Failings of the Jedi Code - by Acolyte Viren Sekker

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Holographic File: Failings of the Jedi Code - By Viren Sekker The holographic file begins to play, with the faint whir of the projector filling the background. An image washes into view of the lower robe and feet of an Acolyte - after a moment, the figure of Viren Sekker settles into a cross-legged meditative position and faces the viewer. He is dressed in the customary black Horuset Acolyte robes, his short hair as well-kept as can be expected for an acolyte. “I had thought I would try something a little different for this essay and record my words aloud. I feel that showing my face is important when discussing matters so close to the heart of every Sith - no matter who they are.” He takes a moment to adjust his position, closing his eyes as he does as though collecting his thoughts. The young acolyte’s fingers interlaced in his lap,  cupped as though to hold a candle or water. “The Jedi Code - in many ways, it is the antithesis to the Code of the Sith. But understanding it, I feel, is an important step on one’s journey to understanding why the Jedi themselves fight so strongly against the Sith: not merely how their code brings them ‘strength’ of a kind… but also how it counters the Sith Code, and how, importantly, the flaws within the Jedi Code can be answered by the Sith Code and its Philosophy.” Viren’s tone changes now, as he begins to recite: “There is no Emotion, there is Peace. “There is no ignorance, there is Knowledge. “There is no Passion, there is Serenity. “There is no Chaos,  there is Harmony. “There is no death; there is only the Force.” The acolyte’s face reflects a sort of smug satisfaction; as though it should be obvious to the viewer from simply hearing the words where the flaws in the code lie. “At even a mere surface analysis - one of merely the words themselves, irrespective of their context - this code is one fundamentally of denial. Claiming that things which clearly do exist - emotion, ignorance, passion, chaos, and death - can be countered with their opposites. As though the existence of one precludes the other.” “This, then, is indicative of the Jedi view of the Sith - that because they, the “light”, exist, they therefor counter or undo the existence of the darkness. The old proverb goes - the brighter the light, the deeper the shadows. The Jedi code fails to recognise the impact which the Jedi belief has on the galaxy at large; they believe that by shining their “light”, protecting the weak and chaining the strong, they can protect the galaxy from “chaos” and “death”.” Viren spreads his hands now, inviting the viewer’s own mockery perhaps, like a showman awaiting the end of applause or laughter. “I shall examine the code in the same way I have done the Sith Code - by dissecting it line-by-line, and examining the connotations of each. To begin, then: There is no Emotion, there is Peace”. “First, it should, of course, be noted that this line directly contradicts and contrasts the Sith Code: Peace is a Lie. Second, it denies a base part of living nature; Jedi deny their emotions, something which no sane or rational being, even without the Force, would do.” “The second part of this assertation is that peace, somehow, is the opposition to emotion - yet even in times of so-called peace within the Republic… wars rage on the fringe. Emotion continues to rule the minds of lesser beings, and fuel the drives of greater ones. Perhaps they instead are trying to imply that emotion breaks peace - that those who use or give in to their emotions can never be at peace… yet Jedi, who claim to be detached from their emotions, have spent half their order’s history at war. There cannot be peace - not while even two beings left in a galaxy devoid of life draw breath… because where there is life, there is conflict. Life itself is a conflict against nothingness, against the void, simply to continue. Viren draws himself up a little, straightening his back, his gaze intense. “Peace. Is. A. Lie.” The words hang in the air, deadly as the cold vacuum of space. The young acolyte’s breathing slows again, returning to normal as he masters his emotions - clearly riled by the subject matter. “There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.” “This line I find the hardest to analyse… not because it is complex or unassailable, but for the exact opposite reason: where does one start with a statement so obviously ignorant of the galaxy?” A small smile crosses the Acolyte’s face, in recognition of the obvious irony of his words. “Ignorance is abundant in the galaxy - primarily, of course, in the Jedi themselves. They are ignorant of ignorance itself; choosing to see the best, even in beings undeserving of it. They believe themselves to be noble protectors… but all they protect is a rigid and pointless status quo.” “Once again, they assert that the opposite of ignorance is knowledge - but again, they are wrong. Knowledge is another form of power… and those with power may still be ignorant of it. Of its true purpose, of its extent, and of how to properly wield it. The opposite of ignorance is wisdom… something else the Jedi claim to possess. Yet if they had wisdom, they would see ignorance in the world around them… and they would not deny its very existence in favour of knowledge - without realising that knowledge is a far rarer treasure than ignorance.” Viren pauses here, his gaze becoming thoughtful; one hand strokes the edge of his jawline, and he taps his teeth together once. “There is no passion… there is  serenity.” The self-confident smirk reappears on his face, and Viren permits a small laugh. “Once again, the Jedi code directly opposes the Sith Code: our first tenet, “peace is a lie, there is only passion”. The Jedi, of course, deny themselves their emotions, their passions; this is known, and it is weakness. They deny a part of themselves which could make them stronger than they ever imagined: if the Jedi wielded the Dark Side, would they not bring peace to the galaxy? A lasting era where their enemies would be too afraid of their power to stand against them - or defy them?” “But I digress… if instead, we flip the Sith Code on its head - Passion is a lie, there is only serenity… then the flaws become more apparent with this method of thinking. Passion exists whether the Jedi permit it to live in their own hearts or not. Serenity is merely another word for “peace”... or in other ways, it may mean contentment. This, I believe, lies at the core of Jedi belief - they conflate contentment with peace, believing that if all beings in the galaxy would only smile nicely and be polite to one another, there would be peace.” Viren spreads his hands again in that same inviting gesture. “But peace is a lie. Serenity, contentment, these things lead to stagnation: where there is no conflict, no struggle, there is no growth. The Jedi see the endless conflict between the weak and strong as being somehow wrong, but it is the natural order of all things. The weak struggle against the strong - and the strong destroy the weak. In this manner, the strong grow stronger and the weak are destroyed. The way the Jedi would have it, weakness would thrive - and they, as “protectors” would destroy the strong so the weak could rule.” Viren takes a moment to let this sink in, his gaze becoming unfocused as his concentration turns inwards; perhaps to focus his mind, or draw on the Dark Side to reassure himself of its power. The hologram flickers, perhaps indicating that the recording was turned off then on again for a time. “There is no Chaos; there is Harmony.” “This part of the code is perhaps the most simply wrong. There are some variants of the Jedi code which differ in their exact wording - one which at least removes the plain denials of the original code, is replaces instances of “there is no” with simply “there is”, and interposes “yet” in-between the opposing forces. In this chase: There is Chaos, yet there is harmony”. “However, I do not seek to make excuses for the Jedi, nor make it ‘easier’ on them while I analyse their poultry code. The denial of chaos is at the centre of the Jedi philosophy; though there is perhaps merit in denying chaos within oneself, as we Sith know the benefits of discipline and order, there is no merit whatsoever in denying the existence of chaos as a wider force. Chaos is within the nature of the Force itself - just as conflict is also within its nature. The brink between Darkness and Light exists as a point of chaos: the galaxy itself tilts ever closer to chaos as the war goes on.” The young acolyte draws himself up slightly, closing one hand into a fist in the direction of the viewer. “We Sith see this chaos in the galaxy, and wish to impose not mere ‘harmony’ - which in itself is yet another version of peace!- but instead, seek to impose order. The way of the galaxy is disorder - and the Jedi are a system which acquiesces to disorder. Harmony is not the absence of chaos; merely the thing which hides it. Beings on Coruscant live in “harmony”... but just beneath the surface lies corruption, injustice, and the vile sin of interspecies mingling. Harmony is what the Jedi use to cover up and disguise chaos… it is not its antithesis. The antithesis to chaos is Order: which only the Sith Empire can bring.” With a long, slow breath, Viren controls his emotions yet again - it is clear this subject is close to his heart and taps into a deeply emotional part of him; though this is perhaps unsurprising. “At last we come to the end of the Jedi Code. This line, in many ways, is as important to the Jedi as the final line of the Sith Code: “Through victory, my chains are broken”. “There is no death… there is the Force.” Once again, Viren takes a moment here; he sighs, closing his eyes as one might when faced with the demand of a petulant child. “This represents the culmination of Jedi arrogance. Their belief that when they die, a Jedi becomes ‘one with the Force’... a fact for which they have almost no evidence, yet which they assure the galaxy is a path to immortality. Yet we, as Sith, know better: The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities some consider… unnatural. The Dark Side is the only true path to immortality… as has been demonstrated by those with true power. Emperor Vitiate. Dark King Adas. Even the pretender, Darth Revan, has lived nearly four hundred years by now - in the former Emperor’s grasp. In each of these examples, the one thing which stood between the practitioner and living forever was the actions of another - Vitiate was assassinated by the Jedi, King Adas gave his life in the fight against the Rakata.” “The ultimate failure of the Jedi is this; they believe so firmly that they will be made immortal when they die, they ignore the true pathway to immortality right before them. Perhaps we, the Sith, should be grateful for this… if the Jedi did recognise this fact and learn the ways of the Dark Side, becoming immortal, would we truly be able to stand against them?” Viren smiles softly, gesturing broadly. “But that is a topic for another time… in the end, what the Jedi code teaches us about our ancient, hated enemy is this: they are dogmatic, blinded to the truth of the world by their optimism and sentiment. If they would but open their eyes to the truth… well, if they did that, they would take their first steps towards becoming Sith. And somehow… I doubt we would be so welcoming.” The Acolyte gives one final smile, and raises one hand; with a slight turn of his wrist, the image begins to flicker and then disappears. The projector emits a faint beep, having reached the end of the recording, and its quiet background whir fades to nothing.

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