Potential "Home Guard" or "Alien" Imperial Divisions?

[JesseVader08]

This could be a very interesting book related to this topic:

SW Empire Triumphant: Race Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films

It was mentioned on mousedroid.com, where they describe it as such:

George Lucas’s Star Wars trilogy shows the influences of its era; Cold War tension and rebellion against totalitarianism. The new paperback Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion And Rebellion in the Star Wars Films focuses on all six Star Wars films and how the films use the language of colonialism to emphasize the idea of imperialism.

Also discussed are the religious undertones from Taoism and Buddhism and the works of Kurosawa and other Asian filmmakers, representation of people of color in the Star Wars universe, and concludes with how  Lucas’s films represent race, religion, and rebellion.

[Famine]

Or just listen to this, Jesse. :-p

Kevin

[Jesse James]

That sounds like a really interesting book Jesse, and might I add that it's about time some actual "intellectual" books crop up that discuss the films (and perhaps EU) in a literary debate format... 

There's lots of writings about Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien's work at large, while Star Wars I fear is often overlooked for it's underlying themes and ideas, and its commentary on the era in which it was created.  That'll be a must-have for me I think because there's some really interesting concepts, as we've discussed here.

A lot of the various aspects of SW I look at tend to be military focused...  For instance how we're discussing the assimilation of alien cultures into the Empire, which depends greatly on how any one of us views the Empire.  Are they Xenophobic outwardly?  Is the Xenophobia an inner-secret?  Are they actually accepting of alien cultures and bigotry and speciesist attitudes are relegated to the minority in the galaxy?  It's an interesting thought that goes beyond the films.

I love stuff like this...  Good discussion.  My Tolkien class my last semester at college was so much fun for this very reason.  Roundtables on the themes and ideas in LOTR and other works the Silmarillion and The Hobbit were the kinds of classes you actually didn't want to end.  I wish I could find a Star Wars one, hah.

[Paul]

Good Topic Jesse...very remniscent of are the Ewoks the Viet Cong...

Here's my opinion...if we are to extrapolate that base on a one toss away line from an Imperial Prison Guard, can we not make the same logical jump from Princess Leia sayiing "Will somebody get this walking carpet out of my way" or "I'd just as soon kiss a wookie"...?

The foreign divisions of the German Armed Forces are a very interesting topic and like has been mentioned, not the first time a major power used soldiers from different powers as auxillary (or even front line troops).

Like the example of the Troops of the POA in Normandy.  By the time they were captured by the Americans, they had been consripted by the Koreans, the Japanese, the Russians and the Germans.  Each time they were captured, they were pressed into the service of their former enemy.  Most likely out of self presevation than any idealogical reasons.  Soldiers usually eat better than prisoners.

Also using the Germans as an example...take the Waffen SS...the Elite Arm in the Early war period required pure aryan blood...by the end of the war their were Waffen SS units from not only the Northern European Nations like France, Holland and Norway, but the suppossed "lesser" nations of Italy and Yugoslavia and let us not forget the 100 British prisoners of war who entered the Waffen SS (mostly used for propagana purposes, but a dozen saw combat).

The way I see the Imperial use of Local Militias is best exemplified by Yugoslavian and Ukarainian and Estonian Waffen SS units.  The units were mustered in on the promise that they could "right some wrongs" that felt they had received from other cultural groups in their.  The Croats got the purge the Serbs, the Ukarainians and Estonians got to get back at Russians and others from that reqion from wounds.  So after the Germans rolled through these areas they "empowered" certain groups with promises of power and place at the table in the New World Order.  But each unit was run by a German Cadre of Officers and NCO's.  A memoir I read by a foreign volunteer said they would do what the German said, but were only doing it because life in the barracks was better than life in the camps.

Isn't it in some EU somewhere that the Squidhead species and Mon Calamari are from the same planet and the Squidheads are Imperial Loyalists because the Empire will allow them to wage a private war on the Mon Cal?

I am sure "Home guard" units were present in other eras, but I'd have to think about it more.  I know the Romans did it, as well as the Greeks and Attilla as well.

I also go back to another line in ANH...Tarkin says the local governors will have direct control of their systems (or something to that efffect).   Now the Gov may be human, and he may have a Cadre of Officers and NCO's that are human.

It is early in the morning so some of this may be repeats or make no sense...but I'll try to develop more coherrent thoughts in my next post...

[Jesse James]

Makes a lot of sense Paul and I feel a lot of that past Earth precedent implies it could easily translate to Star Wars overall too. 

It's a similar thing to "loyalists" in America's infancy conflict, where whole regiments were formed of loyalist volunteers who weren't accepted in the British regular army but who fell under British military control/commanders.

I think on Rodia (just as an example here) we'd have a planetary governor...  An elected official, a figurehead, who reports to sector leaders or Moffs/Grand Moffs...  Under the governor there are two possibilities then though.  A planetary homeguard which is integrated and basically controlled by the Empire...  The degree of control depends on the degree of the planet's overall assimilation into the "New Order".  Do they willingly (the majority of course) want to be part of the Empire?  Do they have a budding civil war on their hands over the issue?  Do they have minor insurrection?  Do they have full support even perhaps for the New Order?

If the planet's in pure turmoil then, the other possibility is that there's perhaps still homeguard units, but the overwhelming military presence is going to be Imperial, even if it's not the majority...  It's kind of like the military presence in Vietnam which escalated from simply advisors to full blown US military running of the show over there. 

So like on Kashyyyk, a military presence of Imperial regulars, stormtroopers, or a mix of troops/military units is there because the (EU) situation on Kashyyyk is volatile...  Wookiee's are a subjucated species overall, or so the writings go...  With prisoners being put into slavery and whatnot.  Obviously there's probably gonna be less of a "homeguard' for Kashyyyk then there will be for other planets then...

There's a lot to think of with all the different species...  It'd be really cool seeing what they'd look like too.

Like for instance, could you picture the Imperial Army Regular uniform (AT-ST Driver) on a Rodian?  The green hands and things.  Maybe a special patch on the shoulders (perhaps below the Imperial logo) for the Rodian Homeguard.

Needless to say I have a custom in my head here, haha.