Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Difference between revisions

** ''Starfighters of Adumar'' has a similar but vastly more personal version. Wedge and his pilots have been sent on a diplomatic mission to Adumar, whose [[Planet of Hats|hat]] is pilot-worship and [[Blood Sport]], in order to get them to join the New Republic. The Imperials have also sent some pilots. Both groups fly against native Adumari pilots and win handily, since as [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]s the Adumari never get very skilled. The Imperial pilots fly with full-strength lasers and shoot to kill; the New Republic ones do not, and Wedge's diplomatic liaison says that in not following standard native practice they are disrespecting their traditions, which means that the Imperial pilots look better. Wedge tells himself that if it was a matter of flying against some champion, some enemy, he'd do it without a qualm, but the Adumari aren't his enemies. He stalls by pulling a [[Sure Why Not]] and telling the liaison that he's waiting for his immediate superior to order him to fly lethally. But he knows that if ordered, he will refuse and end up getting kicked out at the least - which is a big deal for him, since Wedge has been part of the New Republic since he was in his teens, and literally all of his friends are involved in the military.

** There's also Thrawn in ''[[Outbound Flight]]'', who ''really'' wants to protect the Chiss, but often clashes with his culture's views on preemptive attacks, which is what eventually leads to his exile. It's morally ambiguous, and Thrawn does [[The Thrawn Trilogy|become a full-fledged villain later on]], but it's hard to argue that the [[Complete Monster|Vagaari]] didn't deserve everything they got.

{{quote|Death knew that to tinker with the fate of one individual could destroy the whole world. He knew this. The knowledge was built into him.

To Bill Door, he realized, it was so much horse elbows.

{{smallcaps| Oh, damn}}, he said. And walked into the fire. }}

*** There was a loophole for the match girl; he was acting as the Hogfather, who's allowed to do things like that.

**** It was still [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]]:

{{quote|'''Death:''' {{smallcaps|The Hogfather can. The Hogfather gives presents. [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|There is no better present than a future]].}}}}

* Salvor Hardin in ''[[Foundation]]'' has it down to a philosophy of life, expressed in one of the epigrams atributed to him which will be later adopted by the merchants:

{{quote|- "Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right."}}

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[[Category:Knight in Shining Tropes]]

[[Category:Morality Tropes]]

[[Category:Screw This Index, I Have Tropes]]

[[Category:Plots]]