The Dark Side of The Force: The Misunderstood Side

One aspect that is present in any Star Wars related media is The Force. Whether it is used by the Jedi or the Sith, the force is everywhere in the Star Wars galaxy. Even people who are not able to manipulate it acknowledge its existence. Everyone also knows that there is the light side of the force, and the dark side of the force. The light side is associated with the Jedi, and the dark side with the Sith. Although it is viewed as evil, and even labeled the dark side, it is not inherently evil. It is just misunderstood, and at the mercy of an organization that gives it a bad name.

Everyone lives with emotions. Whether one gives into those emotions on the other hand, is another story. The Jedi view giving into emotions as evil, and try their best to stay neutral in all aspects of life. One of the lines in the Jedi code is “There is no emotion, there is peace”. The Sith take the opposite approach. They give into their emotions, and become strong in the dark side. Sure, sometimes emotions make people do stupid things, but that doesn’t make them evil. Giving into emotions is easy. Some people believe that the dark side is easier to master because of this. But it also makes it stronger than the light side of the force, which promotes turning away from emotions. That’s not saying that the Jedi are emotionless, they just don’t let their emotions control them, or dictate their actions. There is nothing evil about having emotions. In fact, it is what makes someone human (or in the Star Wars galaxy, sentient).

The Sith rely on emotions to stay strong in the dark side. They use pain and suffering to teach Sith acolytes how to rely on the force for everything from sustenance to strength. When he was training in the dark side, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos was told to use the pain of his master’s death, and his anger from it in order to strengthen his bond to the dark side of the force. Sith Lords will manipulate emotions, and create conflict using the force. The Sith thrive on chaos, and love conflict.

Physical Vs. Mental

The light side favors the spiritual spectrum. The Jedi train, and teach their students to serve the force. To benefit from the omnipresence of the force, and to protect people with it. The Jedi were peacekeepers for thousands of years until the purge by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine AKA Darth Sidious. The techniques they use aren't physical, but deal with the mental, or spiritual aspects of a person, such as force manipulation, and battle meditation. They are used for the benefit of others, and the Jedi usually do not use those techniques for themselves.

The Sith on the other hand, are the complete opposite. They train to use and manipulate the force for their benefit, no matter what it takes. They lie, manipulate, and kill whoever they need to with the force in order to succeed. Their techniques deal with the more physical aspects of life. Techniques such as force choke, or force push/pull are dark side techniques. Even the Jedi sometimes make use of force push/pull, even though they use it as a defensive technique, it is technically still a dark side move. While the dark side moves might have negative names, and be used for evil, it is the person using them that uses them for evil.

Why are Sith lightsabers red? Jedi who have used the dark side of the force still have their usual blue or green lightsabers, so how and why do the Sith have red sabers? One answer could be that red is an evil looking color. The answer is much more in line with how the Sith operate. Lightsabers are powered by Kyber Crystals, which have been described as being alive, and in tune with the force. They react to the light side of the force and “choose” their Jedi/force user and enable them to use a lightsaber. Users of the dark side will not be chosen by a Kyber Crystal (unless they started out as a Jedi). Therefore, Sith users must use the Kyber of a slain Jedi. The Sith will manipulate the Kyber with the dark side of the force, and bend it to their will causing the crystal to “bleed” and therefore creating the sinister red color for their lightsaber. Very evil, but in cases like Mace Windu and Quinlan Vos, Jedi Masters that have used the Dark Side, they keep their usual colored light sabers.

The dark side of the force is regarded as truly evil. While the dark side of the force is generally used by the Sith, there are certain Force users who use the dark side but are not Sith, as well as certain Jedi that have dabbled in it. The Sith code encourages using the dark side for evil, nefarious purposes, as is shown throughout the movies and books.