Syfy Wire: “Stuff We Love: A scene in Attack of the Clones changes the way we see the Jedi”

“Although my esteemed colleagues, and hell, most fans, don’t agree with me, I genuinely enjoy parts of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But there’s one scene in Attack of the Clones that resonates with me as much as the original trilogy does.

It’s the scene where Count Dooku has held Obi-Wan Kenobi captive. Why that one? Because it changes the way we see the Jedi. […]

[Dooku says] “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of the dark lord of the Sith?” and “Hundreds of senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious.”

Here’s the kicker: Dooku has told him the absolute truth.

Of course, Obi-Wan doesn’t believe him. Dooku, who had renounced the Jedi Order, was the known leader of the Separatist movement—a traitor to both the Republic and to the ideals of the Jedi. But he wasn’t lying. […]

Earlier in the film, a Jedi librarian said, “If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist.” The Jedi’s beliefs don’t allow them to see anything except their unshakeable faith in themselves. The fact that Obi-Wan refuses to believe the truth when it’s in front of him makes him seem as easily bamboozled as the rest of the Jedi order, which makes the subtle Sith takeover of the senate that much more real. […]

Star Wars is a universe of moral absolutes. The Jedi are good and the Sith are evil, and there’s nothing in between. The fact that the Jedi lie and the Sith tell the truth makes this world of space magic even more compelling and complex.”

Read the whole article at Syfy Wire.