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Tuesday, December 29, 2015

A few parallels between Star Wars & the New World Order, how Barriss stayed in the Jedi order, & more

Links to this post will be posted on Star Wars orientated Google+ communities and Reddit forums, and is mainly directed to Star Wars fans. As you read, please bear with me here and please click on the links provided. At least I don't expect Star Wars fans to be as up to speed as I am or razor-sharp on this topic, and thus, I can forgive ignorance.
There is a surprising amount of things that both Star Wars and the real life New World Order have in common. Here are a few of the things that I see.


1: Palpatine becoming more powerful during bad times is similar to how many dictators rose to power, and his getting emergency powers is similar to how the president of the Corporate United States of America using executive orders.

2: there is little talk about weapon or body armor laws in Star Wars, but there are some laws on blasters and body armor, much like real life gun control and body armor laws, as you can read on the Wookiepedia article Black market/Legends

In the case of the Empire era, the 3 categories of items were "F/Fee", "R/Restricted", and X/Illegal, much like the weapon laws in some countries. 
A few examples would be Canada, which are "Non-restricted", "Restricted", and "Prohibited" (airguns that launch projectiles at a speed less than 500 fps and antique firearms aren't included), Argentina, which are "Civil use", "Civil conditional use", and "Prohibited use", United Kingdom, which are "Section 2", "Section 1", and "Section 5" (note: this is not entirely clean-cut. Go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdw-vBe9RRO3mr1VDR8hZnf2rCrc7Wt5E for more details), and so on and so forth. 
Plus the European Union (lookup the "European Firearms Directive" for details), Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria (though they actually have laxer firearm laws than much of the European Union), have like 4 or 5 classes of weapons, and the top 3 (A, B, and C) do have regulations on them (though some, like "D", or in the case of Austria, "Less-effective weapons", are hardly regulated at all. I'm not so sure if the powers that be are afraid of civilians with things such as 10 gauge double-barrel percussion shotguns, Sharps rifles, a slew of mismatched antique firearms, airguns and so on and so forth because of the low threat level.). There are also a few countries which do regulate body armor.

3: the Empire adopting a policy favoring human culture is similar to the implementation of a Jewish-supremacist policy in real life. As a disclaimer, I am NOT one of those types who blame the entire Jewish people (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkYQwSCzfVRHFrk6NdJzTb-Hmus5_TDEk), nor am I a race nationalist or anything in that matter, it is just the truth, just like in genocides such as the Native-American genocide or the 1st Holocaust (the 2nd one happened to the German people. See https://www.youtube.com/user/Rys2sense/search?query=HellStormhttp://justice4germans.com/about/) where victims of an attack were forced to doing the things their opperssor's way.

I, however, can understand why someone would make that assumption. Unfortunately, some people who talk about this type of stuff are race nationalists and I've seen very few people who, say, wants to secure the future of Caucasians and aren't white nationalists (I want to secure the future for all).

4: the Empire's use of fear is similar to reason #3 in an article called "5 Reasons Globalism Will Fail", coercion and violence might not be sustainable in the long run, especially when people are gaining courage to fight back. I'm willing to bet that the powers that be created or at least are looking into more effective and direct mind control techniques, though I'm not so sure if they're quite ready to have enough control the minds of the world's population to keep safe (do your own research). 


5: this is actually related to 3, but, the case of people wanting peace, order, and safety can be seen with modern-day events such as terror attacks where governments use them to their own advantage to pass legislation to increase their own power and do so with less resistance. Just look at the laws passed after events such as 9/11, 2015 Paris attacks, and the attempts to pass laws after the mass shootings of 2012 and afterwards.


6: corporations were given too much freedom. I am still pretty much a capitalist, but I am strongly against corporatism. I recommend watching "Corbett Report with Ryan Dawson Separation of Business and State" and reading the book that it talks about.


7: the Republic going into serious debt and many people getting into economic and financial trouble is similar to how big international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank is ripping off places like Africa to keep them poor (watch Neocolonialism in Africa) and Europe getting into financial trouble in the late 2000's and early 2010's (watch Euro Crisis is Just Beginning, Global Collapse is Coming), the world financial trouble in 2008, and the debt taken on by countries around the world to other countries and financial institutions.


8: Palpatine blaming all the Jedi for problems in the Galaxy can be seen as similar to numerous times in history where we see collective punishment has been used, and, especially in the long run, not work.

9: last, but not least, both sides of the conflict are controlled by the same people, as can be seen in politics (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkYQwSCzfVRFz6YKK4XwVJzghptBGjJB-) and fianance (I suggest looking into how big banks do deals with both sides of a war).

Not to mention how much companies profited off of the war in a similar matter to the military-industrial complex profiting off of wars over the past few decades.


Interestingly enough, as explained on https://www.youtube.com/user/LearnLiberty/search?query=Star+Wars and http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Palpatine#Political.2C_historical.2C_and_mythological_allegory, Star Wars had many real-life inspirations.




I also recommend watching "5 Ways Star Wars is Surprisingly Like China".



How did Barriss Offee stay in the Jedi order?




I'm sure that many of you remember seeing this. Though as you can read on http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Barriss_Offee/Legends#Temple_bombing, it isn't known what happened to Barriss after she was caught by Anakin and confessed to the Jedi temple bombing. My theory is that, after the events depicted in the video above, Barriss had a trial of her own, and thanks to pleading guilty and an outstanding legal team, got her sentence reduced to a long time behind bars. 

But, as the war dragged on, the Jedi were desperate for more active warriors, and gave those facing punishment an extra chance. Perhaps Barriss had behaved perfectly while in prison, and, after a lengthy approval process, including permission from a jude, counseling, interviews, interviews of prison employees about her, and so on and so forth, while on parole, was allowed to rejoin the Jedi and be able to possess 1 operational weapon when on missions. However, Barriss wasn't allowed to possess any weapons when off duty, and must agree to being supervised at all times. The permits allowing her to be out of prison may be revoked at any time with or without specific reason, and will be revoked he she was ever caught misbehaving again.


Remember, since all of this happened on 20 BBY, and Order 66 happened just the year after, we would have to assume that Barriss was in prison for only a few months at the most, so her behavior must've acted outstandingly good and 110% squeaky sterile to not only get out early, but also, go into battle with a lethal weapon. 


This is somewhat relatable to real-life. In many countries, military, law enforcement, and security personnel are often restricted from bringing weapons home, of course, varying from country-to-country. This is somewhat relatable to Barriss, after being convicted of committing a serious crime, being restricted from possessing weapons.

A more closely relatable situation is seen in the United States in real life when it comes to convicted felons and firearms. In the U.S., under federal law, it is prohibited for a felon to buy a firearm (not including airguns or even antiques). However, some states do have a process for a felon to be legally allowed to purchase firearms again (from what I've read, believe it or not, this is allowed under state's rights), but it is quite lengthy from what I've heard (in Texas, for instance, the process takes like 5 years. Lookup "Texas Penal Code 46.04" for details). I also recommend watching Gun Gripes Episode 70: Convicted Felons and Guns for details.

I've seen people who believe that the Seventh Sister may be Barriss Offee, and while she probably isn't, if she is, she may be Barriss with facial surgery, tattoos removed and changed voice. And I've seen someone make another claim, which can be read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/44olur/how_did_barriss_offee_stay_in_the_jedi_order/.





Bonus:
I agree that the Jedi do not intend to be evil. However, their way of doing things may be questionable at times. When it comes to Jedi being military generals, carrying lethal weapons (with no less-than-lethal setting, even though non-lethal training lightsabers can be adjusted to lethal) and have starfighters (which is the equivalent to having modern military fighter jets), while it may seem ironic, I kind've understand why they do it. 

When it comes to being generals, perhaps they want to stop violence and chaos as soon as they could. 

When it comes to being armed, remember that the Jedi were not only peace keepers, but also has, for some time, acted as law enforcement. When someone, like a law enforcement agent, security agent, most conceal carriers, or other moral, ethical, rational and sober minded individuals carry weapons, they often do so for the defense of themselves and, often, others. They may be reluctant to use the weapon, but it is either they stop a threat or the threat will keep harming innocents. 

Speaking of weapons, it is interesting that, while members of the Jedi own and carry a lethal weapon (almost always a lightsaber), they never seem to own, carry or use less-than lethal weapons, such as stun batons, tasers, or irritant/inflammatory sprays (I suggest watching "Pepper Spray vs. Mace - Important Differences" to know what I'm talking about).
To put this into real-life perspective, being only armed with, say, a firearm would mean that, if you had to defend yourself or someone else, unless you can grab something else, you have little choice but to draw the firearm and shoot someone. This may not seem bad to those who are apathetic or don't engage in deep or particularly detailed thinking, but not all situations would morally or ethically justify lethal force.
I know that it may not be easy to come up with a less-than-lethal irritant/inflammatory spray that would always be effective and reasonably safe, considering how many species there are in the galaxy. But the Jedi don't use tasers. I guess that using a weapon other than a lightsaber breaks Jedi tradition, and that carrying other weapons aren't fancy enough becuase they look too utilitarian. But, if the Jedi want to save lives, wouldn't they carry tools that allow them more options than lethal force or what the force can provide alone?

And lastly, I do see why the Jedi forbid members from having relationships, as explained in the video. What is mentioned in the bus situation is actually a real life ethics theory, often called the "Trolley problem", which has a few variations. I've came up with actual examples that are applicable in the Star Wars universe.


While looking for kidnapping victims, Anakin is checking a switch station, when a train is barreling down the tracks, and cannot stop in time. There are only 2 tracks that it could be diverted to: one has multiple individuals tied to it, and the other has Anakin's true love, Padme, tied to it. By Jedi rules, since the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Anakin should direct the train onto the track Padme is on and hit her. However, while powerful, Anakin is a rather emotional individual, and might not make the right decision (exactly why the Jedi aren't supposed to have relationships).

Another situation can be seen in which everything is the same, except Ahsoka is in Padme's place. Anakin may let the train hit the multiple tied kidnapping victims, and try to justify it by reasoning that by saving Ahsoka, she may save more lives in the long term and help bring the greater good. But, if you were an individual tied to the tracks, or loved 1 or more of them, how would you start to feel about that?

Now, some can say that the Jedi should have "May-issue" exemptions to allow emotionally mature members to have relationships. But, how are you going to deal with the less-mature members who get mad becuase they couldn't get the permit?

Though it would've been a good idea to at least teach members of the Jedi order how to deal with emotional attachment, there may be at east someone who is still not mature enough to deal with it.
(This last idea was taken from "Star Wars Lore Episode XIX - Why Jedi can't marry".)

Another bonus: my short critique of Star Wars - All Lightsaber Duels.

As you can see with the fight between Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-one Kenobi vs Darth Maul, as you can see starting at 3:00, what Qui-Gon probably should've done was to lure Maul into the hallway if possible, and at the last second, jump out while the shield security system is closing down, trapping Maul, and giving time for Obi-one to come and fight Maul together. Or, if Maul is too smart and doesn't take the bait, Qui-Gon should've at least kept his distance from Maul until Obi-one can join the fight.
If I was any of the guys stuck while the shield security system was on, I might've started to cut away at the generators to shut them down. Then again I may not do this becuase I am not entirely sure with what I am dealing with (it may detonate when I destroy them).
Also, if Maul was smart, he would've controlled all the lightsabers by putting them him his waistband or, if not possible, throwing all of them away so his surviving opponent (Obi-one) couldn't use it.

These types of problems may be seen in real-life. For example, if Law Enforcement Officers were going after a suspect, if the suspect is or is believed to be particularly dangerous, sometimes, they would wait until more officers and/or better trained and equipped (ie SWAT officers) can arrive on scene. One example is the North Hollywood shootout, where well over a dozen LAPD officers couldn't tackle 2 suspects wearing body armor that stopped 9x19mm handgun rounds and 00 buckshot pellets and wielded automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines. They ended up waiting for SWAT to finish off the gunmen.
Also, Maul failed to gain control of a weapon at the scene, and Obi-one ended up using it on Maul.

Essentially, in this situation, always stay with your buddy, and keep control on whatever weapons at the scene you can.

Note: major tangent starts here.
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Real-life situational equivalents.
If Darth Maul was a cop, security agent, bounty hunter, or perhaps an infantryman, he would've shot Quick-Gon, leaving him to die, and while dealing with Obi-one, forgets that there is a firearm within Obi-one's reach. Obi-one finds an opportunity to grab the weapon, and shoot Maul, and does so, disabling and soon, killing him.

Now, if we reverse the roles, let's say that Qui-Gon and Obi-one were cops in New Zealand, and Maul was the suspect (I choose New Zealand becuase of the way their law enforcement store weapons, You'll see why it is so important in the story):
One day while on patrol, Sergeant Qui-Gon and his partner, Officer Obi-one, both in different vehicles, encounter a suspect known as "Maul". A short chase ensues, and all of the vehicles end up in a field. Having no time to move his car, and wanting to fight, Maul jumps out of his vehicle with a light machine gun, and fires on Qui-Gon and Obi-one. Maul then runs into a construction site, and Qui-Gon and Obi-one go after him with Glock pistols. No one has yet seriously injured anyone else, but that was to change. Qui-Gon goes to his car to get some supplies, and Maul mows him down, and throws am incendiary grenade into the trunk of Qui-Gon's car to prevent Obi-one from getting supplies from it, and runs back into the construction site to find cover and concealment. But, he forgets to destroy the supplies in Obi-one's car trunk, and Obi-one goes to his car's trunk, opens it up, grabs a rifle, chambers a round, and goes after Maul. Soon, he sees an opportunity to kill Maul, and gives him 2 well aimed double-taps, killing him. Then Obi-one goes back to Qui-Gon.
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Tangent ends here


As you can see on 34:46, if Kenobi had a spare lightsaber, he could've easily stabbed Anakin and get the fight over with.


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