Hey guys, I know it has been a while since a good and true Star Wars blog, but I am here to change that today.

I am here to talk about what it truly means to be a Jedi. This will include what it meant to the Jedi of the Prequel era, and what it meant after the Jedi purge, and subsequent Jedi humbling (if you are curious as to what I speak, I have done several blogs about why the Jedi were different in the two trilogies, and how they were cast down from power: Part One , Part Two. And most recently I made an entry about the Force that also goes into it a little bit: Power Of The Star Wars Televangelists). So now that everyone seems to be caught up on what I was talking about, I think we shall move right on into tonight's subject.

So, is it the cool Lightsabers, the stylish clothing, or the ability to lift objects into the air that makes a Jedi a Jedi? Surely all of these things are a part of being a Jedi, a part of their lifestyle, but these things are not what makes them what they are. The Jedi dedicate their lives to helping others, to learning the intricacies of the Force, and to assist the Republic during whatever crisis it may find itself falling into. But this is not what I am here to talk about, for generally everyone knows that the Jedi are the good guys, what I am here to talk about is what it personally means to be a Jedi. The personal dedication that each Jedi makes, and what it means to them.

In the Prequels it seemed that being a Jedi meant detaching oneself from everything about an ordinary life. No love, no family (outside of the Jedi), no possessions, and most Jedi lived within the temple walls when they were not on a mission. But they seemed to feel that they needed to distance themselves from emotions. Why? Why would they want to do that? They felt that these emotions could lead someone down the dark path, from which they could not return. They were incredibly disciplined, and strict in their ways. They believed that one had to have control of oneself at all times.

And there we get into the heart of the matter: control. The Jedi eventually came to a point where they needed to have control of the situation. Things outside of their control confused and made them uncomfortable. Look at the Clone Wars. Once Obi-Wan reported about the Clone army on Kamino, they were definitely put off ease. Someone on the Council had acted outside of the Order, so it was only natural that they would want to wonder what exactly was going on. This is of course natural precaution (they'd be fairly stupid not to wonder), but what I am more concerned with was Mace's reaction to it. He was incredibly worried, wanting to tell the Senate that their ability to use the Force had diminished. In fact I feel that this was an over-reaction to the news, and note how Yoda had to remind him of why they shouldn't do that. In my opinion this is a very logical, and rational reason that Yoda gave, and that if Mace would have been thinking clearly he would have realized that. Of course he acted very calm, but that's what I have been talking about, maintaining control over themselves above all things.

Also of note is how they reacted when they found out about the Sith's return in The Phantom Menace. Clearly they were confused, for they thought that the Sith had been extinct for a thousand years. Not to say that they over-reacted here, but that they were clearly off-put by something that was beyond their control, and really didn't like it. In fact, at first they wouldn't believe Qui-Gon when he told them. It wasn't until Qui-Gon died that they admitted that the Sith was back. Their return was something outside of the Jedi's control, so they initially refused to accept it.

This is one of the faults of the Jedi, which I have talked about often. They had to control everything make sure that they could understand everything, which is why they came up with their midichlorians science (I won't say much more on this for I have already covered it here: ...In Your Bloodstream), so that they could even come to understand the Force, and grew to a point where they thought they could control it (won't go into that because the 3 entries I linked to above cover this).

The Jedi came to a point where they needed control, and had control over many aspects (leading to their arrogance), and they began to lose faith in the Force. They came to the point where control over something, was more important than taking it (whatever 'it' may be) on faith. They ceased to put their faith in the Force, because they wanted personal control over every situation. Not all Jedi were like this however, let's take Jinn for example. He always taught about the living Force, and trust in the will of the Force, and all that (talked about that in those blog entries as well). He never needed the same type of control that most of the rest of the Order craved; he had no problem putting his faith first. Case in point, during his duel with Darth Maul (personally one of my favorite scenes in TPM, and in my opinion the most powerful moment in that film) when the shields popped up between them, Qui-Gon dropped to his knees. This was a good way to conserve energy, but also he was meditating. Meditating on the battle, meditating on the Force, and trusting in it to give him strength. He was willing to let the Force guide him, no matter what, and put his complete faith in it. Although he did die, it all worked out in the end. Because of his faith he was able to learn a way to retain his consciousness even after death, and was able to teach Yoda and Ben the same thing. This of course allowed Ben to help Luke even after his death, in Luke's training.

So in summation, the Prequel Jedi were all about control; control of the situation, themselves, and nearly everything else--even the Force. That's what being a Jedi was to them. This is that main difference between them and the Sith. For the Sith teach about letting go of your inhibitions, doing what you want to do, releasing your emotions, letting them guide their actions (mostly anger, and rage), and all that they did. They taught about control too, but more about absolute control, and power.

Is that to say either of them are correct? No, and that's why both of their Orders came to an end. Which leads me into the Jedi of the OT, and how they believe in things, and what being a Jedi means, and is to them. However, that discussion will have to wait until tomorrow.

Believe it or not, this was supposed to be a short entry! That's the way of things though when I delve deep into these movies. I love these films and kind really get lost in them at times. That's why I love them, GL gave us so much to explore and talk about.

Feel free to check out my other blogs as well as hit my own websites blog site, Solid Studios Blogs, where I post on the latest film news and trailers as soon as it hits!

--DLZ