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Well, While reading various SW related articles on the net, I found this interesting essay. Its has simular feel to what I felt about the role of Empire in SW universe, and the fight of Good VS Evil for the good in the Universe.
Check it out here and post your thoughts on the subject:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Conten...1/248ipzbt.asp
that's a great, great article :)
Well...it seems to miss a few points.
Spoilers Abound!
Yes, the Jedi are often arrogant. However, they are not supposed to be. Yoda says this is often the major flaw of a Jedi. And in the first 2 movies neither the republic or the rebels are good or evil. The senator is obviously using both sides to create a war...therefore increasing the "dark force" (obviously fed by corruption, death, hate, etc.). The Jedi are never perfect either. Although they make an attempt, they have a hard time, especially when they have so much force and the dark side of it has so much power at the beggining of the series.
I do agree with one part though. The genetic force. It makes since that Luke and Leia would have supperior amounts of force power or whatever since Anakin is born from these creatures (like Jesus...no daddy). However, he should have made other powerful Jedi like Yoda or Obi-won just really hard workers. It would have made them more nobel imo.
But then again, the mito-chlorians or whatever are only a test of a Jedi's potential. It never mentions what it takes to get a kid into Jedi training. And then again, if they do need this presence in them, it isnt just a benign thing like a race. The amount of force present in them is directly linked to the power the Jedi will have. If a Jedi is not powerful then they would not be very effective at their job.
I think eps. 2 starts revealing the true purpose of the Jedi. It seems like their job has been warped. They spend the whole movie protecting one of a thousand senators, and Kenobi and Anakin just return from a border despute at the beggining of the movie. I am not sure, but from what I have seen and assumed, a Jedi's job is maintaining the balance of the force. I dont a border despute qualifies as that.
Bottom line is though, the dark side is evil. The empire is not. The empire is not what created the Death Star...that is planned long before the empire is created as hinted at in eps. 2. The Siths just want to create destruction to fuel their power.
Thats enough :eek:
man, an arendtian would have a field day with that.
anyway, i don't really buy it. i'm not an arendtian, but i do agree with some of arendt's ideas, one of which is freedom. she believes that freedom is the ability to govern yourself and to participate in political matters. whether that freedom is comfortable or not, freedom is the most important thing (think the matrix --- morpheus rather lived uncomfortably fighting against the matrix than to live a comfortable life under the rule of the matrix. what the rebellion was doing was just that. they wanted sovereignty; they didn't want to be ruled by another.
i'll agree that the empire wants order, but i would also argue that with that order comes the compromise of everyone else's political involvment. if people wanted to participate in political matters, they wouldn't be able to.
remember, the british monarchy was very orderly, but that wasn't tolerated by everyone. thus, the american revolution took place. there are those who want political sovereignty, and are willing to fight for it. i don't think we really had an exact idea for a government when we were fighting for sovereignty. that wasn't the biggest concern yet. we wanted out of another's rule first.
i'm not going to say who's evil and who's good, but i wanted to argue why the rebellion fought against the empire. i think i'll stop here for now. it'd be great if other people want to discuss this.
"Well, at least the Emperor made the trains run on time."
This article is utter nonsense. Picking the Empire over the Republic is like picking Nazi Germany over the Weimar Republic. Sure, the latter had its problems with corruption and lawlessness, but it sure beats torture and genocide.
And you don't think that comparing Nazis to a silly fictional superpower is nonsense?Quote:
Originally posted by sleeveboy
"Well, at least the Emperor made the trains run on time."
This article is utter nonsense. Picking the Empire over the Republic is like picking Nazi Germany over the Weimar Republic. Sure, the latter had its problems with corruption and lawlessness, but it sure beats torture and genocide.
Well, If you had read carefully, he called her librarian of Jedi council. Not Jedi knight. Do you thing that everyone who works for Jedi council is Jedi? There must be millinons of creatures on service there, and only few thousands of Jedi.
So read more carefully before, blaming article on mistakes.
Not when the Empire is obviously modeled after Nazi Germany.Quote:
Originally posted by AFX
And you don't think that comparing Nazis to a silly fictional superpower is nonsense?
Um... WHAT?! Look, I know MENACE was boring and hard to sit through, but did it not sink in that these people were willing to occupy a peace-loving planet and slaughter innocents for the sake of a few bucks? The separitists are all greedy corporations who want to get away from the Republic so they can exploit the common man with impunity. Research, people. Research.Quote:
In "Attack of the Clones," a mysterious figure, Count Dooku, leads a separatist movement of planets that want to secede from the Republic. Dooku promises these confederates smaller government, unlimited free trade, and an "absolute commitment to capitalism." Dooku's motives are suspect--it's not clear whether or not he believes in these causes. However, there's no reason to doubt the motives of the other separatists--they seem genuinely to want to make a fresh start with a government that isn't bloated and dysfunctional.
My poor, poor fool. You've made the same mistake the people of the Republic did: taken Palpatine's words at face value. Which is particularly idiotic seeing as we all know something they didn't: Palpatine and Darth Sidious are THE SAME PERSON!! Your supposed benevolent leader is in fact the man stirring up all these wars to increase his own political standing. It's rather sad that you've missed the whole point of this new trilogy: Palpatine's ascension from Senator to Emperor was paved with the blood of countless innocents.Quote:
But look closer. When Palpatine is still a senator, he says, "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good." At one point he laments that "the bureaucrats are in charge now."
Palpatine believes that the political order must be manipulated to produce peace and stability. When he mutters, "There is no civility, there is only politics," we see that at heart, he's an esoteric Straussian.