For more than two decades, I’ve had one mᴀssive complaint about the Jedi in Star Wars, but I can now say I’ve completely changed my mind. Although the Jedi are the clear ‘good guys’ of Star Wars, they certainly weren’t without their flaws. The prequels—which are the Star Wars movies I grew up on—were perhaps the best proof of that, given that era of the Star Wars timeline showcased just how many missteps the Jedi made.
In fact, Star Wars movies and TV shows have only made it clearer in the years since that where the Jedi really went wrong was stepping in as soldiers and getting too involved in politics during the Clone Wars, when they were only ever meant to be peacekeepers. Yet, that isn’t where my complaints used to stem from. Rather, I always had a major issue with the Jedi not being able to see through Palpatine’s lies and realize he was a Sith Lord, but, in recent years, I’ve realized just how wrong I was.
I Used To Criticize The Jedi For Playing Into Palpatine’s Hands
This Used To Seem So Obvious
From the very first time I watched the prequel trilogy, I was incredibly frustrated with the Jedi Council’s inability to see Palpatine for who he really was. After all, they were working closely with one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, and they were meant to be among the best Jedi. Of course, part of this was simply the fact that I knew, as did most viewers, that Palpatine was the villain from the original trilogy. That no doubt informed how obvious it felt, even with Palpatine’s efforts to present himself as nothing more than a politician.
Yet, even beyond the context of the original trilogy, it did seem fairly obvious that Palpatine was up to no good—and that wasn’t just because the prequel movies also overtly showed scenes of his actions as Darth Sidious. It was really his increasing grabs for power and his manipulation tactics that I felt should have been red flags for the Jedi. Even if they didn’t believe he was a Sith Lord, which they’d already revealed in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace they would be resistant to accept, this behavior should have been concerning.
It was really his increasing grabs for power and his manipulation tactics that I felt should have been red flags for the Jedi.
In recent years, though, I’ve realized I had this all wrong. It wasn’t that the Jedi were ‘blind’ to Palpatine’s concerning rise to power, clearly self-serving strategy, and even dark side abilities. Rather, there were a number of complex reasons the Jedi failed to act, some pertaining to Palpatine’s expert plotting and others having to do with some of the most powerful Force abilities in Star Wars.
Palpatine Was Likely Using The Force To Prevent This Discovery
Force Concealment Was Likely A Factor In Palpatine’s Deceptions
One of the reasons I had once been so frustrated with the Jedi in the prequel trilogy was because it seemed as though their proximity to Palpatine should have led to them sensing him and his connection to the dark side through the Force. After all, the extent of their ability to sense things in the Force was on full display in the prequels. In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Yoda can even feel the anger, pain, and suffering surrounding Anakin on Tatooine following the Tusken Raider mᴀssacre (although Yoda obviously doesn’t know the gruesome specifics).
It therefore felt baffling that the Jedi didn’t sense Palpatine being on the dark side of the Force. However, Palpatine was very likely using one of Star Wars’ Force powers: Force concealment. As the name suggests, this power allowed the user to hide themselves in the Force. With this ability, Palpatine was able to go undetected, even with the Jedi working so close with him. This really just goes to show how incredible this power is, as it wasn’t as though the Jedi were only loosely connected to Palpatine; they were working and meeting with him frequently.
Palpatine was very likely using one of Star Wars’ Force powers: Force concealment.
The Jedi Were Unable To Act Even If They Suspected Palpatine
This Was All Part Of Palpatine’s Master Plan
As mentioned, even if the Jedi were unable to sense Palpatine in the Force because he was using Force concealment, it’s always seemed odd that Palpatine’s increasing level of power and deceptive behavior weren’t detected by the Jedi. What I’ve more recently come to realize, however, is that the Jedi actually did perceive these issues with Palpatine—they were just unable to act. The earliest evidence for that comes in the prequels themselves.
In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he should be wary of Palpatine in light of how much power he had obtained and given how long he’d been able to hold onto it. Clearly, Obi-Wan was suspicious of Palpatine, even if, again, he didn’t go so far as to accuse (or perhaps even suspect) him of being on the dark side of the Force. Also in Revenge of the Sith, Mace Windu voices that he feels the dark side surrounds Palpatine, taking this one step further.
In fact, Mace Windu even directly said he sensed “a plot to destroy the Jedi,” demonstrating an impressive level of insight. The problem was, Palpatine had very effectively tied the Jedi’s hands in terms of accusing him. Yes, the Jedi could have accused Palpatine of orchestrating the Clone Wars and/or being a Sith, but that would have seemed entirely self-serving and even treasonous. This is ultimately how Palpatine manages to convince the galaxy that the Jedi deserved to be exterminated, after all.
The Jedi could have accused Palpatine of orchestrating the Clone Wars and/or being a Sith, but that would have seemed entirely self-serving and even treasonous.
Palpatine Wasn’t The Most Powerful Sith, But He Was Brilliant
In The End, Palpatine Simply Had The Jedi Beat
Sadly, Palpatine had set his trap so effectively, arguably even before The Phantom Menace, that the Jedi weren’t able to get ahead of him. He had long plotted the destruction of the Jedi, and he made it so that their hands were forced in ways that would spell their doom. They couldn’t sit out the Clone Wars, as that would have made them appear weak and unwilling to protect the galaxy when it seemingly mattered most. This enabled Palpatine to orchestrate Order 66, which nearly eradicated the Jedi.
Likewise, the Jedi couldn’t really accuse Palpatine of being a Sith and have that go anywhere. In fact, this would have caused a rift between the Jedi and the Republic, in all likelihood, because the Sith were the enemy of the Jedi specifically. Interestingly, this proves that, while Palpatine was not the single most powerful Sith, he was among the most brilliant. He weaponized the political system to his advantage, and he had the Jedi stuck in a catch-22 that was impossible to avoid.
For these reasons, I can no longer blame the Jedi for their actions—or, really, lack of action—in the prequel trilogy. Yes, Palpatine’s efforts seem obvious to audiences, but that concerning behavior wasn’t really enough for the Jedi to come forward or successfully oust him. While I’ve critiqued the Jedi for their inability to stop Palpatine for years, I’ve come to realize Palpatine had actually set the perfect trap in Star Wars, and this was largely not the fault of the Jedi.
