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Needs Help: The Republic

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Deadlock Clock: Aug 22nd 2014 at 11:59:00 PM
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Rotpar Always 3:00 am in the Filth (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Always 3:00 am in the Filth
#27: Jul 16th 2014 at 4:45:51 PM

Considering our options to move forward at the moment.

  • 1. Do nothing
    • Pro: We're a bit indecisive about a way to fix this trope.
    • Con: It's not really an option. Something has to be done with a trope with no examples save for Zero Context Examples.

  • 2.Cut it
    • Pro: Cuts the Gordian knot, the bad trope is dead.
    • It has 114 inbounds at the moment. A little over a hundred weird inbounds with as little meaning as the examples, but it's bringing people to the site.

  • 3. Redefine it

Alright, so here's the real meat of the issue. Our current definition(s) is worthless: The Republic is the place with "republic" in the name.

Alright then, so what would features would The Republic have?

  • Democratic. This seems to be the main heart of the trope, it's not a monarchy/dictatorship. That in itself doesn't make for a trope, but it looks like a very clear requirement for it.
  • Single-state. This would be the dividing line between The Republic and The Federation. The Republic is more like the United States than the United Nations.
  • Good-leaning/Idealistic. The Republic is usually seen in a positive light. It's trying to be good, represent the people, etc.
  • Inefficiency. It may be a problem with corruption, or it may be slow-turning bureaucracy. The Republic has difficulty getting things done or making "good" choices. The Kingdom is ruled by The Good King and he wisely fixes things with a decree; The Republic limps along arguing the point, making mountains out of molehills, everyone has an agenda, somebody's abusing the system with dirty politics and bribery, etc. The gears slowly grind until the country finally gets into motion—and if they're not already too late, then just maybe they've missed the damn point and have made the "wrong" decision.

  • 4. Rename it
    • I generally lean against renames. I don't think "the Republic" is un-salvageable as a name, it really looks like a half-baked trope to begin with. That being said, it is in bad shape and the name isn't helping at all. Nearly all of the examples are about the term "republic" and our inbounds generally appear to be Star Wars related.
    • The _____ Republic would probably be the best new name for the trope. Whatever we can decide on that will be describe the trope. The Free Republic, The Democratic Republic, The Idealistic Republic, etc.
    • Obviously, not mutually exclusive with the above redefinition. I suspect we'll do both.

  • 5. Crosswicking
    • This might be a problem. I'm pretty unfamiliar with everything it's wicked to on the wiki, save the Starcraft example—and I can't even verify that one as last I knew, that nation was strictly in the background and unseen in the story. I have no idea what wicks can be salvaged from Zero Context Examples and Shaped Like Itself.

  • 6. Laconic
    • While having a laconic page is hardly a priority, it can help to hash out what this trope is.
    • The good, democratic but inefficient state?

  • 7. The Trope Namer

This is all Star Wars fault! [lol] Anyway, since the trope looks like it was written because of the Galactic Republic—and everyone appears to be linking to us because of it—let's look at our trope namer and try to find where this trope came from:

  • Democratic. The Galactic Republic was a democratic body with senators and an elected chancellor.
  • Single-state. That I'm aware of, the Republic was the only/dominant politic body in the galaxy. I don't follow the Old Republic spin-offs, so I'm only vaguely aware of Sith Empires and what-not. The Republic was a single-nation and not a group of them working together, right?
  • Good-leaning/Idealistic. I know things got far worse with the Empire involved. Obi-Wan spoke fondly of it, but then he was a member of a "ruling class" that was purged when it fell.
  • Inefficiency. They let merchant guilds invade planets, were completely unprepared to handle a military uprising—trusting the mystical order of space-wizards to figure these problems out—and trusted Jar-Jar Binks with political power which he gave to the future Galactic Emperor who played them all like fools. [lol]

edited 16th Jul '14 5:03:45 PM by Rotpar

But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you.
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#28: Jul 18th 2014 at 12:15:50 AM

The thing with The Republic is that, unlike the other nation-state tropes (The Empire, The Kingdom, etc) it's defined almost entirely in relation to those other tropes. The rest all have stand-alone definitions that let you pick out examples without referring to the other tropes in the group, but The Republic is "like The Kingdom in that it's generally good, and like The Federation in that it's not monolithic, and usually friendly to (or part of) The Alliance and enemies with The Empire". There's nothing about what The Republic is, just how it relates to other nation-state tropes.

I'm not sure how well this is backed up by usage or wicks, but when I think of The Republic, the defining feature in my mind is that it's bound together by a specific ideology — usually "freedom" or "independence" or something like that. The Empire and The Kingdom are defined by being subjects of the Evil Overlord and The Good King, respectively. The Alliance is a group of nations bound together by a common cause — usually to defeat (or at least defend themselves from) The Empire. The Federation is a long-term version of The Alliance, where the individual states have been allied for so long and are bound so closely together that they can effectively be considered a single entity in terms of external politics (though there may still be plenty of internal squabbling among members).

The Republic, on the other hand, is defined by an ideal — something that they strive for. Importantly, this comes from the bottom-up, not the top-down; if their defining ideal is forced on them from above, they're not The Republic. Because they don't have a single absolute ruler or shared cultural tradition to rally around, they tend to be more bureaucratic and slow to make decisions than other types of nations — but if you really manage to offend them, you can expect them to react swiftly and strongly.

Some examples of The Republic under that definition:

  • Republic City from The Legend Of Korra, with its founding principle being harmony between all peoples, rather than the nationalism of the four "elemental" cultures (Air Nomads, Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation).
  • Valdemar from Heralds Of Valdemar is The Kingdom and The Republic; it has a reigning hereditary monarch, but they share power with a ruling council that includes not just nobility, but also craftsmen and laborers (as represented by guilds). Their founding principle is essentially "live and let live" — it was originally founded by refugees fleeing from The Empire, who decided that they would neither oppress others, nor allow others to oppress them.
  • The Republic of Zeon from the backstory of Mobile Suit Gundam, a nation of space colonies in Earth orbit founded on the dual beliefs that a) humanity should live in space and leave Earth to return to its natural state, and b) the space colonies should be free and independent states, rather than members of the Earth Federation. (Of course, the founder of the Republic of Zeon was assassinated and it quickly became the Principality of Zeon, which eventually launched the war for World Domination that the series revolves around.)
  • The Shire in Lord Of The Rings is a loose sort of Republic; it lacks of a strong central government altogether, but its people are generally united in their desire to live peaceful lives in their own little corner of the world, ignoring and ignored by outside events as much as possible.

edited 18th Jul '14 12:17:05 AM by NativeJovian

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
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