Should Luke feel guilt over the Death Star? *Death Star: The Novel Spoilers*

The article in the latest Star Wars Insider includes one on the new Death Star novel. It, apparently, will once more follow the adventure of nobodies as opposed to the Heroes of Yavin or the Clone Wars . But that's a different question.

Apparently, the theme of the book is going to be how people serving on the Death Star react to the destruction of Alderaan and otherwise questioning whether or not they're on the wrong side of the war. Some of them will subtly help the Rebels that are attempting to escape the giant space station.

One telling statement is "Luke Skywalker probably had some sleepless nights over blowing it up."

and they want to "Ruin the enjoyment of A New Hope for some people."

I'm going "Man what?"

Luke's 19. He's going to brag at every bar that he goes to (and can't drink at) about how he blew it up!

 

Well, of course.

Thus my frustration with the man and his baffling popularity.

 

Old men think about these sorts of things.

If Luke had been accepted at the Imperial Academy, he'd be doing the same thing if he'd thrown a pair of Proton Torpedoes into the Rebel Base on Yavin.

Luke wasn't born a 60 year old Jedi Master.

He's a kid at this time.

 

Why do you think he let Kyp off the hook.

They sit in the back of bars and brag to each other about their genocidal escapades.













Politically Correct and Morally Relative STAR WARS sucks.

 

Actually, I'd love to see Luke Skywalker portrayed as a huge **** in the Rebellion comics. I was annoyed when he turned down that blonde girl coming onto him (and assume his only problem was she was drunk)

Luke has a HUGGGGE ego problem up until Dagobah.

I can just see him walking up to new recruits. "Hey, how much have you done for the war effort? 4 TIE fighters? Wow, that's impressive? Me. The Death Star. FIRST MISSION. So, do you have an attractive sister or girlfriend because I'm going to go make love to her now."

 

Hm, yeah. Old men, and... what were they called again? Jedi? One of which Luke wanted to be?

 

To young Luke Skywalker = Ass Kicking Death Machines.

 

Luke was just following orders, he was not responsible for anything and so has no reason to feel remorse and anyway, all those people on the Death Star had it coming to them.

 

Let me stem this off at the pass: no, Luke shouldn't have any sleepless nights over blowing up the Death Star.

The "nobodies" get covered well, but for the most part everyone on the station at the time either accepted a knowing contract to work on the Imperial station for a few years, was an Imperial already or was a criminal brought up from Despayre.

 

Because the empire never used slaves, ever...

 

There may still have been Wookiees on the station at that point, but I don't recall mentioning in the book.

The ones who were there were helping though, as it's apparently a Wookiee point-of-honor thing that, even if slaves, they needed to build it well.

 

As opposed to the entirely understandable popularity of Vader, Palpatine, a billion random sith, and Boba Fett.

Spare me. You and your ridiculous anti-Luke venom is the only baffling thing on here. Thankfully most people ignore it.




And this:
"I can just see him walking up to new recruits. "Hey, how much have you done for the war effort? 4 TIE fighters? Wow, that's impressive? Me. The Death Star. FIRST MISSION. So, do you have an attractive sister or girlfriend because I'm going to go make love to her now."


That, actually, would be awesome.

 

The article implies its "Good people in the Military that find the Empire utterly horrible."

 

Hmm, yeah, see, the difference is that those guys are supposed to be baddies. People like them because they're evil mean nasty people, but in an amusing/cool/badass/whatever way. You'll find precious few defending any of the above without irony.

More seem to be waking up to the fact that the Big Three are Not Nice People, though, with each passing book that they're in.

It's not my fault that nostalgia and fandom apparently blinds most people to the fact that the purported "hero" of Star Wars is, fundamentally, a terrible human being.

 

It's not my fault that nostalgia and fandom apparently blinds most people to the fact that the purported "hero" of Star Wars is, fundamentally, a terrible human being.

And how do you exactly justify that?

 

I don't see why Luke should loose sleep over destroying the Death Star. It was a far more valid military target than Alderaan. It supported thousands thousands of military air/land craft and thousands and thousands of enemy troops. It had already obliterated one planet and was about to do that again. The Rebellion didn't have time to evacuate and in any case this was a weapon that would soon render any resistance to the Empire futile. Facing imminent destruction, they destroyed it. Yes, I'm many good people die on the Death Star, but the same is probably true for many Star Destroyer's destroyed by the Rebels. That also probably holds for many of the individual troops and pilots killed in the conflict as well.

 

When has Luke ever felt sorry for the lives he's taken? When they're Vong he feels bad, but when they're Imperials?


Actually, he seems to express some regret in The Black Fleet Crisis to Akkanah. He apparently felt enough regret to learn how many people he'd killed down to an exact figure on the Death Star.

Do you remember how in SotE, killing Imperials was a fun game? It only became serious when Dix died--curious attitude, eh? It's one that never changed. His enemies were always dehumanized.

I believe that's called psychologically healthy. Every soldier should keep score in my opinion, should treat it as an exercise, and do one's absolute best to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible.

Otherwise, you'll get yourself and others killed.

 

QFT


And IIRC, Luke has mentioned in retrospect that he feels bad about all the people he's killd. But that is in LOTF. And in LOTF even it says that he didn't feel that guilt or think too deeply about what he was doing back when he was that age.

 

Oh, countless reasons, Charles. I've been trying to collect my thoughts with relevant quotes and examples to demonstrate why I dislike him (and Leia and Han, to boot) so much, but I haven't the time, unfortunately.

Off the top of my head, though, Luke is...

- Selfish
Whether it's compromising a critical, high-secrecy mission to deal with his daddy issues (RotJ), leaving the service when the mood (or Force, sorry) strikes him (ESB, many others) and taking military property along with him (ESB, etc.), pouting when people dislike Jedi (everywhere) or resigning his commission in the middle of war to take a spiritual sabbatical (CoPL, NEC), Luke ain't exactly Mother Theresa.

- Hypocritical
Jacen's a jerk for taking over the GA through legal means. Well, shoot, Luke, I'd almost think you forgot that time back during the Vong War when you rigged an election. Hmm...

- Above the Law
See above. "Hey, Lando, remember when I asked you and Talon to get Omas 'elected' so we'd have a guy who liked Jedi in office? Heh, yeah, good times, buddy."

- Callous
"Alema lost her sister? Yeah, she's doomed. Dark side all the way. Nah, we won't bother therapy or anything. It's a done deal. Hey, I know-- we'll send her and a gaggle of other teens on a suicide mission. That'll be good. Then, when they come back with severe emotional scarring, we'll just let 'em deal with it and the kill them if they go dark.

Oh, Imperials? They don't count. Not even real people, really. Naw, I never had second thoughts about blowing up the Death Star. I mean, pffft, they had it comin'. Besides, we Jedi don't really value life all that much. Oh, wait, we do? No we don't. I said so. Look, who's the Grand Master here?"

- A Dreadful Parent
"So guys, Ben disappeared in the Force about a week ago. Yeah, I know, every other time this happens to someone it means they're dead. Well, me and Mara just figured he had to find his own path. I mean, he's just turned fourteen, for pete's sake!

- A Weenie
"Aliens? What now? They're invading and slaughtering billions?

Well, I think I'll sit this one out for now, fellas. I mean, Mara said I might be doing this whole Force-thing wrong, y'know? I wanna be sure before we do anything rash.

Oh, and Kyp? You suck, dude. Saving people and taking the fight to the enemy just ain't how we roll."

 

You should enjoy about 72% of it, would be my wager.

 

This sounds really cool. I seem to remember I think the black Fleet crisis maybe back in the bantam years the Falasini(sp?) who lied ot him about knowing who his mom was during one of their philisophical chats brought that subject up (re: Luke killed 1 million people on the death star, did they ALL Deserve to die?). I remember it being something he hadn't thought too much about but my memory his hazy on this.

Edit: Is there a release date for this book yet? I've been drooling over it since I read the exerpt in the Darth Bane paperback.

 

No, he should not feel guilt over the Death Star. Countless millions had already died because of it, and billions more were in danger if he had not destoyed it. The Rebel Alliance would have been destroyed or at the least crippled if Yavin 4 had been vaporized. The Imperials believed themselves to be nearly omnipotent because of the Death Star, and their overconfidence killed them. In the wardroom, even Vader stated that he placed his trust in the force, not in a piece of technology. He should not revel in killing, mind you, but Luke did what any solidier has to do: destroy the enemy.