Why are the Sith always made to seem stronger than the Jedi? - Edit 1
Before modification by Jacob at 11/08/2010 03:29:48 PM
This has irritated me for a few years now, so I'll rant a little.
We're supposed to believe that the Sith and Jedi are relatively equal, but it seems like this is almost never achieved.
In the first movie we have the Sith face the Jedi for the first time in a millenium. Except that it's two Jedi vs one Sith, and he holds them off with relative ease. He then kills the one and defeats the other, before falling himself. And that's just the Sith Apprentice... he's more than a match for a Jedi Master and a Padawan. There's no need to even approach the Sith Master entering the fray at this stage of the series.
In the second movie, we're introduced to the fact that the Sith Master has blinded the entire Jedi Order with the dark side. It's not like the Jedi Masters have any way around this, or at the very least, can blind him back. In fact he's right in front of them and they can't sense the dark side in him until the last movie. Later we have the Sith Apprentice, Tyranus, facing two Jedi for the second time, and once again defeating both. Yoda appears, and he manages to force a stalemate with the Sith Apprentice, once again bearing in mind that the Jedi don't have anything bigger to throw at the Sith than Master Yoda. For the second time, the Sith Master doesn't even need to warm up his lightsaber.
In the second movie we're also reminded of the fact that the Sith have powers that the Jedi do not. It's as if the Sith have all the Jedi's powers and an additional stash of their own, that happen to be physically devastating. Although some of the novels suggest that the Jedi use lightning and choke on occasion, we're generally supposed to see them as dark side powers. Why don't the Jedi have unique abilities that are lost when the person becomes evil?
Finally, the third movie showed the Sith Apprentice fight the two Jedi again, and he defeats Kenobi again, only to finally die himself to more powerful Skywalker, who is already skating around the dark side pitch. The Sith Master reveals himself three movies later, and instantly kills three Jedi Masters and gets into a duel with Windu, who defeats him. The Jedi have to gang up on the Sith to beat them, but it takes at least two Jedi to match the Sith in the movies. Windu only wins because of Jackson's demands on Lucas that he received a purple lightsaber, and that he does not die in a humiliating way. The latter demand should inform us of his expectations as a Jedi Master. The Sith Master finally fights and manages to hold his own against Yoda, which is remarkable if you think about it. Thousands of Jedi, and Yoda is the most powerful, oldest and most experienced, and out of two Sith, Sidious is as powerful and skilled as Yoda. Makes one wonder.
Now introduce the newest PC game that is coming out ... the Old Republic and its quaint trailers. In the first one we have the Sith fight the Jedi in their temple and eventually the Jedi Master and Sith Master get into a duel, and guess who takes the plunge? You guessed it, the Jedi Master. In the second trailer, the Jedi Consular saves the day and gets into a duel with the Sith Master before he can execute a republic soldier. She loses of course, and is saved by the soldier. The two of them together then kill the Sith. Team work is again required to defeat the Sith.
Anyway, I'm rather tired of this inconsistency. It would be nice if a Jedi could actually stand up to a Sith, or if not, at least tell us outright that the dark side is stronger so that we don't have to search the small print for signs of equality. There are too many programmers and film makers who secretly glorify the dark side IMO. I've decided to purchase the game just so that I can bury anything with a red lightsaber. In the mean time we should find the Sith and kill them in their beds. Who's with me? Who's bloody with me?