I recently read the following one of my favorite blogs and wanted to share it here. I've clipped the last few paragraphs, which deal with RPG mechanics, but the rest of it is exactly as it appears on the author's website.
? Virtually everyone in the galaxy knows about the Sith and the apparently-endless cycle of Sith Wars. TheyÆve been the favored master villains of holodramas, novels, and folktales for tens of thousands of years. There are humorously-incompetent Sith in comedies, badly overacted Sith in dramas, and long-running Sith characters in soap operas.
? Most of the people of the galaxy have never actually seen a genuine Sith û but theyÆve seen PLENTY of Holo-Sith, bits of over-dramatized training techniques, and warped Sith philosophies. They may well have watched a bunch of Sith ôtraining montagesö on ôDark Lord, Dark Conquestö (thereÆs a good set in episode 18,437; the series is one of the longest-running serials in Republic history, with more than seven hundred years of bi-weekly episodes). Want to watch ôSith: The Reality Seriesö or ôBehind the scenes of the æMassacare of VonÆô? TheyÆre out there. The galactic archives are pretty big and, after better than twenty thousand years and dozens of Sith wars, neither the Jedi nor the Sith, nor their basic teachings, are especially secret.
? The people of the galaxy have seen plenty of Holo- and Video-Game Jedi too û but Holo and Video-Game Jedi tend to be a lot more like real Sith than they are like real Jedi. Like it or not, the Sith practices are dramatic, exciting, and donÆt forbid much of anything û while Jedi techniques involve lots of meditation, boredom, and giving up virtually everything thatÆs fun. A kid whoÆs pretending to be a ôJediö û and to be bouncing around using his or her powers in dramatic combat, to strike down opponents, and to drive towards their goals, rather than focusing on things like teaching, education, and healing û is actually pretending to be a Sith.
? The Star Wars movies focused on the most exciting moments û the dramatic bits where the main characters are fighting, taking great risks, and going to the rescue. Those are also the moments when a Jedi is most at risk of falling to the Dark Side. There is a REASON why adventuring force-sensitives balance so precariously above the abyss.
? Young force-sensitives find it awfully easy to fall to the Dark Side anyway. Wish a broken leg on that bully, unconsciously boost that punch to the nose with a little bit of force-kinesis, use a bit of force mind-manipulation while out on a date? YouÆre on the way to the Dark Side û and a young and untrained sensitive may not even know it. Even amongst those that do, the temptation to use their powers to gain money, power, and influence, to claim attractive mates, and to enjoy the luxuries of life, can seem far more attractive than a life of monkish self-discipline. The Sith are the ones who live fast, die young, and get to posture dramatically along the way.
? And now you know where the secret Sith order is hiding, why kids can learn to be Sith so readily, why they posture so dramatically, and why so many of them are somewhat genre-savvy: all they have to do is be force-sensitive and watch their holos. Most ôSithö are self-trained based on old entertainment productions. Unlike someone who trains in û say û martial arts based on such sources, however, the Force tends to work as itÆs userÆs envision it working.
? ThatÆs why self-training as a Sith based on holos works just fine û and is one reason why the Sith keep popping up again no matter what is done to try and exterminate them. Most orders have their own specific modifiers to the rules given in the books û and the Holosith are no exception. They have an easy time recruiting. Fallen Jedi and random force-sensitive kids will OFTEN wind up becoming HoloSith without ever actually meeting another or getting any training at all.
? It is rumored that at least one Sith Lord was genre-savvy enough to have a camera crew made up of his minions following him around with a camera and someone going ôEmote! Emote! Laugh Maniacally!ö. It supposedly let him get away with virtually anything as long as he got back to his ship and away before the local authorities figured out that his little rampages were quite real.
? Most of the people of the galaxy have never actually seen a genuine Sith û but theyÆve seen PLENTY of Holo-Sith, bits of over-dramatized training techniques, and warped Sith philosophies. They may well have watched a bunch of Sith ôtraining montagesö on ôDark Lord, Dark Conquestö (thereÆs a good set in episode 18,437; the series is one of the longest-running serials in Republic history, with more than seven hundred years of bi-weekly episodes). Want to watch ôSith: The Reality Seriesö or ôBehind the scenes of the æMassacare of VonÆô? TheyÆre out there. The galactic archives are pretty big and, after better than twenty thousand years and dozens of Sith wars, neither the Jedi nor the Sith, nor their basic teachings, are especially secret.
? The people of the galaxy have seen plenty of Holo- and Video-Game Jedi too û but Holo and Video-Game Jedi tend to be a lot more like real Sith than they are like real Jedi. Like it or not, the Sith practices are dramatic, exciting, and donÆt forbid much of anything û while Jedi techniques involve lots of meditation, boredom, and giving up virtually everything thatÆs fun. A kid whoÆs pretending to be a ôJediö û and to be bouncing around using his or her powers in dramatic combat, to strike down opponents, and to drive towards their goals, rather than focusing on things like teaching, education, and healing û is actually pretending to be a Sith.
? The Star Wars movies focused on the most exciting moments û the dramatic bits where the main characters are fighting, taking great risks, and going to the rescue. Those are also the moments when a Jedi is most at risk of falling to the Dark Side. There is a REASON why adventuring force-sensitives balance so precariously above the abyss.
? Young force-sensitives find it awfully easy to fall to the Dark Side anyway. Wish a broken leg on that bully, unconsciously boost that punch to the nose with a little bit of force-kinesis, use a bit of force mind-manipulation while out on a date? YouÆre on the way to the Dark Side û and a young and untrained sensitive may not even know it. Even amongst those that do, the temptation to use their powers to gain money, power, and influence, to claim attractive mates, and to enjoy the luxuries of life, can seem far more attractive than a life of monkish self-discipline. The Sith are the ones who live fast, die young, and get to posture dramatically along the way.
? And now you know where the secret Sith order is hiding, why kids can learn to be Sith so readily, why they posture so dramatically, and why so many of them are somewhat genre-savvy: all they have to do is be force-sensitive and watch their holos. Most ôSithö are self-trained based on old entertainment productions. Unlike someone who trains in û say û martial arts based on such sources, however, the Force tends to work as itÆs userÆs envision it working.
? ThatÆs why self-training as a Sith based on holos works just fine û and is one reason why the Sith keep popping up again no matter what is done to try and exterminate them. Most orders have their own specific modifiers to the rules given in the books û and the Holosith are no exception. They have an easy time recruiting. Fallen Jedi and random force-sensitive kids will OFTEN wind up becoming HoloSith without ever actually meeting another or getting any training at all.
? It is rumored that at least one Sith Lord was genre-savvy enough to have a camera crew made up of his minions following him around with a camera and someone going ôEmote! Emote! Laugh Maniacally!ö. It supposedly let him get away with virtually anything as long as he got back to his ship and away before the local authorities figured out that his little rampages were quite real.
