Comment on Where Angels Fear To Tread

  1. Gibraltar on Chapter 10 Sat 28 Oct 2023 06:05PM UTC

    So, here's where I have to admit that I'd always perceived the Republic as being a noble, yet weak and occasionally naive political entity. However, that was the me that was 6 when I first saw A New Hope in the theater in '77, based on Obi-Wan's nostalgic memories of the Galactic Republic. It's taken socioeconomic dissection by a Starfleet officer to show me that the Republic was only slightly less barbaric and evil than the Empire that followed it.

    When Chester (correctly) identified Ahsoka as a child-soldier, I was flabbergasted because she's absolutely correct. I'd simply never seen it. She was just Anakin's padawan, a member of the Jedi Order. She carries lightsabers onto dozens of worlds, rather than toting an AK-47 in Africa or Southeast Asia or the dozens of other places on Earth where child-soldiers are utilized.

    I have a BS in Political Science, and these things never occurred to me. That is some damn fine writing.

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    1. SevereAnnoyance on Chapter 10 Sat 28 Oct 2023 06:59PM UTC

      Thank you for this wonderful analysis! Yeah it was fun stepping out of the assumptions of the Clone Wars series (where Ahsoka is an aspirational figure for the intended audience) and looking at it from the Trek point of view, where she's very clearly a child soldier. It's also a great illustration of what a mess the Republic is, and heightens the central systemic tragedy of Star Wars--that things have gotten so bad for so long that turning it around is a daunting task that seems impossible, and ideological malaise has risen as a result. (also they're relying on the Jedi to do the job that the entirety of Starfleet does in the much smaller Federation, pushing central responsibilities of government onto a religious entity. Sound familiar...?)

      Love your comments as always!

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