Summary
- George Lucas’s “no attachments” rule defines the Jedi, limiting character growth and storytelling opportunities.
- The lack of relationships makes the Jedi less relatable and restricts their development within the franchise.
- Rey’s New Jedi Order movie may exclude familial relationships, perpetuating the Jedi’s attachment rule.
The Jedi in Star Wars will never be able to move past George Lucas’ biggest prequel era mistake, and it’s restricting their development. In the original Star Wars trilogy, the Jedi were the stuff of legends – less than a handful were thought to remain in the first Star Wars movie, and Luke Skywalker was soon on his own, left to carry on the Jedi’s legacy. This meant that the rules were open to interpretation – Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda had briefly described the Force, its role in the universe, and how the Jedi and the Sith commune with it, but much more than that was never revealed.
That all changed when the Star Wars prequel trilogy was released. Suddenly, audiences were given a look at the Jedi at their full might, 10,000 strong and scattered across the galaxy, an integral part of galactic politics. Of course, an organization of such size and with such power needs rules and ideals to keep its members on the right path. But one of the most important rules George Lucas introduced in the Star Wars prequel trilogy ended up defining the Jedi Order, and it looks as though they’ll never be able to move past it.
Related
Star Wars Movies In Order: How To Watch Release Order, Chronologically & With The TV Shows
What’s the best way to watch Star Wars? Here’s everything you need to know to watch in release or timeline order, and how to include the TV shows.
George Lucas’ Prequel Trilogy Introduced The Idea Of Attachments
George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels introduced the concept of attachments. In essence, Jedi view deep relationships and “attachments” to others as an inherent vulnerability – though the Jedi are encouraged to feel general love and compassion for all people and living things, they are discouraged from forming deep, dependent friendships and, above all, passionate and lasting romantic relationships. This is because these relationships can potentially become “possessive,” forcing Jedi to tap into negative emotions such as jealousy, anger, fear, and grief, all of which can lead to the dark side.
Narratively speaking, of course, it made sense for this rule to become part of the Jedi’s mythos. Anakin Skywalker needed a reason to become Darth Vader, and his desperation to be with Padmé Amidala, the pressure of keeping that secret, and the opening it gave Palpatine to manipulate him, ultimately drove him over the edge. It’s also an interesting point of conflict for Jedi characters – Anakin is not the only Jedi to have struggled with the concept of love and romance during the prequel era. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos, for example, have both had to question their loyalty to the Order because they fell in love.
Thematically, the “no attachments” rule has limited how the Jedi can grow within the franchise.
Thematically, however, it has limited how the Jedi can grow within the franchise. After Order 66 and the decimation of the Order, the Jedi, in whatever limited capacity they may have remained, could have opened themselves up to the possibility of more. Some Jedi did – Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis, both Order 66 survivors, allowed themselves to fall in love and experienced genuine happiness through that love – and yet, the franchise seems intent on limiting the relationships that Jedi can have as the concept of being a Jedi continues to develop in the films and shows.
A Lack Of Relationships Means A Lack Of Relatability
The problems that stem from the Jedi’s attachments rule aren’t just limited to character growth and storytelling. It also makes the Jedi less relatable as characters. Humans thrive on relationships – the familial, platonic, and romantic relationships humans nurture and develop have the power to change a person’s perspective and view of the world. The Jedi, who are already mythological characters, of sorts, not only because of their powers but because of their inherent goodness, can, therefore, be hard to relate to.
Related
The Jedi’s View On Love & Attachment Is Wrong
The Jedi Order of the Star Wars prequels did not understand the difference between love and attachment, but other incarnations of the Jedi do.
Seeing certain Jedi have normal, trusting, strong, relationships with one another and others can make the audience feel closer to them and allow them to understand them better. There’s a reason “shipping” is such a major part of fandom. Audiences like to see themselves in the characters they read about and watch on screen. They like to recognize certain traits and learn from the characters’ actions.
There’s a reason “shipping” is such a major part of fandom. Audiences like to see themselves in the characters they read about and watch on screen.
Interestingly, one crucial part of the Star Wars storytelling timeline seems to recognize the issues with Jedi foregoing relationships altogether. Star Wars: The High Republic, a transmedia publishing initiative that is set a few centuries before the events of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, sees multiple Jedi struggling with their feelings. Some even leave the Jedi Order altogether to explore those feelings in earnest.
The difference, however, is that while Anakin would have been shunned from the Jedi Order had his relationship with Padmé been discovered by anyone other than Obi-Wan, the Jedi of the High Republic don’t need to hide and bury their feelings to such an extent. Though attachments are still discouraged, they aren’t shamed for exploring emotional and physical intimacy with others. The shift between the High Republic and the prequels is, therefore, very noticeable.
The High Republic is made up of a combination of adult novels, YA novels, comic books, and audio plays. Two shows take place during the High Republic era, too: Star Wars: The Acolyte and Young Jedi Adventures.
Rey’s New Jedi Order Looks Set To Repeat This Mistake
Unfortunately, however, despite The High Republic’s success in exploring more relationship types within the Jedi Order, the mainstream movies and TV shows seem set on continuing the “no attachments” rule. Rey’s New Jedi Order movie is highly anticipated, in part because it will reveal the future of the Jedi Order beyond the influence of the Skywalker family. Set 15 years after the events of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Rey will have an entirely clean slate upon which to build her version of the Jedi Order, but it looks like familial relationships will still be excluded.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order
The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Director
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Writers
Steven Knight
Daisy Ridley has previously stated that it’s unlikely that Rey will have a family or children in New Jedi Order: “I would say she probably doesn’t have children, seeing she’s a Jedi.” (via Screen Rant). This seems to imply that, while Rey may be implementing new ideas into her teachings, she still feels that attachments can be dangerous for a Jedi. Perhaps she’s still reeling from Ben Solo’s death, but given all that she’s experienced and the relationships she’s nurtured, it would be a shame for Rey to restore the one rule that played a massive part in the downfall of the Jedi Order.
It Looks As Though “No Attachments” Will Forever Define The Jedi
It’s a shame that George Lucas’ “no attachments” rule will continue to define the Jedi for years to come, especially when there have been quite a few well-developed and healthy examples of Jedi having deep relationships with romantic partners and friends. Relationships are an intrinsic part of the human experience, and the Jedi are the pinnacle of what humanity should be. Why shouldn’t they get to experience that same kind of joy? While George Lucas’ reasoning for including the rule made sense for the prequel trilogy’s specific narrative needs, it has spread to every corner of Star Wars storytelling, limiting what the Jedi could and should be.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Cast
Mark Hamill
, James Earl Jones
, David Prowse
, Carrie Fisher
, Harrison Ford
, Daisy Ridley
, Adam Driver
, Ian McDiarmid
, Ewan McGregor
, Rosario Dawson
, Lars Mikkelsen
, Rupert Friend
, Moses Ingram
, Frank Oz
, Pedro Pascal
TV Show(s)
The Mandalorian
, Andor
, Obi-Wan Kenobi
, The Book of Boba Fett
, Ahsoka
, The Acolyte
, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
, Lando
, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
, Star Wars Rebels
, Star Wars: The Bad Batch
, Star Wars: Resistance
, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
, Star Wars: Visions
Character(s)
Luke Skywalker
, Han Solo
, Rey Skywalker
, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious
, Obi-Wan Kenobi
, Ahsoka Tano
, Grand Admiral Thrawn
, Grand Inquisitor
, Reva (The Third Sister)
, The Fifth Brother
, The Seventh Sister
, The Eighth Brother
, Yoda
, Din Djarin
, Grogu
, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
, Leia Organa
, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren