The SKETCHY Way Rebellions are Funded

I feel like they made this character Davo Sculdun specifically so I could do this breakdown of how the wealthy hide their wealth in Star Wars... let's do this.
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[@jamesk370]

I love that the writers named the money launder after the place where all the money elites meet every year -- Davos.

[@FancyGonkBoi]

Based

[@ohkaygoplay]

Smooth.

[@TheFlyingBrain.]

Someone noticed! ~;) Was beginning to think this had slipped by everybody...

[@thedefamationleague]

Shut up! You'll own nothing and you'll like it! EAT ZE BUGS!!!! ALL HAIL KLAUS SCHWAB! WEF FTW!

[@thedefamationleague]

@Eesti mees No, it's not under their nose. Disney likely did it on purpose. Just more globalist propaganda. Framing Davos as a good guy. Also, that scene where Mon Mothma's daughter joined a cult celebrating chandrillan's old ways? That is a blatant dig at conservatives calling them cultists. These leftoids aren't even hiding their shit anymore. Hell, in Star Trek Discovery, they made Stacy Abrams the president of Earth.

[@yavyav2281]

We are talking about financial issues and regulation, because of Andor. This show is wonderful !

[@alexpacino1]

We’ve been talking about the taxation of trade routes since Phantom Menace though

[@equizzix4804]

Honestly, it is so great

[@MustafaAlmosawi]

@@alexpacino1 in the phantom menace, the movies talked about it. In Andor the fans are talking about it 😂

[@cardboardbox191]

I've been in a conversation about trade sanctions around frozen. The internet is wonderful.

[@lettheloveflow]

@@alexpacino1 I don't hate the prequels as much but I don't think anyone cared about what Trade Federation wanted or did.

[@ThereAre2TypesOfPeople]

The cost of rebellion from different perspectives.... Kino's sacrifice(?), Luthen's double life and ruthlessness, Andor missing his mother's death, Mon Mothma and her daughter, Saw's paranoia.... love it.

[@AkweliParker]

Hearing Davos basically describe mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations gave me the most exquisite satisfaction. He’s my kind of sophisticated sleazebag!

[@GenerationTech]

😂

[@nottonyhawk123]

one of my favorite parts of the new episode was learning how much Mothma is laundering. 100,000 credits a month, I'm assuming for approximately 15 years now comes out to 18,000,000 credits. The aldani raid was 80,000,000 credits, meaning that they stole over 4 times the amount of what Mon Mothma has supplied the rebellion over the last 15 years.

[@TrueYellowDart]

That is what you call a good return on an investment.

[@3phemaral]

I’m really impressed with Mon Mothma in this series. The writing for her is excellent, and O’Reilly kills the part. When Davos is leaving and telling her “you are considering my offer” she doesn’t respond…but the camera is on her face and…her throat quivers like she is silently choking; her facial expression is so ambiguous - wrath, confusion, terror. I have a daughter…as I looked Mom Mothma I was like…wow…wow is this well written. My stomach was turning with hers. They want me to sell my daughter into a criminal family? Ugh, no…I was cringing and shaking my head. What is incredible is, it was all in dialogue and facial expressions.

[@BugRib]

Yeah, if none of the supporting characters on this show (Luthen, Mon Mothma, Kino, Dedra, etc.) are nominated for a best supporting actor Emmy, I'll probably have to become a Rebel terrorist so I can fight "The Man".

[@Aaron-fb6mb]

She’s my favorite character in Andor

[@Stonerlife_]

not a topic i would never think I'd see in star wars. But that's what I love about this series; it's shows things fans never probably thought about while also maintaining that it's connected to the main films. It's showing the secret politics and inner workings that started the rebellion (besides blowing things up). Great vid digging into something most people wouldn't think about

[@ashfox7498]

Star Wars episode X: Regulations of the Banking Clans

[@DatTran1]

@@ashfox7498 if only it's true because Disney could make Episode X: A Rey Skywalker story.

[@TheFlyingBrain.]

... but definitely ought to be thinking about! Thinking it through, carefully, is how you learn, and begin to free yourself. Blinding yourself through escapism, and then suddenly grasping at opinions in the moment based on nothing, just because it "sounds right," is also how we contribute to the rise of demagogues and tyrants.

[@boosterseat9967]

Now that I think about it, Luthen has the perfect front for money laundering in being a legitimate antique salesman. Just like real life fine art, the value of “products” sold by luthen are strictly dependent on the buyer. Mothma could “buy” a “super expensive collectible doll” from luthen under the guise that it has value, when in reality it has none.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

welcome to the actual art world. :D

[@genzo454]

Now you're thinking with Art!

[@MarcSiqueira]

He has a jedi and a sith holocron in the shelfs, antique sith armor, padme's headpiece and that is just the highlights of what i could spot, imagine how much you could raise for objects like that in a auction bid, those objects could be near close to priceless! Though i dont think he would be bold enough to public announce an auction about the holocrons lol

[@nobodyimportant72]

This is very true but that just passes the burden to Luthen who likely has to show how much he paid for the item, or other acquisition costs, and how much he sold it for to report his profit from it. She can pay a stupid price for something but he'll still get stuck with capital gains or some other value added tax.

[@thephantompenance]

What I love most about Mon Mothma in this series is this: she doesn't really do *anything* until the end, but it's always so engaging, emotional, and suspenseful. Throughout the show, she's trying to start a charity fund in order to launder her money as well as cover the tracks for her past money spending issues, but that never happens in the show. She meets with Davos Sculden and he says "betrothe my son to your daughter and we'll have a deal", and the show ends with the two kids' first meeting. Her story doesn't have nearly the same amount of trials, losses, or accomplishments as Cassian or Luthen's, but somehow it's not inferior to their stories. Her contribution to the Rebellion is just a great as theirs, her character is just as impactful as theirs. It's incredible.

[@shanenolan8252]

Calling him davos ( davos world economic forum annual event) was interesting

[@MrRourk]

I imagine some censor got fired for missing that

[@ktwei]

I would like to see their version of Duel of the Fates.

[@SylvanasWindrunnerResurrected]

Probably be like that Patrick Bateman scene where they compare business cards

[@pyeitme508]

Swiss gov: "That's WTF level dumb😂".

[@theliato3809]

Reminds me of a deleted scene from ANH where wedge is talking about breaking with the empire after he’s learned the empire cracked down commerce in the core worlds and said it’s only a matter of time before they come out here to take even the moisture farms out from Owen bereau and luke

[@Onyx-qd9tl]

Love connecting what’s going on in the background to what’s about to happen on the battlefield. People forget that same connection is what creates battlefields in our own world…

[@tba113]

Good analysis, especially the Empire's goal in making the system deliberately complicated. Everyone hangs by a thread in that environment: pissing off the wrong Imperial is all the excuse they need to take a look at your operation, and the system is so Byzantine that there's bound to be _something_ they can bust you for. Imperial power isn't just orbital bombardments and Stormtrooper raids in the dead of night; an awful lot of it - maybe most of it - is more quietly sinister, where people keep their heads down and don't make waves because the status quo seems safe. This gives the Rebellion added depth as well. Sure, they distanced themselves from psychos like Saw Gerrera once they realized what kind of man he was, but since Mon Mothma and her banker friends are basically starting a money-laundering scheme, the Rebellion will naturally be rubbing shoulders with plenty of other underworld scum who also need to hide their cash flows. This could bring the Rebels into conflict with criminal syndicates as much as into alliance with them. They're both interested in laundering huge amounts of money, but the Rebels want to turn clean money into unlawful activities, while a Spice smuggling ring (for example) wants to turn unlawful activities into clean, spendable cash. Not only does that mean the two sides are trying to launder money in opposite directions, both the Rebels and criminals almost certainly don't like the possibility that the other's activities will catch Imperial attention and blow the whole operation wide open.

[@Disciple612]

The number of real world political references in this video (both direct and indirect) was oddly comical, gutsy, and tastefully done. Respect.

[@CiarnaK]

Always a great plotline when the IRS equivalent is revealed for the big bad it has the potential be.

[@christinehancock5995]

You distilled a very complicated and politically fraught real world topic in a way that villifies neither side. Thank you. Andor has also been a much needed breath of fresh air to the Star Wars fandom. It has presented the practicalities of war between the Empire and the Rebels as a morally grey instead of pure good vs evil. I like a simple, child appropriate morality play once in a while; but I've been needing a grown up Star Wars story for some time.

[@mikiroony]

We're completely writing out of the equation Alderaan. By now Bail Organa has set up his own cell of rebels (featured in Rebels) and it will be instrumental to extract Mon Mothma from Coruscant after she publicly condems the Massacre at Gormath. I hope Andor gets to be a part of that.

[@Ben-Ken]

I can always rely on Allen to provide a fair and balanced look at our politics instead of the usual dogmatic approach.

[@Tunda2]

That’s part of what I love about Star Wars. It’s just different enough from the real world that it can present issues from the middle and show both sides

[@refugeehugsforfree4151]

I remember him saying anyone questioning the War in Ukraine are shills for Russia or something similar. Look into "FTX", people are funneling money from Ukraine into Political parties in the US, Ukrainian Oligarch's are buying up Land and yachts all over the world with Government cash. The Ukrainian Government Owns all Media Companies there.

[@hellfish2309]

If Mon Mothma and her money had a baby…

[@icomarv17]

Allen is always on it.

[@Tunda2]

@@refugeehugsforfree4151 and they shot Poland and tried blaming Russia

[@lerneanlion]

Is it just me or the Sith really wanted to destroy the galaxy one way or another? If not through subjugation by using the military might, then through causing the economic collapse. Does Palpatine not know that ruining the galaxy’s economy will led to the entirety of the Imperial military to mutiny? What can two Sith Lords do against the mutinied Imperial military?

[@thomasfevre9515]

I don't think it's à conscious decision. The dark side is a corrupting force. Sidious wants to rule the galaxy but his dark side, his uunbridled malice pudhes him to more and more destructive behavior. He was able to keep his evilness under control while scheming the fall of the republic but once he becomes emperor he is more and more unhinged. Promoting à sociopath like tarkin and others like him over more competent impérial loyalists with a moral compass. After à while, the sith philosophy, with all its weaknesses and problems creeps through the military and the whole society. So yeah, eventually it could lead to overt mutiny but in the meanwhile the two siths feel not only in control but like they are turning the whole galaxy on their side.

[@CommunityFan]

That's the thing, Palpatine is smart and knows that most of his military will stay with him

[@rc59191]

Sith really weren't about destruction they were about law and order though they took it to the extreme. Not once do you hear Palpatine talk about destroying the galaxy it's always about bringing peace and stability to it what's the purpose being Emperor over ashes?

[@alexgonzales248]

@@rc59191 Peace and stability are how he advertised the Empire, but just beforehand, he tells Anakin-now-Vader "Once more the Sith shall rule the galaxy." Palpatine doesn't care at all about the health of the galaxy; all he cares about is staying on top. During Battlefront 2, Palpatine says through his messenger, "If an Empire cannot protect its Emperor then that Empire must be deemed a failure. It collapses not only because its central figure is gone, but because it must not be allowed to remain!"

[@circu111]

@@rc59191 Palpatine is also one of few people in the galaxy, outside the Chiss, aware of the brewing galactic crisis.

[@balenci172]

The thumbnail is art

[@kenknowlton3085]

I don't know if the actress, Genevieve O'Reilly fully understands the impact she will have on her character. The most we have seen her previously is in book content. Now we have the face, voice, emotions, intellect, and values imprinted for every time we revisit her character from now until the end of that Galaxy, far, far away...

[@IsaacKuo]

Pretty big balls there, Allen, bringing in something as controversial as a clip from The Last Jedi.

[@SpottedHares]

I like how we have to go to a fictional universe to finally find your “Good Capitalist”.

[@ravneiv]

with that sentence you obviously didn't go to a functional university

[@constellationphoenix1619]

@@ravneiv why are you riding for them they don't know who you are and would sooner eject you into space than lose .000000001% of their wealth

[@3phemaral]

The difference between the bankers is that one is willing to do anything possible that is legal, for free, because he believes Mothma is trustworthy. The other is willing to do anything, legal or not, in order to establish further political connection, because he believes Mothma is untrustworthy; in other words he believes she is corrupt and will be willing to participate in ever more substantive corruption. When Allen says that are such things as Lawful Good capitalists, he means in the real world. There are people that limit themselves to what is legal and what they believe is sustainable and profitable for everyone, at least in principle. That strategy can be successful, unless the economic environment is too burdened by corruption. The more people like Mothma that traffic with the Neutral Evil banker, the harder it is for the Lawful Good one to participate in the economy profitably. That is just another of the terrible compromises Mothma must make if she chooses the path of the rebellion. In order to transfer her money with sufficient secrecy she needs to place it in the hands of a person that is involved in drugs, human trafficking, and New York real estate. Once she puts her financial life in Davos hands, he’s going to be coming back looking to use her wealth and status to launder or paper over his own corrupt practices. And, if they’re both successful, the economic environment becomes that much more corrupt. Authorities try to put tighter regulations and higher taxes, but they end up squeezing on the Lawful Good players and not the Neutral Evil ones. That makes it harder to be successful through sustainable practices and makes cheating and stealing more attractive to all the players. Mothma believes that the rebellion is good, or at least necessary. The rebellion, however, is self-defined as against the Law. Therefore, she is Neutral Good…willing to obey the law and willing to transgress based on her own (clearly egalitarian and empathetic) morality. In the Empire, there can’t be any Lawful Good Rebels. Andor points out that, in the face of a Lawful Evil empire, everyone that is Lawful is forced to go along with the Law, and they must either choose tolerating the Evil or starving. Everyone not willing to compromise and comply…they make strange bedfellows. That is what makes Luthen an interesting character. What have I sacrificed, he asks? In the exposition that follows he makes several restatements pointing at this “I sacrificed my alignment.” Luthen isn’t collaborating with evil people, he is evil…for a cause he thinks is good. Saw is similar. All of the protagonists are, in the end. As Cassian says in R1 “…spies, saboteurs, assassins…”

[@RedSox3149]

Wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Manson. There is no such thing as a "good capitalist"

[@Aaron-fb6mb]

Ceo of Costco

[@DMSProduktions]

NICE to see some more AUSSIES acting in Star Wars stories!

[@TheHonoredMadman]

Australian cinema is criminally underrated

[@LeotheK]

I'm a huge fan of your channel. Excellent videos that I really look forward to. Thanks a million!

[@kfeltenberger]

Alan…wonderful job presenting this material!

[@christipof5934]

Todays episode was great

[@jayrey5390]

Great video, thank you! Great exploration of how a rebellion is run, Andor as a series feels like a 'behind the scenes' look into the genesis and construction of the famed rebellion. Oh, and- Slava Ukraini!

[@aoe4_kachow]

Great topic!

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

Just thought of the sickest plot twist. Mon ends up doing the deal, her daughter likes Davos's kid, but because she's under mad scrutiny already, he STILL CAN'T HELP!

[@3phemaral]

Or, she sells her daughter out to Davos, who decides he wants the wedding on Coruscant. Clearly a bunch of wealthy high status imperial collaborators are going to show up. Saw gets wind and his partisans use explosives and weapons they bought with her money to blow everything up, killing her daughter and husband. But, Mothma survives because Luthen distracts her and gets her to leave the celebration just a moment before everyone is slaughtered. So, Mothma looks at Luthen and asks him if he knew what was going to happen. His reply? “The rebellion needs charismatic and inspirational leaders. I can’t afford to lose you.”

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

@@3phemaral A bit much, but interesting. I mean she's got to still be a senator for while she doesn't leave til the second season of rebels, I think? That's when she makes her speech to everyone to fight, join the cause. So idk how she would explain everything and not have the empire crawling up every orifice she holds dear. Cuz you know "once respected though clearly anti imperial senator who is ALSO grieving wife and mum" prob wouldn't be enough to dissuade Deedra Mero from smelling the scent of rebellion, given her bloodhound-ish nature thus far. I just don't think Mon could politically survive such a thing, not for more than a few weeks maybe. Her accounts won't be balanced, she's the lone survivor... don't get me wrong. It WOULD TOTALLY be interesting if they could pull it off! But with canon such as it is, and the methodical pace of the show thus far, i just don't see how they could make that fit ya know. Plus Saw, a partisan, making it all the way to Coruscant?! Luthen couldn't even get off world without being scanned by the empire and being forced to reveal his weapons. Idk.

[@mondaysinsanity8193]

@@3phemaral yeahhh saws crazy but not blow up a coruscanti wedding crazy

[@thomasthemtman]

Wow great message brother !!!!

[@violetlight1548]

If Mon Mothma was smart, she'd put her money into holding companies, not charitable organizations. Charities are much more highly regulated and scrutinized, and, at least in my province, require a minimum of 3 people to serve as directors (who must meet certain legal requirements, like cannot be found guilty of any crime like fraud). Holding companies aren't scrutinized nearly as much. They only need one director, and pretty much anyone can be a director of a holding company. Believe me, as a corporate legal assistant, I see this stuff every day. Btw, the lawyer's main concern is making sure all the paperwork is done to cover *their* butts, so if the client screws something up and the government nails them for it, we can say "here's the proof we did *our* job. Any screwup is strictly on *them*. Using charities as a front to fund terrorists is definitely a legal no-no.

[@joshuasantana685]

It would seem out of character of Mon to do that While charities aren’t a wise choice, I imagine people know her as being like a philanthropist/humanitarian(xenotarian?), so for her to swing the other way, would cause people to see what she’s up to

[@violetlight1548]

@@joshuasantana685 that's the thing with holding companies. They aren't public. Most don't even have a name, just a registration number. Nobody would be the wiser.

[@TheWarmachine375]

The Rebel Alliance had to resort to legal and illegal money in order to get the funding for their fight against the Galactic Empire.

[@Heraldus90]

Love your vids! However: In regards to the 40k comment, I would like to add that the Adeptus Administratum would have been a better comparison.

[@Straswa]

Great vid Gen Tech. Thank you Mon Mothma for doing all this to fund the Rebellion.

[@LilmissJ111]

Great video

[@SpottedHares]

If your wonder what he is implying by bundling. He saying that he will group Mon money with a lot of others peoples money, which will go to a variety of places some of which may be rebel backers. But because if all this money is grouped together it looks less incriminating. When everyone money is grouped together then everyone could be incriminated. From governors, senators, private citizens, ect. And the scale is so massive no one bats an eye at a fed bad investment here and their, it to be expected which scale this big and their making way more than they loose so who cares to look.

[@constellationphoenix1619]

Hey Allen and GT, I've enjoyed your content for years, and these Andor episodes are great for drawing out more nuanced discussion. That said, I disagree heavily with many of the things said here, particularly in the 'work together and things will be better' argument, how can 2 groups work together when one is fundamentally based in subjugating or eliminating the other? It seems naive to me to expect ultra capitalists and those that do their bidding to work together in good faith with other groups of different classes when the sole goal is pretty apparent, that being amassing personal wealth. This is also purely from a resources perspective, without even bringing in racial supremacy issues, sexuality, gender, and culture problems. Where could agreement be other than for the oppressed to lay down and take it? Given your fervent support for Ukraine, I would like to think that's not the opinion you have. Hope this doesn't cause a comment inferno or anything lol

[@TheFlumpySquid]

Who are the oppressed in your eyes?

[@constellationphoenix1619]

@@TheFlumpySquid I think my first comment pretty much covered it. People affected by the massive stratification of wealth, those whose lives are massively altered for the worse by racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc.

[@andrewlacosse2096]

Same here... you are basically saying democrats should take it lying down... Fuck that. You might make enough for that fat tax break on KZbin, but don't alienate your audience.

[@TheFlumpySquid]

@@andrewlacosse2096 democrats are not the ones who need help lol

[@TheFlumpySquid]

Ah yes like all of those things matter. Take a look at the richest people and check to see who they support and their backgrounds. Surely you'll be surprised. As for the ism and "phobias" you threw in there for the fun of it, those are not really issues in the modern world. They are more natural reactions to not all too great things. Disguised invasions, child grooming and giving groups that should have no power, leverage against normal people who want to trust their institutions will do that to the average person.

[@ohkaygoplay]

Thank you so much for clearing this up. Politics and finances have always been confusing to me. Your breakdown really helped explain what's going on behind the scenes that I only somewhat picked up on. And I like how you addressed issues with our two party system without burying one side under vitriol. You noted the strengths of the two. This channel would have been an awesome substitute for my econ. class is high school. Telling it through a means I'm interested in (yay adhd!) would have snared my attention enough to actually pay attention.

[@kristinab3838]

The best solution for Mon Momatha's problem is the easiest solution. Mon only needs to pretend to be very keen for her daughter to marry Davos' son and the daughter will probably say she no longer wishes to be a traditional whatever they call their culture. That girl is at a phase where she really hates her mother, she's not going to want to marry a boy of her mom's choosing. If Davos reneges on his promise, then that's a bridge to cross if they come to it.

[@timjfads]

I felt Gilroy's take of the Imperial prison system was slipping some politics into Andor too n a shot at the privatization of the American prison system

[@slicerneons3300]

Based video. I expected a shade throw at ftx, but plenty of other channels are doing that.

[@EricDKaufman]

Savage.... best GT episode ever

[@jedh116]

Love how u connect this to real life…so ture

[@jedh116]

*true

[@briancook1]

Don't certain people meet in Davos, Switzerland? I love-love that parallel 🔥🤙🏻 !

[@DarthPlaya]

Mon's real name is Monica Mothma ... from Brooklyn.

[@davidmeza993]

Amazing

[@Kt4nk]

Man, I love your vids. Keep doing what you're doing, my dude. Just got off work and I get to prop my feet up and geek out about Star Wars with someone that loves it (and it's parallels with the real world, that shit is the BEST) as much as I do. May the Force be with you, my friend.

[@DMSProduktions]

Mate, you're a dark side banker! ;oP

[@AC-youtube6384]

I want Generation Tech videos about warhammer 40k!

[@garyrobbins283]

Have to disagree with the assumption that politicians are not aware of tax loopholes until after corporate interests take advantage of them. Politicians are well aware of the advantages built into our tax system, and who exactly benefits from them.

[@poipoipoi35]

Ive only know of this channel for about 4 weeks. Never stop calling a spade a spade

[@SpikeyGuy]

Brilliant.

[@tasiociafancelli9912]

Hi Allen, this video shows up as ocult in it's status. I entered through your profile on the youtube channel, but it does not show on the videos list nor ringed my alarm bell.

[@GenerationTech]

🤫

[@fabianmhd978]

28 mins

[@pyeitme508]

@@GenerationTech what?!

[@jonC1208]

@@GenerationTech wow

[@kamerondonaldson5976]

if evil organizations acquire clean money it automatically becomes dirty money and because there is a finite amount of money overall in existence, clean or otherwise, and being good requires you to pay your employees and survival requires having a job or siphoning funds from someone who does, and even evil needs to survive whether people are willing to hire them or not, all money will eventually become dirty.

[@smokedbeefandcheese4144]

Your mistake is in failing to realize that money is not an object or a tool but a social relation

[@kamerondonaldson5976]

@@smokedbeefandcheese4144 social credit deducted.

[@3phemaral]

I get what you’re saying. In the parable of the coin a priest asks Christ if the Israelites should pay taxes to the oppressive Roman occupation. The trick is, the Cleric knows that there are Zelots (kinda like Saw) among Christs followers. These people could potentially get murderously angry if he says “yes”. Of course, if he says “no” he is guilty of treason and the Romans might kill him. So Christ asks the priest to show him a coin. Why? Because Christ and most in his circle…they don’t have coins. When the priest shows the coin Christ asks about the face on the coin, which the priest replies is Caesar’s face. The point of the parable is that money isn’t a thing, it is an article of faith. Everyone that believes the coin is valuable is part of a communion of the coin. If people are part of your communion for that reason, alone, you aren’t being very selective. You can’t exclude con artists, Caesar, drug peddlers, or human traffickers because the only article of faith in a communion of the coin is, you must believe the money is real. But, that doesn’t mean everyone that uses coins is evil, or that coins are evil. The line goes “for, the LOVE OF money is the root of all evil.” It isn’t the money itself, or trade and capitalism, that is evil. But if you hunger for money, you will not be properly selective in your relationships and will not hold yourself and your associates to standards of empathy and excellence. My quibble would be this. All money doesn’t become dirty. When you use money you connect yourself with the grand fungible circulation, all of it. You are complicit in every transaction, even the dirty ones you don’t like. But, really…can’t you say the same thing about any symbol? You can say the same thing about language itself. Too speak is to become complicit in every transaction, even the dirty ones you don’t like. That doesn’t make words dirty. It just means that a person must be careful in who they speak and listen to, and in what they say. The words don’t contain truth and falsehood, those things are emergent in the transaction.

[@caleblott399]

Oh, that's how they did it. I thought they just help found FTX.

[@davidparmly8828]

Mothma's disdain for Davos is troubling. She is incredibly dismissive of him, and her knee-jerk adjective is that he is a "thug" and every single SW commenter/reviwer falls into line with this expression, mindlessly accepting her assessment. How do we know he is a criminal? Is aANYone in banking pristine enough for her? Tay surely seems shady but she has emotional obscuration there, doesn't she. Mon Mothma, at this point, has positions that are on the extreme end of the spectrum. That makes her an extremist, from a certain point-of-view.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

This is true

[@DogeickBateman]

She's a classist hypocrite, she'll share her table with very shady and even morally dubious figures if they are scrappy rebels, but a man who got to the top in a convoluted banking system? Nah that guy must be Palpatine level evil. That sort of hypocrisy

[@abacusite]

Lololol. He's not a banker he's a loan shark and criminal. She deals with banks constantly.

[@davidparmly8828]

@@abacusite You know this how, exactly? We have only MM's one word assessment.

[@davidparmly8828]

@Peters6221 I appreciate the response and you make good points though your tone of low hostility is unwarranted, as is the snark about my inattention. I paid attention, TYVM. Been paying close attention since May 1977. I’m not attacking MM. She is important, and courageous and will prove her mettle even more in the future. My point above, maybe made poorly- "mindlessly" was a poor choice of words - is that at this point in her character’s arc she is wholly idealistic in her approach. I realize Mon Mothma is not real, though played amazingly by G O’Reilly, and all that Mon Mothma speaks was written by someone else, who obviously knows more than we, the audience. Davos might be a Don Corleone mafia figure with a lifetime of blood and criminal activity on his hands and the writer may know all about that. You used the term "average banker" when he can't be that. He must be a person at the level of wealth of a Bezos or a Musk in our world, two people that have surely bent rules, caused people to suffer, etc., along the way to the top while falling short of being "thugs". However, Mon’s immediate, reflexive description of “thug” seemed much like her amazement that, in the post-Aldhani landslide of Empire crackdowns on the Rebellion, which she is helping build and finance, would produce “suffering”. Does she not realize that wresting power from a galactic tyrant implicitly means that, at some point and on some scale as yet unseen, “people will suffer” (her exact words)? So the writer puts the words “thug” in her mouth, when, based upon what I then see on the screen, defied that description a bit. He seemed like someone comfortable with dealing with all sorts of morally and ethically shady transactions. Mon is heading towards a future when there will be all sorts of morally and ethically shady situations and she will be complicit in them. And people will suffer, as a result. I think this program is allowing us to watch Mothma’s idealism - her moral ‘extremism’, as it were - being stripped away bit by bit. She is finding her self-perception degraded by circumstances she did not foresee at the outset. In that, she is a lot like most of us. I can surely empathize with that.

[@raybarry4307]

Love how they named this skuzzy financial guy Davos. DAVOS!!!!

[@hidesbehindpseudonym1920]

There's no way that Star wars dollars are one-to-one with US dollars if the ISB is investigating Monmothma over 400,000... the price of a single family home. That just shows that an X-Wing isn't like a third of the price of a single family home. Star wars dollars to USD have to be at least 10 to 1. I can see the ISB investigating 4 million. I can see an X-Wing costing 1.6 million.

[@Ms.July-Moon]

Mon’s not going to buy an X-Wing. Her money is going to pay someone to steal an X-Wing. I am quite sure that it would be easier for the rebels to get their hands on a stolen X-Wing than to straight out buy one. That’s why Andor got a cut after stealing however million imperial credits.

[@robertcooper3133]

Wow you learn something new everyday here in the UK unless you are self employed you don't do your own taxes they are done for you. And in my opinion the UK is the perfect place to see how capitalism and socialism can work alongside each other I mean I am pretty sure we are the only nation to be a capitalist country whilst our healthcare is socialist

[@mceithdavis3462]

HELL I LIKE THE WAY U THINK

[@bondagebritney3124]

😎 NICE THUMBNAIL

[@noahater5785]

Wouldn’t it be called a scam then if your money goes to a shady organization who then makes it completely disappear?

[@OuterRimPride]

Bet she wishes Wat Tambor, Nute Gunray, and San Hill were there to help her out, now.

[@alexgonzales248]

Makes you wonder if they would have

[@DogeickBateman]

@@alexgonzales248 They would if the Rebels promised some form of autonomy or looser regulations on them

[@alexgonzales248]

@@DogeickBateman True. They would have been absolute powerhouses for any rebellion, which is exactly why Palpatine used the war to ruin their reputation and Vader to get them out of the picture permanently.

[@DogeickBateman]

@@alexgonzales248 Rebels with Recusant cruisers, that would be something (funny thing, most Sep ships required minimal crews because it was primarily automated. This would help greatly for the rebels with reduced manpower requirements)

[@BRAVO0NETV]

The Goat 🐐

[@robingrajeda1562]

Alan, thank you for the video, this was very based.

[@TheHonoredMadman]

I haven't seen Davo do anything shady, mon instantly judges him as a thug but will break bread with extremists

[@DogeickBateman]

Classist hypocrisy

[@thomasthemtman]

Is it just me ... or does Mon Mothma look hot with those meme sunglasses in the thumbnail ?!?

[@Hoberpopkin]

An aside: As someone who has been to a University (still fairly recently), I can safely say that most Professors, especially the ones from prestigious universities, are about as far away from radical as you can get. I don't know where people get that idea from. Think about it. Does it actually make sense for financially secure, comfortable, older academics to be radical? They aren't exactly incentivized to that. Universities are generally structured to be quite conservative. If anything, my experience was that quite a few of them are out of touch with the financial insecurities and anxieties students often had. They're often out of touch with progressive movements, progressive ideas, and the contemporary problems of young people. They are also usually extremely averse to radical ideas. There was one teacher who was very confused at why young people seem so career-focused and anxious, as if oblivious to how expensive things are and oblivious to how watching our parents go through the 2008 financial crisis may have affected us. There was only one professor I can name that I would consider actually radical, but radical only by the most 'live-under-a-rock' standards. He was a field archeologist, so he had a lot more experience traveling and actually interacting with all kinds of people. Which I guess, also made him the closest I've seen to a real-life Indiana Jones type of person. The extent of radical ideas was 'hey, digging up Native American graves was wrong, isn't it messed up American primary schools used to do that as field trip activities for their students", and "our museums come from colonialism and here are the effects of that in modern day". None of which were actually radical. I can imagine if some people grew up with a very specific image of America they didn't want challenged, this could all feel very upsetting, and they may come out of it feeling like this adult is trying to "corrupt" their ideals or something. But that's the thing about academic types, including my Indiana Jones professor. They're simply there to introduce us to knowledge they've gained from their research or in above case, their specific area of career. Of course Professor Jones was going to talk about stuff related to archeology and museums, and if the history of museums comes from an interesting place that's also kind of condescending to the masses/messed up, what's he supposed to do? Not talk about it? (fun fact, our modern shopping malls come from the original designs of what museums are supposed to look like. They were designed by a bunch of stuck-up aristocratic types who wanted to educate the dumb masses on things they thought were refined and smart. Things like frenology 🤡) For the minority of people who are so shocked by the truth that it destroys their image of a field of study or a country and it turns them towards radicalism, that's kind of on the students/their parents for not adequately educating them, not the professors. The reason most people come out of college more progressive I think says less about colleges and says more about the nature of conservativism in general. On an emotional level, conservatism (at least in america) is often about oversimplifying complex narratives about one's country into more black and white narratives out of some anxiety that the only country one can be proud of is one that is unanimously and always "CORRECT". There is a culture of raising children to feel safe, to feel proud, and feel like they're in the best country ever. Any facts that challenge that also challenge this underlying narrative. It's an extremely fragile state to be in when you become an adult. It's why conservatism, definitionally, always FEELS like it's losing. Even if the overton window is pushed super right, something will still always feel like is threatening the status quo that needs to be protected. But this is also why, even a university that's structured conservatively, staffed by completely unradical people, continues to seemingly radicalize young people just by adding nuance and complexities in their education. It will always threaten the preconceptions of people going in, and that usually makes them more progressive. But in my personal experience, I've also seen people going through that and coming out FAR more conservative. These are the people who usually complain about how colleges are trying to indoctrinate children and hubs of radicalization. Ironically, a lot of them end up in academia! Again, probably says something about academia.

[@ArthuriusG99]

You understand politics better than most, can definitely tell your not lost in the sauce and not a sheep

[@joshuadelbelbelluz8325]

Can you please continue the separatist alliance bs earth series please

[@zcorpalpha2462]

This “ Daros “ affirmation with Black Sun ☀️ ❓

[@KemetNubian1]

Another excellent analysis and lesson on macro & micro economics 🤑

[@reedbecker]

The 87,000 new IRS agents makes sense now.

[@reginaldshort8486]

I’m surprised Luthien doesn’t steal an expensive Space Yacht, change its ID code and give it to Mothma and say that’s what she spent the $400K on. As a wealthy Senator no one save the Emperor would doubt it.

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

She reminds me of a lot of politicians in the US.

[@TheRumblewagon]

This sounds like FTX....

[@LiQuiD524]

always thought Mon is short for money..but ye what do i know!? xD

[@clement28300yip]

Never thought Star Wars Andor was going to involve economics.

[@zcorpalpha2462]

I love ❤ Star Wars cause money 💴 is involved in this Universe

[@ChizAfterHours]

Tay Kolmer strikes me as someone that Princess Margaret would have been into...

[@sketchtherapy1218]

is Davos's full name Wef Davos?

[@ultimatescout4027]

Well now there's no tie fighter to complain about

[@notaheretic6675]

please donate to a rebel cell near you

[@laughingowl7896]

'How Mon Mothma is going to launder her money to the Rebellion.'

[@NexUtInfinitus]

More like adeptus badassicus ❤

[@DSlyde]

A few years ago I would not expect on point, rational, and nonpartisan analysis of American Politics and Economics from a Star Wars fan KZbin channel but you guys continue to impress.

[@realistic.optimist]

If you tax the original source all that goes away

[@aeromtb2468]

more auditors=87k irs agents

[@shanenolan8252]

Bail organa was supposed to be the money behind the rebellion, more so than mothma and chandrilla which was more manpower.

[@shaderunner8220]

Which is why I imagine he's gonna show up in s2, and help Mothma out of the situation that she's in.

[@shanenolan8252]

@@shaderunner8220 oh i hope so . ( s2 )

[@Sinewmire]

Remember there's no Rebel Alliance at this point, just a bunch of separate rebels fighting each other. Each group has to be bankrolled somehow.

[@servidorcarrillo444]

@@shaderunner8220 It makes all the sense that Bail Organa shows in S2, wonder if we will see teenage Leia.

[@tamarajohnson5771]

Can't recall right now which one of the earlier novels written around the time of ROTJ. It mentioned the Mon and some others had and funded small rebel cells, often they didn't know about others in the beginning

[@ShahAznable]

10% for the big Emperor.

[@MrRourk]

Let's go to Davos to launder our money. Oh writers what have you done.

[@franzxiya]

If it wasnt for the acting of the actors in these scenes i wouldnt be interested..

[@m1903rotc]

LOL you think they teach anti capitalist ideology in colleges in the US that's f****** hilarious.

[@RedSox3149]

That's the shit they only teach history majors in major-only classes in the us lmao

[@the1grove]

@@RedSox3149 I am a History Major, they do not!

[@motherteresa8418]

How did the rebels avoid honey pots. Maybe they could use honey pots against them . Say they meet someone were and set up ambushes

[@-JA-]

👍

[@ErikS308]

Based

[@zcorpalpha2462]

So how rich 🤑 is the Emperor ❓ Make an interesting video

[@bondagebritney3124]

🔮Palpatine can read minds, forsee the future, manipulate objects with mind like Qui Gon and dice, get by a metal detector and still murder with finger lightning if he doesnt like you for a few things. 💰 RIght off the bat that's a lot of ways to have perpetual funding playing Space Poker or betting on pod races. 💥 By the time you can tell anyone in the whole galaxy what to do or else 100 huge star ships or a Death Star might show up and blow up your planet, you don't need money anymore!