This section of my ongoing Nature of the Force series contains my thoughts on the way the Dark Side works and corrupts, and how Jedi are turned, as well as my explanation for one of the frequent complaints about the prequels.


One of popular criticisms of the prequels, specifically Revenge of the Sith, is the unbelievability of Anakin's apparently very sudden turn from good to evil.

The argument:
"Oh, so you just say 'Okay I'll be a Sith,' kill someone, and you're suddenly evil? That doesn't make sense."

The point to remember here is that this is the Force we're dealing with. Jedi are special. The Force does special things to people. Emotions are important for a Jedi to control because of the Force and the temptation of the Dark Side.

Because it's important, let's talk about the Jedi before we talk about them becoming Sith:

The Jedi preach control of emotions. A Jedi's life is sacrifice. They give up possessions, attachments, love, envy and other strong, selfish emotions. But you don't see Jedi ever trying to get normal people to act like that, do you? No, because normal people don't need to. Falling in love, having passions, and having children are essential to the existence of society (especially that last one, can't have a population without people), but the Jedi abstain from all of those (in most cases). Sure it's a good idea and a nice thing for normal people to not give into hate and anger. Nobody likes a a killing spree. But the Jedi philosophy is not forced upon or embraced by the larger populace. But it's important for the Jedi to embrace it.

Because they need to. By being in touch with the Force, they are at risk. The Dark Side of the Force feeds on strong, negative, and selfish emotions. Belonging to the Dark Side is more than being evil.

When a Jedi draws upon their anger, the Dark Side feeds them power. A Dark Jedi feels the power, and wants more, and give into their passions further to get more, always thinking that they are in control, gaining power, when in reality the Dark Side is gaining power over them. These Dark Jedi usually end up dying because they think that they have unlimited power, they think that they are unbeatable, but someone comes along who is either angrier and more powerful, or they may be a true, serene Jedi, and still be more powerful. So the "unbeatable" Sith is defeated, in disbelief. Rarely does a Sith die in any other way.

This is shown very well in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, the videogame for PC and Xbox. Nearly every Dark Jedi you face personally beleives that they are stronger than you, and must be because they use the Dark Side. They think that breaking away from the "narrow view of the Jedi" automatically makes them stronger. But they never are.

At one point in the game, you meet a long dead Sith Lord, Ajunta Pall, who reflects on the mistakes of the old Sith Lords. He recognizes that they all beleived they were so powerful, and they all wanted eachother's power. He realized the fundamental flaw of the Sith, that they destroy. He saw that they were possessed by the Dark Side, and had made mistakes that ruined them instead of elevating them. A Sith interprets his words as weakness, (the traditional Sith insult), while a Jedi sees them as proof of the dangers and flaws of the Dark Side.

Possible KOTOR SPOILERS ahead
The theme runs throughout the game, but the theme of the ancient stroyline that gets revealed really shows it. The Rakata were an ancient civlization who once ruthlessly ruled the galaxy with advanced technology that blended sience and the Dark Side of the force. The pinnacle of their achievement of ultimate power was the Star Forge, a factory that could produce entire armadas very rapidly. But it was more than that, it was also a tool of the Dark Side. The ancient Rakata and the Sith who used it during the Jedi Civil War beleived that it amplified the Dark Side of the Force within Sith, and fed power to them. But in reality it drew power from them, corrupting them further and further. Eventually, the Rakata race was ravaged by a horrible plague, and somehow lost connection to the Force. Their grip ont he galaxy very suddenly ended, for mainly mysterious reasons, possibly due to the extent of their corruption due to the Dark Side of the Force.
End SPOILERS


Belonging to the Dark Side is not just a matter of being an evil Jedi. That's a common misconception, especially among non-fans. It's a matter of embracing the power it gives, and beleiving the lies it tells. The Dark Side corrupts people. It makes them ruthless and unkind, they become all that we know as evil. But how many paths to the Dark Side began with noble intentions? It starts as justification. "I should be able to be passionate instead of serene, I become stronger!" For normal people, simply giving in to an emotion can end at that. But the Force is tricky, and it will corrupt those who do not restrict their feelings.

But of course, the Dark Side is only capable of personally corrupting Jedi. It is the Dark Side of the Force after all. Only Jedi are vulnerable, and that is why only Jedi must limit themselves and make sacrifices, and avoid the temptation of the Dark Side.


When Anakin "turned" to the Dark Side. He decided to go with Sidious, and as Sidious had him beleive, the Jedi way (in Anakin's mind, the Good Side way) couldn't save Padme, while only Sidious (and the Sith way) could. Then Sidious sends him on a mission to do something horrible. That is often the case when turning someone to the Dark Side. Have them kill someone that they couldn't dream of killing, for the sake of power, and the Dark Side gets it's foot in the door, so to speak, and skyrockets someone's way to corruption. So Anakin killed Jedi, and *sniff* younglings. And politicians. When it came to fighting Obi-Wan, the preamble built up enough anger, which he allowed to control him, that fightingly strongly wasn't a problem. But he lost that fight.


In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, it becomes clear that Anakin still has not gotten over the moral issues of being a Sith. He is depressed and saddened by what he has lost. His deep, true moral corruption from Jedi to Monster in fact does take quite a while, and largely because of the fact that at that point he doesn't have much of a choice any more. Or so he beleives until the end of ROTJ. In the span of ROTS, Anakin doesn't really become Darth Vader, meanest man in the galaxy and right hand of the Emperor. During ROTS, he only goes so far as to become Anakin, Rogue Jedi out to save his wife by any means necessary. Not until later (covered in "Dark Lord") does he really give into the Dark Side and become corrupt.


Next time you think of or hear that old argument about how stupid Anakin's quick turn is, there are a few crucial things to remember.

1. He's not just a good guy deciding to become a bad guy. He's a Jedi, under the influence of the Force. A Jedi only has to let the Dark Side in, and it corrupts the rest of the way, no matter what the Jedi once wanted or thought.

2. Anakin personally didn't become a corrupt evil Vader instantly. He made a choice for Padme, which later led to him becoming a real Sith, he didn't turn on a dime and say "I'm evil now."


The Dark Side of the Force corrupts Force sensitive individuals when given the chance. That's why the Jedi Order exists.