Summary

• The Jedi were too focused on the Chosen One prophecy, leading to their downfall.
• Anakin's acceptance into the Jedi Order was a major mistake with disastrous consequences.
• Working closely with Palpatine was the Jedi's biggest mistake.

The Jedi are undeniably the heroes of the Star Wars timeline, the Jedi have struggled. However, the prequel trilogy saw the most issues with the Jedi, which makes sense given this era ends with the fall of the Jedi Order.

The prequel trilogy not only comprises some of Star Wars' best movies but also was absolutely pivotal to the franchise. Key events, including Order 66, the fall of the Republic, and the beginning of the Empire, all took place during this era. Sadly, though, many of these events were built on poor decision-making on the part of the Jedi. These 10 mistakes in particular contributed to all that transpired.

10 Putting Too Much Faith In The Chosen One Prophecy

Anakin's Status As The Chosen One Influenced The Jedi's Decision

The Chosen One prophecy was introduced in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and it came to dominate the prequels and Anakin Skywalker's narrative. The prophecy stated that the Chosen One would bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. Clearly, this notion was so appealing to the Jedi that they were willing to ignore the glaring signs Anakin exhibited from the very beginning.

The Jedi had let this prophecy cloud their judgment.

Ultimately, this was one of the Jedi's gravest errors. While, in the end, it was true that Anakin did bring balance to the Force, it came at a great cost. Before fulfilling this prophecy, Anakin helped to wipe out nearly all the Jedi and bring an end to the prequel era Jedi Order. This was, of course, primarily Anakin's fault; however, the Jedi had let this prophecy cloud their judgment, which was a major mistake.

9 Being Too Rigid In Their Rules And Mindsets

The Jedi's Rigidity Was Isolating, Especially For Anakin

The Jedi Order had rules for a reason, and many of them made plenty of sense. However, there is an element of comion that should have been present even in light of strict rules, and that comion, unfortunately, seemed largely absent. This was especially true throughout Anakin's story.

As soon as Anakin arrived in The Phantom Menace, he was treated with suspicion, if not hostility, despite being a scared 9-year-old child. He was new to the planet and newly separated from his mother, yet he was questioned, and the Jedi did little to hide their concerns about him. Even when he was eventually accepted, Anakin was always held at arm's length by the Jedi. This came to a head when Anakin began having nightmares and sought Yoda's guidance, only to be told, essentially, to ignore them.

8 Retreating From The Galaxy

Many Felt The Jedi Abandoned The Galaxy To Protect Themselves

Although this decision happened before the prequels began, the Jedi decided to retreat from the galaxy, leaving their posts on other planets, which was a massive mistake. In fact, The Acolyte revealed how prominent the Jedi were on other planets, at times even having fully established Jedi Temples on planets far beyond Coruscant. Yet, by The Phantom Menace, this practice had all but ended.

While the Jedi may have believed they were doing the right thing, really, this decision was an act of self-preservation, and it caused harm both to citizens of the Republic and to the Jedi's reputation. Without Jedi presence on various planets, citizens were subjected to various dangers, including the threat of pirates. Because of that, many felt the Jedi abandoned the galaxy. This no doubt contributed to citizens' willingness to believe the Jedi had become evil when Palpatine employed that rhetoric.

7 Repressing Emotions Rather Than Coping With Them

The Jedi Needed A More Balanced Approach To Emotions

Coinciding with the issues the Jedi had with their rigid rules was their issue with repressing emotions. The Jedi were not wrong that strong feelings such as anger, fear, and hate can lead one to the dark side. After all, Anakin's arc is the perfect example of that. However, the solution to those dangers is not to outright repress any strong feelings but rather to learn how to cope with them.

Even for a fully-trained Jedi, feelings of fear and anger are only natural. Because of that, the Jedi approach should have been ways to live with and manage those emotions rather than ignore them. Yet, time and again, the Jedi advice seemed to simply be not to feel those emotions because they were of the dark side. In fact, this is precisely what the Sith preyed upon, from Palpatine in the prequels to Qimir/the Stranger in The Acolyte.

6 Accepting Anakin Skywalker Into The Order

Anakin Was The Chosen One, But He Was Also Incredibly Dangerous

Although Anakin is one of Star Wars' best characters, and he quickly became one of the greatest Jedi in the franchise, he really shouldn't have been accepted into the Jedi Order in The Phantom Menace. Anakin came with a number of concerning traits, from his older age compared to most other Jedi Initiates to his clear connection with his mother. It was for these very reasons that the Jedi Council initially rejected him from the Order.

Ultimately, following Qui-Gon Jinn's death, the Jedi changed their minds, which effectively sealed their fate. Likely because of the promise of the Chosen One prophecy, the Jedi took a massive risk with Anakin, and that ended up being for the worse. For the very reasons they had originally had concerns, Anakin was not the right fit for the Order, and, in the end, it cost the Jedi everything.

5 Believing The Sith Were Extinct

The Jedi Struggled To Accept That The Sith Could Be Back

Although controversial, in the sequel trilogy, Luke Skywalker accused the prequel trilogy Jedi Order of hubris, and he wasn't wrong. In fact, perhaps the very best proof of this was their perspective on the Sith. As Ki-Adi-Mundi indicated in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi believed the Sith had been extinct for a millennium. While that belief wasn't necessarily the fault of the Jedi, as the Sith had been convincingly in hiding for quite some time, the Jedi Council's stubbornness certainly was a Jedi mistake.

Luke Skywalker accused the prequel trilogy Jedi Order of hubris, and he wasn't wrong.

As shown in The Phantom Menace, the Jedi didn't think it possible that the Sith could have returned. They then maintained this level of skepticism, even as it became clear that a Sith had indeed infiltrated the Senate. Unfortunately, this cost the Jedi their lives, and it meant the demise of both the Republic and the Jedi Order. Had they heeded the warning of multiple people, from Pé to Obi-Wan Kenobi, they may have identified this plot in time.

4 Getting Involved In Politics

The Jedi And The Senate Should Have Been Separate

In retrospect, it's odd how involved in politics the Jedi were throughout the prequel trilogy. When the prequel trilogy began, there was still very little that was known about the Jedi. Throughout the original trilogy, the Jedi seemed nearly mythical, and outside Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Luke, the Jedi remained mysterious. Yet, in the years since the prequels were released, it's become clear that the Jedi were never meant to be a political institution; rather, they were meant to be peacekeepers.

However, that was certainly not the role the Jedi had throughout the prequel movies, which only became truer as the trilogy progressed. By Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, in fact, the Jedi seemed firmly situated in the Senate's pocket. Star Wars: The Clone Wars made the political affiliation of the Jedi even more obvious, revealing how problematic it was. Because of their political involvement, the Jedi were willing to betray what they were meant to stand for.

Because of their political involvement, the Jedi were willing to betray what they were meant to stand for.

3 Becoming Soldiers

The Jedi ed The Clone Wars Immediately

As odd as the Jedi's political involvement was, the speed with which they became soldiers in the Clone Wars was even stranger. In Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, the Jedi were thrown into the Battle of Geonosis, which ended up kicking off the entirety of the Clone Wars. While it made some sense for them to be involved in this battle, as it was also a rescue mission for both Anakin and Obi-Wan, surely there should have been more hesitancy about entirely becoming soldiers.

There should have been more hesitancy about entirely becoming soldiers.

Yet, that is precisely what the Jedi did, and it permanently compromised their status as peacekeepers. In fact, this ended up being entirely confusing for Padawan learners like Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee, who had been trained with the notion that the Jedi were non-violent. In the end, this was a major mistake for a number of reasons; not only did this betray what the Jedi were meant to symbolize, but it also left the Jedi susceptible to Palpatine's larger plan—and it worked.

2 Accepting The Clones

The Creation Of The Clones Was Concerning, But The Jedi Overlooked That

Another key element of the Clone Wars and Palpatine's plan was the introduction of the clone troopers. Bewilderingly, despite the creation of the clones being confusing at best and alarming at worst, the Jedi accepted the clones nearly without question. Yes, the Jedi were thrown into a war and heavily relied upon their ability to use the clones (which was all according to Palpatine's plan), but the speed with which they fell directly into this trap remains surprising.

Moreover, the Jedi should not have felt compelled to the war at all. As mentioned, the Jedi's role in the galaxy was meant to be maintaining peace. Even with the war threatening the peace the Jedi were meant to uphold, the Jedi becoming soldiers and not truly questioning the creation of the clones were both significant mistakes. This only became that much clearer when it was revealed that Palpatine had orchestrated the war and played both sides.

1 Working So Closely With Palpatine

The Jedi Fell Right Into Palpatine's Trap

Ultimately, the biggest mistake the Jedi made was working so closely with Palpatine. The Jedi obviously had no idea that Palpatine was a Sith Lord, and that wasn't their fault. Presumably, Palpatine used some incredible Sith power to conceal himself in the Force. However, the Jedi had become much too closely associated with Palpatine, and that would have been true whether Palpatine was a Sith or not. This became quite clear when Palpatine was able to strong-arm the Jedi into putting Anakin on the Council.

Of course, the reality was so much worse, as Palpatine not only had that level of control over the Jedi but also was a powerful Sith. Had the Jedi not worked so closely with Palpatine all along, arguably even contributing to his rise to power, they may not have been as vulnerable to his plot. In the end, this was the most significant of all the mistakes the Jedi have made throughout Star Wars.