This. This is good fiction writing advice. I really appreciate how it was formatted as “this is a common problem, here is a solution to try in your own work” and not “oh god, don’t do that!” without any extra help. And I extra appreciated the “don’t rely on adverbs” bit, because they do have their place but they aren’t the only way actions can be emphasized.
It wasn’t the about
the hybrids. I went looking for info on them and ended up finding what can only
be described as one of the most blatantly racist and sexist characters in Star Wars. It’s horrifying to read but at the same time it’s so very realistic. It’s a story
about aliens in space but the rationalization behind the racism and sexism is
very human.
It’s a short story by
Barbara Hambly called Nightlily The Lovers’ Tale. To avoid spoilers I won’t get
into plot details, okay? The main character is Gotal called Feltipern Trevagg,
a tax collector from Mos Eisley during the Empire years.
When a female Modbrek
and her two daughters go to him to ask for help to avoid going without water
and subsequently losing their home, this is his reaction:
The Modbrek female’s distress irritated him.
Coming from another of his own species—another Gotal—it might have evoked pity,
though Trevagg had been less ready than many of his compatriots to yield to
emanations of wretchedness and fear. But Modbreks were in Trevagg’s opinion
only semisentient, wispy
ephemeral beings, hairless as slugs save for the grotesque masses of blue mane
that streamed from their undeveloped heads, with huge eyes, and tiny noses and
mouths in pointy pale faces.
He nudged a
toggle on the control board of his desk. A human deputy in a rumpled uniform
came in and showed the three females out. Trevagg could sense the man’s pity
for them, and also, much to Trevagg’s
disgust, the fact that the human found the insubstantial creatures physically
attractive, even sexually interesting.
Later he meets a female called Nightlily and
is immediately attracted to her. YET…here’s what he thinks of her:
Of course
they couldn’t really be cones, thought Trevagg the next moment. She was no Gotal, but someone of the
dull-minded and insentient lesser races … But the imitation was perfect,
and it was enough. He wanted her. He wanted her badly.
He took her
hand in his, loving the satin texture, the smooth eroticism of the way the
knots on its back tightened and swelled at his touch. “Don’t you understand
what I feel for you? What I felt for you the moment I entered the office, the
moment I heard your voice?” The moment I
sensed in you the ultimate prey, the most beautiful of conquests to be
vanquished?
He wasn’t
sure exactly what inner vibrations he should transmit to convince her of his
overwhelming desire for her—she
obviously didn’t have the civilized sensitivity of a Gotal, maybe couldn’t
pick up anything at all and was operating entirely at the face value of his
words. Judging by her conversation, she
was either barely sentient or truly stupid, and in any case, Trevagg had very
little interest in females’ thoughts or desires.
Besides,
once he’d had her he certainly didn’t want her hanging around under the
impression that he was actually going to go through with marrying a semisentient alien bimbo, wondrous
though she might be between the sheets.
The fact
that she couldn’t even detect him in a lie—that she didn’t have that much
sensitivity to the vibrations of his mind—only redoubled his contempt for her. So desirable—so innocent—so stupid … No wonder they don’t let virgins
travel off her planet. She’d told him that, too. They’d never make it home. Not
as virgins, anyway.
Clones who showed early initiative and leadership abilities were singled out for enhanced programming and officer training.
On other hand, clones who proved deficient or had undesirable mutations were reconditioned – a term that included everything from genetic therapy to termination (After the Jedi took a more active role overseeing clone trooper training, terminations were largely halted, with deficient clones shunted into support roles).
COMPLETE LIST OF NAMED CLONE TROOPERS Organized by Unit *updated 8/25/18*
Ever needed to know who served under Jedi Master Luminara Unduli? Trying to name an oc and don’t want to repeat a name? Use this handy guide! I went through the list on Clone Trooper Wiki and organized everyone. Many of these names do not have verifiable links, but if it was a name and it was on the list, I included it.
Some notes: An *asterisk in front of a name denotes a group leader of some sort.
(Sorry about the pictures. There’s no way I could have formatted this on tumblr. And be sure and click through to the original permalink! Because things may have been updated since this has been in circulation.)
So, let me guess— you just started a new book, right? And you’re stumped. You have no idea how much an AK47 goes for nowadays. I get ya, cousin. Tough world we live in. A writer’s gotta know, but them NSA hounds are after ya 24/7. I know, cousin, I know. If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…
You’re in luck, cousin. I have just the thing for ya.
I got your back, cousin. Just head over to Havocscope.
((PS: In case you’re wondering, Havocscope is a database full of information regarding the criminal underworld. The information you will find there has been taken from newspapers and police reports. It’s perfectly legal, no need to worry about the NSA hounds, cousin ;p))
No. The
Force has no conscience, it just is. It’s part of nature, not some omnipotent and
omniscient entity. The “will of the Force” is something the Jedi (and most
force-sensitives groups) came up to explain their relationship with the Force.
If something happened that had no logical explanation they knew of, it was the
will of the Force, if they needed justify their actions it was the will of the
force, etc.
Experimenting
with the Force, in most cases, is considered wrong because the Jedi said so. Many groups deal
with the Force their own way, the ones the Jedi Order deems tolerable are allow
to keep existing. The ones they consider wrong are destroyed (the Sith). But,
to be fair, the Sith used the Force for some pretty nasty things and the Force,
being part of nature of the galaxy, was more than just something to
experimented on indiscriminately. Too much meddling could lead to the entire
galaxy to dangerous places.
And then
the Jedi declared that to be born with Force powers was not a gift or a curse.
They insisted it was a calling. They
proclaimed the Force should never be used for selfish purposes, that all
Force-sensitive beings were obligated to use their powers for the benefit of
others. Many Force users joined the Jedi Order, but the Jedi were not
satisfied with their numbers. They
sought out the so-called wizards and demons, and gave them three options. Join
the Jedi, cease using Force powers, or die. [Darh Maul in Ryder Windham’s
The wrath of Darth Maul]
The Jedi
Order politicized the Force to keep their control over the galaxy. They had a
Force monopoly going on. They mixed politics with religion and things slowly
got mixed up. it got to a point they no longer could separate their political
goals from their religious ones. The will of the Senate/Council became the will
of the Force. Something that
was used to explain coincidences became a justification of the Council’s
decisions.
There isn’t
much scientific experimentation with the Force within the Jedi Order because they
prohibited, because it serves their political goals better.
“As Jedi learn more about the Force, it is
not unusual for them to form their own theories about how and why it works. They
question how, if the Force creates and sustains life, it can have a dark side.
Some arrive at the conclusion that the Force is not divided into dark and
light, that its energy is inherently positive, and that there is no “dark side”
waiting to corrupt them. Time and again, this conclusion has been proved
erroneous, and the Jedi who felt
compelled to test the limits of the Force rarely perceived the dangers of their
explorations. As they approached the brink of the dark side, some were
rescued by other Jedi or came back willingly when they saw the error of their
ways. Those who refused to renounce
their mistaken the beliefs were either exiled to the farthest reaches of the
galaxy, or destroyed.[Ryder’s Windham’s Jedi vs. Sith: The
Essential Guide to the Force]
The “balance” was another example of force-sensitives politicizing the
Force. The Sith wanted a chosen one to kill all the Jedi and the Jedi wanted a
chosen one to kill all the sith. But, truth is, the Force did balance itself
out when it created Anakin. the Sith vs Jedi conflict was political. Anakin
existence was enough, he didn’t HAVE to become a sith or a Jedi. all they had
to do was let nature take its course, you know, follow the “will of the Force”.
[Plagueis] had to see this Anakin Skywalker
for himself; had to sense him for himself. He had to know if the Force had
struck back again, nine years earlier, by
conceiving a human being to restore balance to the galaxy. […] There was
still a chance that the Council would decide that Anakin was too old to be
trained as a Jedi. That way, assuming he was returned to Tatooine … But if
not … If Qui-Gon managed to sway the Council Masters, and they
reneged on their own dictates …
Plagueis ran a hand over his forehead. Are we undone? he thought. Have you
undone us? [James Luceno. Darth Plagueis]
Plagueis knew enough to understand Anakin didn’t have to become a sith
or a Jedi to be a threat and do his job, something the Jedi never figured out
because they were too busy forcing Anakin to be exactly like them.
Wow, that is a tough question. I haven’t read any of the old Legends stuff about growing up Jedi, so I’m just going to comment on what we see in the films and Clone Wars cartoon.
It’s important to note that no one, with the possible exception of Anakin, actually consented to join the Jedi. They were all drafted as infants or toddlers. From a very young age they are groomed for combat. @howtofightwrite has some excellent posts about children raised for combat. The goal of the Jedi Order’s childrearing and training practices is to create effective fighters with an intense loyalty to the Order and the cause they serve. They accomplish this through isolation, indoctrination, and the rigorous suppression of dissent. Children are pushed to do and be their best, but I seriously doubt that the Order is going to do anything which endangers their health before the age of ten or so. They aren’t going to beat them. They aren’t going to train them to the point of injury. Force-sensitive kids are a rare and precious commodity and the Order isn’t going to risk losing them to injury or the Darth Side.
By the time the kids are ten or so, then they’re willing to endanger them. We see this during the Gathering arc. The kids are sent into a cave where they undergo a test of character involving hallucinations, extreme temperatures, and potentially life-threatening situations. Ezra and Luke undergo something similar during the course of their training. Everyone consents to participating, but none of the people involve fully understand what they’re about to endure. In the case of Ezra, we see real proof that people have died during the test. We don’t know if anyone has died during the Gathering, but it is presented to the children as a real possibility at the outset. Tests for children that conceivably involve dying if you fail is pretty fucked up.
Tests and object lessons remain a pretty consistent thing with the Jedi from this point on. Initiates have to pass the Padawan Trials. Padawans have to pass the Knight Trials. Knights are assigned padawans to test their ability to handle losing said padawan. Teenagers are repeatedly placed in deadly situations with minimal support to see if they survive. A group of children are kidnapped and left to fend for themselves as Council members declare they’ll be fine and find their own way back if they’re worthy students.
This is all deeply fucked up and symptomatic of the way the Order views it’s members. Jedi, regardless of age, are disposable resources meant to serve a greater purpose. This is fundamentally dehumanizing and results in the various emotionally stunted messes we see on screen.
@howtofightwrite writes in another post about abusive trainers that the key to understanding abusive training scenarios is all about control. Abusive trainers want their trainees to serve them, their needs, and their interests, regardless of what is good for the trainee. I’m just going to quote a few paragraphs from the original post rather than rephrase because it’s just too perfect:
A character with an abusive instructor may become a great fighter, but they will also be emotionally crippled. Like a bully, they will feel the need to exert control over their environment, create their own little kingdoms, and lash out at those who threaten their authority.
A character who cannot embrace their teacher’s outlook will be shattered, chased by self-doubt, and end up too mentally insecure to succeed at warfare. Their confidence is crushed, and whatever they learn from their teacher they don’t have the fortitude to use.
That’s the consequence of an abusive instructor.
You embrace them and become like them.
Or…
You reject them, and they break you.
This is not physical, they break their student emotionally through neglect, through failure, by critically hampering their ability to succeed, by undercutting them, or changing the goalposts on them.
This is literally what happens to Anakin. We see this happen to him over the course of the Clone Wars series and films. We also see them do this to Ahsoka, especially during her trials. We also see a bit of this with Caleb in the Kanan comics when he gets yelled at for asking questions.
And so, to sum up, yes, the Jedi Order was an abusive training environment. They didn’t beat the initiates, but they did recklessly endanger their lives and emotional wellbeing as part of various tests. Their end goal was not to create functional, successful adults, but rather soldiers blindly fighting for their cause and they psychologically broke anyone who didn’t immediately fall in line.
Raf's rants 