Star Wars in the Public Square by Derek R. Sweet

Author:Derek R. Sweet
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 2015-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

Kenobi: I surrender.

General: Now, Master Kenobi, order your troops to stand down.

Kenobi: General, have a seat.

General: Have you gone mad?

Kenobi: I’ve conceded the battle. Now we simply have to negotiate the terms of surrender.

General: Don’t try any of your tricks,

Kenobi: Surely there’s no reason we can’t be civilized about this.49

An important element of this conversation is Kenobi’s assertion that diplomacy, even when discussing terms of surrender, is a civilized act. Obi-Wan’s invitation to sit down in face to face negotiations, and the general’s subsequent charge that the Jedi’s behavior is absurd, creates a dividing line between the two combatants. Obi-Wan, with his ability to cease hostilities and treat his opponent with respect and dignity, appears to represent the actions of an enlightened, thoughtful individual. The general’s disbelief and distrust implicate a person unused to setting aside one’s animosity and engaging in reasoned deliberations. To be civilized, in other words, is to sit across the table from an interlocutor and negotiate a humane resolution to hostilities. Even more important, however, is the fact that Kenobi’s attempt to negotiate is actually a ruse; the only reason he sits down with the Separatist general is to buy time for Anakin’s military efforts. Kenobi’s deception is successful, the defense shield is deactivated, and the Republic forces quickly force the Separatists to surrender. From the outset of the series, diplomacy is situated in service to the military campaign.

Hoping to liberate the capital city during the battle of Ryloth, Mace Windu—often recognized as the Jedi Order’s most proficient warrior—must settle a political dispute between a Rylothian freedom fighter Cham Syndulla and Rylothian Senator Orn Free Taa. The dispute mediated, Mace Windu and his clone troopers work with Cham Syndulla’s freedom fighters and hand the Separatist army a resounding defeat. Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka face a similar situation on the planet Onderon. When the Jedi Council is contacted by rebels attempting to overthrow the Separatist aligned legal government of Onderon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka are sent on a covert mission to train and advise the insurgents. What is made clear during the discussion is that the Jedi Order will not get involved in the politics of toppling legitimate governments. Concerned that assisting the rebels might be perceived as sanctioning terrorism, the Council agrees to aid the insurgents with several restrictions: (1) the Jedi Knights must not get involved in the conflict directly; (2) they must limit the training to tactics directed toward the Separatist’s droid army; and (3) they must stress the importance of minimizing civilian casualties. As Obi-Wan states succinctly, “We must not train terrorists.”50 Obi-Wan’s insistence that the Jedi Knights not instruct insurgents in the ways of terror is but the first of several admonitions throughout the four episode story arc. Echoing the cautions his former Master uttered to a young Queen Amidala in The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan clarifies Jedi support for the Onderonian insurgency when he cautions, “Now to be clear we are not here to fight your war. Rather to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible.

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