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A rare few of us may be blessed with a strong moral compass that invariably leads us to the right path, no matter how confusing the signs might be. The rest of us can only prepare ourselves by thinking about our possible reactions to many different situations so that we can know how we should handle ourselves when the time comes. Thinking about it is not enough, of course, but it’s a necessary first step to facing any challenge. In thinking about the moral ambiguity of the seemingly black-and-white universe of Star Wars, we can see how morally complex a simple world can be, and we can begin to prepare for the moral complexities of our own less-than-simple world.49

Part II

“Try Not—Do or Do Not”

Ethics in a Galaxy, Far, Far Away

5

The Aspiring Jedi’s Handbook of Virtue

JUDITH BARAD

So, you’d like to be a Jedi Knight? Surely a good part of the appeal is the adventure, the excitement, the glory of this undertaking. But wait a minute! When Obi-Wan Kenobi attempts to persuade Yoda to train Luke, the diminutive Jedi Master objects that Luke isn’t a good candidate for training because all his life he has craved adventure and excitement. In Yoda’s words, “A Jedi craves not these things.” The path to becoming a Jedi lies within.

Suppose you’re not deterred. You still want to be a Jedi Knight just as much as you wanted to the first time you saw Star Wars. As a would-be Jedi student, you’ll need to have a teacher. Yoda is probably your best bet, given his experience. For over eight hundred years, the small, green Master has trained Jedi Knights. But having identified a teacher doesn’t mean that the teacher will accept you as a student. Being someone’s student is a privilege, not an entitlement. Yoda will most likely examine your mental attitudes before he accepts or rejects you for training. He will insist that you must have “the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.” If you’re committed and serious, there is one more prerequisite that must be met before training can commence. You must have the patience to finish what you begin. The process of becoming a Jedi Knight is definitely not quick and easy.

The Old Republic and the Older Republic

If you find these prerequisites within you, it’s important to keep the underlying purpose of being a Jedi firmly in mind. The ultimate aims of the Jedi are peace and justice. When Obi-Wan first presents Luke Skywalker with a lightsaber, he explains that the Jedi Knights “were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic.” If we really want to know about the “Old Republic” we should turn to Plato’s seminal work entitled, oddly enough, The Republic. Plato suggests that an ideal society should train a group of virtuous warriors to preserve peace and justice in the commonwealth. It’s true that Plato’s Republic doesn’t have the galactic proportions we see depicted in Star Wars; but much of Plato’s teachings are reflected in the Star Wars galaxy. By comparing Plato’s notion of a warrior class to the Jedi Knights and his Republic’s Guardians to the Jedi Masters, we can acquire a richer understanding of the Jedi. With this understanding, we will be more successful in living our life to the full, just as a Jedi should.

Plato prescribes a long and rigorous period of training, which he thinks will yield knowledge of goodness and justice. Those who complete this training successfully, he insists, are fit to guard society for they will have developed the virtues associated with goodness and justice. A central feature of virtue ethics is the claim that an action is right if and only if it’s what a person with a virtuous character would do in the circumstances. Plato thus emphasizes the development of virtues. An initial step in the testing that Plato requires is hard physical training for the future Guardians. However, the purpose of this training is not simply muscular strength. Rather, it is undertaken to improve the soul, that is, the mind. Unless you train your body to obey