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From: milne@uci-icse
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Empire Troops Uniforms (#349)
Message-ID: <3577@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sun, 8-Sep-85 04:16:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.3577
Posted: Sun Sep  8 04:16:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Sep-85 04:17:37 EDT
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: Alastair Milne <milne@uci-icse>


>  Remember - these are films we are dealing with!  You are right about
>  the "menacing, disturbing appearances" being used for psychological
>  reasons, but these were created by George Lucas for the benefit of
>  the audience, not by the Empire for the troopers' foes.  Storm
>  troopers probably fought insectoid creatures with compound eyes as
>  often as they fought mammalian sentients.  In fact, quite a few
>  troopers were probably insectoid themselves.

   I agree with you about Lucas, but I don't think that excludes the Empire
   (Lucas' creation) from the same kind of thinking.  Obviously, until and
   unless Lucas confirms or denies it, this is simply speculation with which
   I'm filling in the story; but it hangs together logically, and I don't see
   any reason within the story to reject it out of hand.  About the species of
   the troopers: say rather that "there were possibly troopers who were
   themselves insectoid", and I will agree, though I confess it hadn't
   occurred to me before.  Perhaps because, unlike the rebel personnel, all
   imperials whose forms were visible were human.  I am, of course, not
   counting TESB's bounty hunters as imperials.  Maybe high-level prejudice at
   work as hard as ever.  For this reason, the word "probably" seems to me a
   bit too optimistic.  Besides, I don't think any such consideration would
   keep the Empire from using a tactic that might help against enemy
   populations.


>  Here's a tangential question for you all: In a galaxy with such a
>  diverse population of sentients, why were most of the Imperials and
>  Rebels human, while non-humans were mostly scum and villainy?  And
>  as a story teller, how could Lucas justify this?

   I'm not really sure how true this is.  There is at least two major, heroic
   non-humans: Chewie and Yoda.  And the Rebel fleet personnel, particularly in 
   Return/Jedi, is of many different species.  Nor is there a lack of humans 
   among the scum.  

   I suspect any apparent preponderance is because of the number of settings
   on Tattoine, essentially a planetwide dive, and home to a wide variety 
   of sentients.

   You may indeed have a point, but without a rather careful count of humans
   and non-humans, and their positions, it's hard to know.

   However, if you are looking for equity, justice, and dedication to the
   proposition that all intelligent species are created equal, look elsewhere 
   than the Empire, that well known bastion of liberty and justice.


   Alastair Milne