Question Force Users and Alienation in the Current Setting

[Kev'thari "Kev" Vefthu]

Hi everybody,

Just something for us all to ponder and discuss: in the timeline of this forum's fanon, how do you guys think the Jedi and Sith, respectively, would view and approach the concept of alienation from Galactic Society felt by its users, assuming any feel that way at all? Also, what are your guys' thoughts on "Neutral" Force Users (untrained Force Sensitives or those with skill who choose to run from both the Jedi and Sith, following neither Light nor Dark and rarely using their abilities if they can help it)?

Discuss, contemplate, create, share and have fun!

 

[Lief]

Neutral is best.

It is known.

Je'daii Friends, rise up!

 

[Pyeth Raffinki]

IMO

A galaxy is a big place and full of cultures in the stone age up to the pinnacle of the kardashev scale, and each would have slight variations on their opinion on Jedi and Sith. Some may even have their own cultural beliefs FS might subscribe to (Nightsisters being a prime example).

I think neutrals have always existed in one form or another and I do not believe Jedi would force children away from their parents if the children refused (I could be wrong).

 

[Sylvia Virtos]

I've been writing Sylvia with a different perspective on the Force than I've done before. You could consider her neutral, but ultimately the Force isn't an instrumental part of who she is. She has a pretty utilitarian view on life in general, which bleeds into the way she views and uses the Force. At the same time she recognizes how expansive and limitless the Force itself is, but also believes most Force users are trying too hard to define it.

 

[Caltin Vanagor]

I've personally believed that all sides have it wrong. That there are no "sides" and just the Force.

That being said:

The majority of this character's life has been as a classic Jedi Guardian. Old school in approach, beliefs, and ideals. My twist to him is that his being "out of time" gives him an issue with the Jedi of today, not in who they are but their approach. They are just not what he is used to and how he approaches things. So if that makes him "neutral" then he is, but he still considers himself a "Jedi", he just really considers only a few to be the same,

 

[Kai Bamarri]

I’ve seen this question posed before in one form or another, and I think it originates in the setting itself.

Yes, there are neutral groups in SW, but the main conflict is between the Jedi and the Sith, and that conflict is usually presented in a straightforward good vs. evil manner. Lucas and others have compared this simple storytelling to fairytales, fables, and even soap operas. Thing is, these are all a type of genre that tend to be pretty limited, at least in how stories are told. That’s not discounting genre overlap—and you can tell a more complex fairytale, but at some point it gets so complicated that it stops being a fairytale and becomes something different.

So I guess the idea here is the conflict between Chaos’ “anything goes” approach to storytelling chafing against the (sort of) restraints imposed by the setting. To which I can only say: Chaos at times doesn’t feel much like SW, but that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be exactly like SW. We’re doing well enough being our own thing, even if we only derive “inspiration” from SW. All that matters is that the stories are great and we have fun writing them.

 

[Kev'thari "Kev" Vefthu]

Kai Bamarri Your beliefs are almost exactly the same as mine!

Caltin Vanagor Sylvia Virtos The two of you, if I might hazard a guess, seem to be infusing the Force with either New Age elements or postmodern/radical subjectivism in regards to each individual's approaching the Force, yes?

Pyeth Raffinki In the old EU, the Old Republic Jedi would take students primarily from infancy and cut off all contact with the families, with the parents' permission to allow their child to be raised by the Order (unless they failed to be accepted as Padawans and were subsequently sent to one of the three service corps, which in turn were only loosely affiliated with the Order). New Republic Jedi took anyone regardless of age and merely settled for teaching them to avoid the Dark Side as a rule and let them learn at their own pace. Also, there were quite a few Force sects beyond the Jedi, Sith and Force "Magicians" as well!