Forced to explain

7) Shortfalls of the Jedi. Yes, yes, we know the dark side clouds everything. That seems a rather facile explanation for some enormous Jedi missteps.

Mace Windu, for example, tells Padmé that Dooku "couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his nature." Yeah, right. The council knows Jedi can go bad (that Sith thing), so why not consider that another of their order has turned, especially given Qui-Gon's reported Sith sighting?

And were they truly so blind that they didn't know Sifo-Dyas commissioned a clone army?

In Episode II, diner cook Dex not only identifies a Kaminoan saber dart but offers up this chestnut on why Obi-Wan can't find Kamino: "I should think you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom."  Let me translate: "Danger, Will Robinson!"

Even Yoda acknowledges standards are slipping. He calls arrogance "a flaw more and more common among Jedi."  So his solution is to sit back and complain?  Why not call the Jedi in and dress them down?

Talk about hubris. Lucas must, absolutely must, explain these shortcomings in "Revenge."

Odds: 8 in 10.

8) Your inner Jedi. If "Star Wars" politics are messy, the Jedi credo is a shambles.

There's nothing wrong with the stoic approach Lucas channeled into the Jedi philosophy. But the Zen approach seems to clash with the "feelings" Luke is repeatedly counseled to harness by Obi-Wan, Yoda and even Vader.

At the very moment Anakin Skywalker most needs to channel these feelings — when his own mother dies in his arms — he finds no solace in his Jedi training. How do we know?  "To be angry is to be human," Padmé says to soothe him as he fills with rage.

"I'm a Jedi," he snaps. "I know I'm better than this."

Then we get the rage (and revenge on the Tusken Raiders) that opens him to the Dark Side. What use are lofty Jedi pronoucements if they lack a way to resolve a basic human emotion?

Odds: 1 in 10. We know the Jedi are all but wiped out in the Clone Wars, so their response to the Sith's growing power probably isn't a group hug.

9) Yoda. Given that he's arguably the most revered character in the entire series, why is Yoda such a mystery?

His race? Unknown. (Though the thought of a planet full of Yodas is pretty cool, no?)  His original master? Unknown. His role in shaping the Jedi council? Unknown.

We know he's almost 900 years old, which means he witnessed a good chunk of the Republic's history. He certainly should have at least some familiarity with the Sith, which makes you think he should have been savvier about the Dark Side's potential.

Who were his other Padawans?  Dooku was one, and we can assume Luke was his final, if not official, learner. But who else was his Jedi offspring?

And why did he choose to go to Dagobah, of all places, after the Republic fell? Was that a strategic decision? Did he just like hanging in the galactic bayou?

Rather than that stupid Ewok TV movie, Lucas might have spent some time sharing a backstory on Yoda. I certainly would have paid to see it.

Odds: 5 in 10. Dagobah might get some time, but I'll be impressed if we get more than a few other scraps about Yoda's backstory.

10) The Force's source. So which is it: a "quaint old religion," as portrayed in the first three films, or is it all about biology and midi-chlorians, those microscopic life forms described in the next two?

Many fans hate the midichlorian concept; I'm not that down on it.  I like Lucas' attempt to surpass the original films' mealy-mouthed animism.  But it's a huge step to go from lively bacteria to Qui-Gon's theory that Anakin was conceived by midi-chlorians.  That would be a Force to be reckoned with.

I'd wager most longtime fans are waiting for a good Force mechanics explanation in "Sith."

Also: Remember how Yoda, Obi-Wan and Anakin appear as phanstasms at the end of "Jedi"? I'd also like to know why some Jedis — Yoda and Obi-Wan, notably — vanish when slain, while others (in the Geonosis battle, notably) just ... die.  Vader doesn't at the end of "Jedi," either, though maybe that's the dark side at work.

In any case, let us know: Do Jedi actually die, or do they just go to that great cantina in the sky?

Odds: 4 in 10. A lot of Jedi are set to die in "Sith," but I doubt it will explain Luke's visions.

Thanks to avid viewers Jerry Darcy and Sarah Stewart for their input.

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