Of the many debates that Star Wars fans engage in regularly, one will likely never go away. The argument in question is whether the Jedi were the ones to blame for the events of the mainline Star Wars films, essentially meaning the Jedi caused the Empire’s rise. It’s a heated debate for good reason: there are many good points in both directions.

With all the mistakes the Jedi order made over the years, it's hard to see how they aren’t to blame for everything. They are well-intentioned good guys, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes, especially when they're up against one of the greatest evils the galaxy has ever known. To determine whether the Jedi caused their own downfall, it's important to take a look at the evidence across the series.

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Are The Jedi To Blame For The Rise Of The Empire?

This is an interesting question to ponder. In many ways, the Jedi absolutely were to blame for the rise of the Empire. The entire prequel trilogy stands as an example of what any Jedi Order should not do if they want to retain power in the galaxy. In a lot of ways, the Jedi unknowingly aided and expedited Palpatine’s multi-decade-long plan. The Order may have been left in a weaker state than they had been before, which kept them from detecting Palpatine as a Sith. However, that doesn’t excuse their poor decision-making. Perhaps above all else, it was each individual Jedi's trust in the Jedi Order that led to the worst occurring. Even the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi shared this attitude in the Star Wars: Obi-Wan and Anakin comics:

What Major Mistakes Did The Jedi Make?

Strict Adherence To The Jedi Code

Interestingly, the rigidity with which the Jedi Order chose to follow the Jedi Code may have been one of their biggest mistakes. It is important to note that the Jedi Code itself is not at fault, as centuries of Jedi successes act as proof of its importance. The problem was that the Jedi chose to blindly adhere to the code (though in one instance Mace Windu ignored it completely), even in the face of unique and complex issues. Anakin’s fall to the dark side could have, in theory, been avoided if the Jedi had acted with more tact.

It is made clear throughout the prequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars that Anakin is brash, rogueish, and dominated by emotions. Had the Jedi Order or his own Jedi Master taken note of this, a unique approach could have been taken instead of insisting Anakin put in the work to master his emotions. That line of thought had already been failing.

Becoming Embroiled In War And Politics

The Jedi are often criticized for becoming akin to soldiers during the final days before the rise of the Empire. However, that's not unusual for the history of the order. The problem was that their willingness to become involved in war whittled down their already weakened Jedi Order, and spread their most skilled warriors across the galaxy. That's exactly what the Sith wanted.

That massive Clone army and all those forgotten Clone Wars characters may have seemed like a great option when the war began. But it was a bit too convenient, as Palpatine already knew how he was going to use the Clones to his advantage. Meanwhile, the Jedi became entranced by the ongoing political situation. Yet, they failed to see that the corrupt system was slowly putting every piece into place to lead to the destruction of the Jedi.

Treating The Sith Like A Far Away Problem

It’s not uncommon for Star Wars fans to take issue with the various revelations from the prequel trilogy. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a Sith appears and kills a Jedi Master. Instead of immediately diverting Jedi resources to tracking down the greatest threat to the galaxy, they decide to wait to see what happened next. One of the most bizarre moments comes from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, when the powerful Count Dooku tells Obi-Wan that the Jedi are already doomed. Rather than trying to figure out what to do next, Obi-Wan simply states that he doesn’t believe Dooku, despite the latter's villainous demeanor.

For whatever reason, the Jedi decide that inaction was the perfect action against a foe they are struggling to understand as the Force becomes cloudier. As long as the Sith remained at a distance in the minds of the Jedi, their many problems couldn’t have anything to do with their foe. This left the Jedi with a massive blind spot. It was precisely because they were so ignorant of the threat of the Sith that, in a dark twist, the Sith were able to get the upper hand on them.

Other Notable Mistakes

• Exiling Jedi (like Ahsoka) in a time of need.
• Mace Windu's attempt to kill Palpatine.
• Trusting in the Jedi Order over the will of the Force.
• Admitting defeat after a single attempt on Palpatine's life.

Did The Jedi Cause Their Own Downfall?

With all the previous information in mind, it becomes easy to see how so many Star Wars fans blame the Jedi Order for their own destruction and the rise of the Empire. Despite being viewed as paragons of virtue and heroes who will put the downtrodden before themselves, the Jedi acted with short-sightedness and ignorance. The Sith played a brilliant game thanks to the scheming of Palpatine, but the poor choices of the Jedi are what truly sealed their fate.

One could say that the return and brilliance of Palpatine allowed him to manipulate both sides of the Clone Wars, ultimately leading to his victory, but that might not be the case. The Jedi could have been much choosier with their deployments, avoiding much of the war for Jedi combatants, and only using them to target key leaders in opposition to the Republic. This could simply be chalked up to hindsight, but a handful of well-thought-out decisions that involved a bit more restraint from the Jedi could have avoided their downfall.

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Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise originally created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, tv shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.

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