I write today to mourn the passing of a beautiful creature unjustly put down in the prime years of its life for having the misfortune of being near a human being. I speak, of course, of the poor Rancor brutally slaughtered by intergalactic space terrorist Luke Skywalker.
We've all seen the footage of the Jedi entering the poor creature's habitat and the carnage that follows. But have we really seen it? I mean, I don't know about you, but it looked to me like the Rancor was simply trying to protect the fragile human who had slipped into his cave. Look at this tender image:
Oops, sorry, wrong file. I mean this tender image:
You're trying to tell me that the Rancor—fifteen feet tall and clocking in at two tons of lean muscle and fearsome claws—couldn't have snapped the young Jedi's back the very moment he grasped him? Why would the Rancor gently cradle Skywalker in his claws if he meant to do him harm? Yes, true, the Rancor is a wild animal whose instinct is to injure intruders and yes, fine, it certainly has the ability to do that. But how do we know that in this case it was going to do any real damage to Luke Skywalker?
The rancor may look like a horrifying beast, but it is said to be at least somewhat sentient. And he certainly inspired loyalty and good humor in his human keeper:
Look, I'll admit that human lives are important. I guess. But couldn't Luke Skywalker—who is literally magical—have figured out a nonlethal way to save his skin? Did he have to kill one of the very few surviving rancors in the universe—indeed, the only rancor to appear in any of the seven Star Wars films to date? Or was this just another example of rank speciesism?
I think we know the answer.
#JusticeForRancor