Why Jedi Knights are Jokes - Episode I

OK, I know there's a lot of hate towards George Lucas these days after submitting us to the horror of the prequels (which we all went and saw anyways). I recently watched A New Hope through clearer eyes that peered past the awe and wonder of my memory of seeing it for the first time in 1976 as an impressionable 6 year old. Even George admits to creating a fantasy universe that was based on action movie serials of yesteryear, so in that context some things can be forgiven.

But...if you're going to create a 6-movie (plus books and TV tie-ins) monster of fiction, you should at least try to avoid the pitfalls of stupid science fiction. Yes, Hayden can't act his way out of an invisible box, but even more painful to me now is the premise of the Force and Jedi Knights.

Yeah, you heard me, I'm going to sling mud at the holiest of concepts in Star Wars, that of using the Force as a Jedi. Granted, this is science-FICTION fantasy at it's greatest, but it is also at its lowest in that is painfully incomprehensible to any reasonable criticism. I'm not talking about real science here, I'm talking about being consistent with one's own ideas in a fantasy setting.

For my first attack on the Jedi, let me point out that the Jedi are delightfully stupid in their use of the Force in general. Case in point: powerful Jedi are capable of levitating heavy objects but seem unable to apply this power on themselves. For freak's sake, if you can lift several tons, but can't think to use the Force to make yourself fly, you're pretty stupid. You're telling me that Yoda can lift an X-Wing fighter out of the sucking mud of a swamp, but would rather walk stiffly with a cane than fly his tiny 40 lb. frame any where he likes? That's not just stupid, that's colossally stupid. You can bet that any reasonable padawan who discovers the ability to levitate objects will eventually try to perform the trick on himself. Good ol' George gives us some teasers of this ability now and then, but the idea that Jedi are content to walk and never attempt to fly, even in battle, is downright preposterous!