A Jedi's Morals

[Gurney Devries]

This conversation has come up countless times before - It is, in fact, the basis for a Jedi's beliefs. But I'd like to take a slightly different stance on it this time.

Hypothetical Situation:

A Dark Lord of the Sith has just slaughtered hundreds upon hundreds of completely innocent people, without the slightest trace of remorse or guilt. He is absolutely irredeemable: His is a soul forever lost in the Darkness.

You have tracked him down, and you are absolutely certain that you can end his life. Do you do it?

If left alive, he will undoubtably go on to kill hundreds, perhaps thousands more. His life is in your hands - Do you end it?

Currently, I (Gurney) believe in justice: If a man cannot atone for his sins, then he will be made to pay for them. I am well aware that most Jedi will not condone such actions, and perhaps my attitude will change with time and training. I would like to hear others' opinions, though.

[Ryla Relvinian]

That is a difficult choice. In my opinion, a Jedi has several goals to his or her life. The most important, however, is the preservation of life. I believe that it would be the most merciful thing to do, both on behalf of all that the dark one had killed, and on behalf of those he might kill, to dispose of him.

Jedi are peaceful in nature, but Justice always outweighs peace.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

It cannot be answered uniformly. Different Jedi have different views on these kind of things, and each, in a certain point of view, are right. My best parallel would be Christian denominations, which are essentially just slight variations of interpretation of a larger, general school of thought.

Anbira would kill the man, because he's a believer in the existance of unrepentant evil, and understands that if unchecked, it will only continue.

Jubei would not, as he is strictly bound to never take a life. He must seek another option...any option...to prevent that thing he can never do.

[Akrabbim]

Akrabbim, on the other hand, is the utter pragmatist. Basically, if he was convinced that killing the Sith would save the life of ONE innocent, he would destroy the Sith by any means necessary. Akrabbim would have no qualms killing an evil man to save others.

[Satine Capashen]

Alpha is a lot like Akrabbim. though for him just being a Sith marks him for death in Satine's eyes. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/image/emoticons_classic/smile.gif ALT=":)"> Sorry, but that's the way he views things.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Considering Navaria's rather odd .. past and the like, she would most likely kill the Sith.

It is a Universal thought because the need to protect the innocent and many outweight the evil of one man that has fallen from grace.

[Jedi Knight Leia Solo]

Well...this is how I see Leia handling it.

Just like that test Kitty posted at SwFanNet. Leia is a Lawful Good. She firmly believes in justice.

As such...to come across a sith that has killed several thousand innoccents and more than likely would continue to do so. She would go and end his life to spare any future possible deaths.

[Gurney Devries]

Anbira: I understand that different Jedi would handle it differently - that's why I asked. This particular character would do it, whereas my other one (when he was a Jedi) would not. I thought it would prove an interesting IC discussion.

To liven it up a bit, lets toss in another variable: What if the Sith in question has still killed hundreds of people in the past, but wishes to atone and mend his ways? Is he not still guilty for the crimes he's committed? Can the promise of saving lives outweigh the cost of having ended others?

I look forward to your opinion on this, Anbira.

[Sage Hazzard]

Sage pounded his fist on his chair.

"If this Dark One has not accepted his fate already, willfully murdering innocents, then he desearves to die! I would make sure all of the victim's familes knew of his death, and that it a was dishonorable at that. I would slit his throat from ear to ear and heed no calls of mercy."

He leaned back in his hair, his throat growling slightly.

"But if he does indeed wish to turn his ways, I would see to it no harm befell on him. I know well of the Darkside. What it does to you.... No man should be judged by his past if he wishes to change."

OOC - Sage would kill him without blinking, if he didn't want to change. But if he did, he wouldn't. Sage has killed people in his past, who shouldn't have died, and he actually slipped into the Dark Side while doing it. This was before he became a Jedi, and it just written into his past, never RPed.

[AmazonBabe]

Never really gave it much thought. AB just deals with day to day problems as they arise.

If the need arrises to kill a Sith because he is harming others, and she is present or requested to do something about it, under her beliefs of preserving life and obeying, she would kill the Sith.

But she would take no pleasure in it, for her act in itself, though ridding the galaxy of an evil, would still be taking a life.

It's one of those things: "Do the ends justify the means."

[Marcus QDunn]

Absolutly, without a doubt, the Sith is dead. Without hesitation, without remourse and without looking back.

[Jedi Knight Leia Solo]

OOC: Actually Leia has also killed a Sith in an RP for the very same reason. It was Dark Serpent, first encarnation...BIg Bad Nagada [sp]), The RP went that he had bombs all around Coruscant and was going to merciless kill millions..in the end she killed him. Didn't know his spirit would comeback though;) Well..that is one I can think of.

[Anbira Hicchoru]

Anbira would spare the repentant...because for all the justice capable, there is the power to forgive, when the opportunity is given. After all, you're talking about a man who used to be one of the most reviled Sith in the galaxy at one point.

[verse dawnstrider]

OOC:
Verse does not like to kill. He would ask the Sith if he would like to change. Verse would say "Killing him will not bring those people back. All we can hope is that he changes and will help preserve life." If the Sith said he would not change, Verse would be Forced to kill him. He would have to say "If the guilty must die to save teh innocent, then so be it." He would still feel bad for it and give the Sith a 'funeral' asking teh Garou gods to show him the mercy that he did not give others.

[Loki Ahmrah]

I believe that in the first scenario given, a Jedi should not spare the life of the Sith, what would be the point, if they spared his life and he went on to kill more innocent people, then the Jedi in question would have blood on his/her hands.

In the second scenario, in which the Sith wishes to repent then I'd say he should definately not be killed, any Jedi who would kill a man in that position needs to take a look at a map and make sure they are on the right path, in my opinion, otherwise they are just clearly displaying Dark Side traits. Nevertheless the repentant should be treated with caution until all doubt is cleared.

And that is how Loki will perceive things when he is a more mature Jedi, at the moment, he doesn't intend to kill anyone.

[JediBeldarine]

I agree that each Jedi is different in their beliefs...

If Bel found someone absolutely, unrepentantly (is that a real word? Did I make a new word up?) evil.. I'm sure she would attempt to kill the evil soul.

Look at Obi-Wan and Darth Maul... Obi-Wan killed him, and the Jedi were ok with it.

[Gurney Devries]

But do you think he killed Maul to possibly save lives in the future? He attacked him out of a want for revenge ("Justice" oftens equates to "Revenge"). And did Qui Gon have any real reason to fight him, other than to buy everyone else some time?

[Oriadin]

The Jedi Code -"Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and to protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect all life, in any form. Jedi serve others, rather than ruling over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training."

Tough question. The Jedi are there to protect the innocent and to keep peace in the Galaxy. It is only ok to kill the sith if it is to protect yourslef or if it is for the good of the Galaxy. If there is a chance they can return to the good side then that is the only option. We have to respect life and it is not for us to decide who is to live and who is to die. Killing has to be the very last option.

[Marcus QDunn]

Ahh.... didn't see the second senario....


First senario (Unrepentant) - It's a Jedi's duty to stop the Sith and if that means death, absolutly without hesitation.

Second (Repentant) - if it's a genuine repentance, then it is to be accepted and atonement is to be made. I do that IC as well, several times. That is the Jedi way.