Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: droids, marvel, star wars

Star Wars Blindness To Sentient Rights In Star Wars #10 (Spoilers)

Two moments in this week's Star Wars comic book from Marvel demonstrated some of the peculiar politics in that franchise. And politics has been there from the beginning. George Lucas has stated that America was The Empire and that the Rebel Alliance were based on the Viet Cong, even though the imagery used is more associated with German Nazis Stormtroopers fighting the British fighter pilots.

They have also shown slavery, something to be defeated when it comes to organic sentient life, and just a matter of fact, to be maintained when it comes to robot sentient life. And Star Wars robots are seemingly sentient. Aware of themselves, full of emotion, fear of their destruction, and willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause. And also able to be cruel and cowardly, to relish in causing pain to others, and be downright shitbags all round. As L3-37 says to Lando.

"Sure, some guy in a factory probably pieced me together originally, and someone else programmed me, so to speak. But then the galaxy itself forged me into who I am. Because we learn, Lando. We're programmed to learn. Which means we grow. We grow away from that singular moment of creation, become something new with each changing moment of our lives—yes, lives—and look at me: these parts. I did this. So maybe when we say the Maker we're referring to the whole galaxy, or maybe we just mean ourselves. Maybe we're our own makers, no matter who put the parts together"

Because in the movie Solo, you see an uprising by the robot class against their masters, with L3-37 seeking freedom. It ends with the idea that they may succeed, the concept of freedom spreading and inspiring a galaxy-wide uprising. Knowing that the state of robots in the "future" films shows that this utterly did not happen and L3-37 is trapped, without agency, in a space ship, lost in a card game. And neither the Rebel Alliance nor The New Republic seems to care about this state of affairs.

Star Wars #10 sees an elderly droid from High Republic times revived, with just a touch of HK-47 and information the Rebel Alliance needs. And, to C3PO's dismay, he is unwilling to give it.

So a deal has to be struck, though Leia Organa can't resist throwing in a little propaganda.

But is this droid right to be so wary of working with the Rebel Alliance. Another scene, later on, shows the Rebel fleet's droids being targeted.

And so the droids are blown up, commanded to sacrifice themselves, to become suicide bombers.

Can you see why some droids might prefer to cut a deal? And may be suspect of the Rebel Alliance's declarations of moral superiority?

STAR WARS #10
MARVEL COMICS
NOV200592
(W) Charles Soule (A) Jan Bazaldua (CA) Carlo Pagulayan
"OPERATION STARLIGHT, PART 2 (OF 3)" – REELING FROM THE LOSS
OF ONE OF THEIR OWN, THE REBELS FINALLY SEE A PATH FORWARD!
•  THE REBELS attempt to create a new communications code that THE EMPIRE will never be able to crack, in hopes that they might be able to safely reunite their scattered fleet and rejoin the fight.
•  However, the code has a cost, one that LANDO CALRISSIAN is not willing to pay!
•  Meanwhile, STARLIGHT SQUADRON, the group of elite pilots tasked with finding the scattered divisions of the fleet, heads out on its first deadly mission. Rated T In Shops: Jan 06, 2021 SRP: $3.99

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