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I am talking about actions, not propaganda.

They both exert undue influence on the ruling classes, outside the democratic process.

They are both full of themselves.

They are both dynastic, based on heredity: you are either born with the Force or you're out of luck, never to join the exclusive club. If anything, the Sith seem less dynastic.

The Jedi seem just as cavalier about shrugging off civilians deaths, whether collateral or intended. Anakin's slaughter of the sand people was shrugged off by almost everybody. Thousands of innocents died on the Death Stars and

on the new planet killer in Episode VII (whatever its called).

So, stripping away the propaganda, there's not much difference between these two dynastic, elitist, undemocratic cabals.

njzk2
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Benito Ciaro
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    Pretty red sabers and black unis, rather than blue/green and creme/brown. – Oldcat Dec 22 '15 at 23:32
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    Hard to call a monkish celebate caste "Dynastic" – Oldcat Dec 22 '15 at 23:32
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    Gold Pressed Latinum ... oh wait wrong alliance. – Athena Widget Dec 22 '15 at 23:37
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    A Jedi won't choke you for having a disturbing lack of faith. – Valorum Dec 22 '15 at 23:42
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    One group never successfully overthrew a lawful government and established a tyrannical dictatorship in its place while the other sorta did, but other than that, I guess not. – Alarion Dec 22 '15 at 23:48
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    IIRC, Anakin's slaughter of the sand people wasn't shrugged off, he just never got found out. – Harry Johnston Dec 23 '15 at 08:56
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    "The Jedi seem just as cavalier about shrugging off civilians deaths" If the Jedi had learned of it, they wouldn't have shrugged off the sand people massacre. As the Death Stars were military vessels, it's unlikely there were civilians aboard. It is unfortunate that the rebels couldn't disable the Death Stars without killing the millions of military personnel aboard, but sadly, as they were trying to save billions of innocent civilians and their only known option involved blowing them up (and just in time)... (I, for one, would have liked at least some dialog addressing that.) – T.J. Crowder Dec 23 '15 at 11:08
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    Jedis don't build Death Stars. – Mr Lister Dec 23 '15 at 12:08
  • Come to the Dark Side, We have cookies! – jean Dec 23 '15 at 12:15
  • You might want to read this - often hated - answer of mine for another question. – mg30rg Dec 23 '15 at 14:07
  • @HarryJohnston Which is ironic, since that's the one attrocity he committed that really wasn't bad at all. –  Dec 23 '15 at 16:54
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    In my view, this very question is the underlying morale of the story of prequels. The Jedi are dogmatic, arrogant elitist cult that is focused on preserving its political power more than protecting innocent life. The Sith are much the same way. Though Jedi have a much higher regard for life and peace. But that aside, there are many similarities. Contrast that to Luke Skywalker, who embraces emotion and passion and uses them for the greater good. At least that is my view of it. – Brandon Dec 23 '15 at 19:06
  • @Alarion There are lots of books in Legends canon about Jedi directly supporting insurrections against lawful governments. Just because a government is tyrannical or cruel doesn't mean it isn't lawful. – TylerH Dec 23 '15 at 19:37
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    @Oldcat The Jedi Code forbids attachment but doesn't say anything explicitly about being celibate. Most Jedi just assume this attachment clause includes marriage and sex. Usually the reason that relationships are frowned upon (see Qui-Gon Jinn's relationship, also Anakin's relationship) is that they lead to attachment, which leads to jealousy, greed, fear of loss, suffering, etc., all of which in turn lead to the dark side of the Force. – TylerH Dec 23 '15 at 19:39
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    If you're a Jedi... YOU. WILL. KNOW. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense; never for attack. – Mazura Dec 24 '15 at 02:20
  • The Death Stars and Starkiller Base (I'm not making it up they say it in the movie) were all weapons of mass destruction. The needs of the many outway the needs of the few. The deaths of all those storm troopers (who by the way aren't civilians) was a necessary sacrifice. It's no different than when whe – The Mandolorian Dec 25 '15 at 06:36
  • @Benito Ciaro We know for a fact that the storm troopers from the First Order were taken from their families as babies because Finn said so, Wich means their families had already finished grieving and as for the Impeirial Stormtroopers we know that they were volunteers and most were proud to be there so they died in the line of duty the families would have been mollified. It's no different than the U.S blowing up a Rusian or Ukrainian Base that has several armed Nuclear warheads one of which has been used. – The Mandolorian Dec 31 '15 at 01:47
  • Added some quotes to my answer to show the difference in canon – DVK-on-Ahch-To Jan 18 '16 at 18:40

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The differences are mostly thematic -- until they aren't.

You're right that there isn't much of a difference between Sith and Jedi... ...Except the Jedi aren't trying to destroy planets, don't slaughter anyone who disagrees with them, don't have a history of devouring all life off a planet, and don't weaken the very fabric of the Force.

From the uninformed masses in a galaxy so large that you can't even find a planet when given the names of surrounding planets and star systems, however, it's easy to see how the distinction could be lost.

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    Let's not forget murdering children, and prosecuting a war where the sith are the leaders of both sides at the same time. – Alarion Dec 22 '15 at 23:52
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    @Alarion The common man wouldn't know about the younglings or the secret alliances, but I'm sure they'd know about destroying a major planet. –  Dec 22 '15 at 23:54
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    The difference is evolution. Sith are a more developed breed of jedi, capable to handle the force like no jedi could. Just remember: Two sith against the entire Jedi Order means a balance of the force. What does it tell? You might say sith are "evil" because they "harm people", but put that into perspective! If you are not one of those aggressive vegan activists, you don't consider me evil for setting up a mousetrap or breaking the neck of a chicken I wish to eat. Those things are the same. From the sith point of view regular people are animals. – mg30rg Dec 23 '15 at 14:11
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    @mg30rg "Two sith against the entire Jedi Order means a balance of the force" - No, they were waiting for the prophesied one to bring balance. Which he did by killing off (almost) all of the Jedi and turning to the Dark Side... Obi-Wan & Yoda on the light side, Vader & Sidious on the dark side. Balanced! ;) – Adeptus Dec 24 '15 at 02:17
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The main differences are:

  1. How they access the Force.

    Jedi's access to the Force is more passive. They let the Force guide them.

    Sith's access is far more active. They make the Force do their bidding.

    This becomes especially clear with Plagueis and Sidious, as shown in Legends novel Plagueis and Disney canon novel Tarkin.

    It's also very much stressed in the better parts of EU/Legends canon, especially Zahn's Mara Jade related books (a large part of the character arks for Mara and Luke are issues stemming from Luke being Way Too Active as a Force user).

    For a more canon example, let's see ROTS novelization by Matthew Stover. Here's how the narrator describes Count Dooku's interactions with the Force:

    He called upon the Force, gathering it to himself and wrapping himself within it. He breathed it in and held it whirling inside his heart, clenching down upon it until he could feel the spin of the galaxy around him.

    Until he became the axis of the Universe.

    This was the real power of the dark side, the power he had suspected even as a boy, had sought through his long life until Darth Sidious had shown him that it had been his all along. The dark side didn’t bring him to the center of the universe. It made him the center.

    He drew power into his innermost being until the Force itself existed only to serve his will.

    and his musings about Anakin and Obi-Wan confronting him:

    They didn’t even comprehend how utterly he dominated the combat. Because they fought as they had been trained, by releasing all desire and allowing the Force to flow through them, they had no hope of countering Dooku’s mastery of Sith techniques. They had learned nothing since he had bested them on Geonosis.

    They allowed the Force to direct them; Dooku directed the Force.

    And for contrast, here's how Obi-Wan's combat use of the Force is described:

    He doesn’t even need to reach into the Force.

    He has already let the Force reach into him.

    The Force flows over him and around him as though he has stepped into a crystal-pure waterfall lost in the green coils of a forgotten rain forest; when he opens himself to that sparkling stream it flows into him and through him and out again without the slightest interference from his conscious will. The part of him that calls itself Obi-Wan Kenobi is no more than a ripple, an eddy in the pool into which he endlessly pours.

    There are other parts of him here, as well; there is nothing here that is not a part of him, from the scuff mark on R2-D2’s dome to the tattered hem of Palpatine’s robe, from the spidering crack in one transparisteel panel of the curving view wall above to the great starships that still battle beyond it. Because this is all part of the Force.

    Why is meaningless; it is an echo of the past, or a whisper from the future. All that matters, for this infinite now, is what, and where, and who.

  2. Jedi (at least since Ruusan reformation) try to make their Force use and connection emotionless.

    Sith base their connection to the Force on emotions, typically negative ones.

  3. Jedi have inherent respect for life.

    They try not to kill unless it is necessary.

    Sith have no issues with killing anyone, and see it as fundamental to their nature both as Sith (especially as evidenced in mechanics of Rule of Two), but also in terms of acquiring power - which ultimately often is all about the fact of, or a threat of, or ability to, inflict death on others.

  4. Jedi see the purpose of themselves as serving. Serving the Force, or serving the society.

    Sith see the purpose of themselves as acquiring power - either intrinsic (mastery of the Force) or extrinsic (power over other beings).

  5. Morals/ethics seems to be in line with #4 and other prior points.

    Jedi morals and ethics are all about serving, helping, not doing harm.

    Sith morals and ethics are all about the strongest dominating everyone else.

Also, please remember that the Universe isn't divided into Jedi and Sith. There are all sorts of other Force users, all over the spectrum - including other Light side, Dark side, Gray, and other-shade).

Sources: Novelizations (especially ROTS, ROTJ, TPM, and AOTC). New Disney novels (especially Tarkin and Lords of the Sith). A bunch of assorted EU/Legends material too numerous to mention (some are Plagueis, Darth Maul books, Old Republic books, Kenobi).

DVK-on-Ahch-To
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    @BenitoCiaro - I agree, the films definitely do NOT go into any of those details, for obvious reasons. Nobody comes to the theater to watch a master's thesis in Philosophy :). However, film novelizations do and they are 100% fully canon under Disney's new canon rules. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 23 '15 at 02:36
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    @BenitoCiaro each side could claim these qualities for themselves, however the point is that the Sith do not make a Jedi-like claim for 1,2,4 and explicitly have the opposite policies. – Peteris Dec 23 '15 at 12:22
  • @BenitoCiaro your premise for this question that 1,2,4,5 are propaganda is simply false. Not sure why you don't understand that or if you are projecting jedi/sith onto real life factions. Or perhaps you are just trolling hmm? – JamesRyan Dec 23 '15 at 16:46
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    @BenitoCiaro - if you notice, my sources are novelizations. Specifically, the passages that describe internals of using the Force - NOT just statements made by Jedi. And Jedi statements are teaching, so they aren't propaganda as they aren't meant to create positive impression, but to tell the student to do somthing in a specific way. – DVK-on-Ahch-To Dec 23 '15 at 18:11
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    @BenitoCiaro None of the things you just said were in any way contradicted by the contents of this answer. It seems like the real question you're asking is if there is any good pro-Sith propaganda out there, which I'm sure there is. – DaaaahWhoosh Dec 24 '15 at 02:48
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    @BenitoCiaro I'd challenge point 3 most actively. – Williham Totland Dec 24 '15 at 03:33
  • @BenitoCiaro Life is, like, everywhere. – Williham Totland Dec 24 '15 at 03:33
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The difference between them is how they treat The World around them. The Jedi try to work with the world and listen to where the Force leads them. The Sith try to control their world and try to harness the power of the force.

From what I can tell, the Jedi want a peaceful world where they have their place, and they're comfortable to listen to the Force to find out where that place is. The Sith also want a peaceful world, but they want to make sure their place is at the top, unopposed, maintain peace because nobody dares oppose them.

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The TL;DR version is that the Jedi, at least generally, respect laws and life. The Sith will do anything to get their way, including murdering people unnecessarily.

Let's address their actions with examples and counter-examples in the order you've chosen and incorporating your examples(I'll stick to the movies):

They both exert undue influence on the ruling classes, outside the democratic process.

The Jedi are seen in the prequel trilogy consulting with and advising senators Amidala and Palpatine. There is no indication that the Jedi forced these senators to submit to an audience, and in fact, we know that Palpatine was definitely a willing participant as he was using these audiences to influence events and Anakin. On the Dark Side, we see the Sith (again, Palpatine) manipulating the entire senate into abandoning the democratic process altogether to start his empire.

They are both full of themselves.

I won't contest this. :)

They are both dynastic, based on heredity: you are either born with the Force or you're out of luck, never to join the exclusive club. If anything, the Sith seem less dynastic.

Neither is dynastic in the traditional sense as this implies a family line (But as was stated previously above, the Jedi are a celibate order, which is about as far from establishing a dynasty as you can get). However, you're right that they do both require you to be Force sensitive to join. This is akin to a book club requiring you to read books to join.

The Jedi seem just as cavalier about shrugging off civilians deaths, whether collateral or intended. Anakin's slaughter of the sand people was shrugged off by almost everybody. Thousands of innocents died on the Death Stars and the new planet killer in Episode VII (whatever its called).

There is no indication that Anakin reported his slaughtering of the sand people to the rest of the Jedi order, from what I recall. Only Padme is told directly. Further, at this point Anakin has strayed drastically from the teachings of the Jedi, so counting him as a representative of theirs is specious at best. It's true that thousands died on the destruction of Empire death weapons, but:

  1. The Jedi did not plan or implement the destruction of these machines. The Jedi order was hunted down and killed (by the Sith) before the destruction of them. You could make the case that Luke and Obi-Wan were remnants of the Jedi involved in destroying the Death Star, but Luke never received training by the Jedi order prior to this event, and further:
  2. The Empire (run by the Sith) had just demonstrated they were casually and flippantly willing to slaughter billions with these weapons.

Further illustrations of the Sith disregard for life and the Jedis generally affirmative regard for life are not needed after that last one, but:

-When Jedi seniority is displeased with subordinates (Yoda to Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon to Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan to Anakin), they scold them and instruct them. When Sith are displeased (Vader to many poor Imperials, Kylo Ren to machinery everywhere), they destroy them.

-When Jedi enter a hostile scenario (Mace Windu approaching leaders of the Separatists on Geonosis, Mace Windu and others arresting Palpatine in his chambers), they attempt to arrest or otherwise end conflicts without violence. When Sith enter hostile scenarios (Kylo Ren on Jakku, Palpatine responding to his arrest), they murder people.

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The Jedi Code

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

Oath of the Jedi Council

With all of us may the Force be, and may the peace of this temple be ours, a place open to thought and speech, a realm of mutual respect, and a haven of shared noble purpose. Let us take these seats together, with no one above the others. May we work together, free from the restraints of ego and jealousy, at this gathering and all others to come.

Code of the Sith

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.

Rule of Two

Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody power, the other to crave it.

You could list a hundred incidents and debate the ethics of the (imperfect) people involved. Ultimately, though, the doctrine itself shows the core ideological difference:

  • Jedi use the Force without emotion for cooperation.
  • Sith use the Force with passion to gain power.
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Paul Draper
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The Sith supposedly have powers of necromancy - being able to prevent and/or reverse death. Or at least, that's what Palpatine told Anikin in Episode III:

Anikin: Where can I learn these powers?

Palpatine: Not from a Jedi...

Now, I don't think we ever saw these powers used in the series, though it's possible that's the only reason Anikin/Vader is still alive after his defeat on Mustafar. Also, Jedi don't seem to use force lightning or chokes either. Basically, the Sith don't mind using the Force in any way available to them, whereas the Jedi specifically avoid a lot of the cooler things you can do with it.

Seriously, about the only use of the light side of the Force we ever see is stuff like mind control, levitation and marksmanship (shooting a small vent without the targeting computer). Oh, and coming back as a ghost when you die - though even Vader managed that, so apparently being a Sith doesn't completely prevent that.

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