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bb8
@bb8

There's a big essay on Plazir-15 and droids rights below the cut, but before we go, I've got a light theory about this episode: I think this was originally going to be a "Rangers of the New Republic" episode. Something's been a little uneven about this season of The Mandalorian, and my guess is that in the initial planning of the thing, they were counting on "Rangers" being in production and covering elements like Dr. Pershing's life on Coruscant, the structural rot inside the New Republic, and, like this episode, solving droid crimes in the Mid Rim. When that show fizzled away for some reason, who can really say, those plot beats needed a home, and wound up grafting into Mando S3.

No proof of that, but that's my guess. Anyway, this week's episode accidentally was science fiction, and I thought it might be fun to unpack that:


My guess is that this week's Mando is going to rub folks that want to see #droidrights explored the wrong way. Plezir-15 initially posits a society where human flourishing is based on droid labor, with droids beginning to revolt. It feels like a parable of labor-- that exploitation is becoming untenable, and the rich are now beginning to feel the true cost of their opulence.

And then... it doesn't. It turns out the droids -like- serving humans, and want to help root out "the bad droids" so they aren't replaced. At the end of the day, the whole thing is a kind of false flag operation by Doc Brown to introduce mistrust into the society.

My first read of the situation was "Is Jon Favreau... pro-slavery?" It feels a little like that!

But then I realized I was bringing my own expectations for the genre into the mix. Taken on its own terms... I think there's something really compelling about the way the droids on Plezir relate to themselves and the human society around them.

For one, they aren't segregated. There aren't many droids at Jack Black and Lizzo's banquet, but to be fair, it's a banquet-- there's not much for a droid to do at a table full of food. When we go into the droid bar later, there's simply nothing for a human to do there. But look during the chase through the city streets-- there's a huge mix of humans, aliens, and droids-- droids standing around, talking to other droids and people, droids sitting on benches: droids that are not at work. Even the idea of a "droid bar" implies a situation where machines have off hours to enjoy at their leisure!

Likewise, we're told that Plezir-15's entire civilization is so automated that nobody except droids work... by a human at work. In a room full of humans at work! In fact, we see just as many humans at work in the course of this episode as droids-- the security forces, the "royal" guards, the forensic... mechanic? It's clear that actually, if you want to work on Plezir, you are welcome to. The choice to work, or to play, or to create, or to vote-- it's up to you! The system-- which, by not spending on a military, "all our resources go to growth and the people"-- sustains all, turning work from a necessity to a freedom. Star Wars is showing us the socialist paradise working properly. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

I need to pause and note this is also the episode where Lizzo knights Baby Yoda because he helps her cheat at bouncy grub croquet. STAR WARS!!

So, we get to the droids-- and listen to what the droid bartender says:

"There are concerns among my customers that we will be replaced. Most of us have been refurbished and reprogrammed. Some droids on Plazir date back to the Separatists. The New Republic would send them to scrap. But here on Plazir, they are given a second chance. We don't want to be replaced. We still have a lot to contribute. Human life is so short. They don't ask that much of us. Organics created us. It's the least we can do."

What strikes me in this statement is the desire for purpose. A droid isn't a living being. Living beings, in and of themselves, only exist to stay alive and reproduce. Sentient beings must find their own purposes beyond their base biological needs. The freedoms a human needs are the freedoms to find their own purpose and fulfill it-- to flourish.

Droids are much luckier than any human-- they are built with a purpose. They know what they should do. Can you imagine coming into this world knowing exactly what thing you should do to make yourself feel happy and fulfilled? Even if that purpose is changed-- the battle droids, refurbished and reprogrammed to help the society of Plezir-15-- that purpose is still known and desired. And, like we've seen, there's some degree of choice and independence from that, too.

Droid rights looks like Plazir-15: a place where droids are maintained, given meaningful work within the community, and allowed to inhabit and build their own spaces. Its the same freedom the organics of Plazir-15 enjoy, to be honest. I wish I lived on Plazir-15. I could kill it at grub croquet.


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in reply to @bb8's post:

It could've been better, but I still enjoyed this one. I really wish Star Wars would explore more cultural stuff like this. The Quarren/Mon Cal stuff was great too. That's been touched on like once(?) in the mainline material.

I'd kill for a documentary style series set in Star Wars. There's so many topics they could focus on.