10 Star Wars Stories That Show The Jedi Order’s Flaws

Countless Star Wars stories have expanded the history and teachings of the Jedi Order, revealing its most glaring flaws along the way. The original Star Wars movie presented the Jedi as “the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic,” while Yoda taught Luke Skywalker what it meant to have the Force as an ally. However, Return of the Jedi hinted that the Jedi were not as perfect as Obi-Wan and Yoda led Luke to believe, and then the prequel trilogy shed further light on the Jedi’s failures that led to their destruction. Star Wars stories across every medium have continued exposing more of the Jedi’s biggest flaws.

These problems have led to some of the most compelling narratives in the Star Wars franchise, highlighting beliefs and practices outside of Jedi Orthodoxy. It has also led to other versions of the Jedi Order throughout all eras of the Star Wars timeline, from the High Republic era in canon to Luke’s New Jedi Order in Legends. The upcoming Star Wars movies can also learn from the mistakes of the Jedi Order as James Mangold explores the Dawn of the Jedi era and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy unveils Rey’s New Jedi Order. 10 Star Wars stories excel at showing the Jedi Order’s flaws and presenting the Force in a new way.

10 Vergere Believes The Jedi’s View Of The Force Is Limited

Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – Traitor

Matthew Stover’s Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – Traitor redefined the Force, largely thanks to the character of Vergere. A morally gray character later revealed as a secret Sith, Vergere challenged Jacen Solo and the New Jedi Order to reconsider their ideals. She believed in the Unifying Force, which viewed the light and dark sides as metaphorical rather than literal, and for a time, Luke allowed his students to explore the concept. However, this was dangerously close to the Potentium heresy, which claimed that the light side was the Force and the dark side was a perversion caused by individuals.

Luke’s Jedi Order returned to a more orthodox approach, but Jacen eventually turned to the dark side and became a Sith, just as Vergere wanted. Even so, Vergere was right to point out the Jedi’s limited views, as the Force had many aspects that no one could ever fully grasp. There would always be new mysteries to explore, which is why Jacen spent five years learning from Force-sensitive groups across the galaxy. Vergere may have been wrong about the light and dark sides, but she also reminded the Jedi not to be too rigid in their beliefs, a flaw that led to the destruction of the old Jedi Order.

9 Kreia Hates The Jedi, The Sith, And The Force

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II – The Sith Lords

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords introduced one of the most intriguing Star Wars characters in Kriea, also known as Darth Traya. A former Jedi who often disagreed with the council, Kriea lost faith in the order and became a Sith but was later betrayed by her apprentices. She came to hate the Jedi, the Sith, and the Force itself, believing both groups were pawns in the Force’s never-ending quest to maintain balance. This view of the Force is rarely explored in Star Wars, but given the cycle of violence between the light and dark sides, Kreia wasn’t wrong to see this as a problem.

8 Cal Kestis’ Mission To Restore The Jedi Is Challenged

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Cal Kestis sought to bring back the Jedi in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order but changed his mind by the end. The fallen Jedi Taron Malicos rightly noted that the Jedi had lost their way long before Order 66, “Stifled by tradition. Deafened by our past glories. Blinded by endless war.” The game also acknowledged the reality of many Jedi either turning to the dark side or being killed, and if Kestis sought out new students, they would likely suffer the same fate. These themes were explored again in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, leading Kestis and his allies to focus on helping others rather than rebuilding the Jedi Order.

7 Baylan Skoll Explains Why The Jedi Failed

Ahsoka

Like Malicos, Baylan Skoll lost faith in the Jedi Order after the purge and embraced a new, darker path. While he couldn’t make sense of Order 66 when it happened, he later realized that the galaxy was caught in an endless cycle, with the Jedi Order being destroyed and an empire rising to take its place. He recognized the Jedi Order’s weaknesses that led to its destruction and sought to create something new to end the galaxy’s cycle of war. Despite their conflicting goals and methods, Ahsoka Tano shared many of Baylan’s views on the order, constantly challenging their practices and beliefs.

6 Mace Windu Is No Longer Certain Of Jedi Recruitment

Star Wars Tales #13 “Children Of The Force”

Released the same year as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, “Children of the Force” challenged the Jedi practices introduced in the movie. Mace Windu stopped a bounty hunter from stealing a Jedi infant, only to realize she was working for the child’s parents. He argued that it was an honor to be accepted by the Jedi, but the bounty hunter asked what gave them the right to “force these kids to endure a stifled life of archaic traditions.” After agreeing to return the child, Windu deleted a message from his birth parents, implying that his certainty was a form of denial over never having known his family.

5 Revan Recognizes The Jedi Order’s Biggest Weakness

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Revan

Having fought for the dark and light sides throughout his life, Revan understood the Sith’s advantage over the Jedi. While the Sith relied on negative emotions like anger and hatred to strengthen their connection to the dark side, Revan believed that Jedi could use positive emotions like love and happiness to enhance their connection to the light side. The Jedi Council tolerated Revan’s marriage to Bastila Shan for saving the Republic but forbade him from spreading his “heresy” among the Jedi. Revan ultimately proved he was right, as his love for his wife and child gave him the strength to endure centuries of imprisonment by the Sith Empire.

4 Luke Skywalker Rejects The Jedi View On Emotional Detachment

Return of the Jedi

Luke eventually embodied Revan’s belief by rejecting the Jedi view on emotional detachment. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda told Luke that he had to confront Darth Vader to become a Jedi and that killing him was the only way to save the galaxy. Emperor Palpatine used this to push Luke toward the dark side, encouraging him to strike down Vader and take his place. However, Luke threw away his lightsaber and embraced his love for his father, choosing to die as a Jedi rather than give in to hate. This inspired Vader to save Luke and betray his master, proving his love for his son stronger than the dark side.

3 Luke Skywalker Believes The Jedi Must End

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the most openly critical Star Wars story, with Luke’s lessons focusing on the problems with the Jedi. After repeating the Jedi’s mistakes and losing his students to Ben Solo, Luke went into exile and believed it was time for the Jedi to end. He agreed to teach Rey the ways of the Jedi but only to demonstrate why the galaxy didn’t need them anymore. His first lesson showed how the Force didn’t belong to the Jedi, while the second examined the Jedi Order’s legacy of failure. Luke changed his mind by the end, but The Last Jedi still dedicated time to criticizing the Jedi.

2 Dooku Loses Faith In The Jedi Order

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi Season 1, Episodes 2 – 4

The prequel trilogy hinted at Count Dooku’s reasons for leaving the Jedi Order, but Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi explored this backstory in detail. The episodes revealed why Dooku lost faith in the Jedi and the Republic, as the Jedi were too focused on serving a corrupt senate that ignored the needs of impoverished systems. Yaddle eventually agreed with Dooku and left the Jedi Council, but by then, Dooku had already joined forces with Darth Sidious. Tales of the Jedi perfectly expands on the state of the Jedi Order in the prequel era while setting up Dooku’s role as a Sith Lord and the leader of the Separatist movement.

1 Ahsoka Realizes How Far The Jedi Have Fallen

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5, Episodes 17 – 20

The most poignant critique of the Jedi Order came in the final episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5 when Ahsoka was framed for murder. Ahsoka dedicated her whole life to the Jedi, but when she was accused of bombing the Jedi Temple, everyone except Anakin Skywalker turned their backs on her. It was then revealed that Ahsoka’s close friend, Jedi Padawan Bariss Offee, was the one who framed her, having bombed the Temple for the Jedi’s role in the war. The season ended with Ahsoka and Anakin’s tragic goodbye as she walked away from the order, showing the Jedi’s flaws more than any other Star Wars story.