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star wars - Why did Jedi in the prequel movies use the Force offensively?


One of the Yoda's quotes which sticks in my mind most from the original series is



A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack!




To back this up we see Vader and Sidious using the Force against Luke, Vader throws things against him to wear him down and toy with him, throw in some Force chokes and he's definitely not following Yoda's teachings. Sidious uses the Force Lightning.


I've always assumed that using the Force in an offensive manner was banned for Jedi because it was a path to the dark side, to use the Force to attack rather than defense was to try and control it - very Sith-like.


However when we move onto the prequel trilogy we see the Force being used offensively very frequently (admittedly mostly against droids who may not be considered "alive"). The example which springs to mind is where we see Yoda throw the two red guards against the wall when he confronts Sidious (not to mention some rather offensive Force moves in the Yoda/Sidious and Obi Wan/Vader duels).


Why does Yoda forbid Luke to attack with the Force when it seems such common practice thirty years before?



Answer



The answer to this lies in the way you interpret their actions. From my point of view, whenever the Jedi have used their force powers, it can always be considered defence as they are never the ones to initiate hostilities.


So now consider the context in which the Jedi used their force. They use their powers when fighting against something that they believe to be wrong. They are fighting in defence of a belief or a way of life rather than to attack something.


Consider a soldier in an army. Think of the weapons they use and the context. If they use their weapons and skills in order to attack others, they are generally punished for it ( in an ideal scenario). But when they use it to defend against an attacker, they may use it in the same way, i.e. , aim at enemy, pull trigger, the context of the actions makes it a defensive action.


I can of course the completely wrong, but that's my point of view


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