Much of the talk about Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has somehow passed over a key electoral bloc—the island’s small but powerful cadre of Jedi Knights.
According to U.K. Census data on religion, England and Wales are home to more than 175,000 members of the Jedi Order, a Force-sensitive sect that originated in a galaxy far, far away, but now apparently holds an especially strong presence in the seaside town of Brighton. Jedi, of course, were hunted to near extinction by the despot Palpatine, so one might assume they’ve come to Britain as refugees of sorts.
How did they vote in the Brexit poll? Using the same analysis featured in this story, we can plot the relative concentration of Jedi in English communities against the overall vote totals to get an idea:
There is a very slight but still discernible indication that regions with a larger Jedi presence fell in favor of remaining in the European Union. Which makes absolute sense. After all, the Jedi led the fight against the Separatists during the Clone Wars, struggling to keep the Republic from splitting into isolated systems. While the few surviving Jedi did seek to destabilize the Galactic Empire after Palpatine seized power, it was always with the goal of forming a new republic and bringing balance to the Force.
With 72.2 percent overall turnout, I’m almost certain the Jedi voted, and voted for Remain. They tried. But alas, as Yoda taught us, do, or do not. There is no try.