Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Throughout the history of Star Wars, and it's expanded universe, the setting has tackled slavery in both human and biological alien populations with Twi'lek and Hutts taking front and center of this discussion as the archetypical slaves and slave traders.
But even before the first introduction of a twi'lek slave in Return of the Jedi, the series was already having discussions about slavery and the mindset of evil in it's treatment of droids: A treatment that has remained consistent through the majority of the extended universe.
From the moment we are first introduced to C3PO and R2D2 in A New Hope, they are treated as people: C3PO is given a very human (and cowardly) personality for the audience to empathize with and R2D2 is entrusted with a vital mission.
And from the third scene in the whole movie, we are told how the badguys treat the droids: When the escape pod containing C3PO and R2D2 detaches from the blocade runner, the Imperials don't bother to shoot it down because there's no biological people on board: Droids are beneath their notice.
The Jawas are introduced to us through how they treat the droids, and it clearly displays their nature as banally evil in a greedy way.
While more neutral figures like Uncle Owen simply treat the droids as machines to be bought and sold, our hero Luke is introduced to us as a good person through how he treats the droids: Rather than treating them as an owner, he has conversations with them and treats them as fellow people. The one time he threatens to wipe them it's made immediately clear that he's acting in haste, and he feels remorse and guilt over his hasty statement that drives R2D2 into the desert.
This theme of protagonists having a special connection to droids is repeated endlessly across Star Wars canon, from Reven having a special connection to droids and building HK-47 to Mara Jade being first signaled as redeemable through her interactions with droids.
Many works set in the Star Wars universe depict droid rebellions, and in general these rebellions are depicted as being analogous to slave rebellions: Vicious, brutal, and badly deserved, though often coopted by figures of power.
Star Wars takes a hard stance against slavery, beginning with the slavery of thinking machines.
But even before the first introduction of a twi'lek slave in Return of the Jedi, the series was already having discussions about slavery and the mindset of evil in it's treatment of droids: A treatment that has remained consistent through the majority of the extended universe.
From the moment we are first introduced to C3PO and R2D2 in A New Hope, they are treated as people: C3PO is given a very human (and cowardly) personality for the audience to empathize with and R2D2 is entrusted with a vital mission.
And from the third scene in the whole movie, we are told how the badguys treat the droids: When the escape pod containing C3PO and R2D2 detaches from the blocade runner, the Imperials don't bother to shoot it down because there's no biological people on board: Droids are beneath their notice.
The Jawas are introduced to us through how they treat the droids, and it clearly displays their nature as banally evil in a greedy way.
While more neutral figures like Uncle Owen simply treat the droids as machines to be bought and sold, our hero Luke is introduced to us as a good person through how he treats the droids: Rather than treating them as an owner, he has conversations with them and treats them as fellow people. The one time he threatens to wipe them it's made immediately clear that he's acting in haste, and he feels remorse and guilt over his hasty statement that drives R2D2 into the desert.
This theme of protagonists having a special connection to droids is repeated endlessly across Star Wars canon, from Reven having a special connection to droids and building HK-47 to Mara Jade being first signaled as redeemable through her interactions with droids.
Many works set in the Star Wars universe depict droid rebellions, and in general these rebellions are depicted as being analogous to slave rebellions: Vicious, brutal, and badly deserved, though often coopted by figures of power.
Star Wars takes a hard stance against slavery, beginning with the slavery of thinking machines.
