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Strength and Unity, a Clone Wars-era propaganda piece featuring seven "alien" species
- "Some creatures in the galaxy are aliens. There are lots of different aliens. Aliens are not human."
- ―C-3PO
"Alien" was a general-purpose term used in the galaxy by humans and even some droids to refer to anyone of a sentient species that was not a human.[1] Sometimes, the term nonhuman was used interchangeably.[2] There existed within both the Galactic Republic and Galactic Empire a set of Unknown Alien protocols that governed official encounters with unknown alien species.[3]
Xenophobia
Main article: - "... I have no issues with aliens myself—some of my best friends are nonhumans—but some grav-ball fans object to alien physiognomies, seeing them as giving nonhumans an edge."
- ―Janus Fhurek
Since the Galactic Empire looked down on aliens, it was rare to find nonhumans serving as Imperial officers. Nonhuman species like Wookiees were regarded as animals and exploited as slave labor.[4] The Empire favored humans in its government and military.[5] In addition, the Empire also discouraged the learning of alien languages and cultures such as Ithorese, and sought to impose high "Imperial standards" for its citizens.[6]
This pro-human bias was an intentional part of Imperial policy. Imperial propaganda actively supported state-sponsored ethnocentric xenophobia and fear-mongering. To the Empire, aliens were by and large unwelcome within its order, with aliens being seen as "different," and "strange." As such, the Empire treated nonhuman segments of its populations as serfs, slaves, or obstacles needing to be tamed, removed, or ignored. The Empire supported the idea that aliens were untrustworthy—unlike humans—and behind their veneer of innocence lurked a viscous monster. The Imperial propaganda machine was so effective in its message that even near-human species exhibited an inherent distrust towards nonhuman populations.[7]
Nevertheless, some nonhumans were known to occupy lofty roles within the Empire, such as the Chagrian Mas Amedda, who served as the Empire's Grand Vizier,[8] the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn,[9] the Pau'an Grand Inquisitor,[4] and three other Inquisitors known as the Seventh Sister, the Fifth Brother,[10] and the Eighth Brother.[11]
Some fans of grav-ball during the Age of the Empire objected to the presence of alien players on grav-ball teams, feeling that their alien physiognomies gave them an unfair edge over the human players. The Junior Academy of Applied Sciences's athletic director Janus Fhurek attempted to convince his grav-ball center-striker Zare Leonis to remove the AppSci SaberCats' two alien players: the Rodian Frid Kelio and the Aqualish Hench Sina. When Leonis refused, Fhurek unilaterally transferred the alien players to another school.[2] Reflecting on his experiences with Fhurek, Leonis regarded the athletic director as xenophobic.[12]
Appearances
Sources
- Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide
- What is a Wookiee?
- Star Wars: Rey's Survival Guide
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
Balnab in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ What is a Wookiee?
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Servants of the Empire: Edge of the Galaxy
- ↑ Thrawn
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels: Visual Guide: Epic Battles
- ↑ Aftermath
- ↑ Aftermath: Life Debt
- ↑ Tarkin
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
- ↑
Star Wars Rebels — "Always Two There Are"
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels — "Twilight of the Apprentice"
- ↑ Servants of the Empire: Imperial Justice