtrooper helm is based on the Nazi Soldier Stalhelm. But what is concerning is fans of the Sith use the Code which is based on the tyrant and evil Adolf’s autobiography, and it is no doubt to have a part to play in The Acolyte, even if not uttered, fans of the dark side through the show will find it.
I am greatly concerned. While it is still possible The Acolyte will show the Darksiders as evil and give a nuanced look at how one can be seduced by reasonings that try to justify evil and become blind. The problem is the trend has been to usurp the hero of the Jedi, and give a voice to the Gray and Darkness. Growing up we kids wanted to be Jedi like Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywlaker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and etc. Sometimes we played as Darth Vader and Darth Maul, but ultimately we understood good guys always win, and gravitated to the light side. That is changing, the dark side is falling like a shroud on the franchise. We who grew up with Star Wars remember it as thus, “Luke: Is the dark side stronger? Yoda: No! Quicker, more seductive.” (The Empire Strikes Back) and “Luke: how will I know the good side from the bad? Yoda: You will know when you are calm and at peace.” (The Empire Strikes Back). Those films hinged on Light versus Dark, and that Light was stronger than Darkness with even Darth Vader being redeemed in The Return of the Jedi. Now its, “this isn’t about good or bad, its about power and who is allowed to use it.” (The Acolyte). See the shift? Luke asks how to know the good side from the bad, but now they say there is no good or bad side, just power and who is allowed to use it. Talk about a shift in message that will poison young impressionable minds. Make no mistake this is the words of the prophet Isaiah and our Lord Jesus being fulfilled, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness,” (Isaiah 5:20-21), and “When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” (Matthew 6:22-23). Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment