Anti-Jedi sentiment/Legends

"Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano has often stated that the Jedi are honored and admired by all. Apparently, he was mistaken."

- Prard'ras'kleoni

Anti-Jediism was the fear, mistrust, or outright hatred of the Jedi Order. Just as with the Sith, a large number of sentients feared them, and criticism developed from the fact that many common people did not understand the Jedi, their ability to use the Force, or their principles. Many of those outside of the Force equated them with the Sith and did not find them any better. The Jedi propensity for taking children in at birth, away from their families, generated a large amount of controversy, with the last major example being the "Baby Ludi" case. Due to the Order's alignment with the Republic and the Jedi's role as mediators and negotiators, those living outside the Republic saw them merely as puppets of the Republic.

History
Anti-Jediism was normally quite prevailent during times of conflict, especially when the Order was a particular target of the enemy force attacking the Galactic Republic.

Old Republic era
After the end of the Jedi Civil War, many people began to loathe the Jedi as much as the Sith, as they believed they were equally responsible for the destruction brought upon the galaxy. Many would willingly turn in a Jedi to the Exchange, who had put a bounty out on them. Five years after the war's end, one refugee on Nar Shaddaa even remarked to the Jedi Exile that the Sith and the Jedi were "two different words for the same thing."

Rise of the Empire era
In the final years of the Galactic Republic, many Senators did not trust the Jedi&mdash;a trait that many Jedi also had towards the Senators. A few years prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Senators Sano Sauro and Bog Divinian tried to stir anti-Jedi sentiment into the Senate by proposing that the monastic Order should be exempt from the activities of the Senate. However the Senators' claims did little to ban the Jedi Order, and the vote ended in favor of the Knights. Senator Sauro even turned his back on Divinian. After being bribed by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine with an offer to become Deputy Chancellor, he voted in favor of the Jedi.

Clone Wars


The Clone Wars was a time of rather strong anti-Jedi sentiment. Just before the Battle of Geonosis, a HoloNet News poll showed that 17% of those asked blamed the Jedi for the Separatist Crisis. The Jedi, some without any military experience, were placed in command of the Grand Army of the Republic, causing some distrust among the populace. The populace was also distrustful when a number of Jedi refused to take up arms for the safety of the Republic, calling their former comrades Palpatine's Secret Police.

But the anti-Jedi sentiment was stronger for reasons beyond the Jedi's control. Many Jedi, such as Sora Bulq and Quinlan Vos, defected to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Asajj Ventress, a Separatist commander, eventually began offering up bounties for the heads of the Jedi. General Grievous, the Supreme Commander of the Droid Army, had an obsessive hatred of the Jedi Order due to the Jedi and the Republic's one sided role in ending the Huk War. But by far, what damaged the Jedi's public image the most was Count Dooku, the Head of State of the Confederacy, who was formerly a Jedi himself.

And it was just as Palpatine wanted. After the Battle of Coruscant, the Jedi learned that Palpatine was Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith responsible for the War to begin with. Mace Windu led three other Jedi Masters -Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin, and Kit Fisto- to arrest Palpatine, but the Sith Lord cut down the three other masters easily, and finally destroyed Windu with the help of Anakin Skywalker. During the duel with Windu, Palpatine's face was hideously scarred. He later claimed that the arrest was part of a coup attempt to take over control of the Republic. Using the huge distrust for the Jedi among the populace, Palpatine launched the Great Jedi Purge.

Anti-Jediism had become open government policy.

Galactic Empire
Under the Galactic Empire, people were discouraged to believe in the Force. The Jedi's history was re-written by Emperor Palpatine's best propagandists. Palpatine rewrote their history to make it seem that the Jedi had secretly begun to control the Galactic Republic (possibly when human Masters took non-human apprentices).

But it was not just the Jedi that suffered. All Force sensitives were targeted. Some examples included the Quermians, who were accused of sending seditious thoughts into the minds of others. The Iktotchi were attacked due to their telepathic abilities, which were said to be drawn from the Force.

Despite the established anti-Jediism of the New Order, many in the Imperial government were aware that Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were Force users, and a few even knew that they were Sith Lords.

Even in the Rebel Alliance, when Luke Skywalker was wrongly accused of the accidental death of Shira Brie a rebel operative Milo Fourstar openly blamed Luke for deliberately causing her death because she spurned his advances. Enraged, Luke hit him in the jaw, and Milo accused him of using the Force against him.

New Republic era
Under the New Republic, the Jedi endured a full rehabilitation. Luke Skywalker was eventually granted permission to form a Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4, with the intent of forming a New Jedi Order. Luke's actions during the Galactic Civil War brought a great deal of respect back to the Jedi Order.

Yet there was still a great deal of mistrust. People were very concerned about the potential of a new Darth Vader. The actions of Kyp Durron, while under the influence of the spirit of Exar Kun, greatly damaged the New Jedi Order's image. Since the New Republic had its own military and its own diplomatic service, many questioned the need for the Jedi to serve as diplomats and guardians. The Presidencies of Mon Mothma and Leia Organa Solo, Luke's sister, ensured that the Jedi had reliable allies in the government. However, the election of Borsk Fey'lya as Chief of State changed all of that. Fey'lya was notably anti-Jedi (though this may have been influenced by his adversarial relationship with Leia Organa Solo and his own Bothan nature). Further provocative actions by Kyp Durron and his supporters lead many to question view the Jedi not as an asset, but as a risk; exactly what the Yuuzhan Vong wanted.

Hapes Consortium
Hapans were ingrained with a mistrust of Jedi, as they resented the Jedi for wiping out their ancestors, the Lorell Raiders. This mistrust and fear was passed down over the centuries, and eventually one of the Queen Mothers, Ni'Korish, devoted her life to eliminating any Jedi that happened to wander too close to or into the Hapes Cluster. Eventually, because of her views on the Jedi, an anti-Jedi faction that had rose to prominence during the Yuuzhan Vong War was named after her.

The Anti-Jediism of the Hapans was one of the reasons that Tenel Ka, who was herself a Jedi, did not reveal that Jacen Solo was the father of her daughter Allana, as Hapan nobles would have rallied against her (though possibly using it to conceal more personal reasons).

New Jedi Order era
"Jedi have provoked this war at every stage, hoping to use it as a way to embellish their own power. Your plans for the domination of this galaxy have long been known. This time, your tactics have reverse-throttled on you."

- Kot Murno

The Yuuzhan Vong War was a time of rampant anti-Jediism, at a time the Galaxy needed the Jedi the most. The Yuuzhan Vong realized that the Jedi were the greatest threat to their invasion, and they had to be eliminated immediately. Many in the Yuuzhan Vong leadership advocated that they turn the Galaxy against the Jedi.

One of the most devastating blows to the Jedi came in the Battle of Ithor. Jedi Knight Corran Horn battled Commander Shedao Shai for the survival of Ithor at stake. Horn won the duel, but Deign Lian, Shai's subordinate, unleashed a bioweapon which wiped out all life on Ithor. The Galaxy believed that the Yuuzhan Vong had done it because Horn had killed Shai, rather than in spite of Shai. As a result, the Jedi suffered a huge backlash. It was at this point that Shimrra Jamaane, the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong, decided that discrediting the Jedi was the best way to defeating them.

The high point came at the Battle of Duro the next year. Tsavong Lah, the Warmaster of the Yuuzhan Vong, was defeated and humiliated by Jedi Knight Jacen Solo. Sending a message to the New Republic, Lah said that he would halt the invasion, and leave the rest of the Galaxy in peace, if they carried out one simple demand. "Give us your Jeedai," Lah demanded. The request prompted Viqi Shesh, already secretly spying for the Yuuzhan Vong, to author and submit the Appeasement Bill, which would have outlawed the Jedi and allowed the Yuuzhan Vong to retain their current holdings. The bill was voted down by the New Republic Senate two to one, but anti-Jedi sentiment increased. However, the populace was unfamiliar with a subtle nuance of the Yuuzhan Vong language. In Yuuzhan Vong, peace meant submission.

Many planets, however, believed that Lah was sincere, and they began offering up their Jedi defenders as fast as they could capture them. Ando and Devaron both betrayed their Jedi knights to the Yuuzhan Vong. Members of the Senate even tried to have Luke Skywalker arrested, in an attempt to appease the invaders. To counter this, Skywalker set up the Great River, an underground movement to smuggle Jedi out of dangerous locations.

It was in the hysteria that Borsk Fey'lya, that last person the Jedi thought they could count on, sided with them. When Nom Anor appeared before the Senate demanding the lives of the Jedi, Fey'lya reversed a lifetime of Anti-Jedi sentiment, stating that Luke Skywalker had his full support. The subsequent Fall of Coruscant, and the Jedi's actions during the subsesquent Battles of Hapes and Borleias brought a significant level of trust back to the Jedi. There was also the realization that the Yuuzhan Vong had broken their word too frequently&mdash;and almost too willingly&mdash;to be trusted. With the election of Cal Omas as Chief of State, he organized the High Council, which would allow the Jedi a role in the War effort. There was still an anti-Jedi sentiment among the Senate, but it was noticably muted. Shimrra's death at the hands of Luke Skywalker cemented the public's trust of the Jedi.

Noted people with Anti-Jedi sentiments

 * Ni'Korish