(no subject)

[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

[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