The Star Wars canon continuity addresses the Jedi Order’s loose adherence to one of its unofficial rules, highlighting the sometimes morally gray nature of the organization. Although not explicitly stated in canon’s version of the Jedi Code, the Jedi Knights are expected to take honesty extremely seriously, though, as shown in the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies as well as the High Republic multimedia project, this trait is sometimes violated or at least called into question. 2022’s Star Wars: The High Republic comic series demonstrates how any potential lapse in honesty can lead to an increase in a populace’s anti-Jedi sentiment.
While the Jedi Knights are not the only Force-using organization in the Star Wars canon or Legends continuities, they are among the most visible and therefore one of the most scrutinized. The Jedi are analogous to, among other real-world figures, Samurai and Knights, who are each known for their strong moral codes as much as their lethal fighting skills. While Knights have the chivalric code and Samurai have bushido, the Jedi follow the Jedi Code, which has various iterations, depending on both the continuity and point in its respective timeline. While the Jedi are seen by many as noble warriors, they also have a history of being mistrusted and hated by ordinary beings.
Did The Jedi Code Help Lead To Their Downfall?
All of these aspects of the perception of Jedi are shown in issue 4 of 2022’s Star Wars: The High Republic comic series, by Cavan Scott and Andrea Broccardo. In the issue, Werth Plouth (a leader of the Path of the Open Hand extremist group) causes a riot against the Jedi and other Force-using groups within the Convocation of the Force by convincing a crowd that they’re being lied to by the Jedi and their colleagues. While Plouth was himself being deceptive and inciting violence, the Jedi do, unfortunately, have a history of dishonesty in other Star Wars properties (though nothing that warrants anti-Jedi prejudice) and while one iteration of the Jedi Code stresses honesty, another does not mention it as a Jedi value.
The Jedi Order has made numerous moral compromises throughout its history. In Legends, the Jedi wipe the memories of the Sith Lord Darth Revan, allowing him to become a Jedi once again while in canon, Obi-Wan Kenobi fakes his death during the Clone Wars, much to Anakin Skywalker’s later chagrin. Famously, the prequels have the Jedi task Anakin Skywalker with spying on Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and the original trilogy has Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda lie to Luke Skywalker about Anakin’s true fate. In all cases, the Jedi’s actions were extremely questionable at best, but they seem to have been reluctant sacrifices for the greater good in their minds.
In the Legends continuity, the Power of the Jedi sourcebook reveals that honesty is a core trait expected of Jedi, which makes the Jedi Order’s dishonest actions even more damning. In canon, however, honesty is not specifically mentioned anywhere in the Jedi Code, which perhaps mildly softens the blows of their more questionable actions in the current continuity. In either case, the Star Wars galaxy’s ordinary citizens, understandably, see Jedi Knights as honest and honorable warriors, making any perceived lapse in these values cause for outrage.
