"Are you sure about this? Entrusting our fate to a boy we hardly know" -Padme to Qui Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I

In Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones, George Lucas begins to reveal how Darth Sidious is able to deceive the Jedi Order and rise to absolute power as dictator of the Republic. This is not accomplished because there are more Sith than Jedi. It happens as a result of their awareness of extraordinary weaknesses that they are able to exploit. The Sith find the greatest weakness within the hallowed halls of the once powerful and glorious Jedi Order of Coruscant. Not all the Jedi are completely blinded by this great weakness within their ranks. Master Yoda soon takes notice of the troubling rise of arrogance among the Jedi, who are unable to live up to the noble ideals set fourth within their Jedi Code. Obi Wan attacking Jango Fett on Kamino. Because of this weakness, the curtain of the Dark Side falls and the blinded Jedi are unable to see the greedy Sith organizing and manipulating their way towards seizing power of the Republic. The greatest irony concerning the gradual demise of the Jedi Order is the fact that the politicians of coruscant are not the only ones who have become corrupt. Darth Tyranis, the secondhand man to Darth Sidious, was a former Jedi and once a Padawan student to Master Yoda. Darth Tyranus If his student could be turned to the dark side as well as Senator Palpatine having his way in fueling antagonism between Anakin and Yoda, one begins to see that the Great Master himself is not immune to blindness. The Jedi Order, an entity that was once whole in purpose and destiny becomes fragmented by its wayward members who lose site of their noble vision. Darth Tyranis and eventually Anakin, become anti Jedi and seek to destroy the very masters that helped raise them in the ways of the Force. Duality within their Order isn't the only means by which the Jedi become weakened. The single most significant factor that permanently cripples the guardians of peace and justice, is their attachment to prophecy. Although any form of attachment is forbidden for the Jedi, their clinging to prophecy is a perfect example of attachment of the worst kind. Prophecy is after all an attempt to cling to the past in order to know the future. Because of this attachment, Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn begins the domino like succession of events that gives Senator Palpatine the means to create the Empire. It all starts with Qui Gon's absolute certainty that he had discovered the "Chosen One". This was a mythical character from an ancient Jedi Prophecy who was foretold to appear someday with great power and the ability to bring balance to the Force. Qui Gon was certain that Anakin Skywalker, the slave boy from Tatooine, was this "Chosen One." Even Master Yoda gives into the allure of believing Qui Gon, although he clearly reveals he has his doubts. The Jedi Council eventually recants on their decision not to train Anakin as a Jedi Knight. With this attachment to prophecy and an already weakened collective torn apart by duality, little can be done to stop the drumbeat of war reverberating throughout the Galaxy. For those aware of the complex dangers threatening us in our modern age, Star Wars offers a great deal of insight into the Human condition. Even in such an advanced society as ours, there is clearly still great attachment to the past. Prophecy has become a very lucrative and popular subject matter. We can only hope that such attachment will not blind us to the fact that the future is unknown. The question we must ask; could our society's desire to know the future be a weakness that could play into the hands of those seeking to destroy our freedom and democracy?

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