Empire enslaved the Wookiees... or did they?

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-04-01 02:45am

I have not been following spoilers, but I wonder if this old EU contention will be challenged or contradicted by the new movie?

Republic Commando portrays the Wookiees as being enslaved by Trandoshans, who are supposedly allied with the Seperatists. Delta Squad commandos are sent to fight them. Still I don't get how they were "enslaved" if they were a technologically advanced society and even part of the Galactic Senate... but I haven't beaten the game so what do I know?

So are we supposed to believe there's a double cross coming up?

Or will this just be glossed over and ignored by ROTS?

Maybe it's pointless to speculate about it now, but I just am curious what people think.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-04-01 02:54am

According to the EU, their enslavement was part of political maneuver by the Trandoshans who supported the Empire. I suspect that the Wookies may have aided the Jedi in Episode III, which would piss of Palpatine and enable the Trandoshans to wiggle back into the good graces of the Emperor. Particularily if the Transdoshans sold out the CIS when they thought it was going to lose. An opportune betrayel by the Trandoshans could put them in a very good position, especially since wacking the Jedi is Palpatine's number one goal. Having fought the Jedi as part of the CIS and then having their worst enemy aid the Jedi would put the Trandoshans in pretty good stead with Palpatine.

And if every single Jedi is an enemy of the Republic and the Wookies are aiding the Jedi, what does that make the Wookies? In deep shit.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-04-01 02:54am

The Empire enslaves them after the events of RotS.

darth kendo apprentice · Post by **darth kendo apprentice** » 2005-04-01 02:58am

I think it's best to wait for the movie to come out . Going to sites or anywhere that have spoilers would just make the next movie less fun to see.

FTeik · Post by **FTeik** » 2005-04-01 04:46am

There are no slaves in the empire.

Only citencens, who failed to pay their taxes and were sent to labour-camps.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-04-01 05:50am

FTeik wrote:There are no slaves in the empire.

Only citencens, who failed to pay their taxes and were sent to labour-camps.

We prefer the term "Freedomly Challenged."

Gorefiend · Post by **Gorefiend** » 2005-04-01 05:59am

The Empire was even less friendly to a lot of Alien races, they just had them declared non-intelligent species, so it did in fact not enslave them, but „domesticated“ them.

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-04-01 06:14am

Considering what the Wookies do in Episode III, their enslavement is not surprising.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2005-04-01 08:42am

I imagine they get enslaved after RotS, or else Chewbacca and Han Solo's back story doesn't make very much sense.

darthnidankendo · Post by **darthnidankendo** » 2005-04-01 10:43am

FTeik wrote:There are no slaves in the empire.

Only citencens, who failed to pay their taxes and were sent to labour-camps.

ah! the political way of saying slaves.

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2005-04-01 11:22am

Well the Trandoshans have tried to enslave the Wookiee for quite while all ready, so it's possible they would "go to bed with" anybody who's willing to help them in it and Since (ROTS spoilers)Yoda is saved by Wookiees, it's not that hard to assume that Palpatine was some what pissed off with the Wookiees wanted to punish them so a post ROTS enslavement is very likely.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » 2005-04-01 11:32am

I'm going to guess that the Wookiees were not enslaved per say, although there planet was definitely quarantined. Look at the old EU sources, not every Wookiee was pressed into servitude. Similarly, in real life all of Africa was not enslaved. Although, sadly many people who originated there were. Since we know virtually nothing about Wookiee society as a whole, it’s hard to say exactly what happens. We know Chewie's point of view, and the rebel's point of view. But it’s entirely possible that much as in real life some tribe of Wookiee sold there comrades into slavery.

I've never understood the need for slave labor in SW. Other than for the sole purpose of deeming another intelligent being. Droids are just as effective, economical, and if programmed correctly never, try to escape or kill you.

Granted I can understand why some would want to have slave girls, or perhaps a Gungan flunky, for ego purpose, etc. But why in the galaxy would anyone need a 9 ft tall, predator, that’s as pre-disposed to rip your arms off as look at you?

Fuzzy · Post by **Fuzzy** » 2005-04-02 01:51am

Spartan wrote:I'm going to guess that the Wookiees were not enslaved per say, although there planet was definitely quarantined. Look at the old EU sources, not every Wookiee was pressed into servitude. Similarly, in real life all of Africa was not enslaved. Although, sadly many people who originated there were. Since we know virtually nothing about Wookiee society as a whole, it’s hard to say exactly what happens. We know Chewie's point of view, and the rebel's point of view. But it’s entirely possible that much as in real life some tribe of Wookiee sold there comrades into slavery.

I've never understood the need for slave labor in SW. Other than for the sole purpose of deeming another intelligent being. Droids are just as effective, economical, and if programmed correctly never, try to escape or kill you.

Granted I can understand why some would want to have slave girls, or perhaps a Gungan flunky, for ego purpose, etc. But why in the galaxy would anyone need a 9 ft tall, predator, that’s as pre-disposed to rip your arms off as look at you?

Construction workers. IIRC, they had a part in building the DS 2.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » 2005-04-02 09:17pm

I know what they used them for in universe, it is still absurd.

The Original Nex · Post by **The Original Nex** » 2005-04-02 10:06pm

Construction workers. IIRC, they had a part in building the DS 2.

DS 1 actually.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2005-04-02 10:59pm

why have slaves when droids do betteR?

Tychu · Post by **Tychu** » 2005-04-02 11:00pm

Enforcer Talen wrote:why have slaves when droids do betteR?

cause droids are dumb, plus by having sentient slaves the slave drivers have some power, and to feel power is good

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2005-04-02 11:03pm

sure, I can see some moff feeling motivated about some critters to boss around - but the supposed industirlization of it is bizarre.

as well, droids are as smart as their programming - r2 and c3 come to mind.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » 2005-04-03 11:32am

cause droids are dumb, plus by having sentient slaves the slave drivers have some power, and to feel power is good

And droids are inferior to Wookiees how? Droids are used to construct ships in the Kuat shipyards; multi-storied construction droids fabricate entire kilometer tall buildings. The factory planet Mechanis (spelling?) is fully automated the droids and automated factories have been running with only token human supervision for centuries. If droids are uninventive, have them supervised by a human engineering staff.

Wookiees are dangerous. Using them as slave labor is unnecessarily: dangerous, inefficient, and stupid. There is noting a Wookiee can do that an appropriately design droid could not. Droids are stronger, more precise, don't fatigue, don't complain, and if mind wiped regularly can not rebel.

The only reason to use slave or prisoner labor is if your snidely Whiplash; i.e. being evil for evilsake. Otherwise, there no reason for it; it makes very little economic sense.

Fuzzy · Post by **Fuzzy** » 2005-04-03 03:08pm

Spartan wrote: The only reason to use slave or prisoner labor is if your snidely Whiplash; i.e. being evil for evilsake. Otherwise, there no reason for it; it makes very little economic sense.

Yup. Pretty much it.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2005-04-03 11:37pm

hence my belief much of it is rebel propaganda.

I mean, seriously. modern states dont need slaves.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2005-04-04 07:32am

Been thinking about this, and now I'm guessing it might have been done (assuming Lucas doesn't steamroll the idea) as a political gesture... ie: to "make an example" of the Wookiees to instill fear in other systems for the price of disobedience or something like that.

Or perhaps there was a big profit to be made by "selling" them out to some other power (like the Trandoshans). After all, the Empire needs money, right?

So there could be some reasons other than just being evil, again assuming they keep the idea in canon.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-04-04 07:43am

The only slaves that are truly economical are Twi'lek slave girls, and only then because they take some serious mistreatment to make them rebel, and the price of human (or indeed, Twi'lek) replica droids is absoloutely prohibative.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » 2005-04-04 12:28pm

Been thinking about this, and now I'm guessing it might have been done (assuming Lucas doesn't steamroll the idea) as a political gesture... ie: to "make an example" of the Wookiees to instill fear in other systems for the price of disobedience or something like that.

Or perhaps there was a big profit to be made by "selling" them out to some other power (like the Trandoshans). After all, the Empire needs money, right?

So there could be some reasons other than just being evil, again assuming they keep the idea in canon.

Actually Kurgan what would make the most sense would be if the Empire simply reclassified them as non=sentient animals. Think about it is a dog a slave? How about a cow or a donkey.

We know the Empire was human-centric. The Empire doesn't need to enslave them, simply take there rights. Then the Trasndoan move in and sell the Wookiees as exotic animals. Live we sell lions and tiger in RL.

Ofcourse the tree hugging rebel alliance (think PETA) would consider keeping what would technically now be a dog as slavery.

Their problem solved: no need to used Wookies as construction workers rather than far superior droids, and theirs a reason for them to be kept in bondage.

Isolder74 · Post by **Isolder74** » 2005-04-04 02:42pm

One reason to use wookie slaves is to enstill fear, keep an aggressive species busy, and perhaps to make the construction of the death star easier to conceel as on might be able to catch a huge shipment of contruction droids but shuttles can descreetly remove wookies(the dissapeared ones) from off planet without raising too much suspision. Remember the Death Star was ment to secret from even the senate.