Comment on “Fixed” — A Star Wars tale

  1. Be_Right_Back Tue 10 Nov 2020 10:56PM UTC

    Hi, I see where the confusion comes from. So the idea that there is such a thing as "dark side powers" and "light side powers" comes entirely from the Legends EU, with the exception of Sith lightning. I base my understanding of Star Wars on Lucas' canon only (first 6 movies + TCW), and while I know quite a lot outside of that canon I don't bother with it if it seems unsupported by Lucas' worldbuilding or just plain contradictory. There's nothing in the movies or the series anywhere that says crushing droid is something you can only do using the Dark Side. Crushing is just grabbing, with more strength put into it. That being said, Obi-Wan is *not* perfect and has definitely used the Dark Side at some point, as have all Jedi, yes.

    See, the thing with "using the Dark Side" is that it's simply acting out of anger, fear or selfishness. Here's a link to more of Lucas' quotes that I'll be adding to the fic: https://gffa.tumblr.com/post/634363737832374274/what-does-balance-mean-in-terms-of-the-force
    (all the other links lead to canon articles and/or Lucas' quotes and some great analyses accompanying them, because this was originally kind of a meta post on Tumblr).

    We see Obi-Wan acting out of rage against Maul, or in the Box in TCW, and quite a few other times. The crucial difference is that he *overcomes.* He doesn't let those few times define him, and he gets better and better at controlling them (ex: Satine's death - Maul can feel Obi-Wan's hatred, but Obi-Wan *does not act on it*). The Jedi aren't perfect, and they don't pretend they've never ever used the Dark Side ever - but having slipped up doesn't mean they should shrug it off as no big deal, or that they should allow themselves to slip up more. Just because they fail from time to time doesn't mean they should say "welp, no point in trying to be good, the Dark Side is allowed now."

    I mean, Yoda has to literally fight his own dark self in s6 and destroy it to learn immortality (taught by Priestesses of the Force who value *balance* above all). They don't tell him to keep a tiny bit of his dark self alive, do they? He has to acknowledge that darkness is a part of him, and then *crush it.* That's what I meant with that bit of the fic. While Jedi slipping up don't make them lesser Jedi, the Order should never *ever* teach that you can just be lenient with yourself and indulge your darkness a tiny bit. Lucas was clear on that: you *will* lose if you try.

    About Quinlan - yes, he did Fall in that book, and it is considered canon under the current continuity. However, this story exists in a timeless limbo that probably takes place before he falls - and him turning Dark is actually part of the point. We know that characters like him, who turned to evil but managed to claw their way back to the light, always end up *loathing* the Dark Side, even though they can't always stop using it (ex: Maul). Furthermore, Quinlan *comes back* - so I see no contradiction there. I feel like someone like him - who knows precisely what the dark side is and isn't and who has suffered a lot because of his own mistakes but ultimately come back to his family - wouldn't take kindly to someone lecturing his people (who *didn't* mess up all the way like he did, who are still *innocent*).

    Sorry, that was a bit long. I hope that clears up any confusion!

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    1. Jedi-Apologist (Guest) Tue 10 Nov 2020 11:30PM UTC

      Here's a link to a reddit thread that does a really good job of quoting what Lucas said about the relationship between light and dark.
      https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/7sxp3s/the_balance_of_the_force_according_to_george_lucas/

      Since you base your understanding of the force and its corresponding lore on what Lucas says, I feel like this post does an amazing job of clearing up common misconceptions of the force.

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      1. Be_Right_Back Tue 10 Nov 2020 11:54PM UTC

        Thanks ;) I knew these quotes already, but it's always good to have. It's not a very exhaustive list but it's still a fine addition to my collection xD I'm curious though - you didn't acknowledge the rest of my answer. Was there stuff you disagreed with?

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        1. Jedi-Apologist (Guest) Wed 11 Nov 2020 12:20AM UTC

          Yes, actually I did. I was just a little preoccupied and didn't have the time to type it out on mobile. xD
          First lets start with the concept of dark side and light side powers. Adhering to everything George Lucas says as the ultimate ruling is interesting to me. He isn't directly involved in most of the content being created right now, so while I know he created the series, he isn't exactly the only person who is creating the content. The classification of dark side powers vs light side powers is intuitive. The method in which the individual uses the powers is what creates the distinction.
          Next on to the Yoda segment. I see that you recognize that Yoda accepted the dark side as being a part of himself but then you said he "crushed it". I don't agree with that interpretation of that scene. Yoda acknowledged that he had a dark side, that they all have a dark side, but he didn't crush it. He acknowledged it. To say that he crushed it is to imply that it is no longer a part of him. The symbolism of that scene is not meant to say that darkness should not exist within the person, rather that they should recognize it's presence and influence. To acknowledge it and remove it from one's being is not truly acknowledging it. The reason Yoda was able to become a part of the Force and to maintain his individuality is because he recognized that to have light there must also be a dark. He didn't crush it, he accepted it. I don't understand how you reconcile your analysis of Kenobi (which I agree with) with your analysis of Yoda and his relationship with the dark side.
          As for Quinlan Vos: if this story takes place before his fall and we don't see him struggle with the dark side in TCW, why bother involving him at all? It distracts from your point if you are saying he hasn't fallen yet and yet still recognizes the damage that the dark side can do? The only cannon content we have of this guy is TCW and Dark Disciple, maybe even The Phantom Menace if you squint when we see a guy who looks like Vos hanging out with Sebulba's friends. Prior to the book, we have no indication of Vos doing anything too bad with the dark side so if this story takes place "in limbo before he falls" what's the point of his presence at all? If you ignore Legends lore and EU lore, Vos is a pretty boring character.
          I hope this clears up my thoughts on your comment a little more. :)

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          1. Be_Right_Back Wed 11 Nov 2020 09:53AM UTC

            ... I wanted to answer to this, but then I realized I really don't feel like arguing in the comment section of my own fic. Clearly we have different readings of the source material - that's fine! Let's agree to disagree. I don't really want to end up spending hours going back and forth and inflating the comments count when the philosophy of Light, Dark and balance wasn't even the main point of the fic but a really tiny portion of it. I also don't feel like justifying every single one of my choices on a *parody* fic (like putting Quinlan in there - I put him in there because I wanted someone to swear and the first Jedi that came to mind was him. That's it. There's literally no other reason)

            Like, geez, it was crack! xD Meta crack, but crack! I know the lore and I know all 20 of Quinlan's backstories and yadda yadda yadda, but it was still a crack fic, not to be taken as seriously as this

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