Though the Star Wars franchise is known for its action-packed sci-fi universe, it carries strong religious themes that are just as striking. The idea of the Force resembles Buddhism and Hinduism in the rejection of self and reaching a higher level of consciousness. Likewise, the Light Side and the Dark Side are reminiscent of good vs. bad dichotomies in so many other religions. Force users even live by respective Codes, similar to how Christians live by the teachings of the Bible, how Muslims observe the Qur'an, or how Jewish people live by the Torah.
Because many religions are so defined by strict black-and-white rules of what is right and wrong, it's difficult to not compare that to the religious themes in Star Wars and assume the Jedi are right and the Sith are wrong. However, the actions of the Jedi, specifically in the prequels, prove otherwise. Likewise, by comparing and contrasting the Jedi Code and the Code of the Sith, it becomes clear that the Sith are right in their own respects.
The Code of the Sith reads as follows:
Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.
The ideals listed in the Code of the Sith aren't bad in and of themselves, save for maybe "peace is a lie." Passion and strength are not immoral things. Likewise, the desire for power, victory and freedom aren't either. It's when those things are used for nefarious purposes that they become a problem.
In contrast, the Jedi Code reads as follows:
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
As with the Code of the Sith, there are ideals in the Jedi Code that are desirable, such as peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony, life and lack of chaos. However, there are two key elements to this creed that are incredibly harmful: the rejection of emotion and passion. While the Jedi believe these things should be repudiated, the Sith embrace them.
Rejecting emotion and passion isn't good for a person. A prime example of this is Anakin Skywalker. From youth, Anakin was always a passionate and emotional boy. The Jedi Order saw these things as bad and as gateways to the Dark Side. But passion and emotion, when channeled for good, can lead to positive outcomes. If the Jedi allowed Anakin to embrace these qualities, he could have helped countless people and committed numerous virtuous acts. Anakin could have used his passion to embrace the Light and bring justice to the galaxy. He could have used his emotional side to embrace empathy and lead the next generation of Jedi. As the Chosen One, Anakin's potential was already great, but his passion and emotion were beautiful assets, too. However, the Jedi's code didn't allow for these qualities, and therefore, they inadvertently pushed Anakin to the Dark Side.
Anakin fell to the Dark Side for a multitude of reasons, but it's likely that he felt the Sith wouldn't suppress his emotions the way the Jedi do. Unfortunately, the Sith used that passion for evil purposes.
Neither the Jedi Code nor the Code of the Sith are perfect. Though the Jedi are widely viewed as the good guys, their actions and the values in their code show they could improve. The Code of the Sith contains values that aren't immoral and are actually good. This is why a balance in the Force is so important; too rigid of thinking on either side isn't constructive. Though Star Wars, the Force, the Jedi and Sith are fictional, we could all learn a thing or two about passion, ideals and morality from it.