Star Wars Meta: An Orderly Upbringing
According to the Disney tie-in material, the First Order's recruitment and training program was based on the Jedi recruitment and training program by its creator, Brendo Hux. There's a lot to unpack there, but let's start with the basics. How are the training programs of the Jedi Order and the First Order similar and how did they differ? What do those similarities and differences say about them as institutions?
Similarities
1. Intent
The Jedi Order and First Order were raising kids in preparation for combat. Note that I did not say they were raising child soldiers. Howtofightwrite over on tumblr has a couple of interesting posts on the difference. It basically boils down to this: child soldiers are disposable canon fodder and children raised for combat are a serious investment. The goal is to create highly tried fighters who are utterly dedicated to the cause.
2. Recruitment Age
Jedi and First Order 'recruits' were children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old. Children at those ages are mobile, capable of understanding (some) words, and old enough to be safely weaned. The older ones may even be potty trained. They are unlikely to remember anything about their family by the time they hit adulthood and are thus unlikely to have any conflicting loyalties or anything to compare the relative healthiness of their upbringing to.
3. Isolation
Both groups allowed their children no contact with the outside world. Jedi younglings didn't leave the Temple until their gathering, at which point they simply went to another, secret temple. As Padawans, they were allowed to leave the Temple and interact with the public, but only under the direct supervision of their master. First Order cadets spent their entire lives on First Order installations and ships. Finn is 20 before he ever interacts with a civilian. For both groups, isolation keeps recruits from developing conflicting loyalties or being exposed to outside ideas.
4. Training and Education
Both organizations start combat training early in order to normalize the mechanics of violence long before they actually put their kids in situations where they would ever have to hurt someone. Training is rigorous, if age appropriate. For very young kids, it's probably framed as a game. Recruits are continuously evaluated on their performances. You can't combat train all the time, so recruits are probably in class a lot too. Their educations are tailored towards the tasks their respective Orders want them to perform. Jedi learn about diplomatic protocol, Republic law, cultures, history, astronomy, etc. First Order troops probably learn history, tactics, and practical skills like gun maintenance. In both groups, children who perform well in certain areas are funneled into special tracks which determine their jobs as adults.
5. Care and Feeding
Children in the Jedi Order and First Order receive good, healthy food and excellent medical care. They are, after all, an investment in the future of their organization. They are encouraged to maintain their body in peak physical condition. They are unlikely to be subject to physical abuse as that would interfere with their future performance. On the other hand, emotional abuse and bullying are probably a bit part of life in both groups.
6. Submission to a Higher Authority
Both groups stress the importance of duty and unthinking obedience to authority. Jedi must trust in the will of the Force and the wisdom of the Council. First Order troopers must obey their officers without question.
7. Discouraging Emotional Attachment
Jedi younglings are taught to fear attachments as the path to the Dark Side. First Order troopers discouraged from forming friendships. In the tie-in novel Before the Awakening, Finn is repeatedly chastised for looking out for his friend Slips when the unit might be better off without his dead weight.
Differences
1. Apprenticeships
Jedi padawans become apprenticed to senior Jedi as part of their training. First Order soldiers don't get that sort of one-on-one mentorship.
2. Age at Which They See Combat
Jedi padawans began their apprenticeship between the ages of 9 and 14. Before the Clone Wars, most padawans weren't in combat situations, but were doing things which were potentially dangerous including law enforcement and pirate-chasing. Assuming Finn is anything to go by, First Order stormtroopers were in their late teens or early twenties before they were sent to fight. .
3. Living Arrangements
Jedi padawans and knights have their own bedrooms. First Order troopers sleep barracks' style. Although there's not concrete proof, I head canon that Jedi younglings sleep barracks style, mostly for the ease of their adult caregivers, and being assigned one's own room is a major right of passage.
4. Chores
Jedi younglings were responsible for maintaining their wardrobe and tidying up their bed, but not much else. First Order cadets were assigned tasks like janitorial work, KP, and the like.
5. Exposure to Propoganda
Let's be real, propaganda is built in to any education system. I have no doubt that Jedi younglings were consistently exposed to education which posited the Jedi as flawless heroes and the Republic and its policies as just and good, but the First Order's propaganda was way more in-your-face. According to the tie-in novel Before the Awakening, First Order recruits were regularly made to watch lectures about the glory of the First Order and the evil decadence of the new Republic.
6. Lack of Privacy
Based on Before the Awakening, First Order cadets are monitored constantly. Their vitals are monitored by their trainers, they are under constant video surveillance, and I would not be surprised if members are encouraged to spy on each other. Jedi can sense each other's emotional states, but it seems relatively easy for individual Jedi to say, conceal a secret marriage, in a way a First Order stormtrooper probably couldn't.
7. Stance on Diversity
The Jedi Order wavers on the knife's edge between embracing and rejection diversity. They have members from multiple species and allow them to express their cultural identities through traditional headdresses and facial tattoos, but are suspect of anyone who seems overly attached to their home world and birth culture. Members can be twi'lik, togruta, human, etc., but they must be Jedi first. By contrast, the First Order vehemently rejects diversity and individuality in favor of complete conformity. They only accept humans. Recruits are utterly stripped of their cultural identity right down to their names. They are all made to wear identical, face-concealing uniforms which make them visually indistinguishable. One of their biggest complaints about the new Republic is how their diversity has made them weak.
8. Core Values
The Jedi Order's core values include harmony, wisdom, peace, and compassion. They don't always live up to those values, but they try to act with them in mind at the very least. The First Order doesn't really seem to have core values beyond the acquisition of power and control. They certainly act like it.
Did any miss anything? What do you think it says about the Jedi Order that Hux thought their childrearing practices were the perfect template for raising elite, intensely loyal soldiers?
Similarities
1. Intent
The Jedi Order and First Order were raising kids in preparation for combat. Note that I did not say they were raising child soldiers. Howtofightwrite over on tumblr has a couple of interesting posts on the difference. It basically boils down to this: child soldiers are disposable canon fodder and children raised for combat are a serious investment. The goal is to create highly tried fighters who are utterly dedicated to the cause.
2. Recruitment Age
Jedi and First Order 'recruits' were children between the ages of 1 and 5 years old. Children at those ages are mobile, capable of understanding (some) words, and old enough to be safely weaned. The older ones may even be potty trained. They are unlikely to remember anything about their family by the time they hit adulthood and are thus unlikely to have any conflicting loyalties or anything to compare the relative healthiness of their upbringing to.
3. Isolation
Both groups allowed their children no contact with the outside world. Jedi younglings didn't leave the Temple until their gathering, at which point they simply went to another, secret temple. As Padawans, they were allowed to leave the Temple and interact with the public, but only under the direct supervision of their master. First Order cadets spent their entire lives on First Order installations and ships. Finn is 20 before he ever interacts with a civilian. For both groups, isolation keeps recruits from developing conflicting loyalties or being exposed to outside ideas.
4. Training and Education
Both organizations start combat training early in order to normalize the mechanics of violence long before they actually put their kids in situations where they would ever have to hurt someone. Training is rigorous, if age appropriate. For very young kids, it's probably framed as a game. Recruits are continuously evaluated on their performances. You can't combat train all the time, so recruits are probably in class a lot too. Their educations are tailored towards the tasks their respective Orders want them to perform. Jedi learn about diplomatic protocol, Republic law, cultures, history, astronomy, etc. First Order troops probably learn history, tactics, and practical skills like gun maintenance. In both groups, children who perform well in certain areas are funneled into special tracks which determine their jobs as adults.
5. Care and Feeding
Children in the Jedi Order and First Order receive good, healthy food and excellent medical care. They are, after all, an investment in the future of their organization. They are encouraged to maintain their body in peak physical condition. They are unlikely to be subject to physical abuse as that would interfere with their future performance. On the other hand, emotional abuse and bullying are probably a bit part of life in both groups.
6. Submission to a Higher Authority
Both groups stress the importance of duty and unthinking obedience to authority. Jedi must trust in the will of the Force and the wisdom of the Council. First Order troopers must obey their officers without question.
7. Discouraging Emotional Attachment
Jedi younglings are taught to fear attachments as the path to the Dark Side. First Order troopers discouraged from forming friendships. In the tie-in novel Before the Awakening, Finn is repeatedly chastised for looking out for his friend Slips when the unit might be better off without his dead weight.
Differences
1. Apprenticeships
Jedi padawans become apprenticed to senior Jedi as part of their training. First Order soldiers don't get that sort of one-on-one mentorship.
2. Age at Which They See Combat
Jedi padawans began their apprenticeship between the ages of 9 and 14. Before the Clone Wars, most padawans weren't in combat situations, but were doing things which were potentially dangerous including law enforcement and pirate-chasing. Assuming Finn is anything to go by, First Order stormtroopers were in their late teens or early twenties before they were sent to fight. .
3. Living Arrangements
Jedi padawans and knights have their own bedrooms. First Order troopers sleep barracks' style. Although there's not concrete proof, I head canon that Jedi younglings sleep barracks style, mostly for the ease of their adult caregivers, and being assigned one's own room is a major right of passage.
4. Chores
Jedi younglings were responsible for maintaining their wardrobe and tidying up their bed, but not much else. First Order cadets were assigned tasks like janitorial work, KP, and the like.
5. Exposure to Propoganda
Let's be real, propaganda is built in to any education system. I have no doubt that Jedi younglings were consistently exposed to education which posited the Jedi as flawless heroes and the Republic and its policies as just and good, but the First Order's propaganda was way more in-your-face. According to the tie-in novel Before the Awakening, First Order recruits were regularly made to watch lectures about the glory of the First Order and the evil decadence of the new Republic.
6. Lack of Privacy
Based on Before the Awakening, First Order cadets are monitored constantly. Their vitals are monitored by their trainers, they are under constant video surveillance, and I would not be surprised if members are encouraged to spy on each other. Jedi can sense each other's emotional states, but it seems relatively easy for individual Jedi to say, conceal a secret marriage, in a way a First Order stormtrooper probably couldn't.
7. Stance on Diversity
The Jedi Order wavers on the knife's edge between embracing and rejection diversity. They have members from multiple species and allow them to express their cultural identities through traditional headdresses and facial tattoos, but are suspect of anyone who seems overly attached to their home world and birth culture. Members can be twi'lik, togruta, human, etc., but they must be Jedi first. By contrast, the First Order vehemently rejects diversity and individuality in favor of complete conformity. They only accept humans. Recruits are utterly stripped of their cultural identity right down to their names. They are all made to wear identical, face-concealing uniforms which make them visually indistinguishable. One of their biggest complaints about the new Republic is how their diversity has made them weak.
8. Core Values
The Jedi Order's core values include harmony, wisdom, peace, and compassion. They don't always live up to those values, but they try to act with them in mind at the very least. The First Order doesn't really seem to have core values beyond the acquisition of power and control. They certainly act like it.
Did any miss anything? What do you think it says about the Jedi Order that Hux thought their childrearing practices were the perfect template for raising elite, intensely loyal soldiers?