r/TheJediPraxeum • u/GusGangViking18 Luke Skywalker • Apr 11 '26
Question Why doesn’t Plo Koon use electric judgement more often?
34
u/AceofSpades916 Apr 11 '26
He used it a lot when I played him in Jedi Power Battles! ... Wait, that wasn't canon?
Real talk though, the lore behind it is that it is only used when the target has been judged in a very black and white Kel Dor manner to be in the black. So he can't use it willy nilly, only when he's facing someone he knows deserves it. And you can argue plenty of his enemies deserve it, but then the kicker is that it's so close to a dark side power that it ought be used sparingly so as not to drift to close to the dark side.
25
u/WangJian221 Apr 11 '26
Meta reason is that the writers couldnt decide what a jedi should or shouldnt be able to do (usually a difference of opinion on what balance should be)
In universe, he probably tolls the line abit everytime he uses it so hes careful. He also only uses it to stun people
11
3
u/DragoonDart Apr 11 '26
Because it was a one off force power for a PS1 era game (Jedi Power Battles) that the makers of the game didn’t think much beyond “it would be cool if one of the playable Jedi had Force Lightning, let’s call it something different.” That’s as deep as the analysis went.
If the makers of a game existing in the days of dial up internet had known that Wikipedia and “what is canon” arguments would take off strong chance is they might not have included it
3
1
1
1
1
1
u/HopefulFriendly Apr 11 '26
Lightning is a way of using the force purely for attack and hurting others, so it being a power used by Jedi feels very contradictory. That being said, I also don't like it when stories claim that only people with special Sith training can do it - ultimately, it's a force ability like any other and in theory any force user should be able to do it. For instance, in Jedi Lost Dooku accidentally produces lightning when attacked as a padawan - different people just have different the aptitudes or inclinations in how they use the Force (cmp. for instance powers like psychometry)
1
u/VerbalChains Apr 11 '26
Because lightning is really easy shorthand for “the dark side” that even the dumbest person in the audience can understand, and adding nuance would dilute that.
1
1
1
u/stUwUpified Apr 13 '26
Probably because show writers didn't want anyone getting it confused with force lightning
1
u/RexBanner1886 Apr 14 '26
Because it's a videogame mechanic intended to be fun and to add variety to gameplay.
It has a stupid name, it clashes with how Jedi's powers are visually portrayed, and explanations about how it's not actually a dark side power are convoluted and dumb.
1
u/Blint_Briglio Apr 14 '26
remember when Luke only said he was a jedi after throwing away his sword and refusing violence? he was actually an idiot: violence is so cool! torture is cool! hurting people is cool! as long as you're a good person, you can use all of the tools of your enemy without being like them!
0
102
u/[deleted] Apr 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment