Often, when discussing theStar Warsprequels, the biggest issue people have is the dialogue. Lines like “I don’t like sand” have infected meme culture and almost given them a nostalgic vibe where it is so bad it is comforting. However,much of the writing isn’t terrible, with some of it being fantastic. One of these lines that could be seen in either category isObi-Wan’s (Ewan McGregor)“only a Sith deals in absolutes” line when talking to Anakin, now Darth Vader, (Hayden Christensen) on Mustafar inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
It sounds so cool at that moment, but you think about it for a second and realize it doesn’t make any sense due to the hypocritical nature of having little nuance when it comes to analyzing people with little nuance. “Only a Sith” is an “absolute”, as is the next line that he will do what he “must.” However,on a deeper look, within the context of the entireStar Warssaga, you’ll see it is a brilliant line that highlights the themes of the prequel trilogy, as well as casting a more sympathetic light on the inquisitors who came after these events.
Obi-Wan’s Line Synthesizes the Hypocrisy and Failure of the Jedi Order in the ‘Star Wars’ Prequels
While one might sell the premise of theStar Warsprequels as giving audiences an insight into the Jedi during their prime, “before the dark times,” asOld Ben (AlecGuinness)puts it inStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, theoverall takeaway is that the Jedi are majorly responsible for their downfall. They have become so single-minded they are blind to their own failures. They don’t seePalpatine (Ian MacDiarmid)coming, they don’t prevent the war between the Separatists and the Republic, and they are dead set on protecting the Republic as if they are its lapdogs. They don’t ask if they should remain neutral as the “peacekeepers” they claim to be, with this being explored inThe Clone Warsseries.
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“Let’s keep a little optimism here.”
In slipping this contradiction into a sentence, Obi-Wan, perhaps the greatest example of what a Jedi could and should be, highlights how broken the organization is, even at its highest level. The arrogance of seeing the world through such a narrow viewpoint is exactly what Palpatine played on with Anakin to seduce him to the dark side. Even Anakin’s previous line, “If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy,” is the same approach the Jedi have been using in the Clone Wars, and perhapsObi-Wan’s hypocrisy literally a moment later may have confirmed in his mind that Palpatine was correct.
Obi-Wan’s Line on Mustafar Highlights Why Some Jedi Became Inquisitors in Later ‘Star Wars’ Media
The Jedi have forced a dogmatic viewpoint on its followers that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny and means that some logically fall to the dark side. It leads to many contradictions, as this line shows, and Anakin points out to Padmé (Natalie Portman) inStar Wars: Episode II -Attack of theCloneswhen he argues that a Jedi must form bonds to protect people. This is similar to how the Grand Inquisitor inRebelsbecame an inquisitor after being refused access to higher knowledge when he was a temple guard. Again,the Jedi’s inability to work with nuance, perhaps giving the guard some knowledge, ended with someone turning on the order when given a chance, as the Grand Inquisitor did during Order 66. When you give your entire life to defend knowledge so that no one else may have access to it, meaning the Jedi keep a monopoly on certain things, of course, you’ll become easier to tempt away, as there are too many holes in the strict rules.
Furthermore, if Jedi are there to keep balance, and a war breaks out that the Empire claims to end and wishes to bring order to, why wouldn’t they follow a potentially darker yet more effective path? While their methods may be different, the outcome is somewhat the same, at least with how the Empire presents it, and that is the issue with Obi-Wan’s line.He mocks the Sith for using “absolutes” yet does the exact same thing, showing the order’s growing lack of understandingof the world they exist within, leading to the rise of the Sith, and the fall of certain Jedi to the dark side.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Three years into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, while Anakin is lured by Chancellor Palpatine into a sinister plot to rule the galaxy.
