Sentient
From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.
- "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."
- ―Qui-Gon Jinn to Jar Jar Binks[src]
A sentient was a being with the ability to think intelligently, commonly determined by the being's ability to speak, manipulate tools, and reason.
Other lifeforms lacking such capabilities were classified as non-sentient, though some classification systems had a middle ground, semi-sentient, for species that had very primitive capabilities to manipulate tools, use language, and/or solve problems.
The Galactic Empire would often recategorize sentient species such as the Wookiees as non-sentient, allowing it to enslave them without formally violating the laws protecting sentient beings from such abuse.
[edit] Behind the scenes
The term sentient is technically incorrect for this usage, instead referring to any being with the capacity to feel sensations, such as pain; thus, most animals are sentient. More correct terms include sapient and sophont.
Sentient comes from the Latin word sentire, meaning "to feel."
[edit] Appearances
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Just about every Star Wars story has a sentient being of some kind, as all material contains at least one character with the abilities listed above.
