User blog:KnightReturns422/Jedi Loss

When people back in the nineteenth and twentieth century thought that war was glorious and instill patriotism, they did not realize the what the consequences would be for the soldiers who fought on the front lines. Psychologically, their personality could change dramatically, filled with a lust to kill. Worse, in war, everyone finds themselves of losing their innocence--who they really were before a conflict began. But I'm not here to discuss about the world we live in today: I'm going to talk about those who had lost their innocence in the Clone Wars, specifically, the Jedi.

When re-watching episodes of the Clone Wars, there was one episode that sparked a flame inside me: "The Lair of Grievous". In this, Kit Fisto and Nadhar Vebb, Fisto's old Padawan were investigating the whereabouts of Viceroy Nute Gunray. This episode highlights some important aspects. For example, Nadhar had been recently made a Jedi Knight, but like so many, tends to forget the teachings of his former master. Furthermore, Kit could see that his former Padawan had "changed" when he saw how angry Nadhar was for Grievous murdering his troops. As I said before, war breaks people, and in this circumstance, Nadhar vows revenge against the monster--a contradictory act of the Jedi way. The breaking point finally came when Nadhar "tried to match Grievous' power with his own" which resulted in his own death. At the end of the episode, Yoda plainly and clearly says that "to answer power with power, the Jedi way it is not. In this war, a danger there is, of losing who we are". It smacks the point clearly. This is the start of a recurring theme that would be seen throughout the season--it's a foreshadowment to the many Jedi who would lose their innocence.

I still remember re-watching the Umbaran arc, with blasters blazing, seeing the 501st marching up against the enemy. It was awesome, but don't let that battle sway you from the fact that there was a dark secret in store for Captain Rex and his men. All of you of course remember General Pong Krell, a Jedi who thought very low of clones. A strict by-the-rule person, Krell's reckless strategies resulted in many clone casualties, prompting some clones to question his authority. Then, the secret was revealed: Krell was a traitor, abandoning the Jedi way in favor of self-gain. Once revealing his true intentions, Krell scoffed at the clones inferiority, and as a consequence, was killed. The episode again highlights an important aspect: even Jedi who were great military tacticians can fall to despair if they didn't want the war to go their way. The cause? Well, the loss of innocence plays a role in that matter.

The loss of innocence had not only affected those who were out there fighting on the front lines, it had also affected those co-ordinating the war. The Jedi Council, comprised of the wisest and most powerful Jedi masters had also lost their way. I need not remind you in Season Five when the Council was debating about Ahsoka's fate. While Obi-Wan believed that they had to stand with Ahsoka, Mace Windu brings out a shockingly rebuttal, ''"if we do it your way, then it could look like an opposition to the Senate". ''Him saying that? Unbelievable. This is apparently the wisdom of the council: to protect themselves from the wrath of the Senate. Did they not see it? Did they not see how lost they were when the war was in full swing? Not so: the dark side clouds their vision. As I recall a Padawan who became disillusioned with the Order, "the only thing the council believes in, is violence!". How plain it was laid out before us. So what was the result? We all know that Ahsoka left the Order, seeing that it had a poor sense of judgement, but it's not Ahsoka who feels grieved it was Anakin. His bond with Ahsoka had broken, and now Anakin felt lonely and angry. Where should vent his anger towards? Well, the answer becomes clear when he and Obi-Wan are on the Utapau Plains to dicuss Ahsoka. ''"Well what choice did we give her?! The moment she proved her loyalty the council turned their back on her!". ''Anakin, the brash and reckless man, had suddenly lost faith in the council. As a result, he was easily swayed to the dark side by Sidious, and because the council had lost so much innocence, the Jedi Order was exterminated.

I sigh as I look back at the Clone Wars series. While the battles included action-packed adventure and heroic acts, we must not ignore the fact that war changes everyone. Anyone who loses their innocence loses their purpose of what they were actually doing.