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Slavery in the old form is not profitable even in todays world. Machines could do work cheaper and faster. The SW galaxy has automation on a scale we could only dream of. Droids are smart and cheap enough to be afforded by anyone and smart enough to be nearly human like. Yet slavery is a big part of SW stories both in and outside the movies. Backward people such as the wookies are frequently enslaved, even children are not spared. What possible use does an interstellar civilization have for this massive horde of unskilled slave labor ?

Well, machines may work faster and cheaper, but they need to be maintained fairly regularly....

On the other hand... the Empire couldn't care less if its slaves lived or died and there was a vast reservoir of it.

In some cases, like Jabba and someone else on Tatooine, this could be an issue of prestige.

also it could a form of punishment (we know that Galactic Republic had forced labor on prisons) especially against rebels and such.

It is possible that they punished their enemies by making them slaves,or by enslaving their families.On the other hand it could be a mater of social status and prestige for a person to own slaves.
But that doesn't explain the wookies,they were enslaved for manual labor.Why would they do that if they had cheaper droids that could do a better job?

DarthShady wrote:It is possible that they punished their enemies by making them slaves,or by enslaving their families.On the other hand it could be a mater of social status and prestige for a person to own slaves.
But that doesn't explain the wookies,they were enslaved for manual labor.Why would they do that if they had cheaper droids that could do a better job?

I thought that the Wookies had attempted some sort of planet wide rebellion near the founding of the empire. So it could a punishment for the whole species.

The Wookiees were enslaved for their technological skills, IIRC.

I would suggest a threefolded solution to the riddle of slavery during the time of the empire: First personal slaves/servants as a sign of prestige (like Ackbar to Tarkin), work that has to be done by an organic (the prostitutes serving in the stormtrooper-brothels) and as a third prisoners and captives of the empire being put to some use (we can't let those rebels have a nice day in their comfy prison-cells after all).

I believe a line from Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human sums it up perfectly:

A robot doesn't know it's being raped

Having slaves makes a slaveowner feel big an powerful. Having droids does not make a droid owner feel as big or as powerful.

Some people just enjoy lording it over others.

Especially fascists and cruel militarists like the Imperials. Degan had a great post on slavery in SW.