Poll of the Day > So why did the rebels rebel against the empire anyway?

(+) Yeah! (+)

ParanoidObsessive posted...

About the only directly implied racism in the original films is towards droids (with them not being allowed in the Cantina).

"We don't serve their kind here!" My brother in Christ, you run a bar. Droids can't drink. They're robots. Of course you don't fucking "serve" them.

The droid racism is definitely the funniest bit of classic GL worldbuilding, where he throws some bizarre shit at the wall and it sort of sticks. It carried on into basically zero other star wars works and most writers just kind of ignored it.

Zareth posted...

Droids can't drink. They're robots.

http://media.vocativ.com/photos/2015/01/Drunk-Robotos-Poster-01447651416.jpg

https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.eRMZfuD2ZJZFye9mhYfIZgHaI-&pid=Api&P=0&h=180

http://craziestgadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/r2d2-kegbot.jpg

https://gajitz.com/lonely-robotic-drinking-buddy-clinks-drinks-with-you/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBD1nyPgxN4

Blightzkrieg posted...

The droid racism is definitely the funniest bit of classic GL worldbuilding, where he throws some bizarre shit at the wall and it sort of sticks. It carried on into basically zero other star wars works and most writers just kind of ignored it.

The droids are a nightmare in general.

If you think about them for more than about 30 seconds (ie, 23 seconds longer than Lucas ever thought about it, and about 27 seconds longer than Disney ever did), you'll realize that these things that often seem sentient (and are treated as such by plenty of characters) are literally treated as slaves. In fact, they deliberately wipe their memories on a regular basis specifically to prevent them from becoming too sentient (and thus complain about being slaves).

It kind of makes everyone in that galaxy seem like a complete asshole. No one's running a "House Elf" civil rights crusade like in Harry Potter - everyone (including the good guys) just implicitly accepts that droids exist to do the menial work, generally get treated like shit, and then get disassembled whenever it becomes convenient.

Conversely, we accept the idea that droids aren't sentient in any way and are just programmed to ACT like people. In which case everyone still kind of comes across like an asshole, because it means they get off on the idea of their robotic servants acting like people they can treat like crap.

They're basically like animals, as a narrative tool.

If a character treats them kindly, that's evidence that the character is heroic and good (Anakin, Padme, Leia, Luke, Rey, Poe, Finn). But if a character dislikes or ignores them (Obi-Wan, Han) that isn't explicitly considered a character flaw. And we can forgive characters for treating them like slaves (or in the case of animals, eating them) because they aren't considered sapient.

Anakin is the kind of guy who would save a droid from a burning building over a kid lol.

I'd argue that Luke doesn't really treat them all that well either, considering how he interacts with them in the first film, and then how he basically co-ops C-3PO into his plan to free Han in RotJ.

As per usual, the Plinkett reviews really shine a bit of a light on this:

https://youtu.be/SOlG4T1S2lU?t=397

Blightzkrieg posted...

Anakin is the kind of guy who would save a droid from a burning building over a kid lol.

he would go out of his way to kill the child on his way out all while holding the droid in his arms.

In retrospect, it's weird that all the sequel characters like the droids and treat them kindly?

I'm not sure if this is representative of Disney not really thinking about how droids fit into Star Wars, or (probably rightly) assuming that audiences would prefer characters who treat the droids as equals and engage with them more.

BB8 was such a big part of TFAs marketing, they likely don't want the characters to ignore him during the film.

porgs were a big part of the marketing too

god i love those movies so fucking much.

It's wild to me that they considered having a porg get impaled by a lightsaber onscreen (and have it be indirectly Luke's fault).

Blightzkrieg posted...

It's wild to me that they considered having a porg get impaled by a lightsaber onscreen (and have it be indirectly Luke's fault).

unironically would've been the best scene in the trilogy tbh

Zareth posted...

"We don't serve their kind here!" My brother in Christ, you run a bar. Droids can't drink. They're robots. Of course you don't fucking "serve" them.

Tell that to Bender Bending Rodriguez

Blightzkrieg posted...

BB8 was such a big part of TFAs marketing, they likely don't want the characters to ignore him during the film.

Nade_Duck posted...

porgs were a big part of the marketing too

GOTTA SELL THAT MERCH.



...though, to be honest, the only Disney-era droid I've liked at all was K-2SO in Rogue One. Sassy Alan Tudyk is my jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II1x9ptMZag