The Younglings - Spoilers

[Spartan]

I've been thingking about this. There really was no reason for Sidious to order that killing of the younglings. They are young enough to have been taken and converted to the darkside easily. If nothing else it was a waste of material.

Besides, killing lightsabre wielding adults is on thing; what if Anakin had balked at killing the kids. Even Dooku wouldn't have gone that far, in the comics he specifically forbade Grevious from killing younglings and padawans.

[Stofsk]

I've been thingking about this. There really was no reason for Sidious to order that killing of the younglings. They are young enough to have been taken and converted to the darkside easily. If nothing else it was a waste of material.

Perhaps Anakin thought he was doing them a favour. You know "Better dead than red... er, Sith."

Yes, fucked up, isn't it?

[NecronLord]

Darth.
Vader.
Is.
Evil.

There's a very simple explanation for you.

[GeneralTacticus]

He may have ordered it precisely because there was no need. Killing Mace could be justified (if only in Anakin's mind), in that he had Palpatine at his mercy and was about to kill him, thus denying Anakin the knowledge of how to save Padme. Even killing the adult Jedi could be justified (again, only in Anakin's mind) by saying that they were a threat to the Republic, and had to be eliminated for the good of everybody else. Killing children, though... there's no going back after that. Ever. Once he takes that step, Anakin is (or would be, if not for Luke) a Sith forever.

[Spartan]

He may have ordered it precisely because there was no need. Killing Mace could be justified (if only in Anakin's mind), in that he had Palpatine at his mercy and was about to kill him, thus denying Anakin the knowledge of how to save Padme. Even killing the adult Jedi could be justified (again, only in Anakin's mind) by saying that they were a threat to the Republic, and had to be eliminated for the good of everybody else. Killing children, though... there's no going back after that. Ever. Once he takes that step, Anakin is (or would be, if not for Luke) a Sith forever.

I can except that, it seems like the most likely answer.

[Freeman's Trigger-Finger]

I've been thingking about this. There really was no reason for Sidious to order that killing of the younglings. They are young enough to have been taken and converted to the darkside easily. If nothing else it was a waste of material.

Besides, killing lightsabre wielding adults is on thing; what if Anakin had balked at killing the kids. Even Dooku wouldn't have gone that far, in the comics he specifically forbade Grevious from killing younglings and padawans.

You seem to be foregetting the rule of two.

[Gandalf]

This is a real long shot, but it could also be to de-sensitise Anakin to the idea of inflicting casualties on the basically defenseless. Theoretically wiping out a few makes him more open to the idea should he have to do it in the future.

[Dartzap]

I have a question, and this might as well be the thread for it: The boy that charges out of the temple when Bail arives, could that have been Whie from Dark Rendevous? he would of been about that age by ROTS, i think...

If this has ben answered already, then could nay of you point in it's direction?

[Spartan]

Freeman's Trigger-Finger wrote:

You seem to be foregetting the rule of two.

Bzzat...no. First, off they don't need to be trained, they have no master. Second, the rule of two only applied to the Sith in hiding. Third, the Emeperor has a gazillion dark siders doing his bidding, only one of whom is a Sith.

The rule of two simply does not apply in this case.

[Caius]

He had to do it.

It was pure evil, pure darkside and he needed that blood on his hands just to show the sort of things he would do for the emperor and himself to gain the power of the darkside.

If he had shown compassion, it wouldn't have made for a "good" turn to evil, now would it?

Besides it was badass. lol that stupid little kid in the movie deserved it. For some reason he bothered me with that line.

[Darth Fanboy]

I can't believe there's even a thread on this. Palpatine ordered the COMPLETE EXTERMINATION OF ALL JEDI. To Vader, to the clonetroopers. This includes younglings and padwans. It would have been stupid to let them live, even at their young age theyve recieved years of Jedi training, any one of them allowed to live would have been a future threat to the Empire.

I'm not saying what Vader did at the temple was the right thing to do, but it made perfect sense. YOu knew in Episode II after seeing that class full of kids that something bad was going to happen to them, or other younglings come the purge.

[Ghost Rider]

Besides...look at what Palpatine told him to do and why.

"Only then will you be strong enough in the Dark Side to save Padme."

After he refers to wiping all the Jedi out in the temple. At this point a bunch of brats weighs nothing to life of his wife, and Anakin isn't going to stop and ask Pals "So if I wipe all but the younglings I'll be strong enough in the dark side, right?"

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

This is a real long shot, but it could also be to de-sensitise Anakin to the idea of inflicting casualties on the basically defenseless. Theoretically wiping out a few makes him more open to the idea should he have to do it in the future.

Also, to break past the initial barrier, he would probably have to call on the Dark Side emotions. He might have existing quarrels with all the other Jedi, which he can amplify internally to justify killing them. But the Younglings? He'd have to hate for nothing. This will cause the Dark Side to corrode him faster. The result, of course, we see at Mustafar - a real "trigger-happy" (though he's beyond that) Darth Vader that chokes his wife. Finally, with the death of his wife, he loses all hope. Bingo, one loyal subservient Sith slave.

[Civil War Man]

IIRC, the Iliad had Greek soldiers throwing Trojan babies over the walls of Troy.

When the Christians took Jerusalem during the Crusades, they killed all Muslims within the walls, including women and children.

Why did they kill the children in these cases? So you wouldn't have these kids growing up and start thinking about revenge. They, like Sidious and Vader, wanted extermination, and it is not extermination if you leave anybody alive.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki]

I've been thingking about this. There really was no reason for Sidious to order that killing of the younglings. They are young enough to have been taken and converted to the darkside easily. If nothing else it was a waste of material.

Would they really have been converted to the Dark Side easily? They've been stuffed through the years about how the Dark Side is bad, bad, bad and it is better to die than to fall to the Dark Side.

What levers can Palpatine use to get the kids to get him? He used a lot of levers to slowly turn Anakin to the Dark Side, what about the kids?

[Vympel]

He doesn't want kids. Always two there are, no more, no less.

[Stravo]

He doesn't want kids. Always two there are, no more, no less.

Mara Jade implied that the Emperor was quite a lech at the royal palace. You think he had any kids?

[Vympel]

Mara Jade implied that the Emperor was quite a lech at the royal palace. You think he had any kids?

A bit out of context (I meant he doesnt' want any younglings, he's got Anakin, the most powerful Jedi ever), but as for Palpatine being a bit of a lecher, I can't really picture it.

[Zed Snardbody]

Mara Jade implied that the Emperor was quite a lech at the royal palace. You think he had any kids?

A bit out of context (I meant he doesnt' want any younglings, he's got Anakin, the most powerful Jedi ever), but as for Palpatine being a bit of a lecher, I can't really picture it.

Argh! Creepy grandpa! Creepy grandpa!

[Xisiqomelir]

Besides...look at what Palpatine told him to do and why.

"Only then will you be strong enough in the Dark Side to save Padme."

Exactly right. Assisting in the killing of Windu was a good first step, but he needed to do more.

[Nephtys]

And killing Jedi he's worked with isn't evil enough? I mean. He could easilly have just taken down the youth padawans instead of going to the Jedi Preschool up at the council chamber.

I'll attribute the REAL reason to audience shock value, and the 'can't go back' part after you know. Slaying a bunch of six year olds. But really, the Emperor would be better off with a bunch of moderate force-wielders under his thumb. They're not powerful enough to be a threat, while useful as agents.

[Stormbringer]

He doesn't want kids. Always two there are, no more, no less.

Mara Jade implied that the Emperor was quite a lech at the royal palace. You think he had any kids?

Actually, that was supposedly cover for other, more sinister activities.

[Xisiqomelir]

And killing Jedi he's worked with isn't evil enough?

He still doesn't have Darth Plagueis' "Stop Death" ability He still cannot save Padmé He needs to become stronger in the Dark Side

[Glimmervoid]

He doesn't want kids. Always two there are, no more, no less.

The rule of two was there to make sure that the Sith still existed when it came time to reveal them selves. Now they have done that it would likely have been abandoned (we know he did train force sensitive to some degree).

[Thanas]

He doesn't want kids. Always two there are, no more, no less.

Mara Jade implied that the Emperor was quite a lech at the royal palace. You think he had any kids?

Irek Ismaran