A Certain Point of View

"You father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true... from a certain point of view."
"A certain point of view?!"
"Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."

Ah, how often things hinge on perspective. And that's why clear communication is important. But even in terms of the source material it's a big thing.
As I write - short, scattered, and fragmented as those writings may be - I think about a lot of peripheral things, perhaps more when dealing with Star Wars fiction than in some other settings.


First, I have to consider the source material. The movies (alas, perhaps, but yes all six) are the core material (G-canon, as some refer to it). Anakin restored balance to the Force by killing the last of the Sith when he tossed the Emperor (not, as some argue, with the Purge that reduced the Jedi to 2, matching the Sith numbers). Jedi doctrine preaches against attachment. Some things really are as straightforward as they appear. And so on.
Why? Because George Lucas says so. Well, hey, he came up with this stuff so I think that's his right.

Then we have the greater continuity of the Expanded Universe. Scores of novels, comics, cartoons, and games that spiral off into a huge cloud of setting. Anything type out in my spare time naturally falls in this scope (and loosely at that), so I may as well consider what others have done before, neh? And considering I have a particular fondness for the Knights of the Old Republic/Tales of the Jedi era, I'd be writing in an utter vacuum if I didn't accept some of this.
Like many other writers (including some far more official and prodigious than I'll ever be), I also try to apply a certain level of logic and familiarity to things while maintaining what I perceive as the spirit of the material.
This means a lot of referencing Wookieepedia and such - a lot of what I reference comes from there, which references in turn the assortment of published works the setting has. And frequently enough, I come back to thinking about the Force and the Jedi. Star Wars pretty much isn't Star Wars without them.

Frankly, I can't decide whether to view the Force as a sentience or just a... well... force. I try not to address it. My characters are free to "act as the Force wills," but that only means their either personally believe in a greater awareness there or they are trusting things will work out.
Similarly, I'm not sure I feel like defining for my version of the setting whether the Dark Side is or is not a power unto itself. In Lucas' view, use of the Dark Side was something of a cancer to the Force, while normal/natural/"light side" (though he never seemed ot use that last term) is a symbiosis of sorts. Some writers have put forth, through various characters, that there is no Dark Side, only the Force and the how/why a person uses it. In a lot of ways, I agree with that philosophy as making the most sense. Yet, I feel such a big deal is made of the Dark Side in the core material that disregarding that completely isn't true to the setting.
So I tend toward a hazy middle ground, I suppose. I accept as truth that whether the Dark Side is its own thing or simply a reflection of "darkness" within the user, it still leads to a path of temptation and increased use. I'll probably avoid defining whether that seductive path is influence from outside or comes from within because it doesn't matter much as long as the results are the same.

The Jedi... are quite a quandary sometimes. It's a constant struggle in my mind, though more a challenge than a frustration, to write a "true" Jedi. It's clear that other writers have similar issues in seeing how frequently characters toss aside Jedi teachings in favor of more expeditious methods.

Jedi are taught that attachment leads to the Dark Side.
We get this a lot from Yoda in every movie he's in, and he's generally recognized as an archetypal Jedi. So, he must be right. Right?
And yet one can perceive his fondness for others and his sadness at deaths (in spite of saying one should not mourn those who have joined the Force). So clearly he has some degree of attachment on multiple fronts. And how could he not, realistically? If he didn't care about anything, how could he (or any Jedi) act on behalf of the Republic?
One look at the Expanded Universe shows Jedi who are even less interested in this disconnect from others. After the series, the Skywalkers and Solos practically form a dynasty of Force-users, marrying and having children without any apparent reservations over Yoda's words. In the distant past, there were at least a couple generations of Sunrider Jedi, a married pair of cathar Jedi, and reference to at least one other family I can think of off hand. Frequently, these families involved flirtation with the Dark Side, but fairly rarely a fall to it - but then, that's the sort of thing writers like to write.
So when I look at this topic, I think the Jedi of the Republic in Yoda's day lost sight of some things. They were teaching by rote. "Avoid attachment," they said, without actually explaining the intricacies of why. Without filial bonds, Anakin would never have shaken off the Emperor's influence long enough to fulfil his destiny - attachment led to his redemption, and that in a G-canon example. Ulic Quel-Droma similarly was redeemed though... understanding, acceptance, and compassion, I would have to say.
So, in my view, it isn't "attachment" or caring for someone else that is where things are "bad." But I would call it "risky" (but then, so is space travel if you consider). Caring leads to emotion, which still isn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course, it's fully possible to be blinded by emotion and do stupid/evil things - but can happen whether or not a Jedi cares or loves for someone.
Some Jedi look at this and figure the extreme of "just don't get attached in the first place" is the best way to go. By the fall of the Republic, they're apparently the ones in charge - maybe the Order needed some shaking up there anyway.


Enough rambling for now, though...