Star Wars Sunday: Skywalkers Ruin Everything?

[redrikki]

Earlier this week, I read a joke on tumblr about how the Skywalkers were responsible for everything wrong with the GFFA. But, are they? It's an easy assumption to make. They are the main characters of the trilogies, after all, but let us examine the evidence.

Generation 1

Shmi Skywalker was an enslaved woman on a backwater planet. She played a bit part in getting Queen Amidala to Coruscant, but, by and large, she had little influence on galactic history.

Generation 2

Anakin Skywalker was born into slavery on a backwater planet. At age 9, he was taken away to become a Jedi. He served the Republic for over ten years a military leader and law-enforcement official before becoming a Sith and serving the Empire in a similar capacity. Sticking just with current cannon, here are some key events in which he participated:

1. Assisted in getting Queen Amidala to Coruscant
2. Fired the shot which ended the Occupation of Naboo
3. Participated in, but was not the proximate cause of, the First Battle of Geonosis
4. Played a decisive role in multiple battles during the Clone Wars, but never set military or political strategy
5. Provided the Jedi with the pretext to kick off the coup they were already planning
6. Provided Palpatine with a last-minute assist in a fight he was already winning
7. Lead the clones in a pre-planned attack on the Jedi Temple as part of a wider anti-Jedi campaign he had no part in planning
8. Played a decisive role in multiple battles against the Rebels, but never set military or political strategy
9. Killed Emperor Palpatine minutes before he would have been killed when the Second Death Star was destroyed

Anakin plays a role in nearly every pivotal moment in both the prequel and original trilogies, but he's never the instigating agent. He stumbles into Padmé's story in The Phantom Menace. The galaxy is already a powder keg in Attack of the Clones, and it's Obi-Wan and his investigation which provides the proximate cause for the war, not Anakin. He's basically a pawn during Revenge of the Sith, stumbling into a scheme that was decades in the making. His killing of the emperor in Return of the Jedi was completely pointless, considering he would have died anyway when the place blew up five minutes later. He is morally and legally culpable for everything he did in service of both the Republic and the Empire, but he was never in a position to create policy or decide the direction of the galaxy. He bares a responsibility, the same way any soldier does, but he is not personally responsible.

Padmé Amidala was born into a noble house on Naboo. She became queen at age 13 and served in that capacity for 8 years before becoming a Republic senator. Sticking just with current cannon, here are some of the key ways she influenced galactic history.

1. As queen, she appointed Palpatine has her sector's representative in the Galactic Senate.
2. She called for the no-confidence vote which made Palpatine chancellor.
3. By deciding to go back and reconquer Naboo, she threw a wrench in Palpatine's plans and forced him to push the Clone Wars back by several years at least.
4. Was heavily involved in diplomatic efforts in the run-up to the Clone Wars, but never had unilateral authority to make decisions for the Republic
5. Participated in, but was not the proximate cause of, the First Battle of Geonosis
6. Her investigation of the banks facilitated Palpatine's plot to take them over and solidify his power within the galaxy
7. Helped to create the movement which became the Alliance to Restore the Republic after her death

Arguably, Padmé did more to facilitate Palpatine's rise to power than literally anyone else besides Palpatine himself. She placed him in positions of power and trust and inadvertently played into his hands multiple times. Still, aside from appointing him to the Senate, she was never unilaterally responsible for Palpatine's rise nor Republic policy. In fact, she voted repeatedly against Palpatine, his plans, and the steps which led to the Empire.

Generation 3

Luke Skywalker was raised on a backwater planet before becoming involved in the Rebellion at age 19. After the war and the restoration of the Republic, he set about recreating the Jedi Order through study and teaching. Following the destruction of his school, he became a hermit on a remote planet before dying doing some space!skyping. Here are some key events in which he participated:

1. He played a key role in destroying the Death Star by getting the Rebellion the plans and firing the shot which destroyed the station
2. Played a decisive role in multiple battles during the war, but never set military or political strategy
3. Kept his father and the emperor occupied during the Battle of Endor, but never struck a decisive blow
4. Established a school for Jedi, but never produced enough students for them to have a role in the New Republic comparable to the Order's role in the prequel-era Republic
5. Died helping the ragged remains of the Resistance escape Crait

Despite being the one to take out the first Death Star, Luke arguably had less influence on galactic history and politics than either of his parents. He joined a rebellion already in progress and frequently went AWOL in favor of his own personal agenda and development as a Jedi. Post-war, he was too involved in recreating the Jedi to get involved in galactic politics and his new Order was never big enough to make much impact before it's destruction.

Leia Organa was raised by the royal family of Alderaan. She became involved in galactic politics and the Rebellion at the age of 16. After the war, she remained in politics for several decades before being outed as Vader's daughter. After leaving the Senate, she founded her own paramilitary group in order to covertly spy on and fight the First Order. Some key ways she influenced galactic history include:

1. Severed as a toothless rubber stamp for the Emperor's policies in the Imperial Senate
2. Spied for and covertly supplied the Rebels
3. Played a decisive role in several engagements throughout the war including the destruction of the Death Star and Battle of Endor
4. Was involved in post-war politicking regarding the treaties with the Imperial remnants that became the First Order and the creation of the New Republic
5. Served in the Republic Senate for decades, helping to introduce laws and set Republic policy
6. Created the Resistance to fight the First Order, deployed them, and set all their policies regarding the use of force

Of all the Skywalkers, Leia is arguably the one who has had the most power and influence. Like her father Bail, she seems to have been involved in helping to set political strategy within the Rebellion. After the war, she wielding significant political influence to the point she was in the running to be elected Chancellor. Still, she never had unilateral power over policy, at least not until she created the Resistance. As the leader one of the two main military forces left in the galaxy after the destruction fo the Hosnian System, she now is in a position to wield significant power with the galaxy.

Han Solo was a small time criminal who served briefly in the Imperial army before going AWOL to do crime. He later joined the Rebellion where he played a role in several big engagements including the destruction of the Death Star and the Battle of Endor, but he was never in a position to dictate policy or strategy.

Generation 4

Ben Solo/Kylo Ren was born into a wealthy, politically connected family. As young man, he trained as a Jedi before deciding to throw in with Snoke and the First Order. After working with them for at least 5 years, he eventually killed Snoke and seized control of the First Order. Here are several key things he has been involved in:

1. Destroyed Luke's Jedi school and killed of most of his students
2. Played a decisive role in several military engagements on behalf of the First Order, but was never in a position to set political policy or military strategy
3. Murdered Supreme Leader Snoke and took command of the First Order

As with Anakin, Kylo Ren is legally and morally culpable for his actions on behalf of the First Order, although he is not responsible for their over all policy. At least, he wasn't. By killing Snoke and taking over, he's placed himself in a position to reshape the galaxy. Like his mother, he is now one of the most powerful political and military figures in the galaxy.

In summation, it's no surprise fans like to joke that the Skywalkers personally fucked up the galaxy. They're the main characters, after all, and we see the progress of the galaxy's history through their eyes. The preponderance of evidence though, shows that it's more complicated than that. Anakin and Luke are basically the Forest Gumps of their eras while Padmé and Leia are actually in a position to dictate policy. The fact that Leia and her son are now in control of the only two militaries left in the galaxy means that Skywalkers, for the first time ever, are now actually in a position to be the change they wish to see in a way none of their ancestors ever could.

Comments

[ljwrites]

Huh. I hadn't thought of it that way! Not bad for a family that started with an enslaved woman on a backwater planet. (They did have a queen and princess in their lineage, of course, which helped.) As of the end of TLJ there's a massive power differential between the First Order and the Resistance and I'm sure there are bigger militaries than the Resistance. I'm pretty sure Lando has more than 12 people and a weed van, for instance, which is pretty much what the Resistance has left in the films (they do have X-Wings, Zay & Shriv, and at least one star system of allies in the EU, admittedly).

I have argued based on Oscar Isaac's comments that Leia's army is going to be more of a network of allies than the centralized monolith that the FO has in theory, so it may be an interesting clash of military disciplines as well as political and moral positions. Networks can be fragile, of course, as we saw in Rogue One--and honestly Leia's ANH gambit of a final or-all-nothing battle makes so much sense in the context of the Rebellion being close to collapsing in RO--but top-down monoliths are brittle when struck along the right fault lines. And we watched some large faults develop throughout TFA & TLJ with Kylo Ren and Hux.

To actually get back on topic, yeah, Vader's so-called redemption wasn't much use to anyone but Luke. It wasn't about Vader, either, but rather Luke's self-realization as a Jedi and his reconnection with his father-shadow. This is a thread that started from the very beginning of ANH, which is why for all its faults the OT is so beautifully complete and satisfying. And speaking of Luke, "he became a hermit on a remote planet before dying doing some space!skyping" may be the most humiliating obituary ever.

[redrikki]

It may be a humiliating obit, but can you tell me it's wrong?

Yeah, Vader's 'redemption' is primarily about validating Luke and his personal philosophy than anything else, which is why it feels so satisfying and momentous. I mean, the man's last words were "tell your sister you we're right." Like, that's a little on the nose Darth.

I have no idea how the ST going forward is going to play anything about the Resistance. I mean, not only is Carrie Fisher dead, but Johnson deliberately burned down all of the set up in TFA, so...

[suncani]

Sounds pretty realistic to me. I get annoyed at how history is taught as the ’great men of history’ who solely changed the trajectory of events single handedly. So a story that minimalises that aspect at least for the grand historic scale is quite novel

[redrikki]

Honestly, the great man theory of history is so pernicious. There are few instances where one single person truly directs the flow of history, and even then, it's more like they're channeling the zeitgeist than reshaping the world in their own image. The idea that a single person can change the world is the sort of idea that makes real life dictators seem more appealing because people end up thinking they can single handedly fix things.

[suncani]

Agreed, and I think also disheartens people to act collectively. If they don't think their actions individually are changing things, it's almost like it doesn't count and therefore isn't worth doing. I have a big problem with how history is taught generally but I think that's the biggest bugbear I have with it.

[redrikki]

Exactly. And I wonder if that isn't deliberate. If history is made by great men, then there's nothing you can do so don't bother.

[mindstalk]

But the same story has Palpatine, single-handedly making quite large changes.

Dictators may have limited power to fix things but they can have a lot of power to break things.

I read _The Crusades Through Arab Eyes_ recently. Even if the Crusades were doomed to ultimately loose their conquered lands -- which I don't think is really obvious -- whether Arab rulers were competent or not, and whether competent ones died early, made a huge difference to lots of actual people. Likewise the Crusader who basically destroyed Cyprus for loot and lolz.

I don't think you likely get the Holocaust without Hitler.

I'm not sure you get the moon landing without JFK, or maybe JFK's assassination to make it a point of commitment.

If Bush loses 2000 I don't think the US invades Iraq, so no massive power vacuum there, no or far weaker ISIS...

Not to mention that Russian guy, not even a leader, who is credited with keeping a level head and preventing WWIII from breaking out in 1983. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident
If he had decided otherwise, then Andropov could have become the one guy who changed the trajectory of history by ending it.

[suncani]

The problem I have with reducing events down to one person and their actions and opinions ignores the structural and procedural events that have built up to shape and enable their actions.

Gore may have fought harder to prevent war, but Congress was in favour of it at the time and others may have provided the rallying cry. Hitler may have been the figurehead for the Holocaust but it also required a huge body of thought and people willing to perpetuate it or at least not act against it.

Most of the time individuals don't act in isolation, no matter how powerful they are. Their actions are constrained and their worldviews shaped by what's going on around them.

[redrikki]

Word.

[redrikki]

I think it's a mix. You don't have the holocaust without Hilter, but you don't have Hitler without the post war anger in Germany. The fascist movement predated Hitler's involvement and he would have gotten nowhere without them.

Within the GFFA, Palpatine took advantage of the legitimate anger against the Republic and their Jedi agents in order to start the Clone Wars. He didn't create the massive power imbalances and corruption, he just used them.

[ayebydan]

This is fascinating and so true when you think about it.

[redrikki]

Thanks! Glad it rang true.