Slaves

On This Day In History
1619: First enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery in North America

Quote Of The Day
"Birds born in cages think flying is an illness."
(Alejandro Jodorowsky)

I started reading Guards! Guards!  by the consistently brilliant Sir Terry Pratchett a few days ago. The book is dedicated to all those characters whose role "in any work of heroic fantasy is identical: it is, round about Chapter Three (or ten minutes into the film) to rush into the room, attack the hero one at a time, and be slaughtered." As Sir Terry correctly observes, "No one ever asks them if they wanted to."

I always like to use a bookmark that, however tenuously, matches the theme or contents of the book. An easy choice this time; my stormtrooper bookmark. Being slaughtered is exactly their role in Star Wars stories. 

There are many slaves in Star Wars. Anakin begins his life as a literal slave but, even after he is freed, he remains a kind of slave until is death; a slave of the Jedi Order and, as Darth Vader, a slave to Emperor Palpatine. It is Luke Skywalker who finally frees him. 

Droids are slaves, too - the word robot comes from the Czech word robota which means forced labour - and C3-PO is a slave built by a slave.

The stormtroopers (originally clone troopers) are slaves, grown by the Kaminoans with behavioural inhibitors to control them, like psychological chains.

Peace In The Valley