ESB question — Page 2

Do you know different?

Shut up? Bit uncalled for.

Hey, it's me. said:

I don't think you can really describe robots as slaves. They were built for their specific duty. They weren't kidnapped from a planet where robots of all kinds roam free and do as they wish and forced into a life of servitude. :-D

That's not a complete definition of slavery.

Most slaves are born into slavery, not kidnapped. Slaves are sentient beings used as utility objects.

Artoo and Threepio have an internal life outside of their duties, they think for themselves, show signs which can be interpreted as emotional responses even when there isn't a non-droid to witness their behaviour. They forge connections that go beyond a purely mechanical loyalty (they are loyal to each other).

This suggests a degree of sentience. Something George was keen for us to believe in 1977 and 1980. We are meant to have empathy with them as full characters not just funny machines.

They are slaves in much the same way the clone troopers in the PT are who are grown and brain washed people forced to a life of war (they are effectively child soldiers).

Naturally George doesn't go anywhere with this.

Yeah I get your point Bingo, but that was always the innocence and beauty of Star Wars for me. How the hell can a droid have a personality? Was R2 the product of a communion between 2 consenting R units and from a little R2 grew into the R2 we've come to know and love? His personality grew with age? He just is what he is (same with Threepio) A droid with personality, and that's accepted without question because its fantasy. It isn't delved into on a deeper level because there simply is no need for it to be. 

I don't know.

I could imagine a very exciting Star Wars trilogy stemming from the duel slavery of the troopers and the droids.

The clone wars saw them pitted against each other.

Together they would be much more interesting.

Bingowings said:

I don't know.

I could imagine a very exciting Star Wars trilogy stemming from the duel slavery of the troopers and the droids.

The clone wars saw them pitted against each other.

Together they would be much more interesting.

Well now we're starting to delve into PT territory, and that for me is where I start to glaze over through sheer disinterest. Lol

Look at Spartacus and imagine the droids of the Star Wars universe turning on their pampered masters with former Troopers as the trigger.

It could work.

Bingowings said:

Look at Spartacus and imagine the droids of the Star Wars universe turning on their pampered masters with former Troopers as the trigger.

It could work.

Hmm interesting theory. But then, what would the droids be truly fighting for? Droid independence? What would their purpose be beyond what they were built for? The emotional expanse of droids in the SW universe seems to be a very limited one. A droid is never shown being deep in thought. Questioning their place in the universe. 

In a way nuGalactica has gotten there first and done it better but Obi-Wan sort of preempts the idea by saying something to the effect of "If droids could think none of us would be here". Yet we see Artoo and Threepio go through much the same motions as the human and alien characters.

You say we don't see the droids deep in thought but we see them (or at least seem to see them) as contemplative as any of the other characters.

The sequence that George screwed up by adding his appearing/disappearing rock shows Artoo display or at least appear to display a range of emotional responses.

Fear, concern for Luke and even recognition of Obi-Wan and the completion of his mission.

He later shows concern for Threepio.

He has much more of an acting range than even Ewan McGregor in the PT.

So essentially the peoples of the Star Wars universe (surrounded by droids) are living on the edge of a potential catastrophe.

It just needs a spark, provided by a good villain.

I don't know Bingo, its a question I've never given much thought. It's almost akin to asking, well how can a big giant space slug be a revered gangster who gets pissed off when it deems its been repeatedly avoided by a human smuggler who owes him a debt. How could such a thng display human sentiments and emotion? It just is because its Star Wars and its fantasy and its the greatest thing ever (the OT anyway lol). Star Wars (for me personally) isn't something that has ever required people to question the ethics of it. It isn't that deep of a fable, and isn't meant to be viewed as such.

Jabba makes perfect sense.

If he kept showing a soft side to people who owed him money Jabba wouldn't be the big cheese anymore.

That's why he kept Han as a wall decoration.

Treating the story as just a silly kids fable spoils storytelling. As I said earlier even fantasy has to act as if it isn't fantasy. It has to obey it's own internal logic.

Vincent Price avatars are the latest thing from Gay Paree...

Hey, it's me. said:

Shut up? Bit uncalled for.

He was clearly joking.  See emoticon.

Tobar said:

I've always thought it would be neat to have story about a Droid Rebellion. My thinking would be that it's set in the past and ends up being a bit of a tragedy that ends in the introduction of restraining bolts and regular memory erasures.

One of those had a Dalek in it which isn't even a robot.

The EU of Star Wars and Star Trek both have the planet Skaro in them.