Is the Dark side stronger? -Luke Skywalker (ESB)

[ImperialRemnant11]

Luke: Is the dark side stronger?"

Yoda: No fool! They have cookies, so they're naturally more popular.



Sense the dawn of the First Star Wars movie, endless discussions have been held, debating on The Force. Is the dark side stronger then the light side of the force? Some say yes, the dark side is stronger, seeing in the movies it takes like 2 jedi to take on ONE sith but,  some say the opposite, that the light side is stronger, seeing due to their sacrifice, the jedi's connection is closer to the light then the sith's is to the dark side, both are WRONG!

Read on....



Neither the Dark nor the light is stronger then the other, it depends on many different things, for instance. A Jedi and a sith are dueling, saber's zooming through the air, blue and red blurs,


The Jedi's Connection to the force is strong, but not as strong as compared to the sith's connection. The sith's connection to the force is much stronger, there for giving him a better grip of the force then the jedi, making him in the long run stronger.


Also, it depends on emotions, (stay with me here) Emotions run deep with in every sentient, the light side of the force is Sacrifice, pulling away from personal needs and wants, making it really hard to stay with it, also the light side of the force demands you do not use anger, lust, greed etc etc, for all those lead to the dark side of the force right? Well the Dark side on the other hand is completely different, the dark side is simple, easy like yoda and countless other jedi has said in the story, Dark side draw's power from the simple/easy emotions like hate, greed, lust, cookies..... And they don't deny them selfs needs and wants, so its easier to stick with it then the light side. Is the dark side stronger then the light, it's up for you guys to decide, this is only a PIECE of what i have to say on the matter in question, so let me hear your views!


Thank you for reading  8)

[Zsinj]

Im on the dark side cause i like cookies

[Slornie]

There is no light or dark side, there is only the Force.  It is merely a river of energy that flows around everything.  The light and dark is found only in individuals, through their emotions and choices.  It may be that negative emotions, greed, anger, ambition, etc, are easier to come by but i would argue that they also encourage the Force user to tap deeper into the river and use more destructive and powerful tactics.

Could Yoda have defeated Palpatine in Episode III, yes.  But it would have meant resorting to the same destructive tactics and exposing the darkness within himself.  Now if you take the case of Luke Skywalker vs Jacen Solo at the end of the LotF series, Luke was clearly more powerful in the Force than Jacen (despite the latter's dark emotions and choices); yet in the end he chose not to defeat Jacen personally because the emotions it would trigger (especially concerning Mara and Ben) would expose his darkness.

[ImperialRemnant11]

true but untrue, there is a dark and light side to the force 

[gansch]

The force is neutral, force users can manipulate it.  The force cannot be good nor can it be evil:
"Jedi refer to the

[ImperialRemnant11]

no no no, not all jedi believe in the same views of the force, there are differences in simlar branchs so to say,


The Living Force,

Unifying Force,

 The Potentium belief,

And others, all very interesting if you like Star wars

[Lord Xizer]

Here is the key difference as was stated by Count Dooku.
Jedi are directed by the Force.
Sith DIRECT the Force.
The Force is neutral like a lightsaber is neutral. A person can either use it to attack or for defense. Either for personal power or letting that power guide them.
The Jedi and Sith are both sides of the same coin. You need each for balance. The Sith potentially have more power because they use it's raw form for themselves. however the Jedi allow themselves to be used by the Force so they only do as directed thus they limit themselves.
I personally believe in the Sith way myself.
The Sith are not more powerful but they USE more power and in turn the power uses their life so it becomes a channel for potentially limitless power until one has reached one's limit. It draws power from WITHIN It is strong where the Jedi is weak.
The jedi way is also not more powerful but it is equal in that it is strong where the Sith are weak. It gains strength from everything around it, so it's impossible to fully extinguish it.
So neither is stronger. They are one. It is up to the Jedi or Sith.

[Revanchist]

I just saw this thread, I know it's old, but here's my two cents. There are two main beliefs about the Force, other than the good and evil theory, which I hate and do not believe.

1) The Force is like a river, it all depends on how you direct it. In this case, the Dark Side is weaker, as those who use it do not know how to control the "river", thus leading to awesome destruction, but little control. The light side, on the other hand, has more fine tune control, but less power, thus making it stronger, but harder to learn. I do not hold to this theory.

2) The Force has light and dark, not good and evil. In this case, light is weaker than dark. Dark is more powerful, but all who try to master it end up corrupting themselves because of the sheer power. They cannot control the power, the power controls them. Light is less powerful, but can be mastered, albeit with difficulty, as it can lead to the seeking of power. That is why the truly great Jedi, such as Revan, were not afraid of the dark. They had seen the Dark, and knew that it was no different than the Light, except that it can corrupt more easily. Only those who had once been corrupted by darkness knew how to control it when returned to the Light. If the Dark was truly less powerful or evil, these ones would not have continued using it.

[MMM2409]

in my opinion the dark side is stronger, if the user isnt corrupted by its power.
Look at Darth Bane and his Rule of the two.

[Thuellai]

First off, canon according to interviews is that there is a distinct dark and light side to the force, and that the dark side represents a corruption of the same - namely, because you're taking the living energy of the universe and bending it to your will.

Of course, a ton of different perspectives have been offered by different writers.  Personally, I'm a fan of Zahn, who cleaves fairly close to the movies.  Generally speaking, the Sith are more directly powerful.  Because they are controlling and manipulating the energy, they can often gather it into single large uses - but it's a rare Sith who can manage things like battle meditation [which was also rare amongst the Jedi - but you'll note that unlike Joruus and the Emperor's dark hands, the Republic troops don't suffer under the guidance of their leaders].  The dark side, on a personal scale, offers a simple solution to problems, which makes it attractive and easy to grasp - have a problem?  Throw the force at it!

The light side, on the other hand, requires a lot of restriction.  To fully understand the light side requires a lot of willingness to serve the greater need, which often means neglecting personal gain.  However, as a rule, that offers greater awareness - look at the Hand books, where Luke notes that because he's been using the Force so directly and centered it so much on himself, his 'fine-tuned' control and more passive understanding is limited.  In this way, the value of the Jedi arts is in manipulation and understanding, and the role of intelligence in battle cannot be underestimated...  and hey, if that fails, a lightsaber can do some serious damage.

[Revanchist]

First off, canon according to interviews is that there is a distinct dark and light side to the force, and that the dark side represents a corruption of the same - namely, because you're taking the living energy of the universe and bending it to your will.

Of course, a ton of different perspectives have been offered by different writers.  Personally, I'm a fan of Zahn, who cleaves fairly close to the movies.  Generally speaking, the Sith are more directly powerful.  Because they are controlling and manipulating the energy, they can often gather it into single large uses - but it's a rare Sith who can manage things like battle meditation [which was also rare amongst the Jedi - but you'll note that unlike Joruus and the Emperor's dark hands, the Republic troops don't suffer under the guidance of their leaders].  The dark side, on a personal scale, offers a simple solution to problems, which makes it attractive and easy to grasp - have a problem?  Throw the force at it!

The light side, on the other hand, requires a lot of restriction.  To fully understand the light side requires a lot of willingness to serve the greater need, which often means neglecting personal gain.  However, as a rule, that offers greater awareness - look at the Hand books, where Luke notes that because he's been using the Force so directly and centered it so much on himself, his 'fine-tuned' control and more passive understanding is limited.  In this way, the value of the Jedi arts is in manipulation and understanding, and the role of intelligence in battle cannot be underestimated...  and hey, if that fails, a lightsaber can do some serious damage.

Very interesting, but I have to disagree. The dark side represents corruption no more than putting a hydroelectric dam at a river makes you evil. Look at Revan: even when redeemed, once he remembered his past, he used the dark side without being corrupted. The dark side is only corrupting if a person lets it corrupt him. Windu, for example, used the dark side, but controlled it, albeit difficultly. The way I see it, the light side is hard to learn, and hard to master once learned. The dark side is easy to learn, but its great power corrupts all those but the truly great masters. When the dark side is corrupted by personal ambitions, it becomes weak, only a "have a problem?  Throw the force at it" weapon. Those who do grasp the power of the Dark Side (Revan, Galen, and to a lesser extent Windu) Become the most powerful of all jedi or sith. in a way, they rise above them, becoming true Masters of the Force, because they are not held back by prejudices from either side regarding such trivial things as which side is stronger, as they know they complement eachother, and should both be used: the power of the dark with the restraint of the light to preserve both the greater good (light) and those they love (dark).

[Thuellai]

Very interesting, but I have to disagree. The dark side represents corruption no more than putting a hydroelectric dam at a river makes you evil. Look at Revan: even when redeemed, once he remembered his past, he used the dark side without being corrupted. The dark side is only corrupting if a person lets it corrupt him. Windu, for example, used the dark side, but controlled it, albeit difficultly. The way I see it, the light side is hard to learn, and hard to master once learned. The dark side is easy to learn, but its great power corrupts all those but the truly great masters. When the dark side is corrupted by personal ambitions, it becomes weak, only a "have a problem?  Throw the force at it" weapon. Those who do grasp the power of the Dark Side (Revan, Galen, and to a lesser extent Windu) Become the most powerful of all jedi or sith. in a way, they rise above them, becoming true Masters of the Force, because they are not held back by prejudices from either side regarding such trivial things as which side is stronger, as they know they complement eachother, and should both be used: the power of the dark with the restraint of the light to preserve both the greater good (light) and those they love (dark).

I'm just quoting Lucas.  When asked what 'balance to the Force' meant in regards to Anakin Skywalker, he said that it was very specifically the death of the Sith and thus the removal of the dark side users.  Lucas's position is that the Dark Side's very existence and use represents an imbalance in the natural state of the Force.  Writers have defied this plenty of times [and I'm not saying that's a bad thing - in some instances, it's produced interesting stories], but the default state of the Star Wars universe is one of a black-and-white morality within the Force, where the light side is the good and proper way to do things and the dark side is a perversion of the natural order.

[Revanchist]

I'm just quoting Lucas.  When asked what 'balance to the Force' meant in regards to Anakin Skywalker, he said that it was very specifically the death of the Sith and thus the removal of the dark side users.  Lucas's position is that the Dark Side's very existence and use represents an imbalance in the natural state of the Force.  Writers have defied this plenty of times [and I'm not saying that's a bad thing - in some instances, it's produced interesting stories], but the default state of the Star Wars universe is one of a black-and-white morality within the Force, where the light side is the good and proper way to do things and the dark side is a perversion of the natural order.

And that is why Lucas is, in the end, a cabbage. Don't get me wrong, he is a genius and he should be praised for his vision of the Star Wars galaxy, but he is stuck in a mode where there is only black and white. If he would just step into the real world, he would very quickly see that there is never clear cut black and white. And besides, what is the point of a jedi order if there is no darkness to combat? The jedi would have nothing to strive for, as the removal of dark removes the internal fight which the jedi have devoted their whole existence to master. Lucas just needs to wake up and see that there is no such thing as pure good and evil.