#Stop tagging this kind of bullshit as pro-jedi

[mademoiselle-cookie]

@supremechancellorrex So I'm only responding bc you have the delicacy of tagging this as 'pro-jedi'. Since you give me the stick to beat you with, I will comply.

First, Slick

Slick is a clone who sold information to the enemy for money, which led to the death of his own brothers. He blew up the armory, increasing the future death toll as the clones wouldn't have anything to defend themselves with. He also tried to blame another of his brothers and kill Cody and Rex when he was discovered.

To put it simply, he's a villain.

It's not complicated. It's a children's show. If a character commits bad deeds, he is a villain. So you shouldn't foolishly believe what he says. It's a narrative rule. Every child knows that.

If Slick blames the Jedi, it's to justify what he did, like when Anakin says the Jedi are evil after slaughtering them, including children. If the show wanted to tell us that he was right, he would not have put this episode in the 1st season, it would have waited for arcs like Umbara, to show that, indeed, the clones suffer in the presence of the Jedi. It also wouldn't mention that Slick received any money. And his victims would not have been only HIS BROTHERS, the same ones whose cause he claims to defend.

One is defined by his actions, not his words. Slick did shit for his brothers.

Take a look at how the rest of the clones think of the Jedi as a whole.

And it's just the obvious. I'm not quoting all the times we see the clones and the Jedi being friends, trusting each other, or saving each other. But here a few links : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. (you seem to understand that Jedi are good with them but a reminder is clearly necessary)

Also, the Jedi don't own the clones.

Clones are property of the Republic. Not the Jedi.

Only the Senate and the Supreme Chancellor have a say in the clones fate. You can't be a slavers if you don't have slaves.

Yes, the Jedi were their Generals. But it has nothing to do with that. The Jedi entered the war because the Separatists were over-armed, guided by a Sith (natural enemy of the Jedi who can only be stopped by them, and a former member of the Order), and very determined to massacre and dominate the universe.

The Jedi cannot but go to war. Their inaction would kill too many people.

"It’s a tough call. It’s one of the conundrums of which there’s a bunch of in my movies. You have to think it through. Are they going to stick with their moral rules and all be killed, which makes it irrelevant, or do they help save the Republic?" George Lucas, The Star Wars Archives: 1999-2005, 2020

And you know who would have died in greater numbers without the Jedi? The clones.

They wouldn't have been led by compassionate leaders, but by Admirals like Tarkin. They wouldn't have competent and experienced fighters with magical powers with them on the battlefield. Or they simply wouldn't have kind companions who push them to think by themself (Nala Se: "I'm afraid the Jedi have inspired creative thinking in some of the clones." (ep3 s6)).

Again, clones are not the Jedi's slaves. (so we must also forget this idea of "nice masters")

In fact, the Jedi are the people who fight the most against slavery in SW.

There's a whole arc about an empire of slavers who hate the Jedi for destroying their trade, and who started to re-emerge BECAUSE the Jedi were too busy with the war.

Darts D'Nar: "For thousands of years, Zygerria supplied slave labor to the galaxy. We prospered. Our customers prospered. Then the Jedi came." (ep11 s4)

But why people who fight slavery don't say a thing about the clones situation?

Because the writing of the show sucks.

Narratively, clones aren't slaves.

They're only a drafted army (well, to be fair, draft is actually close to slavery if you look closely, which is what the clone situation criticizes, but the authors didn't realize how this one isn't just a draft).

And though it sucks, the Jedi can't say anything because they too are drafted.

"The Jedi weren't meant to fight wars. That's the gig issue in the prequels. They got drafted into service, which is exactly what Palpatine wanted" George Lucas, An Oral History of Star Wars: Episode 1, 2019

If the show meant that the clones were slaves, it wouldn't have had only one person to say it (someone who's an unreliable narrator) but by people we trusted like Rex or Cody. It would have shown Padmé, who openly despises slavery, speaking out against their plight, especially when fighting against buying more clones in one episode (while unlike the Jedi, SHE has the power to fix their situation). It would have been said during the Umbara arc or the Zygerrian arc where Rex, a clone, is enslaved. It would have Cut Lawquane, a deserter (not an escapee, a deserter) said he had enough of their slavery, or he would have critised the Jedi since they're slavers right? But no. Not a world against them. Only against the Republic.

(remember when I said SW criticizes draft?)

So yeah, the clones situation sucks, but even if the Jedi were fully aware of that, they couldn't have done anything. They didn't even have political powers. They can't stop themself for being drafted. They're only servants of the Republic that even nice Senators like Riyo Chuchi think she can order around (with a literal Council Member, no less). The Chancellor was even able to force them to stop looking for a Sith Lord, a massive danger for the Republic and their natural ennemies.

What make you refuse to help the clones when they're the only who did? Padmé and Bail don't do anything when it's their role to do so, and we know they're nice people. Slavery is prohibited in the Republic, someone (who's canonically not a liar and a traitor) should have said something in this regard. The Senate shouldn't even be able to buy clones, it's against their laws.

It's sad to say but the authors don't care about the clones. They're mostly canon folder meant to die in number because it's a show about a war.

You talk about challenging its leaders.

Do you remember when Qui-Gon, a respected Jedi Master, argued against the Council? When a newly knighted Jedi threatened the Grandmaster of the Order to leave if he didn't get what he wanted? When he argues against the mission the Council has entrusted to his Padawan? All the times Anakin disobeyed an order and it was either ignored or complimented? When the Younglings in the Gathering arc disobeyed Obi-Wan direct order and he complimented them for that?

Or are you saying that along the lines of the Jedi versus the Senate?

Don't you remember when Obi-Wan was suspicious of Padmé because she was a politician? And that he followed with a criticism of the Chancellor of the Republic? When the Council was fighting against their draft before they knew about Dooku? When Obi-Wan refused to obey Riyo's orders? When Mace was ready to fuck a political treaty to save an innocent animal? When the Jedi were thinking of overthrowing the Supreme Chancellor even before they knew he was a Sith Lord? When they sent Anakin as a spy against him? When the Jedi were the only ones to actually do anything against him?

About the Citadel arc.

It's rather telling that you think that a compassionate Jedi is sassing someone death instead of just giving the spectators an information (IT'S A KID SHOW). It's an extremely dangerous mission and they HAD to finish it, they don't have time to mourn or slow down for any reason (including searching for clone corpses). But even if they didn't have that time, the show take a few moments to show us Obi-Wan's sad face when someone died. So no, he won't make a joke for something like that.

Out-of-universe, the reason as to why Piell has a funeral is bc he is a character who has appeared several times in the movies and a Jedi, which makes him narratively more important than the clones (for the authors, I specify). So he MUST leave with more ceremony.

In-universe, if Piell was able to have one, it was because they had the time and opportunity. In his case, the group wasn't actively being chased and they had lava just next to them. Let's remember though that even here, Obi-Wan reminds during the funeral that they need to be quick, which he does all the time in the arc, he makes no exception with Piell.

You mention Pong Krell, but you don't think he lied to the other Jedi about the reasons behing his casualty number? They don't stalk or monitor their people, they can't control everything they do. Krell was raised with them as a family member, of course they trusted him. It's his fault for betraying their trust, not the Jedi's for being betrayed.

During the Wrong Jedi arc, the Council didn't trust Ahsoka BECAUSE of Pong Krell, they learn their lesson.

Jedi don't have political power BY CHOICE.

First, because it's not their role, it's that of the Senators. And that of the citizens is to hold them accountable. Jedi have to stay neutral to be efficient diplomats et negociators. A community of 10 000 persons, including children, don't have to do everything to make the Republic work (they are a very small minority on Coruscant, so on the scale of the universe…). Do you expect them to be judge, jury and executioner? It's the first step towards tyranny.

Second, do YOU want powerful wizards who can mind trick people in charge of governements and laws? Wouldn't you be afraid that they would go too far or that they would use their powers for selfish ends? Because it's a perfectly normal reaction, and something that can indeed happen. Too much power can corrupt someone, so not having political power when you already have magic power is a good idea.

But even in this case, the Jedi were the only to do anything about the state of the Republic (the Delegation of 2000, which was erased of ROTS, was only thinking of doing something).

It's telling you use the words of someone who want to slaughter the Jedi. You didn't think for a second that he wasn't a reliable source of information about them? Really? How obvious does a kid show have to be for you to notice its message? THE BAD GUYS LIE. It's a trope in fiction. You have to be very careful with the words of a villain, ESPECIALLY when he seeks to criticize the good guys, who they want to kill I remind.

You're visibly the kind of people who will believe blindly the nazis lies about the Jews (and do you know the Jedi were inspired by Jews and the Sith by nazis? So don't give me the "exaggerated comparison" excuse)

But if you want to play this game, in TPM (the "golden age" of the Jedi according to Lucas, so an example of how they act in usual situations), the Chancellor go seek their help IN SECRET, because the Senate is useless. They didn't follow the Senate's orders. Because the Senate refused to act. So they would have never asked the Jedi to intervene. And when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan came back with Queen Amidala, no one cares that they did something without their approval. And it was the Council alone that sent the two Jedi back to protect Padmé after the Senate proved to be useless again.

(Please don't use the excuse of "but the Chancellor told them to intervene". This is a crisis on an intergalactic level, the Jedi cannot intervene at will. They must be sure to be useful otherwise they will create even more problems. The galaxy was lucky at this time that the Chancellor was competent)

I would also like to note the irony of Dooku, apprentice of Sidious, who complains of a corrupt Senate, while he knows perfectly well that his Master greatly worsens the situation.

And how much the Jedi could have fight for the clones when they were DYING IN WAR? They don't have time to think, that's why it takes them so much time to investigate the clones' origin. It's easy to say they should have done better when you're a spectator well settled in your seat while they're constantly busy to do something that's the complete opposite of their values and they can literally feel their family being killed. And did you forget the anti-Jedi campaign? The Senate and the citizens were more and more suspicious and aggressive against them, they had even less power than before the war.

(And if there were clones in the Temple, it's maybe because the Jedi who held these positions went to war or are dead?)

As tragic as it was, the clones' situation was very far from being the Jedi's priority.

You really used the Wrong Jedi arc.

This arc is funny because it doesn't criticize the Jedi but Ahsoka. Ahsoka who was completely rulled by her emotions and refused to trust the Council for no reason, when they never give her a reason to do so before. And SHE gave them plenty of reasons to not trust her.

But let's look at the situation from the Council's point of view. One of yours is accused:

of strangling someone to death, with video as evidence,

of running away from her cell (which she did),

of having killed the guards with her lightsabers when she is the only person in the building who knows how to use this weapon and that she has the said weapons in her hands (weapons which were confiscated from her),

of running away (which she did)

of allying with a known Sith/Separatist (which she did)

of attacking clones (which she did)

of causing the explosion at your home, which killed civilians and clones, because she was found on the place where the nanobombs, which were used during the attack, were.

And it's against the backdrop of Dooku and Pong Krell, respected Jedi who have betrayed the Order and fallen to the Dark Side. Not to mention that her Master offered her to come back and let you help her (because it's your role), which she refused.

What would you think?

(And the Council was right. There was a Padawan who went to the dark side and who orchestrated the Temple bombing, strangled Letta to death, and killed clones.)

And it's wrong to say that they threw her under the bus. During the pursuit after her escape, the Council allowed Anakin, her Master, to be part of the team to capture her, they try to fight against the Senate to keep Ahsoka (without success admittedly, but they tried several times, while they have very little screen time), they take care of finding a defense for Ahsoka, they let Anakin continue the investigations*, etc...

*They could have forbidden him but they didn't (and him not being a member of the Council, he could do whatever he wanted). It's not even a matter of not knowing since Ahsoka has publicly confessed that her Master continued the investigation (and you'd have to be a moron to think he wouldn't).

What could they have done anyway? Ahsoka's case was not just about the Jedi but about the Republic itself. Because she was accused of HIGH TREASON and killing Republic citizens/properties, and there are people out there angry enough to blow up their house. And that's not counting the fact that the war didn't end just for Ahsoka's trial, the Council Members are still War Generals and some aren't even here because of that.

It would be showing enormous favoritism to risk the Temple and all the Jedi (and by extension the war effort) just for ONE person, who has chosen not to trust them anyway. (And isn't that the definition of attachment?)

The Jedi didn't have time to do their own trial (which would have had no value in the eyes of the Republic since they wouldn't have been judged impartial), so in a hurry, they took the only logical, legal decision that causes the least damage to the greatest number.

What Ventress said was : "My master abandoned me and that's exactly what you did to her. You and your precious Jedi Order."

In other words, she's PROJECTING!

Her situation has nothing to do with Ahsoka's. Dooku actively tried to kill her for no (legitimate) reason, when Ahsoka was accused of terrorism and the Jedi did try to help her. What do she think Anakin was trying to do by interrogating her? The main person she's accusing is innocent, so the rest of her accusation is worthless too.

This dialogue is there to tap into Anakin's insecurities, not to criticize him and the Order.

And again, Ventress is not a reliable narrator.

When did the Jedi are ever seen enforcing laws exactly?

I return to this example but we see not only a Member of the Council but the Head of the Council prioritizing the life of the Zillo Beast over signing a treaty. During a war.

Woah, they really lost their way and let themself be corrupted.

There is also the example of Satine who fights against the Senate for NOT having the presence of the Republic on her planet and Obi-Wan, Member of the Council, helps her. He think neutrality is not a good choice (he's right) but he respects her and Mandalore's decision. Even if it's against the Senate's desire.

"inevitably screwed over"

You mean when they were genocided for the crime of existing?

Because it's that, pratically all the Jedi were killed, including the elderly, non-combatants and children. Their culture were erased, their home desacralized, their memories tarnished and their survivors hunted and if captured, tortured either to death or into brainwashing to hunt down their own family.

No one deserves that and no one is responsible of that.

The reason Sidious wanted to get rid of the Jedi is because they are NOT complacent. That's the whole point.

The "fall" of the Jedi was a genocide. It's absolutely disguting to place the blame on them.

They see that Palpatine was shady, even before the war (cf Obi-Wan), but there is little a small community without political power can do.

The Jedi did protested against their draft, they didn't want to bring their personal matters to the Chancellor but it's Anakin who argued to do so, Mace did fight for saving the Zillo Beast and was openly against bringing it on Coruscant... Even in relation to Sidious, Obi-Wan found the clones and Geonosis sooner than expected, the Jedi were able to recover the children before Sidious experimented on them…

And in the end, they did act directly against Palpatine. So what's the problem? Did you see the movies?

You acknowledge that the Jedi had no choice but you also say that they are making the worst possible decision. How?

"Cool motive, still slavery" is not an argument. It wasn't a motive. They simply don't have a choice. Letting the Republic and the clones be killed by droids is not a choice. Is it ethically worse to have a drafted (or slave) army or to let the Separatist slaughter, enslave and destroy every planets (even neutral) they encountered?

You think doing discreet resistance would have been efficient, really? When the Senate never listens to them and they are extremely busy with the war? And again, for it to work, it needs the authors, LucasFilm, to aknowledge the clones as slaves. But no one, not George Lucas, not Dave Filoni, not Pablo Hidalgo, no one ever said anything along these lines.

The Jedi are the good guys

That's how they were created, the way the light side of the Force works. They can't be corrupted otherwise they would have fallen to the Dark Side. They're the kind monks whose main value is compassion and who spend their time trying to save people. That's why their genocide is unilaterally a bad thing and announces the beginning of terror and dark times. That's why Anakin becoming again a Jedi in Return of the JEDI is a good thing.

There was a anti-Senate sentiment (not anti-Republic, because the very principle of the Republic is a good idea and worked for 1000 years before the arrival of the Siths) since before the war. But they know that a mutiny against the Senate would have created more problems than it would have solved, until it was the only option. Jedi think before they act and prioritize the good of the greatest number. That's why they helped neutral and even Separatist planets when they can, without the permission of the Senate.

The citizens of the Republic felt abandonned by the Jedi because they were busy dying in a war to protect them. Don't forget they were feed anti-Jedi propaganda during all this time.

The PT wasn't about how the Jedi were corrupted which cause their genocide (it's the dumbest thing I ever read), but how Anakin and the Republic allowed themselves to be corrupted and become responsible for the massacre of a group of innocent people, either directly or by complicity. You complain over and over that the Jedi said nothing in accepting a clone army, but where is that verve for the people of the Republic? They had the power to say something and they weren't busy by fighting in a war, they could have done something, at least protest. Of course they didn't, since the army was originally supposed to be made up of citizens, and they're all too happy not to die. They prefer to complain about those who did die for them.

In the end

I understand feeling sad at the horror that happened to the Jedi and wanting to find escapes. I understand (no) wanting to blame the victims to alleviate the tragedy. But the least you can do is to leave the pro-jedi fans alone instead of pissing them off with bullshit that a 5 year old can debunk.

Leave us alone.

I hear a lot of anti-Jedi and pro-Jedi going back and forth on this platform, but I wonder if we're only dealing in absolutes. That's it, everyone on tumblr is a Sith. Confirmed.

But, seriously (I was serious), are the Jedi good? Are they evil? Are they somewhere inbetween? And what is the system they support? Are they being their 'best selves' by the twilight years of the Republic? Am I a jerk? Are they jerks? Are you a jerk? Well... let's look at both sides and canon as it is, and see where it goes.

Should we ignore the problems and implications?

Dogma: "No! We have orders! We have to go through with this!"

First things first, let's start with negativity, because that's life possibly. There are a number of criticisms which are levelled against the Jedi in the canon. The Star Wars writers didn't always just put scenes and lines in for fun.

Slick: "It's the Jedi who keep my brothers enslaved. We serve at your whim. We do your bidding. I just wanted something more."

The Jedi are accused of slavery in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was created by George Lucas as Executive Producer, along with Dave Filoni and a whole host of writers working in collaboration. When Slick accuses the Jedi of being his and other clones' slave masters, it is never refuted by any of the characters, even Obi-Wan and Anakin who he is speaking to. It's never refused by the narrative at all.

Canonically, the Jedi as citizens and their military generals act as the clones superiors and also masters by proxy in the command chain. Slick's accusation is that the Jedi "keep [his] brothers" enslaved, not that they even necessarily enslaved them in the first place. He is indicating that the Jedi have power and agency, which they do as natborn citizens, but they don't direct it for justice and meaningful change in regards to clone rights.

Satine Kryze: "I remember a time when Jedi were not Generals, but peacekeepers."

Now, people have argued that the Jedi do help the clones and they are "in charge of [the clones] care", as Master Shaak Ti says during a continuing arguement where her and Nala Se debated on who Tup, Fives and clones in general belonged to as "property". The Jedi could think think themselves better caretakers of the clones troopers than natborn officers like Tarkin, although this verges on character speculation. Canonically, we do see evidence of care, such as Shaak Ti advocating for Domino Squad and calling them "living beings" that didn't deserve to be "cast aside", Mace and Plo Koon and other Jedi do show concern for their men's lives.

But, arguably it doesn't account for much when the Jedi are still working in the framework and structures of slavery instead of protesting it. Being kind to clones doesn't mean much when you prop up the meat-grinder of a system that uses them as cannon fodder.

This is exemplified in the show itself.

Ahsoka: "It's every citizen's duty to challenge their leaders, to keep them honest, and hold them accountable if they're not.”

Unjust actors and systems are to be challenged. The Jedi being nice isn't an absolution for their participation in this system, just as a slave master or a deputy slave master being nice in any context doesn't change the fact that they are still in command of slaves getting thrown into the meat grinder every day. If you support an unjust system, you bear responsibility.

And, moreover, despite moments of compassion from Jedi, for people who value life, the Jedi as an organisation still show a concerning ease with clone death as the war progresses. The Citadel Arc is a great example of this. As Clone Trooper Charger falls to his death and collides with a shock mine, Obi-Wan sasses "Well, they know we're here now" as the other clones still are reaching out in horror. Every time a clone dies on that mission, they leave them behind, even Echo (who turns out to still be alive and is captured by the enemy and tortured). However, despite the urgency of the mission, when Jedi Master Even Piell dies, the Jedi pause the mission to give him a funeral and burial even though the enemy is closing in. If there was ever a message that the Jedi value their slave soldiers' lives less, this is it.

Further evidence includes the fact that Jedi Master Pong Krell's casualty numbers were well-known in the military, to point Torrent Company were openly debating them, and yet no other Jedi General had felt the need to propose a military investigation. Additionally, when the Jedi were fed the cover story the inhibitor chips in their men's brain were just designed to make them less aggressive and more docile, there is no evidence they protested this mental violation. Another neglect in a series of many. Taking this into regard, I think the unfortunate implications are clear.

Perhaps the Jedi should find better use for their mind tricks and lightsabers than cutting up droids and planetary militias all while propping up an unjust regime?

Master enablers

Jedi Master Dooku: "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents."

Canonically, the Jedi are deeply flawed as an organisation. They are politically centrist in a way that does not benefit either themselves or the Republic in end, shown to be enablers that uphold the system and law as it is, regardless of how unjust.

How can the Jedi have the high ground when they appease a Senate that supports slavery regardless of how the writers try to downplay it? How can they be morally righteous when they bow down, without much resistance if at all, to such system that uses slave soldiers? Clones die under Jedi command, they work in the Jedi Temple as both soldiers and technicians. The Jedi claim they just can't get involved in changing the system because it's beyond their mandate when what's on their doorstep, what's in their temple, is slavery, slavery that they even benefit from arguably to even maintain their transports and technical systems.

For any person or group in any system, there's a breaking point where things have gone too far, but how much one tolerates up until that point says a lot about their moral character. The Jedi were drafted by the Chancellor (Oh you) and perhaps they thought being 'kind' to the clones when they interacted with them was enough, but it wasn't. And while the Jedi continue to believe in the Republic far beyond acceptable, victims mount.

During the Wrong Jedi Arc, the Jedi Order also show themselves in bad light. It would have been one thing to believe Ahsoka was guilty and leave it at that, yet they practically threw Ahsoka under the bus for politics in reality. Mace kept talking about the politics, essentially showing Jedi PR was a more important factor than Ahsoka's life.

Mace Windu: "I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan. But, if the council does as you suggest. It could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate. I'm afraid we have little choice."

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan advocated for Ahsoka briefly, expressing doubts at her guilt, but at best casts a vote in her favour when he knows it won't be enough. Give it to Anakin in this instance, at least he did an actual private investigate to prevent a wrongful conviction instead of sitting back. Like Asajj Ventress said when confronted by Anakin, the Order abandoned Ahsoka and appease a Senate that supports authoritarian policies, kangaroo court trials and a slave army. What a state to die for.

Ahsoka: “This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had, too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly need us.”

How can the Jedi believe in the Republic to the point they were surprised when they got inevitably screwed over? Again, the narrative supports the idea the Jedi have lost their way and become enforcers for the Senate, however fascist and dangerous it has clearly become. You kind of have to have in order to become key leaders of a slave army when you were peacekeepers beforehand. The Republic is failing, but so are the Jedi. They fight the war with the tools they are given, from their lightsabers to their slave soldiers, with no solution or appropriate concern for the legislative catastrophe happening at the heart of the Republic until they realise Palpatine's been in a little long with his executive powers. They enforce laws, unjust systems and follow orders.

Fives: "I'm sorry. I cannot just follow orders when I know they're wrong. Especially when lives are at stake."

Captain Rex: "You will if you support the system we fight for."

Fives: "I do support it. I do! But I am not just another number! None of us are!"

TCW shows us that following rules and regulations when they're immoral is the wrong course of action, yet no matter the signs and warning, the Jedi continue to play into Palpatine's hands with their misguided patriotism as the Republic becomes increasing draconian and despotic. The most problematic factor about the Jedi is that they don't acknowledge the problems and the fact the clones' situation is unacceptable on every ground. They don't acknowledge the clones' situation, they don't acknowledge the Republic is bad or try to think of solutions to that even if they don't work. The situation is complicated, but the Jedi went along with bad options when they should have known what the Republic was by this point. How can the Jedi enforce justice when they enforce the corruption of it?

The Jedi continue to believe in the Republic and their part in he hierarchy when it seems more akin to a hostage situation with slaves in the balance. If they're blind, they're fools. If they knew, they're knowing enablers.

A tight spot

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic... before the dark times... before the empire."

Now, the flaws in the Jedi are clear, but it's all well and good to critique them. What could the Jedi have done effectively instead? If the Jedi were more keyed in on the Republic's unsalvageable system and decided to be proactive in regards to it, what could they do realistically? Aside from the emotional weight of getting people to abandon their home and a multi-generation relationship the stretches back centuries and centuries, the logistics of getting 10,000 people to desert and transporting them without the Republic and GAR noticing and stepping in feels unrealistic. Not only this, but they'd be ditching the clones to slavery yet again, as it's not like the Jedi can all desert and take the clones with them like they're plushie toys. Each clone is a different individual and deprogramming child soldiers is difficult.

People like Dogma, Neyo and Bacara wouldn't canonically desert without the right circumstances, Captain Rex wouldn't just desert with Anakin, nor could Obi-Wan sashay Commander Cody and his troops away like some of the fandom thinks. A lot of clones were indoctrinated to be loyal to the Republic from a young age. If the Jedi had just flat out tried desert, Order 66 would have likely happened earlier and Palpatine would have easily painted the Jedi as traitors.

Of course, there are the inhibitor chips as also a factor, but we can only judge the moral character of the Jedi based on the knowledge they did have and what they chose to do with it.

Barriss Offee: "An army fighting for the dark side. Fallen from the light we hold so dear. This Republic is failing. It's only a matter of time."

However, this is no excuse for the Jedi Order choosing the worst option out of a bad bunch. The Jedi crossed the moral precipice. They crossed it ever since AOTC when they decided that indoctrinated, slave soldier of dubious origin were just what they needed to throw into the desert meatgrinder that is Geonosis as the war started. There reasons make sense in their way, there's millions of units of droid army marching their way and the Republic and Senate have only a ten-thousand strong Jedi and the Judicial Forces. At the same time, the reasons for that humanitarian crisis aren't justifications. 'Cool motive. Still slavery' applies here.

Ethically, Yoda and Mace shouldn't have just gone along with the draft without any counter-strategy, especially if they cared about the clones as human beings and a people. They could have pretended cooperation and done discreet resistance at least. Of course, the Jedi even if they resisted weren't probably gonna have a happy ending, as generations under Republic thumb had neutered them and taken their passion and power, but they would have taken the moral and right action.

Instead, the Jedi remain the face of the war effort, using a Trojan Horse slave army just given to them with no real protest. If the Star Wars had truly wanted the Jedi to be wholly good, they'd have had them be more begrudging, cynical and weary at being pressured and coerced by the state. There'd be growing Anti-Republic sentiment, which would have been a start. Rebellion, dissent and mutiny would have been even more valuable and expected. Instead, the Jedi Order are loyal to the regime until the very last moments of the war.

In Conclusion

In the twilight years of the Republic, Palpatine really used every weakness of the Jedi against them. As an organisation, the Jedi really can't save themselves. Individuals can, as shown by Ahsoka leaving, but the Republic destroyed the Jedi, it took their soul, it bureaucratised and militarised their culture, and the Jedi just slid down that slope. That's part of why the people felt abandoned by the Jedi, as the Jedi were too melded to the system both functionally and idealistically, trapped in the snake, them and what they stood for slowly digested as they safeguarded and enforced unjust status quos. Even when Dooku was young, as The Tales of the Jedi said, they were already damned. Ahsoka left, every Jedi should have at that point. The Republic definitely would fight an en masse desertion, but it'd have been the right thing to do.

Some Jedi realised and left, others were to committed the belief of a Jedi Order that had become a shadow of what it was. The Jedi are a warning of what happens when governments, hierarchies and religion connect and influence each other for centuries. At the same time, adult Jedi were responsible for their actions, and each could have done more for the clones than they did.

Fives: "We must be trusted to make the right decision, especially when the orders we are given are wrong!"