In the quest for the best “magical” scifi/fantasy character type, I’ll be discussing the first two this week, Jedi (the Light side mostly) and Magi (mages).

Jedi: I consider the “true” canonical Jedi to be the knights portrayed in the original trilogy and the related books. No healing powers, no shatterpoints (even if it is one of the best SW books), and definitely no clones.
The Good: Jedi are simply cool. Seeing Luke walk into Jabba’s Palace or Obi-Wan give his life, or any other thing you can imagine, Jedi can do it, and look good doing it. Also, they’re the protectors of the galaxy, the defenders of good. So, they’re revered by most of the citizens of the known galaxy. So, if you choose to be a Jedi, you’ll look good and everyone likes you.
The Bad: You’re good. Unless you choose to be one of the two Sith in the galaxy, you have to be a good guy. Plus, in the history of Star Wars, how many Sith have never died? (That’s sounds odd, but I can’t think of how to rephrase it) I hate being forced to be good…

Magi: True Magi are those represented in D&D and somewhat the person of Gandalf. Magi, in my opinion should be physically weak, but not to the point of fainting after each spell (if there are few Magi in the universe), or extremely powerful (a la Gandalf).
The Good: Magi can dabble in many different types of magic, they’re not stuck to one type of spells like the Jedi. Depending on the universe, Magi are extremely strong, and are very rare. This is good, because you’re very well known, and in the case of DragonLance, the phrase “I am Magi” blows minds and sets fear in all those who hear it.
The Bad: If you’re in a universe with few Magi, you’re very popular with the local Dragons, soldiers, fellow Magi, etc. That’s bad. Also, in the D&D universe (at least in the DL setting), Magi forget their spells every time they use one.

Jedi have Obi-Wan, Magi have Gandalf. Jedi have Luke (and Luuke), and Magi have Merlin. Who is the best? I think I have to give the Nay to the Jedi. I’m partial to them, and their enhanced speed would give them the upper hand. Tune in next week for the other two character types.