Palpatine.
It’s all Palpatine (and Anakin). Everyone played their part and influenced
Anakin’s decisions, however, even with all their influences Anakin wouldn’t
have fallen if it weren’t for Palpatine. ROTS shows us that. Everyone
influenced Anakin but he stills makes the right choice and tells Mace about
Palpatine. It’s Palpatine who pushes him.When thinking
about who is responsible for what, picture this:
- Jedi Order
was responsible for Anakin’s upbringing. They are responsible for failing to
raise a health person and for allowing a abuser to groom on of their students. They
are responsible for the adult Anakin became.- Palpatine
is responsible for manipulating Anakin into wanting join the Dark Side and
grooming him to be his perfect apprentice. He is responsible for Anakin’s
interest in the dark side.- Anakin is responsible
for his choices.If you
remove the Jedi from the equation but not Palpatine, Anakin is still at risk of
being turned. But if you remove only Palpatine, Anakin is fine. If Anakin had
been raised by the Jedi without Palpatine presence, he wouldn’t have become
this amazing healthy and stable person but he wouldn’t have been tempted into becoming
Darth Vader. Remember, even after he had his first visions of Padmé’s dying Anakin
had no interest in joining the Sith until Palpatine tempted him with the Darth
Plagueis story.But if you
remove only Obi-wan, Yoda, Mace or Padmé, Palpatine is still there to manipulate and
tempt Anakin.When we
talk about the Jedi’s (or any other character) responsibility to Anakin, we are
talking about what they should’ve done to help Anakin not their responsibility for
Anakin’s choices. Take Obi-wan as an example, he’s responsible for Anakin
training and the man he became but he’s not responsible for Anakin’s choice to
join Palpatine.Some might
be guilty of making Anakin more susceptible to Palpatine’s influence but no
one, other than Palpatine, pushed Anakin to the dark side.
Etiqueta: SW meta
regarding that abusive training post you reblogged, do you feel that the jedi’s training methods were abusive? physically and/or mentally?
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.
*slides crumpled 10 reais bill* more anakin actions that remind you of vader pls?
*takes the
bill and runs away* 😛 I’m not
sure of what you need exactly because Anakin IS Vader. Vader is just a twisted
version of Anakin so everything you find in one you will also find in the
other.
- Loyalty.
Once he commits to a cause/group he sticks to it no matter how much he
disagrees with it or it hurts him. Anakin is miserable being a Jedi but he stays.
Vader is miserable being a Sith but he stays. He stays because leaving would be
betrayal.- Deference.
One thing Anakin never leanered was how to shed his submissive behavior. People
in positions of power easly abuse Anakin because he was taight from birth (and
Jedi training) to ALWAYS respect authority and submit to their will.Obi-wan: Use the Force. Think.
Anakin: Sorry, Master.
Obi-wan: He went in there to hide, not to run.
Anakin: Yes, Master.
Obi-wan: Next time, try not to lose it.
Anakin: Yes, Master.
Obi-wan: This weapon is your life.Anakin: I try, Master. [AOTC]
“I must
obey my master.” – Vader [ROTJ]
- Recklessness.
Both put their goals above their own well-being.- Self-sacrifice.
Both are willing to die for what they love.- Murder.
Both are murderers.- Torture.
Both tortured people.- Mental
illness. Both show symptoms of mental illness.- Unhappiness.
Neither were known for being particularly happy people.- Relationship
with their soldiers. Both were deeply respected by the men under his command.- Distrust of
the privileged. Both showed some measure of disdain for people born in privilege
(senators, high-ranking military officers, monarchs, etc).- Sense of humor. Both have a similar sense of humor.
I’m sure there’s more stuff I’m forgetting.
When they
are both in character, Anakin and Vader are the same person and their
personalities align perfectly because it’s the same personality. His
motivations, methods and goals change but not the personality behind that.
Anakin is still there underneath Vader.
Is there a dog equivalent in the Star Wars universe that’s like actually cute? Because we see these bloodhound like creatures in «The Jedi Who Knew Too Much» but they’re just kind of creepy (but tbh I’d still get one of those if I could haha) and other than the loth-cat we don’t really see any variations of our classic pets.. Oh and btw your blog is a solid 10/10 – you put so much effort in your replies/meta. You’re a gem
Yes, dogs
exist in the GFFA and Luke Skywalker had one 🙂“Oddly, Luke was thinking of a dog he had once
owned when an immensely powerful something wrenched at the ship’s hull with
the strength of a fallen angel.” A New Hope novelization by Alan Dean Foster“Presently
the dusty, unpaved streets were quiet, deserted. Sandflies buzzed lazily in the
cracked eaves of pourstone buildings. A
dog barked in the distance, the sole sign of habitation until a lone old
woman appeared and started across the street. Her metallic sun shawl was pulled
tight around her.”
A New Hope novelization by Alan Dean FosterApparently,
the GFFA also has ducks, cats, rabbits, horses, chickens and frogs.PS: thank you!! ❤
Canon vs Fanon: Padmé Amidala
this is an answer to this question | for @leia1998
As i was thinking about this i realized Padmé’s
situation is different from the other two main characters. Canon!Padmé is
pretty consistent in term of who she is and how people perceive her.Fanon!Padmé
is not as consistent because the fandom tend to hyperfocus only one of her many
characteristics. Fanon!Padmé is either the most compassionate being in the galaxy
or a “cold bitch”, she either cares about everyone or no one, she is the wisest
character or she is dumb as a rock, she is romantic or she is fake, she is in
love or she is brainwashed, etc.Of all the
three characters, Padmé’s characterization is the one that seems to matter the
least in term of how the fandom perceives her. Canon seems to matter very little
because bias rules where this character is concerned. Padmé is no longer a character, she’s a symbol, a representation
of whatever the fandom wants her to be. She’s either a great female character
or complete trash.Since accepting
Padmé for who she is (a flawed, human character) is so unpopular and because
both sides of the equation (pros and antis) make wild claims about her (she is
perfect or she is evil incarnated), I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a
broad view of Padmé as a character. A character that can be kind, compassionate,
loving just as she can be privileged, entitled, arrogant, etc. Like any well developed characters, she is a
mix of good and bad qualities.“And where
else should I be?” Padmé demanded, not
caring that her raised voice was attracting the attention of three
apprentice healers scurrying about their mysterious Jedi business. Not caring
that she was perilously close to making
a scene, behaving in a manner unbecoming to a former Queen of Naboo, a member
of the Galactic Senate, a politician with a very public face. I am not
leaving this place before they let me see him. Vokara Che’s expression
hardened. “If you’re not comfortable with receiving Jedi treatment, Senator, I
can see you escorted to a medcenter or—” “You’re
not escorting me anywhere! I want—” [Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild
Space]Anakin
laughed, too, but sobered quickly. He gave her another of his intent stares and
said suddenly, “I’m going to marry you.” Amidala
could not help laughing again. A slave boy, marrying the Queen of Naboo?
But here she was only Padmé, she reminded herself. At least Anakin did not seem
put out by her involuntary laughter.
[Patricia C. Wrede’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace]The way [Padmé]
ran to Anakin, so gravely wounded in that cavern. The tenderness in her eyes, her touch. Her fierce protection of him on the journey back to Coruscant. How she ignored her own pain for his. And how
she fought to see him, here in the Temple. [Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild
Space]“What
happened to Anakin’s mother, Padmé?” The question jolted her, unpleasantly. She
hadn’t realized [Obi-wan] knew anything was wrong. “What happened? She died”. And that jolted him. Good. [Karen
Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild Space]“Padmé,” [Bail]
said as he reached her, then pulled her aside into a convenient alcove. His
dark eyes were anxious. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is
one of the bombings’ casualties.” The
lies came so easily now. “No! I didn’t—oh, that’s awful, Bail. How badly is
he hurt?” [Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild Space]
Canon vs Fanon: Anakin Skywalker
this is an answer to this question | for @leia1998
Canon
Canon:
canon!Anakin is reserved and most people considered him mysterious/sad/burdened.
Only a few people in canon ever saw him smile or laugh. He is incredibly intelligent
and hardworking. Anakin is known to be awkward and not having the best social
skills. He often described as extremely generous, compassionate, patient,
gentle and forgiving. I think the best to way to understand a character is to
look at how they are perceived by other characters.“I’m not
speaking of your power, Anakin, but of your heart. The greatness in you is a
greatness of spirit. Courage and
generosity, compassion and commitment.
These are your virtues,” Obi-Wan said gently. “You have done great things,
and I am very proud of you.” [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]“A man who
knew exactly what he wanted and was honest
enough to simply ask for it; a man strong
enough to unroll his deepest feelings before her without fear and without shame. A man who had loved her for a
decade, with faithful and patient heart,
while he waited for the act of destiny he was sure would someday open her own
heart to the fire in his. [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]“[Anakin]
is not a perfect man: he is prideful,
and moody, and quick to anger—but these faults only make her love him the more,
for his every flaw is more than balanced by the greatness within him, his capacity for joy and cleansing laughter,
his extraordinary generosity of spirit,
his passionate devotion not only to
her but also in the service of every living being.” [Matthew Stover’s Revenge
of the Sith]“He thought
of how unflinchingly loyal Anakin was
to anyone he considered a friend.” [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]“Ferus did
not allow for the goodness of Anakin’s
heart. He did not see how hard
Anakin tried. He did not know that Anakin
questioned himself all the time.” [Jude Watson’s The Changing of the Guard]It’s not
just Skywalker’s rank that makes us give him one hundred percent. It’s because he treats us with respect, and he
puts himself on the line with us.” [The Clone Wars by Karen Traviss]“He feels too much, too keenly. Maybe
that’s what happens when you’ve got the highest midi-chlorian count in Jedi
history. Maybe that’s the trade-off. You
feel everything, so you’re brilliant. You feel everything, and it hurts. [Karen
Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]“Sometimes [Ahsoka]
even deliberately flouted his wishes. Anything to break him free of sorrow or frustration or some bleak memory he refused
to share. Anything to let him know, Hey, what you did then? That was
stupid. But mostly she kept her fears for him to herself, because all his bright and burning passion for justice, his
reckless courage, his hunger for victory and his refusal to accept defeat—they
were what made him Anakin. He wouldn’t be Anakin without his feelings. [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]Obi-Wan
stifled a sigh. Oh Anakin. This was about his childhood. Again. About the indelible fingerprints slavery had left on
his soul and his psyche. [Karen Miller’s Clone
Wars Gambit: Stealth]The fear and dread in her face eased, just a little. “You’re a very sweet young man, Anakin
Skywalker.” [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth][Anakin]
humbles me, sometimes. He makes me feel small. He can’t see a broken thing
without wanting to fix it. [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth]“I don’t
know,” she said, floundering. “I can’t say I’ve ever given the Jedi much
thought. I mean, not as individuals. I never expected to meet one—let alone
two. I don’t tend to go places where your skills are needed. But—well—you’re gentle.” [Karen Miller’s Clone
Wars Gambit: Stealth]Fanon
Fanon!Anakin
always laughing and cracking jokes (with complete strangers). He’s dumb, lazy
and a ladies man. He is often described as vain, incompetent, selfish and sometimes
cruel. This Anakin is motivated mostly by greed, wanting power only for
himself. If Vader and a dudebro had a baby, that baby would be fanon!Anakin. it’s
also important to mention there are subgenres to this. To name a few, we have Damien!Anakin,
fuckboy!Anakin, god!Anakin (he is responsible
or EVERYTHING that happens in the galaxy) and incompetent!Anakin (NOTHING is
his fault).
Canon vs Fanon: Obi-wan Kenobi
this is an answer to this question | for @leia1998
Canon
Canon!Obi-wan
hides his heart. He’s capable of caring deeply for his friends and even
completely strangers but he doesn’t show it in a way they can recognize. Thanks
to his Jedi training, Obi-wan built a lot of walls, and these walls keep him
from acting on his feelings. His relationship with Anakin helped him put some
of them down but, usually, unless he was under great stress, he
never allows himself to be guided by his emotions. If Anakin was motivated by
emotions, Obi-wan was motivated by duty (to jedi Order and to himself). Canon!
Obi-wan cares, loves, suffers, despairs but he doesn’t show it so people don’t
see it. they only see the consummate Jedi: stoic, calm, rational, focused, etc.What Obi-wan
feels:Obi-Wan
reached out, then hesitated. He felt a
strong urge not to wake the boy, to let him sleep like this forever, to forever
anticipate a great adventure, forever dream of personal triumph and joy.
This feeling held too much sentiment and weakness to be allowed, but he allowed
it nevertheless. This must be how a
father feels, looking down on his son, worried about an uncertain future,
Obi-Wan thought. I would hate to see him
fail. But I would hate far more to lose
this boy. I would almost rather freeze time here, and freeze myself with it,
than face that. [Greg Bear’s Rogue Planet]Anakin was liked by the other students, but he had no close friends. He
was not loved. Obi-Wan told himself that Anakin’s gifts naturally set him
apart. But in his heart, he grieved for
Anakin’s loneliness. [Jude Watson’s Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice]“I just…” Anakin stopped. He took a ragged breath. “I thought you would
be proud of me.” I am proud of you. Obi-Wan
wanted to say the words. They were true. He was proud of so much in Anakin. But
now was not the time to tell him that. Or was it? [Jude Watson’s Jedi Quest: The School of Fear]The man he
faced was everything Obi-Wan had devoted his life to destroying: Murderer.
Traitor. Fallen Jedi. Lord of the Sith. And here, and now, despite it
all… Obi-Wan still loved him. [Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith]Obi-Wan
felt as if someone had knotted his insides. He had failed his apprentice and
closest friend. Anakin was suffering,
and the only balm he offered were Jedi platitudes. His body heaved a
stuttering breath. He had his mouth open to speak when the crew chief
interrupted.[ James Luceno’s Labyrinth of evil]What
Obi-wan shows:“[Ahsoka]
shows great promise, Anakin,” said Obi-Wan, glancing at him. “The small,
scrappy ones often turn out the best, you know.” And was that a typical Obi-Wan compliment? Oblique. Off-handed. Never
effusive. I think it was. [Karen Miller’s Wild Space]Obi-Wan’s
gaze warmed. “As you do, Padawan. You never give less than your best. I’m proud of the Jedi you have become.”
Anakin was moved. His Master so rarely
spoke this way. “Thank you, Master.” [Jude Watson. The Final Showdown]It was
unkind of him to say it, but [Obi-wan]
had no time for kindness. He needed to break Anakin’s inconvenient bond with Durd’s captive scientist before it tightened
any further. Before he completely lost sight of their goal. Their duty. [Karen Miller’s Clone Wars
Gambit: Stealth]He had
thought for a moment on Azure that Obi-Wan had loved Siri. He thought he’d seen
it in his Master’s eyes after she had died. But Obi-Wan had stood over the man
who had killed her and spared him. If he had loved Siri, could he have done
that? Of course, it was what a Jedi should do. But the way Obi-Wan had spoken had been so measured. With a temperament like
that, it was impossible to love, Anakin was sure. [Jude Watson’s Secrets of
the Jedi][Obi-wan]’s face was pale; his eyes
were darkened with fatigue and pain and
something else. Despair? No. It can’t be. Jedi don’t feel things like that. At
least … not this Jedi. [Karen Miller’s Wild Space]So cool, he was. Positively indifferent. Anyone
would think he spoke of a mere acquaintance. But she knew better. [Karen Miller’s Wild
Space][Padmé]
couldn’t help shivering, his voice was
so cold. This was the Obi-Wan who could reduce Anakin to chastened silence.
Almost to tears. [Karen Miller’s Wild Space]Fanon
Fanon!Obi-wan
is the mom-friend. He’s loving, caring, friendly and, more important, he’s great
at expressing emotions. He’s always hugging people, cooking for them, spoiling
them. He’s the ultimate nice guy. Fanon!Obi-wan has no real flaws, because
usually everything is someone else’s fault and his main function is to fix everyone and
everything. He’s the wisest, kindest, most handsome, most charming, most
understanding, most powerful, most loving, sweetest, friendliest guy you will
ever meet and he shows it you when you meet him.
All the things you mentioned about Anakin (killing younglings, torturing people, etc) is what makes him an EXCELLENT character. To put it in another way, we can hate the actions he makes, but that’s what makes him such an interesting character. I might dislike Anakin as a person sometimes (because there are moments where I really love him!!) but I ALWAYS love him as a character, because of all the complexity it has, and that makes him one of my favorite characters I really hope this makes sense
arctrooperfivesbutt replied to your post “All the things you mentioned about Anakin (killing younglings,…”
Exactly!
Anakin makes terrible decisions but that doesn’t mean he’s a terrible character
or that we are terrible people for enjoying him. His ability to go great things
AND terrible things is what makes him the most well developed character in the
franchise. And we try to pretend he didn’t do either, that he was either
completely good or completely evil we end up denying what makes him a great
character.Yes! Imo the bad thing about the fandom is that
most people tend to look at things in “black and white” instead of all
the different shades of gray that exist (and then complain about the
character doing the same thing). Anakin’s terrible AND great acts is
what makes me love him as a character.
We can’t just look at all the bad things about him, because even in his
darkest times, as Vader, he still had light (good) in him. THAT WAS THE
POINT OF ALL THE SAGA!!!
i don’t think a lot of people in fandom realize the clones were actually slaves, heck, i don’t even think the writers (at least i think) realized it…
I think it
depends on what you mean by fandom. The movies never made it overly explicit
(in-your-face slavery) so I think the “casual fans” ever gave it much thought. Figuring
the overall vibe of the fandom on this topic is hard because the fandom is so
fractured. I believe most fans who are interested in the EU know the clone army
is a slave army. The EU makes it pretty clear. The real problem is the people
who know but choose to ignore it or make excuses. I’ve seen fans argue that
real victims of the creation of the clone army were the Jedi. And they were not
talking about Order 66, they were arguing that the people who suffered the most
from the Kaminoans work were the Jedi. That the Jedi had no choice but to accept
a slave army and that’s makes them honorable victims. Those arguments offend me
far more than a fan who never realized they were a slave army because they
never looked into it.Speaking of
offensive arguments, the writers absolutely realized the clones were slaves but
sucked at talking about it. It feels like they wanted to show they were slaves
at the same time they wanted to show the Jedi as benevolent and Anakin as
unreasonable. But the thing is, there’s no such a thing a good slave owner. The
same way there’s nothing unreasonable about wanting to abolish slavery.By not
fully embracing the issue and exploring it in a satisfactory away they created
this gray area where slavery sort of happens and it’s kind of bad. An area where
everyone is somehow justified in not doing more. And when the writers don’t know
how to approach the subject, it’s not surprising the fandom doesn’t either. It’s
even less surprising that some take this slip-up as moral ambiguity and use it
against the slaves to make their heroes look better (and send rape threats to
the writers that do want to talk about it).It’s interesting to me just how persistent the myth of the ‘good’ slave owner is, especially in the United States. I guess when a not insignificant portion of the viewer’s (and writer’s) ancestors owned people, the idea that it was possible to both be a person-owner and a good person has to exist so people can look back at their ancestors without being overwhelmed by the shame.
In a way though, #notallslaveowners is a lot like #notallmen. Even if they weren’t beating or starving their slaves, those owners were still a) exploiting the labor of enslaved people, b) using the implied threat of force to compel said labor. Enslaved people sure knew that they could be beaten, tortured, starved, separated from their loved ones at any time even if their ‘good’ master had never done so simply because that’s what slave owners do.
Basically, the Jedi do not deserve a cookie for treating the clones with some semblance of humanity. Yoda telling a clone that he sees him as a unique being whose life has value means exactly dick when he would throw literally anyone under the bus for the Greater Good with or without their consent. Shaak Ti speaking kindly to the clones means nothing when she also refers to them as Republic property and makes potentially fatal medical decisions for them without their consent. Basically, the Jedi don’t have to be Pong Krell to be bad. All they have to do is allow Pong Krell to stay in the field despite ridiculous casualties because, hey, at least he wins. And that’s not even going into the part where the clones all have mind control chips THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT and are cool with.
And the Jedi are only “kind” to the Clones because Kamino already took care of ensuring their compliance.
If their army hadn’t come to them already brainwashed from birth, if desertion was something that happened more than once in a blue moon, if it didn’t take DEAFON 7 for them to *think* about disobeying orders in the field – Hell, stakes don’t even need to be that high, if the Clones couldn’t be trusted to hold to military discipline all by their lonesome – would they be so kind?
If the choice was to be not so nice or loose their army, what would they pick?
As it is in The Clone Wars cartoon, they’re like the fun uncle who can swan in and be all chummy and permissive with the kids because the parents are the ones actually doing the job of teaching them the rules and enforcing them*.
*Only in this case, the parents are abusive slavers robbing them of their agency and personhood before they can develop it, so that they can conveniently be used as canon fodder by the fun uncle.
I feel like someone (maybe a person of color) needs to re-write the clones and their narrative. This idea that if it weren’t for the chips, they were in love with the Jedi and had no qualms with them is inaccurate, and insulting to people who are actually descendants of slaves and or colonized people. Like the writers don’t even realize how wrong it is to make the clones so attached to people that oppress them, while implying that the only reason the clones would ever think twice about the Jedi is because of the chips. Like I’m so upset with how Wolffe’s narrative was treated? let this man hate the jedi for what they’ve done to him and his brothers. let his distrust of them be valid!
The writers did not know how to write the clones, and I mean none of the writers. These people clearly cannot put themselves in the shoes of an oppressed individual. They always have to insert some hidden feelings of love and respect for the Jedi (or not hidden at all) and thus the fandom interprets it as impossible that the clones could ever possibly have ill feelings for the jedi because of the chips! Like i pray for a writer who actually knows how to write the clones respectfully because i have just about had it.
Yes! And like OP said, Wolffe’s narrative is completely valid!. Here in Peru, after almost 200 years since we got our independence, we’re still seeing the effects that colonization and enslavement had in our people.
These things don’t go away easily, and expecting the clones, specially the ones who actually took their chips out, still having a high respect for the Jedi is just unrealistic.
Let me explain some of this (sorry in advance because I’m not an expert in history), in colonial times, there were laws that were supposed to protect native people. Of course that never happened because native people were enslaved and if they didn’t want to die, they just had stay quiet and obey. And apart from these “laws” not being followed, they treated native people as they were kids, they were considered “underage, not able to think for themselves, we (the conquerors) have the duty to teach them what to do and who to follow because obviously they can’t think for themselves” and this is just disgusting. Native people were totally capable of taking care on their own, despite what the conquerors said. If it wasn’t for their constant fight, we would have never gained independence, it was thanks to THEM, these native people, that we are free now.
But, like I said, these things don’t go away easily. The effects that we’re still seeing are mostly racism, exploitation of peasants (most of them directly descendants from native people), “forgetting” about the native communities that still exist and not giving them the opportunity to have a better life, government making laws that benefit foreigners than our own people.
But I also have to mention that most of these people were so brainwashed that they believed that the conquerors did a great job here and that they were the heroes. This opinion is divided half in half between the people, but most will agree that the way they treated us was absolutely disgusting.
Now let’s take this to the clones case, they were also enslaved, made to believe that the Jedi were their saviors, were killed doing something THEY never chose to do. And they’re telling me that they are expected to admire the Jedi? That they still want to keep fighting for them? The Jedi, who were supposed to protect every living being, and that slavery was something they would not tolerate (remember the “laws” I mentioned earlier), but still only used the clones as objects? Does anybody really thinks that the clones would still admire the Jedi? Sure, they will have SOME respect for the ones who treated them somewhat better than others, but that’s NOT the same thing as admiring them and consider them perfect heroes.
Imo, most clones would be disgusted by thinking about the time they served the Jedi. The way they were treated by the Jedi, was disgusting. Even the ones who were told that they were real people who deserved better, still were thrown into battles expecting them to sacrifice themselves so the Jedi could live.
So, no, the writers didn’t took any of this into consideration while writing the clones. They wanted us to make us believe that the Jedi were always perfect, and to do that, they had to erase all the suffering the clones had to go through and erase all the job they did BY THEMSELVES. They didn’t need the Jedi to be great soldiers, they didn’t need the Jedi to win battles, they didn’t need the Jedi to discover the chip plot! They didn’t need the Jedi to take care of them because they are completely capable of taking care of themselves. And to think they did need the Jedi, is to have the mentality of a conqueror, an enslaver.