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[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one a little bothered by Dumbledore? Not only with the fact he could end up in the Guinness Book Of World Records for "Most Incompetent Headmaster of All Time" (though I'm sure there's worse. :P), but also because...he just bugs me. I know JKR was trying to write him as the "flawed Yoda", so to speak (and to be fair, he's nowhere near Yoda. XD), but it's also how...preachy he gets. Towards Fudge, for example. You know, in Goblet of Fire, with, "You place too much importance on purity of blood, yadda yadda et cetera et cetera" -- which considering how he treated Tom Riddle and the Slytherins is...slightly hypocritical isn't it? Probably bad writing on JKR's part, though. :/

Anyways, sorry 'bout the rambling. Thoughts?

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

Qui-Gon started outlining the project during those years of watching from Blue Ghostie Land and handed them their assignments as soon as they showed up. :D He also wrote the introduction, in which he advises mentors that if their chosen one/potential dark lord is really attached to his mom, fine, cut the apron strings, but leaving her in slavery and not trying to free any more slaves ever because you're too busy with politics to do good deeds is not likely to make him trust you.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

So very true. XD

(Seriously, that kind of bugged me too. :/)

Good old Qui-Gon...coming to save the day -- sort of. :)

[sunnyskywalker]

I'd like to think that, as imperfect as Qui-Gon might have been, he'd at least have fixed that part if he'd lived. The rest of the Jedi were so clueless about non-Jedi psychology that they put a former slave in charge of (part of) what's essentially a slave army. What could possibly go wrong?

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

A lot of things. :P

Seriously, at least Qui-Gon had good intentions. Dumbles...well, YMMV. :/

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

If anything, that could have been one of the reasons why Anakin grew to resent the Jedi and eventually turned against them. But no, the ultimate reason for his fall was a nightmare and not being promoted to Master. *sighs*

What bothered me wasn't just the Jedi's indifferent negligence regarding Anakin's mother, but just the overall treatment of slavery in the prequels. If written properly, Anakin's life as a slave could have served as a foundation for his later beliefs regarding the role of the Jedi and the role of the Empire. Slavery on Tatooine could have also been the reason for why Obi-Wan was on Tatooine in the first place.

But no, all slavery amounts to in the prequels is an excuse for Anakin to show off his podracing skills so that Qui-Gon can free him and an excuse for Anakin to lose his mother and then angst. After "The Phantom Menace," the Jedi just magically forget about Anakin's mother for ten years, even though they could have gone back to Tatooine, bought Shmi, and made sure that she was safe somewhere so that Anakin wouldn't be so worried about her. But they - and the script - just forgot about her and no concrete reason is given for why they did. And Anakin's life as a slave is never brought up again either.

Sorry for the rant, but that was just one of the major reasons for why I didn't like the Jedi in the prequels and why I thought that the prequels themselves were sorely lacking.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Very well-said, aikaterini! :)

And yes, I'll admit the Jedi in the prequels got on my nerves too. Over time, though, I'm starting to understand them a bit more...sort of. :P

[sunnyskywalker]

It's truly mindboggling how little slavery ultimately mattered in the prequels - and how could it not be defining for Anakin? You would think that it would at least lead to a major argument between Anakin and one Jedi or another.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

This, just this. D:

Seriously, talk about Missed Moment of Interesting. :/

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

What would happen if the story went somewhat like this?

Anakin's time in slavery causes him to have not only a chip on his shoulder, but an inferiority complex. He bitterly resents being a slave (since he and his mother are actually treated horribly and his father was sold to another slave-owner who eventually killed him) and looks forward to becoming a Jedi in the hopes that he can finally be free and independent.

Only to find that he is once again put into a position of subservience. He's further alienated by the fact that he's the only Jedi who hasn't grown up in the Temple and that everyone expects him to sever his ties with his mother. He doesn't fully fit into the society of Coruscant either at first, due to his rough upbringing, and frequently overhears snide remarks about "that charity case from Tatooine." Even after he marries Padmé, he's extremely aware of the big difference between their social classes and becomes even more insecure as a result, even as she assures him that she loves him for who he is. And despite his many great feats as a Jedi and as a pilot, nobody ever lets him forget that he was once a slave.

And then comes along Palpatine, who tempts Anakin with the possibility of becoming his own master, of having everyone defer to him for once. “Lord Vader” sounds much more impressive than “young Skywalker,” after all. Palpatine could give Anakin a taste of power at first and then gradually get him hooked on it. He could also exploit Anakin’s other issues with the Jedi, as he did in the prequels. Anakin can claim that he wants power in order to restore stability and order to a chaotic republic (and may genuinely believe it), but deep down, he likes having that power and authority. He likes being the one to swing the whip for once. And when he finally becomes Darth Vader, he may be a slave to the Emperor, but to everyone else, he’s someone to be feared and obeyed. He seemingly gets what he wants.

He just didn’t count on losing his family as a result.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, *this*! D:

[sunnyskywalker]

Sounds like a very sensible way for things to go! Which only shows that Lucas threw the slavery part in as window dressing without thinking through how it might affect Anakin's entire development.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

*Sighs* Unfortunately. :(

[sunnyskywalker]

Years ago, I tried to come up with good plot-related reasons for Anakin's slavery on Tatooine to be relatively comfortable (essentially, that even though he doesn't like being a slave, unconsciously he associates it with comfort in a lot of ways). It only halfway worked, because there was still the tiny matter of the exploding slave transmitters, which just can't leave your mind at ease, and experiences like that plus worrying about his mom plus having a chip on his shoulder because he's from an entirely different class background as the rest of the Jedi and doesn't fit in (and they might be rude about it, intentionally or not) should definitely still be having repercussions ten years later.

But the most we get is that scene where he goes back to Watto's shop looking for Shmi and is obviously tense and holding back some anger (I like that scene). You would think that being confronted with his past like that would matter more later! Like, oh, holding a grudge about the Jedi being less empathetic and charitable than poor moisture farmers. For starters.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

This, just this! :D