may mingle (blameless!)

[revivo]

Who: Blameless crew + visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Aboard the Blameless
When: May

[time to get your mingle on, people lacking blame and friends!]

Comments

[resnipstance]

Okay. Here goes.

Your planet [because what are countries in Star Wars?] is involved in a war where you're dramatically outnumbered, but losing said war would ostensibly mean that many planets would be annexed by a corrupt superpower. As such, your only options are to surrender, or find some way of dramatically increasing your ranks overnight-- either via the draft, or via artificially created humans, born in a lab and raised for the sole purpose of the war.

The first option means leaving billions to suffer. But the second and third options remove free will-- either that of the civilians, or that of the clones.

I'm curious. As a civilian from a world with a war going on who is personally affected by having a friend in the army-- which would you pick? There's no wrong answer, by the way. Or rather... maybe I should say, there's no right answer. I just want to hear other people's opinions.

[All the answers are wrong. The Clone Wars never should have happened in the first place. But this is Ahsoka, trying to get an outside perspective.]

[beathach]

[oh, this is a difficult one, and not - one he that he's at all qualified to answer.

But he can be objective about it. He crosses his arms and frowns, his expression thoughtful for a long moment. Admittedly the planet part throws him, but - technically it's the same. How many countries are involved in the war back home anyhow? Officially and unofficially. And he's familiar with the draft, and all the problems that caused]

Objectively?

The first option isn't one, I think. Leaving billions to suffer - at all, really, I wouldn't choose that.

[he tilts his head, frowning deeper for a moment] The war going on in my world now - my country has a draft for it. And it - didn't go over very well. It still isn't. A lot of people were angry about it and refused to participate, and I heard a lot of people fled to other countries to avoid it. There's a whole lot of repercussions to forcing people to fight in a war.

And - it doesn't seem fair to - even if they're a clone, they're still human, right? To raise them only to fight in a war . . . doesn't seem ethical to me. Strictly - from a scientific point of view.

[man, Ahsoka, these options all suck in the end. He finally sighs and makes a face]

Is there a compromise between the last two options? To - find a way to gather civilians who are willing to fight, but make sure that the clones have something - more than just a life at war?

[resnipstance]

... I think that would've been a better option, yes. Not good, but better.

The Republic chose the third option. But you're right-- the clones are still human. But a lot of people don't see it that way. They're not given an option to fight or not-- their personalities are genetically pre-programmed before birth to create perfect soldiers, willing to serve the Republic. And if a clone somehow still refuses to fight, they're labeled as defective or deserters, and executed. They have no rights. They don't even technically have names-- just numbers. Instead they assign themselves names, within their own ranks, to assert their individuality. But not everyone uses them.

With the war drawing to a close soon one way or another... anti-clone sentiment is high, but people don't think about what would've happened if they hadn't been there to fight for them. I can't help but worry about what's going to happen to them in the future, once there's no more war to fight.

[beathach]

[he can't help but look a little angry and disgusted - it's bad enough that these clones are being born just to fight in a war, but to alter them in such a way to make them do that. It amazes him sometimes, what terrible things science is really capable of.

He huffs out a noise after taking a moment to reign in how he feels]

That's what I'd be worried about, too. Especially if they're being programmed like that a genetic level. Without that - then, what really comes into question is if they're able to adapt to a life without war, or if they're able to adapt what they know for other purposes. And something like that, I think, would require outside parties helping them. Teaching them how to - mm, function in a civilian society.

[resnipstance]

I'll say. I'm not and clone and I'm still having trouble with it!

[beathach]

I think anyone with a shred of common sense would have trouble with it.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka sighs.]

Not to mention... passing laws is one thing, but getting the public to accept them is another one entirely.

[beathach]

Mm, that's an understatement. And they're not afraid of letting - whoever's in charge know that they don't like it.

[resnipstance]

Yes. Even governing bodies aren't immune to public pressure. I've learned that much first hand.

[beathach]

I have too, but not - in the same way you have, probably. I used to work for a government agency. You'd hear about a lot of different things in the break room, so to speak.