There’s often this idea that the Jedi want to wipe out the dark side entirely, that they believe only the light side should exist, but what they actually say and do is that they want to destroy the Sith. And the Sith are not synonymous with the dark side and the Jedi have never said so–have said explicitly otherwise even!
In this post and this post and this post I detail it more extensively, but the point is: The Jedi and George Lucas himself say that the dark side is present within everyone and that the point isn’t to deny that it’s there, but to face it and overcome it. Overcoming the dark side within all of us is what the Jedi believe, what they teach to their children, what they design their tests around, what word of god explains is exactly how the Force works. They choose the light, which straight up means there’s both inherently in every single being, their ancient texts literally say, “The Jedi choose the light for all that it reveals.” (Poe Dameron comic.)
In addition, I’ve often seen this quote going around from a documentary about A New Hope: “Which brings us up to the films 4, 5, and 6, in which Anakin’s offspring redeem him and allow him to fulfill the prophecy where he brings balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith and getting rid of evil in the universe.“ Ie, the Sith are evil, they needed to go.
The Jedi don’t believe the dark side should or even can be wiped out, because that’s not how the Force works, they wouldn’t literally teach their kids that it’s a lifelong struggle to overcome it if that was the case.
(Master and Apprentice | by Claudia Gray)
Further, George Lucas says this about the dark side: “Only way to overcome the dark side is through discipline. The dark side is pleasure, biological and temporary and easy to achieve. The light side is joy, everlasting and difficult to achieve. A great challenge. Must overcome laziness, give up quick pleasures, and overcome fear which leads to hate.”
Both in-universe and out-of-universe, the way the Force works (in relation to the dark side and the light side) is that it’s about how you approach it, the light is compassion and selflessness, the dark is greed, cruelty, and selfishness. We all have both of it in us, it’s what we discipline and guard ourselves against.
Because–and this is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT themes about Star Wars–the world is about choice and it works better if you’re on the good side.
(–George Lucas)
That’s it, that’s the heart of Star Wars. You have a choice and the world works better if you’re on the good side, if you choose the light.
Both the narrative and the Jedi have never said that they wanted to get rid of the dark side or that balance meant wiping it out. Their goal was wiping out a specific group of Force users that the narrative and word of have god have explicitly confirmed that, yes, they are evil and needed to go.
As well as the idea that balance must mean 50/50 is just ridiculous–do we want to live in a world that’s just as cruel as it is kind? Do we want to be just as much of a malicious person as we are a compassionate one? Is that the ultimate goal? Because balance doesn’t have to be about numbers and the Jedi definitely seem to think it’s more about stability kind of balance, especially when they are very aware that darkness is in each and every one of us and it’s a lifelong challenge to overcome it, that the world is better when we do.
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