Last Jedi Countdown: The Fall of the Jedi

So Episode VIII the Last Jedi is approaching quickly and being the lore nerd that I am there are some subjects that I want to address. I feel these subjects would tie into the theming of the new movie. Now the subject of the fall of the Jedi Order is one that often catches my attention most people don’t understand how, why they fell, or how they became the subject of myth and fear. There are three factors that led to the fall of the order at the hand of the sith lord who became Emperor Palpatine. The factors are Disconnection from the force, Influenced by the dark side, and Propaganda. Each one of these factor led to the fall of the Jedi Order in different ways and we will discuss them in depth.

Disconnection from the Force

Near the end of the order the Jedi appility to use the force was greatly diminished. Master Mace Windu in Episode III even stated as much, “I think it is time we inform the Senate that our ability to use the Force has diminished.” What does this even mean though? Well it means that the Jedi were slowly abandoning their code:

There is no emotion, there is peace.There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony.There is no death, there is the Force

This code is vague but simple and at the end the jedi were no longer peacekeeper but warriors. During the Clone Wars the Orders members sought power but without crossing over dark side and this diminished their abilities in the force. On top of this The Jedi Council was starting to practice subterfuge and espionage. These action betray their tenants weakened their abilities in the force. This disconnection led to them being blind to Palpatine machinations  and susceptible to the surprise attack that was order 66.

Influenced by the Dark Side

This factor is one that is introduced in the New canon book it is revealed that the Jedi Temple was built upon a ancient Sith holy site. This connection to the dark side would while forgotten by the time of the Clone Wars and the fall of the Jedi would still be slowly influencing the Jedi. This hidden reason was why Palpatine established his Imperial Palace. This aspect is the newest but still applies to the fall of the Jedi and we are still learning more about this temple.

Propaganda

This part has less to do with the end of the Jedi and more their fall from grace. In Episode I a young Anakin regards the Jedi with awe. Yet 32 years later they are regarded as a cult or worse. This is possible because of Imperial propaganda and the fact that in a galaxy of hundreds of billions the jedi numbered in thousands. With their being so little Jedi and the empire being the new safe protective government with the Emperor who not only survived a jedi coup but also had the foresight to trap and eliminate them the masses bought every word of it. In the 20 years between the Episode III and IV the empire sold the public on the evils of the jedi and force users.

These factor led to the End of the Jedi and their fall from grace. If one looks to these factor while watching the Prequels you won't sympathize with the Sith but you will not longer empathize with the Jedi as they asked for everything they got.