NFBisms said:
My theory is that this will be a big source of the sectarian rebel tensions in the lead-up to the Alliance. Like I alluded to above, Luthen is basically a bolshevik accelerationist. Revolution on his terms is dirty, brutal, and spearheaded by a professional vanguard of gangsters and spies. Mon’s canonical call for Open Rebellion is the inevitable clash with that clandestine exclusivity, but I think what’s added to it with the development of a culture and religion rally, is that for once there might be a tangible, coherent ideology to the so-called “Alliance to Restore The Republic”, one that addresses what exactly makes The Empire more evil than the Old Republic.
Yeah - I mean, historical parallels are always tricky and inexact, but I think what you say about Luthen here is essentially correct. But I interpreted Mon Mothma as basically aligned ideologically with Luthen, rather than viewing the two as representing opposing sides of something like an eventual Bolshevik/Menshevik split. Mon Mothma finances Luthen’s revolutionary activities. She comes off as less “Machiavellian” than Luthen mostly because she operates as a public figure in the middle of a technological police state. (Mon’s cousin Vel also is presumably aligned ideologically with Luthen.) The fact that Mon does some Menshevik type things - like working with the Imperial Senate and Galactic elite to fight oppressive legislation - doesn’t really put her in opposition to Luthen’s attempts to pull off an “October revolution”. Mon’s public activities in the Senate (and her ineffective opposition to Palpatine) are something of a cover story. She’s a Bolshevik in Menshevik clothing, if anything.
for once there might be a tangible, coherent ideology to the so-called “Alliance to Restore The Republic”, one that addresses what exactly makes The Empire more evil than the Old Republic.
Yeah. I mean, the movies don’t explore this beyond a very superficial level. But clearly, we’re supposed to understand that the Empire is worse than the Old Republic because the Empire isn’t a democracy, at least after Alderaan. (Oh yeah, also that little matter of blowing up Alderaan.) But we don’t really even know exactly how the Empire functions economically. We often call the Empire “fascist” - but all we really know about it (from the OT at least) is that it’s a totalitarian police state. It doesn’t necessarily have the structure of classic fascism, like a corporatist economy organized around syndicates. Ironically, the Old Republic was shown to have a Trade Federation and other enormous corporate entities representing an economic sector, with representation in the government - a major feature of fascist/corporatist economies. Presumably these were nationalized and absorbed into the Imperial State.
The encroaching nationalization of private enterprises is mentioned in the novelization of ANH and a deleted scene, but Andor depicts private corporations working as organs of the State. Historically, fascist states would often privatize industries at first, but then end up nationalizing (more so in Italy than Germany) or subsidizing major industries over time to consolidate state control and subordinate the economy to the military. I assume the Empire does this as well (if their handling of Preox-Morlana is any indication) - and they probably absorbed/nationalized former Separatist corporations. But presumably, Palpatine’s end goal is complete nationalization of everything in subordination to the State/military, using the Death Star as a means of maintaining direct control. Also unlike actual fascist regimes, the Empire doesn’t seem to glorify an ancient past or ancient traditions.
The Old Republic, on the other hand, was apparently a quasi-democratic, liberal, capitalist society, with encroaching forms of corporatism (e.g. Trade Federation, Techno Union, etc.)
It’s unclear what sort of economy/ideology the various Rebel factions depicted in the OT or Andor are actually fighting to achieve in some hypothetical New Republic, but presumably the Rebel Alliance that we know and love wants to setup something similar to the Old Republic, rather than something more like a socialist economy with publicly owned industries as suggested (arguably) by the underlying thematic vibes of Andor.
Also, anyone notice how that deleted scene in ANH with Luke and Biggs is kind of an early “spiritual predecessor” to Rogue One/Andor? It’s a scene that would be right at home in an episode of Andor, minus the corny 70s dialogue.