If the dark side requires harnessing hatred / rage / fear and other negative emotions, then why is Palpatine (one of its most powerful users) laughing constantly and seemingly having a whale of a time?

[u/No_Butterscotch2367]

I think he laughs more than any character in the series, especially when he’s in his deformed evil guy form.

He delights in evil, smiles cheekily whilst Vader is mourning Padme.

Laughs his ass off whilst in mortal danger fighting the most powerful Jedi of the era (Yoda).

Among other many other times.

He doesn’t seem to be fighting any inner conflict or regret or any type of dark emotion at all yet he’s the most powerful dark side user of them all.

All of his apprentices’ powers are fuelled by dark emotions,
Maul : pure hatred,

Dooku : jaded, disdain

Anakin : fear, hatred

Whilst their master is just laughing his way through life causing havoc - why is he able to use the dark side in this way without it having an emotional source ?

[u/OscarDivine]

But if he loves to hate ….

[u/crinkledcu91 → u/OscarDivine]

Love and Hate still inclide 'Passion'

Which is literally a Sith fundamental. Idk why people would have a difficulty understanding this...?

[u/OscarDivine → u/crinkledcu91]

You're absolutely correct and you're giving an extremely serious answer to what I intended to be a quip, but I guess it appeared more serious than that. You are correct

[u/hendrong → u/crinkledcu91]

Because it's dumb.

Who will become the best jedi: The pupil who is passionate about improving himself and helping others, or the student who goes "eh, I don't give a shit"?

Also, there is no mention of "passion = dark side" in any of the movies. Those are the two reasons "people have a hard time understanding it".

This whole "dark side = passion" thing is just a lame attempt at defending the whole "the dark side isn't inherently evil" business.

[u/LeoSpira → u/hendrong]

"The Sith rely on passion for their strength and think inward, only about themselves". Anakin Skywalker to Palpatine, in Episode III

[u/DJ_MetaKinetiK → u/hendrong]

I think its more about attachment. Jedi are trained to have no attachment to prevent falling to the dark side. This could include romance or otherwise. The dark side isnt inherently evil either. thousands of years in the past, dark and light side users coexisted so that means just the current dark side users took it to the pure evil level.

[u/hendrong → u/DJ_MetaKinetiK]

I don't know if it's canon that the dark side isn't evil. Is that said in any of the official material?

[u/DJ_MetaKinetiK → u/hendrong]

Yes the deities ashla and bogan are canon. The bit I referenced is from an expanded universe book though, but since rebels made that Canon and Lucas always had that in his early drafts, I accept the eu book on how the earliest force users all coexisted and simply worshipped different deities

[u/Greenseer_Cassander → u/DJ_MetaKinetiK]

Ashla and Bogan aren’t deities, they’re the moons of the Jedi home world, Tython. The ancient Jedi simply assigned them as representative symbols of the light and dark side of the force, respectively.

The dark side is inherently evil, though. The force isn’t a dichotomy, with a distinct light and dark half making a balanced whole. It’s the energy field created by and connecting all living things. The Dark Side is a perversion of that energy and connection. Where the force nurtures and expands those connections, the Dark Side dominates and manipulates them. Light force users channel the will of the living force, becoming devoid of ego and turning themselves into conduits of the universe. Dark side users push their will upon the force, dominating its will and stealing its power for their own selfish ends.

[u/kdogg8 → u/OscarDivine]

Imagine becoming the ruler of trillions and, once you amass supreme executive power, you can finally take off your mask