Alderaan

Remember this line?

"No! Alderaan is peaceful! We have no weapons! You can't...."

"You can't..."? What's going to stop him?

You have no weapons, no means of stopping him.

Quoting the Star Wars Databank entry,

"Alderaan, a revered Core world, had long been a center point in galactic politics, exploration, and culture....The planet had no weapons or military force, but it wasn't always so. During the Clone Wars, violence and warfare almost destroyed Alderaan. As a result, Viceroy and First Chairman Bail Organa outlawed all weapons, and declared a state of peace. This period of regrowth was spectacular, and Alderaan was renowned for its beauty, hailed as the "Bright Center of the Universe."

War is a terrible thing. Destruction and death are inevitable parts of war. Idealism is a great thing. In the case of Alderaan, this idealism led to a huge cultural growth, and a beautiful planet, loved by all.

Well, not by all. Alderaan covertly opposed Palpatine's Galactic Empire. And rightly so. Oppression and other tyrannical acts abounded. Basically, it was evil.

Alderaanians, as a whole, ignored the obvious threat this evil presented. They used financial and political opposition. Sanctions, political bureaucratic bluster and red tape. Their idealism lead them to believe that their disarmament and peaceful culture would insulate them from the Imperials. A few thought otherwise. For example, Tycho Celchu left Alderaan and joined the Rebel Alliance. Princess Leia Organa, daughter of the man who ordered the disarmament, took up arms against the Empire. Who was right?

Grand Moff Tarkin, Representative of the Empire, Governor of the Outer Rim and a firm believer in the "rightness" and "order" the Empire represented, showed no compunction against destroying Alderaan. Without batting an eye, he ordered the "Bright Center of the Universe" and all the innocents on it, blown apart as an example to those who resist the ideals of the Empire.

The peaceful, non-aggressive, "diplomatic" policy of Alderaan was worth bantha poodoo in the eyes of a believer of an evil cause. Could the destruction of their beautiful planet and incredible culture have been prevented? We'll never know. They refused to aggressively fight evil, and they paid for it.

For Evil shows no hesitation with the killing of innocents, the destruction of beauty or ignoring idealism.

Those Alderaanians who took up arms against the Empire, survived. And they didn't fight for just Alderaan. They didn't say, "It's not my planet. Why fight for your freedom? Your freedom isn't worth my efforts." They fought the evil of the Empire where ever they needed to. Sometimes, like at Endor, they based their fight on faulty intelligence. But they fought!

And they won their freedom. They won peace from the oppression of the Galactic Empire. For everyone in the Galaxy. It took sacrifice. Their freedom and peace was paid for with sweat, tears, and blood. Yes, blood. Destruction. Violence. War.

As horrible as the Galactic Civil War was, it was worth it. For the evil entity that was the Galactic Empire was defeated. The oppression and tyranny of Palpatine was washed away, with fire yes, but it was gone.

Could those who fought this war, and won it, now lay down their weapons, peace assured? No. For evil can never be completely ignored or defeated. It can rise from anywhere, at any time. Vigilance must always be maintained.

A wise man said (paraphrasing since I can't remember the exact wording),

"Peace is not achieved by non-violence. It is achieved through strength, through victory."

He also said,

"Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to stand off and defeat any threat."

I've read fellow bloggers thoughts on the value of war. Many say that war solves nothing. I beg to differ. War is horrible. We all agree on that. But sometimes, unfortunately, it's necessary. Burying your head in the sand and ignoring the actual fact that there are evil people out there who wouldn't even blink before destroying everything you hold dear is the worst kind of naiveté.

Laying down your weapons and saying, "I will not fight you..." doesn't always lead to your enemy saying, "Awww...ok, let's be friends!" More often then not they say, "If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny!" just before hurling their lightsaber, in whatever form it takes, at your throat. And not everyone is able to duck in time.

Evil can only be defeated by combating it, not by ignoring it. Sometimes, that requires violence, yes, and even war.