Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Pre-release)

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

That's actually realistic. In the Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War people who weren't regular military, but had the skills were given commissions as generals. Lando and Han Solo probably had more qualifications than some of them. Han was actually a Rebel officer before he realized he was an officer (in ESB).

 

[cayman shen]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

That's actually realistic. In the Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War people who weren't regular military, but had the skills were given commissions as generals. Lando and Han Solo probably had more qualifications than some of them. Han was actually a Rebel officer before he realized he was an officer (in ESB).

And Jar Jar?

 

[Riceball]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

That's actually realistic. In the Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War people who weren't regular military, but had the skills were given commissions as generals. Lando and Han Solo probably had more qualifications than some of them. Han was actually a Rebel officer before he realized he was an officer (in ESB).

Maybe during the Revolutionary War but I'm not so sure about the Civil War, by then we had a professional officer corps and experienced officers on both sides. I can't remember reading about any general officer during the Civil War that was a civilian and simply given the rank, there were plenty of civilians who were recruited into the officer ranks but none that I know of as generals, colonels in charge of regiments maybe but not generals.

I think that giving Lando and Han commissions as generals was a bit too much, officers in the Rebellion, sure, but generals? To me, being a general requires a certain amount of experience, as well as skill, in managing a large number of troops, more experience than either has had. But I understand why they did it, from a movie making perspective, it makes it seem more impressive and makes the two characters more important now that they're generals, but realistically, I wouldn't have promoted to much more than Commander (like Luke) and given them command of nothing more than the equivalent of a battalion, a regiment or brigade at most.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

I seem to remember hearing about a teacher given that rank, but I think it was mostly soldiers who were already officers that were given brevet ranks as promotions. For example General Chamberlain, who defended Little Roundtop at Gettysburg was given a brevet promotion to Major General. I'll have to ask my dad about it because he's a Civil War collector and probably knows.

I think at least in Han's case, he was already an Imperial officer (unless DIsney screws that up...) and from his time with the Alliance they could have gotten good enough sense of his skills that maybe that's why they promoted him.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Han's Imperial rank would have been somewhat irrelevant by that point. More pragmatically, he was a Captain in the Rebellion in ESB (not just an acknowledgment of his having his own ship). It's a jump of a few ranks to General, but that may or may not have been a temporary promotion for the needs of the mission -- like how Custer was a Brigadier General during the Civil War, but afterward he was dropped back down to Lt. Col.

--Jonah

 

[Laspector]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Why wasn't Luke made a General? Or even higher? I mean without Luke the Rebellion would have been pretty much wiped out. If he doesn't deserve the highest rank possible, no one does. I don't really know much about military ranks, where does Commander place?

Or do you figure he just refused any kind of higher rank as he was prepping to be a Jedi?

 

[crabra comander]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

He did go AWOL to sham out on combat on DAHOBAH!:eek

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

"Commander" in Star Wars has never been the naval rank, but a job title -- the person is in command of something. In ESB, Luke was the CAG of Echo Base, and probably held the rank of Major or Colonel, from his insignia. After that, I would presume he's been out of active duty, first due to recuperation from injuries, then to focus on the retrieval of Captain Solo, with the express permission and support of one of the Rebellions primary leadership figures. After all that... we don't know. That's the whole post-ROTJ era that's been wiped clean and isn't going to start being filled in for us until this fall.

Meanwhile, Wedge -- Luke's senior officer -- is probably a Colonel himself by ESB.

--Jonah

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Why wasn't Luke made a General? Or even higher? I mean without Luke the Rebellion would have been pretty much wiped out. If he doesn't deserve the highest rank possible, no one does. I don't really know much about military ranks, where does Commander place?

Or do you figure he just refused any kind of higher rank as he was prepping to be a Jedi?

I think after ESB, Luke is a Jedi and not in the Alliance military anymore. He's never referred to by rank after ESB.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

When, in ROTJ, do we see him doing anything with the Rebels as part of a force? He was part of General Solo's command crew on the infiltration mission. Maybe he had that prerogative, maybe Solo and Organa backing him up shut up anyone who wanted him riding a suicide sled against the Death Star. *shrug*

--Jonah

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

I'm pretty sure if you've solely blown up a Death Star and you're the only Jedi the Alliance has you can attach yourself to whatever mission you deem important. :lol

 

[cayman shen]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Can you imagine what it did for dedicated officers' morale to have these two criminals show up out of nowhere and be promoted ahead of them?! Yeesh, the office politics on THAT one...

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

:lol I never thought of that! That's like the pic in the funny pic thread where it says they wonder what woman the Ewoks killed and ate to get a dress for Leia.

 

[Riceball]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Can you imagine what it did for dedicated officers' morale to have these two criminals show up out of nowhere and be promoted ahead of them?! Yeesh, the office politics on THAT one...

That would actually make for an interesting plot for a book, where the Rebellion is betrayed an officer or officers who are jealous of Luke & Han's promotions, promotions that they felt they deserved and so, as a result, sell out the Rebellion. Of course, it wouldn't be a huge sell out or anything but it would be enough to life interesting for Luke & co., maybe he/she/they could have been the ones to tip off that bounty hunter(?) that caught up to them on Ord Mantell.

 

[JD]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

We don't really see a whole lot of the way the Rebel hierarchy works - at least in the movies. Perhaps since they were a rebel group that was growing that making officers out of newcomers was a common practice?

 

[Jeyl]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Shouldn't the bottom line be that they're on the same side? The only real thing we should be worried about is if Luke decides that the ways of the Jedi seen in the prequels is the one true way to be a Jedi. THAT is when allegiances should matter.

 

[Riceball]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Shouldn't the bottom line be that they're on the same side? The only real thing we should be worried about is if Luke decides that the ways of the Jedi seen in the prequels is the one true way to be a Jedi. THAT is when allegiances should matter.

In a perfect world, yes. In real life petty jealousies and personal ambitions can get in the way of common sense and the greater good.

 

[glunark]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

That would actually make for an interesting plot for a book, where the Rebellion is betrayed an officer or officers who are jealous of Luke & Han's promotions, promotions that they felt they deserved and so, as a result, sell out the Rebellion. Of course, it wouldn't be a huge sell out or anything but it would be enough to life interesting for Luke & co., maybe he/she/they could have been the ones to tip off that bounty hunter(?) that caught up to them on Ord Mantell.

I could swear I read a comic like that a while back, someone betrayed Luke to Vader because he was jealous of the attention, pretty sure Vader just killed him for his payment too.

I guess he picked the one person in the universe who would have a really bad reaction to the name Skywalker.

 

[Jeyl]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

In a perfect world, yes. In real life petty jealousies and personal ambitions can get in the way of common sense and the greater good.

Trouble is, the Jedi are not just trying to abolish jealousy and personal ambitions, they're trying to abolish anything that could even lead to jealously and personal ambitions. If there is even a possible chance that what you do could lead to the dark side, it's treated as the worst thing a Jedi could have. It's like saying that just because it's possible I could die in a car wreck, I should immediately get rid of my car and start walking instead. It doesn't matter how safe you drive or what knowledge you have of the road. If there is a chance, it needs to be purged. Remember the great Jedi contradiction.

Obi-Wan: Only a Sith deals in absolutes

 

[Riceball]

Re: Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One

Trouble is, the Jedi are not just trying to abolish jealousy and personal ambitions, they're trying to abolish anything that could even lead to jealously and personal ambitions. If there is even a possible chance that what you do could lead to the dark side, it's treated as the worst thing a Jedi could have. It's like saying that just because it's possible I could die in a car wreck, I should immediately get rid of my car and start walking instead. It doesn't matter how safe you drive or what knowledge you have of the road. If there is a chance, it needs to be purged. Remember the great Jedi contradiction.

Obi-Wan: Only a Sith deals in absolutes

But I wasn't referring to Jedi, I was referring to some random member of the Alliance getting upset/jealous of Luke and/or Han's promotion(s). While Luke may or may not subscribe to the old Jedi philosophies regarding emotions and emotional attachment all that has little to no bearing on the Alliance since he was not a member of the Alliance's upper echelon and even if he were there would be no way that he could try to impose his "Jedi ways" on the members of the Alliance since the Alliance is not a resurrected Jedi Order.