Getting back to the topic of Star Wars...

Thought of the Day: Dealing In Absolutes

The Temptation of Anakin Skywalker
Anakin maimed and killed Mace Windu in an act of rage, which made him then pledge allegiance to Palpatine and the Dark Side of the Force. He suddenly went from being a Jedi hero to becoming the Dark Lord of the Sith, capable of murdering innocents, including children.

The Temptation of Luke Skywalker
Luke maimed and nearly killed Darth Vader in a fit of rage after Vader threatened to turn Leia to the Dark Side if Luke refused. However, Luke was able to calm himself down, cast aside his light sabre and bring himself back to the Light Side of the Force.

Some would argue that Luke's reaction was more realistic. Being angry and even losing your temper doesn't necessarily make you an evil person. Good people can experience bouts of anger, but it doesn't necessarily make them bad people per se. Luke's reaction was one of, "I was really angry before, but I'm better now. Thanks."

Obi-Wan told Vader that only Siths deal in absolutes, and this does appear to be true as the Sith seem to have this view that a single act of rage can permanently damn you to a life dedicated to darkness. But... the Jedi also seem to have the same ideology too (just on the other end of the scale). The Jedi are known for denying negative emotions such as anger (rather than say, accepting that you can be angry and learning to manage one's anger, and that the anger doesn't have to define you). Yoda also explicitly told Luke that if he takes a single step towards the Dark Side, that it would consume him and forevermore control his destiny. This was proven to be false, as Luke did take a step toward the Dark Side, but was able to recoil from it with relative ease. Going nuts against Vader and chopping off his father's hand didn't eternally damn Luke. Luke got over it; he knew that he wasn't a bad person, just a good person who got angry and made a bad choice. Because good people can make bad decisions (and bad people can make good decisions). It's not all about absolute black and white morality, there are shades of grey!

The Prophecy of the Chosen One
So perhaps Anakin was indeed the Chosen One who did finally bring balance of the Force, because he and Luke were able to do something that no other Jedi or Sith (in the films anyway) was able to do -- stop dealing in absolutes! They were able to balance themselves by accepting that good people can make bad decisions. In the end, Anakin realised that although he had done terrible things as Vader, these deeds did not define him. He could still be the good person that he was, and thus chose to kill Palpatine in order to save his son at the cost of his own life. And he saved the galaxy too, as Anakin finally realised that Master Windu was right -- Palpatine was too dangerous to be left alive. His absolute control over the courts would mean that he would never be fairly trialled.

Hopes for the Sequels
Among other things, I'm hoping for...
1) Better gender representation in the films.
2) The new Jedi being much like Luke and post-Vader Anakin, and not dealing in absolutes. The EU stuff hinted at stuff like this, with the New Jedi Order being allowed to indulge in certain emotions that were forbidden to the Jedi of the old Order, such as love. Anakin Skywalker had to marry Padmé Amidala in secret because the monastic Jedi Order forbade it, but in the New Order, Luke married Mara Jade, Leia married Han Solo etc., and they had families. I don't know if the sequel movies will also follow suit with this, but I hope that they do, as IMHO, it makes sense. The Sith that we see may be those who are still clinging onto the old ideas of dealing in absolutes... and it will be interesting to see how the new "emotionally balanced" Jedi deal with them, vs the "emotionally restrained" Jedi of the old Order. The idea is that the Old Jedi and Sith represent two extremes, neither of which is right. Sith being too emotional, and the Old Jedi not being emotional enough. The New Jedi should hopefully be trying to strike that balance.