The following article started as a shorter response to one book, Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact. I had found the depiction of the role of the clones in the Galactic Army of the Republic, and their treatment by the Jedi, to be intensely thought provoking. I went searching online for discourse on the Republic Commando books, or on the broader subject of the treatment of clones in Clone Wars era literature (or other forms of media), only to find very little in the way of formal discourse. It was in discussing my thoughts on the book, and on the lack of existing discourse on the subject, with my partner Joshua that I found myself inspired to fill that gap in the discourse by writing my own analysis to Hard Contact. Joshua encouraged me that if I was going to write on Hard Contact I ought also to include the rest of the books in the Republic Commando quartet: Triple Zero, True Colors, and Order 66.
This is where I disclose that I have a PhD in English Literature, and a tendency towards wordiness. What started as an intent to write an average article length response (say, three to eight thousand words) became a larger analytical work that rivals the length of my own Master's thesis. For further context of just how inspired I was by these books: it took me almost a year to write my Master's thesis; it took me about a month to write the first "final" draft of this paper. I also hadn't been inspired to do any kind of creative or academic writing since I finished my PhD in 2017; it is thanks to these books and this project that my passion for writing has been rekindled.
What you're about to read is both an analysis of the Republic Commando quartet by Karen Traviss, as well as an argument regarding the role of the clones in the broader narrative of the Star Wars universe, and the larger implications of this regarding the ethics of cloning and the way that our own society treats those we view as "other". This article clocks in at 78 pages (including the Works Cited and Bibliography), so rather than post the whole thing as an overly long blog post, we present it to you, dear readers, as a PDF for download and reading at your method of convenience.
I would like to thank my partner, Joshua, for gifting me the first three Republic Commando books last Christmas and sparking the inspiration that grew into this paper. Also for being my first reader and my editor, understanding my very many feelings about the clones and Mando’ade, and encouraging me every step of the way in the creation of this paper.
Thanks also to Karen Traviss for developing such a rich part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and giving me so much to write about! Canon might have shifted, but your contribution to Star Wars remains valuable and appreciated.
This is where I disclose that I have a PhD in English Literature, and a tendency towards wordiness. What started as an intent to write an average article length response (say, three to eight thousand words) became a larger analytical work that rivals the length of my own Master's thesis. For further context of just how inspired I was by these books: it took me almost a year to write my Master's thesis; it took me about a month to write the first "final" draft of this paper. I also hadn't been inspired to do any kind of creative or academic writing since I finished my PhD in 2017; it is thanks to these books and this project that my passion for writing has been rekindled.
What you're about to read is both an analysis of the Republic Commando quartet by Karen Traviss, as well as an argument regarding the role of the clones in the broader narrative of the Star Wars universe, and the larger implications of this regarding the ethics of cloning and the way that our own society treats those we view as "other". This article clocks in at 78 pages (including the Works Cited and Bibliography), so rather than post the whole thing as an overly long blog post, we present it to you, dear readers, as a PDF for download and reading at your method of convenience.
I would like to thank my partner, Joshua, for gifting me the first three Republic Commando books last Christmas and sparking the inspiration that grew into this paper. Also for being my first reader and my editor, understanding my very many feelings about the clones and Mando’ade, and encouraging me every step of the way in the creation of this paper.
Thanks also to Karen Traviss for developing such a rich part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and giving me so much to write about! Canon might have shifted, but your contribution to Star Wars remains valuable and appreciated.
| nelson_star_wars_on_ethics_of_cloning.pdf |
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