The Jedi Order Already Being Kind of Terrible
It’s a very brave choice on the prequels’ part that we return to an era of Jedi prominence—even as we brace for their undoing over the course of the trilogy—unseen onscreen in Star Wars and our introduction to them is that, basically, they’re all a little bit awful? Sure, yes, they swing lightsabers well, but you get some really telling moments about just how even at this point the Jedi as an institution are in a state of moral rot. The way the Jedi Council so casually dismisses Qui-Gon’s concerns and Anakin’s potentiality speaks to this hubris of course, but a special shoutout has to go to Qui-Gon himself, and the absolute gutwrenching look in Liam Neeson’s eyes when he has to stare Anakin in the face and tell him his Jedi hero isn’t on Tatooine to free slaves, but settle a trade dispute for a teen Queen who walks around in gowns worth more than anything the kid has ever seen in his life.
These are the heroes of myth and legend that Luke strived to be like? That we’ve had mythologized for decades after the original trilogy ended? These guys?
