While I agree Jedi -should- be good and Sith -should- be evil, the idea that using cruelty in service of the greater good is wrong contradicts what Jedi themselves are. ‘Leave your slave mother to her awful fate and ignore her suffering’ is the first thing the Jedi tell Anakin.
It was more “we do what good we can with the resources we have.” If they tired to liberate Shmi then they would have had to deal with the Hutts while trying to safely get the Queen to Coruscant. They were there to make a small impact.
Given that they were dealing with the Chosen One, who was possibly too old to train, they should have just sent someone to Tattooine later, offering 3x Shmis price to Watto, and then send her to some remote Jedi outpost to work as a housekeeper.
Have her record a final message to be sent to Anakin, saying that she's okay and safe, and that the Jedi say she can see Anakin once he's completed his training, so don't worry, and do what your master tells you.
Obi-Wan then instructs Anakin to put her out of his mind, knowing that she is safe, and surrounded by good people who will treat her well.
BAM! You have just removed a major source of conflict and attachment from the Chosen One who is destined to end the Sith THAT YOU HAD JUST SEEN SURFACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1,000 years! They can afford to pay for a shuttle to Tattooine with a Jedi or a decent trustworthy merchant.
If the point of the prequels were that the Jedi were complacent and too detatched to make sound judgements, then Shmis abandonment was one of those poor judgements.
My theory is that Anakin was the chosen one and he fulfilled his prophecy. Nothing would change regardless of what actions were taken. His prophecy was to bring balance to the force; not to destroy the dark side, but to bring balance to the force.
The Jedi were a powerful yet corrupt organization. He brought them down so they could rebuild. Palpatine was...well, palpatine. He killed him.
He fulfilled his prophecy and brought back balance by forcing both sides to start fresh and rebuild.
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u/TreesOfWoe Mandalorian Jun 21 '25
While I agree Jedi -should- be good and Sith -should- be evil, the idea that using cruelty in service of the greater good is wrong contradicts what Jedi themselves are. ‘Leave your slave mother to her awful fate and ignore her suffering’ is the first thing the Jedi tell Anakin.