Korto Vos
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Originally posted by Impediment
And by that logic, you're not calling that................radical?Both Death Stars, while mainly populated by Imperials, was, in fact, populated by innocents. As a former U.S. Army Infantryman who has seen combat, much to my chagrin, I do agree that the death of the innocent is, sadly, a constant. I mean, that's what happens in war. Innocent life will be taken. There is no getting around this.
However, my "perspective argument" goes back to the fact that Mon Mothma, the Rebellion leader, knew fully well that when the "many Bothans who died" to bring the Rebellion the stolen Death Star plans, innocents would die. Now, my point is that while calculating such an epic event as The Battle of Yavin and the assualt on Death Star I, how important is supposed "liberation from a force to be disagreed with" so important that X amount of completely innocent lives need be ended? It all goes back to the ends of each spectrum argument.
Yes, even if the entire Death Star, was, as Lucien stated, "filled to the brim with millions of trained and professional military men," and these men, as I stated earlier, were "mindful of the risk of death in combat," the vast majority of these individuals were people trying to carve a career for themselves and loved ones elsewhere. Perhaps those that witnessed the Death Star's destruction of Alderaan couldn't exactly leave, even if in their hearts they wholeheartedly were against the Empire's attack.
But it is for that reason why the Death Star had to be destroyed. Except for Tarkin and a few other sick bastards, the large majority of those men would have gladly given their lives to see this monstrous creation destroyed and the Empire vanquished.
If all else fails, what else can you do? The Empire represented everything unrighteousness, and the Old Republic, while corrupt and far from perfect, at least tried to represent liberty and stability. When peace and negotiations failed, the Rebel Alliance had to fight to remove the Empire. And the Death Star was the primary target. In war, if the primary target is cleared, it's easier to complete the mission, am I correct?
This is when the notion of ethical duty becomes fudged. The men aboard the Death Star were military staff, and as a former member of the Armed Forces, you understand the meaning of trusting your senior officer and his orders. They did their duty, and they did it honorably.
Likewise, the Rebel Alliance did its ethical duty. The only body that failed to act righteously was the Galactic Empire as whole. Sadly, to destroy this body requires the destruction of its primary weapon, and therefore the loss of lives of the men that control this weapon.