The point of the entire Star Wars Cycle

Rating: 9/10 (30 December 2008)

The Star Wars Cycle is a depiction of how Democracies and Totalitarian States are both unstable, and how the one form leads to the other.
In Revenge of the Sith, we have the example of how a Democracy is inevitably corrupted by a faction within, and how they ultimately seize power and transform the government into a Police State. This occurs because the masses are poor stewards of power, and always relinquish it eventually to forces disinterested in their welfare.
Any government that is founded upon the consensus of the masses, through their representatives, is built upon a foundation of sand. In times of stress and fear, the people willingly cede their power to the government so as to become more 'secure'. Thus, over the decades and centuries, the people gradually lose control of the government by degrees. In times of peace, their apathy creates a climate of disinterest. And then when crises appear, the people respond fearfully by further abandoning personal autonomy and power.
The forces of power that seek to defend the people (Jedi) are bound by rules and conventions that limit the scope of their actions, and that prevent them from fighting as directly and as potently as their opponents. The forces of power that seek to use the people (Sith) are bound by no such scruples or niceties, and can therefore operate with more strength. This is how the Sith win.
Going forward to Return of the Jedi, here we see how Totalitarian States ultimately fail, are defeated, and a New Democracy is born.
No state that wields power by the force of fear alone can last forever. The tighter their grip becomes, the more they create passionate rebels from their stock of apathetic citizens. And so revolution is inevitable. And though these may often fail, eventually one succeeds. Also, here we see how the power of those who fight for the people (Jedi) are able to operate in a more potent and unfettered manner, since they no longer are constrained by concerns of the Civil Rights of the people under their official control. Here, they represent the revolutionaries instead of the government, and so they are free to fight with their full potency. This is why the Jedi win.
All of this is made clear by Revenge of the Sith, which ties together the unity of the entire cycle. We should look at the cycle as a true cycle, where the outcome of Episode VI leads us to a High Point in the civilization, lasting several decades or a few centuries, and which inevitably leads us to the beginning of Episode I all over again.
The Star Wars saga might also be called The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. But here we see the genius of Lucas. Only by combining Sith and Jedi tendencies, and the ways in which they wield power, can any balance be achieved. And only by achieving balance can we stop this cycle between Democracy and Totalitarianism. We must bring balance to The Force to bring peace and also freedom to the world.