Hey so I was thinking about Hamilton (as you do) and the Jedi games (as you do) and the cycle of violence themes in fiction and literature (as you do). A while back, I saw a Star Wars post that took scenes from Rogue One, the OG trilogy, and the sequel trilogy, in that order, and set it to the Hamilton lyrics from “My Shot:”
And if we win our independence
Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?
Or will the blood be shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?
First off: Excellent lyric use with Star Wars.
Second: How do characters deal with breaking out of the cycle of violence… but they keep getting dragged back into the cycle?
Because I think about Cal at the end of Jedi: Survivor. He does NOT want to fight, let alone kill, Bode. He wants out of the cycle of violence. Between fighting the Empire and retiring to a life of safety on Tanalorr, he’d rather retire in peace. But the fight keeps coming back for him. “The fight is all I know.” Even when it looks like there’s a decent shot at finding some peace after defeating Dagan Gera and getting the map to Tanalorr, the Empire comes to their doorstep and he loses Cere and Eno to the ever-present fight.
By the time he confronts Bode on Tanalorr, he’s looking for a way out of the oncoming fight. A way to break the cycle of violence. He insists on talking to Bode first, appealing to his paternal sense in defense of Kata. But Bode, who has lived as reluctantly in the cycle of violence, does not look for a way out. “The fight is all I know.”
Thus Cal is drawn back into the cycle of violence against his will and now must carry that weight forever.
How do you break out of the cycle of violence when the cycle won’t leave you alone? When the people you care about are stuck in it? Are there times when the breaking free of the cycle of violence demands violence?
“Or will the blood be shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?”
I have no answers, but these are nonetheless interesting questions to ponder and explore. Makes me even more excited for Jedi 3.
