#satine's stated views on the jedi and their role in the conflict are frustrating
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princesssarcastia · 2 months ago
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bold of you to say "draft dodger" like it's something derogatory?
Satine Kryze should not be a sympathetic character.
A complex and tragic one? Sure. Every day of the week.
But she did not 'have a point', neither in-universe, not outside of the sw framework. She isn't a hero, neither of her own story, nor of someone else's. There is no way she wasn't a tool. You should not look at her and think 'this woman has done nothing wrong and what ultimately happened to Mandalore was to no part her fault'.
Because guys. Friends. Strangers on the interwebs.
Pacifism doesn't work.
And it certainly wouldn't have worked in motherfucking Star Wars – the 'wars' is literally in the title – for a system or series of systems who wanted to stay neutral.
YOU DON'T STAY NEUTRAL FOR LONG BY JUST SAYING 'YEAH, NO THANKS <3' TO A LARGE-SCALE CONFLICT.
source: I am Swiss, we've looked at this in history class. Extensively.
Satine was a dreamer (thanks Obi-Wan) who was allowed to keep her delusions because they actively benefitted Palpatine's plans. And that's something you can quote me on. There is literally no other reason (apart from supremely bad writing but we'll leave that aside here) for her and her little friends' 'Alliance of Neutral Systems' or whatever to be allowed to exist.
Not that they were neutral in any way, shape or form, by the way.
So yeah sorry to the Satine stans, but you're idolizing a character that was written exclusively and specifically for Obi-Wan's manpain and who, in-universe, was a supremely bad politician. Because the level of mental dissonace needed to factually be a Republic System, have a seat in the fucking Republic Senate, rely upon their military for aid while actively proclaiming that All Violence Is Bad And Barbaric one sentence later AND THEN CLAIM TO BE NEUTRAL IN THE WHOLE CONFLICT – it's just mind-blowing. Even moreso that people actually look at this character and see something aspirational in her.
Again, I'll gladly dissect her character any day of the week. She is fascinating because of all the implications her existence as a head of state carries with it, as well as her deeply complicated family history and her relation to mandalorian culture.
But it just grates on me personally that that all gets ignored in favor of her being some sort of icon of white american saviorism (bc that's literally what she is) and her objectively bad political takes being treated like they are the only correct stance to be taken during the Clone Wars/Mandalorian Civil Wars.
If you think pacifism works and actually lets you stay neutral, I desperately urge you to open a history book. Because those two are mutually exclusive. Especially in the scenario that Star Wars paints.
#also like. the council of neutral systems was impractical and idealist certainly#but the whole point of the thing is that the separatists and the republic#are at their cores the same#there was no right side or wrong side there#and actively choosing not to take up with either side wasn't immoral or cowardly#(even if it was ultimately doomed and from a practical standpoint a little stupid)#also:#the reason the separatists didn't swoop in and take mandalore#(besides 'we want the council of neutral systems to work for plot reasons#which you are correct is the real reason why it didn't happen)#is because mandalore is fucking useless#if you took it it would only be for prestige#they can't even grow their own crops#im pretty sure they don't even have a notable manufacturing industry#and they're a ways off the major hyperlanes#also re: why didn't the separatists just take mandalore#space is HUGE#this war spanned a whole fucking galaxy#if a planet is strategically useless (by location and lack of resources)#you wouldn't waste time and manpower conquering it#i agree that ENFORCING neutrality would be as violent as those tags say#and that pacifism and neutrality aren't compatible#but i don't agree necessarily that there's no moral way to stay out of a war#at least not in the fictional star wars universe#where both sides of the canon galactic war#were famously governed by evil fascist wizards#and incredibly corrupt legislatures dominated by corporate interests#satine's stated views on the jedi and their role in the conflict are frustrating#but her views on the republic are pretty sound#idk why i've chosen tonight to argue about star wars politics but here we are
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