#this is an excellent take tho
One thing that always bothers me about the “Jedi were a cult that kidnapped innocent children" argument is that it ignores a veryprominent counterexample: Dathomir.
As far as we can tell, the entire clan of Dathomir is force-sensitive. Even if there are a lot of “normal” citizens there, the few episodes we spend there reveal no fewer than five individuals who are capable of manipulating the Force.
And yet, none of them were taken to be Jedi (three, in fact, are turned into tools of the Sith).
So why would the Jedi not take them?
One might argue that Talzin was too powerful, but I think the answer is less dour than that: it’s because Dathomir had a safe and stable culture. It may have been harsh and rigid and imbalanced as heck, but it was theirs,and anyone who had tremendous power in the Force would be able to use it in safety and security. The Jedi could look at a woman born on Dathomir and say, “She’ll be raised as a witch, taught to control her power, follow their rituals, and will be protected from offworlders by her sisters and mother.” A man would be raised by the warrior clan and be taught to use his superior abilities to fight and hunt–his emotions kept in check, his strength honed into physical prowess, and his life made so that he would never be threatened or become a threat. The existence of Dathomir showed a balance all of its own–the Jedi were not needed there, and thus, they allowed it to thrive as it was.
The one who stepped in to break this was Sidious. He came to Dathomir and took Maul to be his apprentice. Asajj was sold into slavery by her own clan when a force threatened them (nice work, Talzin), and then she later came to corrupt Savage Oppress (but even then, it was because Tyranus was going to come for him, anyway).
The children the Jedi take have also been universally shown to be threatened by outside forces. Ahsoka was almost sold into slavery, the children in season two of The Clone Wars were actually kidnapped by Cad Bane and taken to Sidious, and when the Jedi vanished, children were taken to be Inquisitors or were hunted down and killed. But others–like Ezra, and ultimately, Hedala–simply kept living their lives. They became special, but they were never able to tap into their powers.
My hypothesis is that the holocrons and kyber crystals only point to the children who are in need of rescue–the ones whose powers will be discovered and exploited. If someone is strong in the Force but will never manifest this ability, they are not called (unless, perhaps, they want to). If their culture is powerful enough in its sovereignty, it is also possible that the Jedi will not meddle–Mandalore being one such example. It’s highly unlikely that Tarre Vizsla was the only Mandalorian Jedi, and more probable that he was the only one who chose/neededto go to the temple. Mandalorian culture and tradition is firm enough that anyone who develops Force talents would have nothing to fear from an outsider–no slaver is going to try sneaking into Mandalore to steal a psychic child, and no gangster is going to send his forces up against an army of Mandalorians, pacifists or no.
This is why Jedi tend to come from rural pockets of the galaxy, and why they always feel like they never had a home before the Temple: because where they were before was never safe or secure, and their existence would have only served to endanger their families. The more developed and comfortable the world, the less likely they are to manifest their powers and be targeted for them: consider the contrast between Luke and Leia. Luke lived on a dustball, surrounded by two-meter-long rats and giant dragons while a crime lord slug exploited people for water; the only way he couldsurvive was by developing his quick reflexes and staying hidden. Leia grew up on a peaceful planet, with wealthy parents who taught her all about the galaxy and how to protect herself in the same way that they knew: blasters and diplomacy and bodyguards and technical know-how and vaccinations. The Force was with her, but she never neededit.
The bottom line is this: the Jedi knew enough to respect other cultures and leave them be, but they were always ready to rescue individuals who would be threatened because of their powers. They were not a twisted, messed-up group (they kind of sort of became one, but it was mostly because a pair of Sith Lords managed to take control of everyone they were supposed to be protecting and pitted them against one another), but a place of refuge and hope…a place that, sadly, burned.
I hope Luke and Rey can build something better.
I was having a good time rereading this post until I read the last line
