interviewer: in nemik’s manifesto when he says “try”, was that meant to be in direct opposition to yoda’s “do or do not”
tony gilroy: hahaha oh yeah yoda does say that huh. i guess so. i was more thinking about the old IRA
like i get it, i know we want the doomed delusion of religious thought to be humiliated by the pure light of revolutionary thought, but in context even trying to put the two ideas in contrast is nonsensical.
nemik’s whole point is “failure doesn’t matter in aggregate- the volume of revolution will make every attempt a meaningful push towards the breaking point.”
yoda’s observation is “you can’t use the force without believing you can use the force. there’s no attempting with the force; either you arrive knowing you will succeed, and you succeed, or any doubt in your own ability will doom that ability from the start.“
in a real way, both the young philosopher and the ancient master have reached the same conclusion: faith in success is the first step towards success. the parallels run deep. we’ve discussed before that in andor, community fills the space the force normally inhabits in a Star Wars story. both yoda and nemik are speaking to a doubtful audience. look at how they address the same topic: persistance in the face of an overwhelming foe
Nemik: There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already.
Yoda: So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?
Nemik: Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.
Yoda: Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?
Nemik: Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction.
Yoda: For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
Nemik: Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere.
Yoda: You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you... me... the tree... the rock... everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!
Make the attempt. Your allies are everywhere. The truth of the situation transcends the believable into the knowable. Our power lies in its own certainty: success is already ours, you just have to know it.