One of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s most iconic lines in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is also one of the Jedi’s most contradictory statements – and it explains why so many Jedi became Inquisitors. One of the overarching themes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the flaws of the Jedi: how they failed to foresee the rise of the dark side, their pride, why they became embroiled in an unwinnable war, and their political connection to the Republic.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Revenge of the Sith line, “Only a Sith deals in absolutes,” which he says after Anakin tells him to either align with him or become his enemy on Mustafar, also proves the Jedi were lying to themselves, however. “Sith deal in absolutes” may be true, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t also true for the Jedi. Obi-Wan saying that was, in and of itself, an absolute. Every Jedi would aid the Republic. Every Jedi became a soldier rather than a peacekeeper. How are those not absolutes, too?

Obi-Wan’s Line Intentionally Hints At A Jedi Flaw

The Jedi failed to recognize how certain choices affected individual members of the Jedi Order. Barriss Offee is a great example of the consequences of the Order’s restrictive and frankly hypocritical nature. As a Padawan, she became so disillusioned with the Jedi’s role in the war that she resorted to extremely violent measures to make them see sense. How many Jedi questioned their involvement in the war? And how many were ignored simply because fighting in the war was the absolute will of the Jedi Council?

The Jedi’s shared ideology left little room for dissent or opposing points of view. If the Council willed it, the Jedi did it. When Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5 was airing, showrunner Dave Filoni explained to IGN how the Jedi’s rigid absolutism affected Barriss – and why it didn’t affect someone like Ahsoka Tano, for instance:

“You know, when you look at the very first episode with Barriss Offee and Luminara, there’s a distinct difference between the way Luminara is training Barriss and the way that Anakin’s training Ahsoka. It’s clearly stated in that arc that it’s ingenuity and spontaneity of mind that Ahsoka’s been trained with that Barriss kind of lacks. Unfortunately, she’s dealing a bit more in absolutes, which, as we all know, is something only Sith do. And that’s something, as a whole, the Jedi are kind of doing. They’re absolutely aiding the Senate, they’re absolutely trying to save the Republic. So they’ve fallen into a trap, and they’re a victim of their own politics, unfortunately.”

Anakin – who famously broke the rules at every turn – instilled a sense of independence and creative free thinking in his Padawan. Many, like Barriss, did not get that same privilege. That divide is what pushed Ahsoka to leave the Order after she was acquitted of Barriss’ crimes, too. Where could Barriss go, though? The Jedi refused to listen to her. Maybe someone else would.

Dave Filoni Turned The “Sith Absolute” Quote Into The Perfect Sith Setup

Yes, the Jedi were trying to do good in the galaxy. Yes, they believed they were fighting for the right side. The thing is, though, they never let themselves truly contemplate if there was any other way. Their ᴀssumption had to be the absolute truth, because how else could they keep functioning as they had been? How else could they ignore their growing fear of the dark side? This absolutism, this “our way or the highway” stance, didn’t just affect Barriss. It affected other Jedi who would soon fall to the dark side as well.

In the wake of Order 66, Jedi were either slaughtered outright or taken to Darth Vader to be tortured and honed into dark-side-wielding Jedi hunters known as Inquisitors. For those Jedi who felt like they’d been restricted by the Order, why shouldn’t they try something else? Why not get the emotional freedom they craved from the dark side? The Grand Inquisitor is a prime example – as a Jedi Temple Guard, he wanted access to ancient Jedi texts, and that access was denied. He then sought his knowledge elsewhere when the opportunity arose.

This is a very negative view of the Jedi, of course, who did, by and large, try to do the right thing. But those at the top never truly stopped to consider how their restrictions and rules might affect their members on an individual level. That is arguably more dangerous than allowing Jedi to uncover more knowledge, fall in love, or foster attachments. The more we learn, the more predictable the Jedi’s destruction in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith becomes.