One Powerful Dyad

Star Wars:  The Complete Saga has broken global sales records and become the most purchased Blu-Ray title of all time, despite some star wars fans negative reactions to Lucas yet again altering his masterpiece.  Such a described act has even spawned the term ‘pulling a Lucas’ referring to altering something that was great already for arguably no tangible reasons whatsoever.  Regardless of the relevance of Lucas’ alterations, let’s take a look at the supremely villainous duo that ruled the galaxy with an iron fist.  Darth Vader is the head military officer of the Imperial Army and commander-in-chief of the Great Jedi Purge.  A ruthless mobilizer and commandingly efficient leader of leaders, Vader is undoubtedly a FieldMarshal Rational.  Darth Sidious is the ingenious Dark Lord of the Sith who’s master plan overthrew the Republic and Jedi Order and replaced it with his brutal authoritarian regime in one fell swoop.  A brilliant master planner and a highly efficient organizer, Darth Sidious is undoubtedly a Mastermind Rational.  Together, they make an extremely powerful and mercilessly efficient Strategic Coordinator tandem that ruled the Galaxy.  With Darth Sidious orchestrating cunning strategies and his powerful right hand man Darth Vader enacting and enforcing them, few can stand in their way.  Not all goes according to plan however, when Vader has a change of heart, saves his sons life, and redeems his wrongdoings.  This crucial and climactic scene of course was one of the main and controversial changes that Lucas recently made, giving fuel to the nerd complaint fire all over the world.  Vader now screams “NOOOO!!” before killing the emperor, making him a huge panzy and detracting from everything I just said.  Kidding aside, if you are a Star Wars fanStar Wars:  The Complete Saga will indeed make a great Holiday gift!

9 thoughts on “One Powerful Dyad”

  1. Are you quite sure that Vader is a Fieldmarshal? Looking at Anakin-Vader’s behavior before and after his fall from grace, I believe I see a Crafter Artisan. As a young boy, he already possesses the mechanical know-how and quick reflexes to win a dangerous podrace. He already has the skills to build C-3PO with his own two hands. In early manhood, he alarms Obi-Wan Kenobi with his hot-shot recklessness. After his transformation into a Dark Lord of the Sith—such a fitting allegory for David W. Keirsey’s “Dark Escape”—he acts as an aberrant Crafter, a “Malicious Vandal,” satisfying every vindictive urge by telekinetically choking those who offend him. At every stage of his life, working for good or for evil, he is an impulsive man of action rather than an efficient mobilizer toward long-range goals.

    Search your feelings. You know he’s a Crafter.

  2. While you bring up some very valid points, I still believe Vader to be a Fieldmarshal. I think his tumultuous and brash childhood was a result of his powerful affinity to the force, and desire to escape from his humble origins as a slave. Indeed being a child prodigy and deemed ‘the chosen one’ resulted in arrogance, and difficulty for Anakin in obeying the calm, and humble way of the Jedi. If you argue that his actions are not aimed at long-range goals, I would have to point out that his actions ultimately placed him on the most powerful seat in the galaxy, obeying only the man that helped put him there.

    Indeed I think in Vader’s case, as is the case for many, his true temperament ultimately surfaces and truly shines as an adult, as most of his early life was spent figuring out who he was. Once he was put in a position of power, I think he became a very pragmatic and efficient military leader. Choking a lower ranking officer who disagreed with him may display a bit of arrogance, but it certainly gets the job done in keeping his subordinate officers in line in order to be a more effective leader.

    “The basic driving force of these Fieldmarshals is to command forces that promise to be effective in achieving the objectives that they are able to visualize.”

    If Anakin’s ultimate objective was to one day rule the galaxy, I’d say he did a pretty bang up job.

  3. If you argue that his actions are not aimed at long-range goals, I would have to point out that his actions ultimately placed him on the most powerful seat in the galaxy, obeying only the man that helped put him there.

    He reaches that position as a puppet of the Emperor, without whose influence he probably would never have dreamed of it. Since you’ve already called Palpatine-Sidious a Mastermind, you have to be careful to distinguish his manipulations from Anakin’s natural inclinations. Besides, Vader’s leadership of the Imperial forces seems exactly the form of leadership in which, according to your grandfather, the Crafter shines. Anthropologically speaking, despite his supernatural powers, he leads as a hunter, not as a wizard. To see my point, notice his resemblance to another unforgettable movie villain, the Jew Hunter in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

  4. You bring up some valid points I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree. : )

    As far as leadership goes: Artisans are the ‘negotiator leaders’ and rationals are the ‘visionary leaders’.

  5. I watched Episode III the other day and I must say that Anakin is the quintessential Crafter Artisan, maybe in all of the three first episodes. In the other movies he could be a Fieldmarshal Rational, so he’s not a “real” character

    1. Stig, you raise an important point about typing fictional characters. To be placed confidently in any type, they must be written well.

      1. Yes, it’s difficult if the writer don’t know about Keirsey/Myers-Briggs-theory. Mainly they are capable of writing about their own temperament quite well. In that respect Lucas could be an Idealist, where the Jedi is the Idealist Knight, saving the Universe from evil forces.
        I concur about your opinion of Anakin, he is more of a Crafter in all the episodes, most in E I-III.

  6. Often times how characters are portrayed in movies is quite different from who those characters actually are. Casting Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker was in my opinion one of the worst casting decisions of all time and essentially ruined episodes I-III for me. When I was talking about Darth Vader I was looking more at who he was in the Star Wars Universe, as opposed to watching his actions in the scenes that we are able to see in the movies. In the Star Wars Universe he is the commanding general of the Imperial Empire, and I still believe him to be a Fieldmarshal. Admittedly his younger life was a tumultuous one as he was finding his place in the world. Rationals and Idealists can sometimes seem like Artisans in their younger life because they are confused about who they are and often emulate the behavior of others. Vader is a Fieldmarshal. And a Boss.

  7. Yes, as I said before the character is not that consistent, but I agree with you saying that Rationals and Idealists can have a difficult time finding their place. That was true with myself, being a Mastermind, I acted as a Crafter Artisan during my youth.

    (A more real Fieldmarshal is princess Leia. She’s the strategymaker and the leader.)

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