I’m listening to blank check, and while they mention that 1) there’s a prophecy about bringing balance to the force which dovetails neatly into the answer of their main question 2) what is the phantom menace about?

1. what I’m used to hearing about the prophecy from the movies is that everyone assumes somebody will help the light side beat the dark side, But I always assumed the actual interpretation of bringing balance to the force was equalizing the power dynamic between the light side and the dark side, even though I don’t think I ever heard that mentioned.

You have a Jedi council, in a position of power, ostensibly with the most powerful Jedi around, who are depicted as sitting around and endlessly debating about things until decisions made outside of the council that take matters out of their hands. The force is not in balance because the light side is so much more powerful than the dark side (there are countless light side Jedis and it seems like far fewer dark side sith) that they just sit around squabbling all day, and when Anakin turns to the dark side, He balances the force by killing the next generation of Jedis and leading the revolt that leads to so many Jedi deaths, which actually does bring balance to the force, if the force is composed of the light side in the dark side.

2. this dovetails into the main question of the first dozen episodes of blank check, where they’re trying to answer what the phanto menace is about. They take it for granted that palpatine is the phantom menace, which never fit into place as I understood a phantom menace.

I feel like the answer they stumbled onto and dismissed the conclusion that the phantom menace is about the inefficacy and danger of stagnant yet intact power structures. Tgat the naboo Royal structure and galactic Senate and Jedi council are all stagnant seats of power that cannot solve problems or progress because they have become figureheads stuck in endless debate.

The “phantom menace” is the breaking down of the potency of democratic republics and their subsequent vulnerability because of their complacency after establishing dominance.

That just makes a lot more sense as a phantom menace to me then a physical guy plotting in the background.

Any thoughts?