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What about the slaves?

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I was just watching TPM, and when Anakin said he had a dream he would become a Jedi and come back to free the slaves, I got to wondering:

Whatever happens with slavery on Tattooine? Do the slaves ever get freed? If so, how, and when, and does Anakin have anything to do with it?

I'm guessing the EU has touched on this. Anybody know?

 

Time is running out for the Rebels. Antilles upcourt to Skywalker. He’s being paced by Darth Va— the bone-jarring pick by Solo! He came out of nowhere! Skywalker’s open from way outside, he launches at the buzzer... Good! It’s good! The Rebels win on a sensational buzzer beater by Luke Skywalker! Let’s take another look at that last shot. He just does get it off in time. Wow, what a shot. That’s why they call him Luke Legend.

 

That may be the most exciting battle I have ever been privileged to broadcast. Certainly the most dramatic finish. We’ll get you an update on the Artoo Detoo injury situation in just a moment. Right now let’s go courtside where SuperShadow is waiting with Chewbacca.

 

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It doesn't seem likely, unless Anakin finds time between AOTC and ROTS to go back and do something about it. The whole slavery subplot was a bad angle to have in the prequels. (Droids would be less expensive long-term than slaves anyway?) It makes the Republic and the Jedi look bad since they obviously know it goes on, and don't do anything about it.
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Where were you in '77?

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I always thought that THIS is what E3 will be about - Anakin going to free the slaves, "something" happening to him which makes him turn to the dark side ... Instead we got a shit full of Doom2-type creatures looking incredibly bad.
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Not to mention I figured that when he did go to free the slaves, (which I actually expected to see in Ep II) Watto would activate the detonator inside of Anakin, blowing his arm off. I also expected the slavery plot to tie in with the enslavement of the Wookiees. Again, Lucas just kept writing without looking back at what he'd written before or what was accepted as canon from the EU.

Instead we introduced some old guy named Dookie who cut of Anakin's arm, knew how to make force lightning stronger than the Emperor, and could do backflips from one level to the next and land on his feet. Obi-Wan was just a schmuck by Episode IV. Right?
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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Yup, more inconsistant writing by Lucas. You'd think since he had all these things figured since 1974 or whatever, his final product wouldn't be riddled with so many plot holes.
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Oh, these are not plot holes. They're Deliberate Creative Decisions. Just like Leia remembering her mom even though she died in childbirth. Repeat the mantra until you accept it: Deliberate. Creative. Decision.
I am fluent in over six million forms of procrastination.
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Anakin was a slave in TPM? It didn't seem like that bad of a life, considering he had his own house, lived with his mother, had time to build a podracer and C3PO, and even got to sit down to a nice home cook meal with the family & friends. And he even yelled, 'Yipee' twice. Doesn't sound like a slave to me, sounds a normal middle class kid! Maybe I have to watch Roots again to understand the plight of slaves.
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Originally posted by: CO
Anakin was a slave in TPM? It didn't seem like that bad of a life, considering he had his own house, lived with his mother, had time to build a podracer and C3PO, and even got to sit down to a nice home cook meal with the family & friends. And he even yelled, 'Yipee' twice. Doesn't sound like a slave to me, sounds a normal middle class kid! Maybe I have to watch Roots again to understand the plight of slaves.


Yes, slaves can even own property in TPM. Anakin gave Shmi the money from selling the pod racer, and also elicited a promise from her not to sell 3PO. It's obviously a much more liberal form of slavery than was practiced in the U.S. or has been practiced elsewhere on Earth. Still slavery, though.

Here's another interesting note: the wager Watto makes with Qui-Gonn gives the impression that a pod racer is roughly comparable in worth to one slave. Anakin and Qui-Gonn sell what, from the race, appears to be the fastest pod around and presumably worth a lot of money, and they give that money to Shmi. Why didn't she buy her own freedom?

Maybe she decided slavery wasn't so bad. Say, Watto sold her to Cliegg Lars, and she had the hots for him, so she decided to stick around. Just an idea. Or maybe Cliegg freed her right away so she never had to buy her freedom.

 

Time is running out for the Rebels. Antilles upcourt to Skywalker. He’s being paced by Darth Va— the bone-jarring pick by Solo! He came out of nowhere! Skywalker’s open from way outside, he launches at the buzzer... Good! It’s good! The Rebels win on a sensational buzzer beater by Luke Skywalker! Let’s take another look at that last shot. He just does get it off in time. Wow, what a shot. That’s why they call him Luke Legend.

 

That may be the most exciting battle I have ever been privileged to broadcast. Certainly the most dramatic finish. We’ll get you an update on the Artoo Detoo injury situation in just a moment. Right now let’s go courtside where SuperShadow is waiting with Chewbacca.

 

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Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Oh, these are not plot holes. They're Deliberate Creative Decisions. Just like Leia remembering her mom even though she died in childbirth.


Did Leia know she was adopted? Is it possible she was talking about Mrs. Organa?

 

Time is running out for the Rebels. Antilles upcourt to Skywalker. He’s being paced by Darth Va— the bone-jarring pick by Solo! He came out of nowhere! Skywalker’s open from way outside, he launches at the buzzer... Good! It’s good! The Rebels win on a sensational buzzer beater by Luke Skywalker! Let’s take another look at that last shot. He just does get it off in time. Wow, what a shot. That’s why they call him Luke Legend.

 

That may be the most exciting battle I have ever been privileged to broadcast. Certainly the most dramatic finish. We’ll get you an update on the Artoo Detoo injury situation in just a moment. Right now let’s go courtside where SuperShadow is waiting with Chewbacca.

 

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Well they made a whole movie about a plot to create clones and then never resolved who it was that started the plot. The only way to find out was to listen to interviews, so what makes you think they would follow up on this comment.

To me it would have made a lot more sense if Anakin was upset about the injustice of slavery and the lack of movement by the bureaucracy to change this. It would make the motivation for his change more believable, this would be just one of the things that sets him over the edge.

Maybe Leah has slaves? Ever think of that? Kind of takes some of the sweetness out of this princess thing.


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Originally posted by: cap
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Oh, these are not plot holes. They're Deliberate Creative Decisions. Just like Leia remembering her mom even though she died in childbirth.

Did Leia know she was adopted? Is it possible she was talking about Mrs. Organa?


Luke: Do you remember your mother. Your real mother?

No, she wasn't talking about her adoptive mother.

Maybe Leah has slaves? Ever think of that? Kind of takes some of the sweetness out of this princess thing.


Doubt it. Padme refers to Republic anti-slavery laws back in Phantom Menace. Tatooine only had slavery because the Republic was unable to enforce it there. It seems rather unlikely that a senator and public figure at the core of the Empire would be able to own slaves... unless, of course, the Empire revoked those old slavery laws, but we don't really see any slavery in the original movies. There's the whole Wookiee thing, but whether or not that extends to humans as well, or if that even makes any difference... Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Leia didn't have slaves.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Originally posted by: cap
Originally posted by: ADigitalMan
Oh, these are not plot holes. They're Deliberate Creative Decisions. Just like Leia remembering her mom even though she died in childbirth.


Did Leia know she was adopted? Is it possible she was talking about Mrs. Organa?


Luke: Do you remember your mother. Your real mother?

No, she wasn't talking about her adoptive mother.


If she didn't know she was adopted, then a description of Mrs. Organa would be a natural response to that question.

 

Time is running out for the Rebels. Antilles upcourt to Skywalker. He’s being paced by Darth Va— the bone-jarring pick by Solo! He came out of nowhere! Skywalker’s open from way outside, he launches at the buzzer... Good! It’s good! The Rebels win on a sensational buzzer beater by Luke Skywalker! Let’s take another look at that last shot. He just does get it off in time. Wow, what a shot. That’s why they call him Luke Legend.

 

That may be the most exciting battle I have ever been privileged to broadcast. Certainly the most dramatic finish. We’ll get you an update on the Artoo Detoo injury situation in just a moment. Right now let’s go courtside where SuperShadow is waiting with Chewbacca.

 

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Hoo, boy, this debate again. I believe this was the first debate I ever got onto on these boards.

First of all, aside from the fact that Luke was told that Leia was his sister, how would he possibly know that Leia was adopted if she didn't know? Secondly, if Luke put such emphasis on the word real, would that not have garnered some kind of response from Leia if she had no idea what he was talking about? If she was under the impression she had only one mother, wouldn't the need to specify real (as opposed to not real) confuse her just a little bit?

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Originally posted by: SilverWook
It makes the Republic and the Jedi look bad since they obviously know it goes on, and don't do anything about it.

The Republic was a dying, corrupt, ineffective organization on its last legs. The Prequel Era is sometimes described as a "Golden Age" by fans, but it's not: Even in the 1976 Star Wars novelization, the late Republic is described as a dysfunctional machine. It makes perfect sense that the Republic wouldn't bother enforcing sapient rights laws in the Outer Rim; they could hardly be bothered to defend Naboo, homeworld of a sectoral senator, when it was invaded by the Neimoidian Chamber of Commerce. Lucas got the Republic right, or at least consistent with everything written before.

As for the Jedi looking bad, that was kind of a theme in the PT, wasn't it?

Originally posted by: cap
If she didn't know she was adopted, then a description of Mrs. Organa would be a natural response to that question.


If she didn't know that she was adopted, the natural response would be to look at Luke like he had grown a hand out of his forehead.
"It's the stoned movie you don't have to be stoned for." -- Tom Shales on Star Wars
Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived.
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If she didn't know she was adopted, then a description of Mrs. Organa would be a natural response to that question.


Except that LFL has officially stated that Leia was referring to her real, natural mother. As bad as the setup was in the PT, the OT scene would suck even more eggs if Leia was referring to someone else.

When in doubt, just ignore the PT.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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"Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Leia didn't have slaves."

But she did call an intelligent biped a 'walking carpet'. So the only reason she didn't have slaves was probably because she'd get arrested, and not through some respect for her fellow life-forms!!
VADER: Let me look on you with my own eyes...

LUKE: Dad, where are your eyebrows?

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WO_S6UgkQk0
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Originally posted by: Scruffy
Originally posted by: cap
If she didn't know she was adopted, then a description of Mrs. Organa would be a natural response to that question.


If she didn't know that she was adopted, the natural response would be to look at Luke like he had grown a hand out of his forehead.


Why? If Bail Organa had remarried, she could have understood the question to be referring to her mother as opposed to her stepmother.

Misunderstandings happen IRL. I think it's entirely realistic for Leia to understand the question in a different way than Luke intends it.

 

Time is running out for the Rebels. Antilles upcourt to Skywalker. He’s being paced by Darth Va— the bone-jarring pick by Solo! He came out of nowhere! Skywalker’s open from way outside, he launches at the buzzer... Good! It’s good! The Rebels win on a sensational buzzer beater by Luke Skywalker! Let’s take another look at that last shot. He just does get it off in time. Wow, what a shot. That’s why they call him Luke Legend.

 

That may be the most exciting battle I have ever been privileged to broadcast. Certainly the most dramatic finish. We’ll get you an update on the Artoo Detoo injury situation in just a moment. Right now let’s go courtside where SuperShadow is waiting with Chewbacca.

 

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Originally posted by: cap
Why? If Bail Organa had remarried, she could have understood the question to be referring to her mother as opposed to her stepmother.
Ah yes, but you would have to concede that if this was what the script was trying to express, it doesn't do it.

I feel that the implication of the dialogue is clearly that Leia was adopted but remembered her birth mother (and without any of that Force-Vision bullshit that PT aplogists try to peddle). This is influenced by the dialogue between Luke and Obi-Wan before he leaves to rejoin the fleet.

It is also influenced by the fact that ROTJ has the least interesting script of the OT.

EDIT: Just my opinions, you understand...
Don't you call me a mindless philosopher...!
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Originally posted by: Zebonka
"Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Leia didn't have slaves."

But she did call an intelligent biped a 'walking carpet'. So the only reason she didn't have slaves was probably because she'd get arrested, and not through some respect for her fellow life-forms!!


Heh, yeah. Good point. While we're here, I'd like to point out that it, well, first of all, that was a pretty harsh thing to say about Chewie, especially since he hadn't done anything wrong. But after that, I've always found it really weird when they enthusiastically hug after fighting off the TIEs. I'm sure that Leia was just angry and didn't mean the walking carpet comment, but she seems so warm and friendly after that... well, come to think of it, that's really the only time in the entire trilogy you see her warm and friendly, isn't it? ^_~

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Strictly speaking, when Darth Vader killed the Emperor, didn't he destroy the Empire and free the galaxy from Imperial enslavement? I suppose this could be how his dream as a boy manifested itself as prophecy.
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It really does seem that the slaves were a subplot that was supposed to be dealt with later on in the series and simply didn't get around to being included, or a 'deliberate creative decision' was made to drop it. But as said before, the late years of the Old Republic wasn't all that good. If the Republic hadn't grown corrupt and ineffective, Palpatine wouldn't of been able to take over, and engineering the clone wars would of been nearly impossible. But the slaves should of been dealt with, and I imagine that there will be a book or comic series that will have a pre-darkside Anakin returning to Tattoine and freeing the slaves, if there isn't already one out. The EU is pretty good about taking the tiniest little point and turning it into a major event, so something like the slaves won't escape their attention.
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"Strictly speaking, when Darth Vader killed the Emperor, didn't he destroy the Empire and free the galaxy from Imperial enslavement? I suppose this could be how his dream as a boy manifested itself as prophecy."

No. He just killed the Imperial head of state and government. The rest of the Empire was still there. The EU goes into great detail about the subsequent decline of the Empire. Even if you don't believe in the EU, it is an unwarranted assumption that Palpatine's death brought about the immediate end of the Empire. Roman emperors were killed all the time, but portions of the Empire remained intact, under imperial control, until 1453. Could not the Galactic Empire survive the death of an emperor, for at least a few years?
"It's the stoned movie you don't have to be stoned for." -- Tom Shales on Star Wars
Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived.
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^^^^
which makes the galaxy celebration at the end of ROTJ:SE all the more ridiculous. Especially the scene where coruscant is shown, complete with people tearing down the emperor's statue... most of those people wouldn't even know yet & i'm sure most wouldn't be happy as they'd likely all be corrupt & loyal to the empire anyway. Unless that scene is supposed to take place months or years later... & why the heck would tatooine be celebrating?! it's controlled by gangsters, not the republic or the empire...

It worked so much better with just the rebels celebrating with the ewoks....
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I don't find the Emperor statue being torn down to be unbelievable look at how people celebrated the fall of the Berlin wall. That happened pretty quickly and pretty spontaneously.