So he should accept a fiat currency issued by the central bank of a government that provides no tangible benefit to his territory? A government so far in the dying throes of democratic decline and bureaucratic mismanagement that the local crime lords have more political power?
In Skeleton Crew, Old Republic credits are apparently worth a shitton during the New Republic period.
Which makes as much sense as bottle caps as currency in Fallout if it's by fiat.
I think SW credits might contain energy or something with actual utility, that's the only way it would make sense for old credits to be valuable without any government to require taxes be paid in that currency.
I don't think it's so much worth a shitton and more so this particular secret mint-planet has been producing credits nonstop for 30+ years because they didn't know the Republic fell, was replaced by the Empire, then the Empire was defeated by the rebellion and the New Republic restored.
I haven't seen it since I pirated it ages ago so I could be wrong, but I think I remember the smallest amount offered as a tip implied they were worth a lot.
But them being worth anything more than a curiosity suggests money in Starwars isn't by fiat, since the government that backed that fiat has been gone for 30+ years.
Hate to defend a slaver but completely fair given the republics a joke and it has no presence on his planet. Hell if he accepted could he use it or exchange it without wasting much time and money leaving the planet or exchanging it at a massive loss?
All people need to have something hold worth as currency is the knowledge that it can be used somewhere vaguely useful. A nearby interstellar state/society means that anyone who goes off world would use it, which in turn means anyone who lives/deal with a major settlement would be fine with it.
Roman and Imperial Chinese coins ended up being used as currency half a continent away (and were all devalued well below face value or already fiat) at much of their given value throughout (and even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire).
As far as I'm aware Hutt Space also used Republic Credits. But I'll concede that it is also a time-space location that I don't know enough about. (Hubristic enough to have speculated on though.)
Isn't it implied to be some kind of digital currency? Maybe it's like accepting Paypal where Paypal can decide to make you jump through hoops to access your money or cut off your access entirely for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
It's certainly possible for it to be that if you dealt with people deemed verborten by the Republic that it could be frozen, or just transaction denied - so Watto perhaps risked losing all of it for his normal business practices... But I don't think anything like that was ever mentioned in any of the Star Wars, and it is also a physical currency too (at least sometimes).
24 Comments
Bougie_Birdie@piefed.blahaj.zone · 51 pts · 10h
So he should accept a fiat currency issued by the central bank of a government that provides no tangible benefit to his territory? A government so far in the dying throes of democratic decline and bureaucratic mismanagement that the local crime lords have more political power?
Mind tricks don't work on Watto
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 23 pts · 10h
Republic Credits is essentially the same as Republican crypto.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 11 pts · 9h
In Skeleton Crew, Old Republic credits are apparently worth a shitton during the New Republic period.
Which makes as much sense as bottle caps as currency in Fallout if it's by fiat.
I think SW credits might contain energy or something with actual utility, that's the only way it would make sense for old credits to be valuable without any government to require taxes be paid in that currency.
Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 8h
I don't think it's so much worth a shitton and more so this particular secret mint-planet has been producing credits nonstop for 30+ years because they didn't know the Republic fell, was replaced by the Empire, then the Empire was defeated by the rebellion and the New Republic restored.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 6 pts · 8h
I haven't seen it since I pirated it ages ago so I could be wrong, but I think I remember the smallest amount offered as a tip implied they were worth a lot.
But them being worth anything more than a curiosity suggests money in Starwars isn't by fiat, since the government that backed that fiat has been gone for 30+ years.
LurkingLuddite@piefed.social · 1 pts · 6h
I think what they're saying is the new republic restored the same currency, so there was suddenly a government honoring it after those thirty years?
novibe@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 4h
But why would the same amounts of credits be worth more just because they are from the republic..?
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3h
But wouldnt that imply crypto of any kind has value?
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 1 pts · 2h
It has value to the bad guys.
visch@quokk.au · 1 pts · 2h
Pls explain
blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 6h
Or Qui-Gon accepted Obi-Wan's plan of cheating at cards to pay for repairs
myotheraccount@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 3h
What a ridiculous suggestion. Risking the life of a child slave is the only ethical path!
/s
Wataba@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 7h
As Unusual Suspect pointed out; a currency exchange broker would've solved this immediately.
theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 7h
Hate to defend a slaver but completely fair given the republics a joke and it has no presence on his planet. Hell if he accepted could he use it or exchange it without wasting much time and money leaving the planet or exchanging it at a massive loss?
Semjeza@fedinsfw.app · 6 pts · 7h
From historical precedent: yes.
All people need to have something hold worth as currency is the knowledge that it can be used somewhere vaguely useful. A nearby interstellar state/society means that anyone who goes off world would use it, which in turn means anyone who lives/deal with a major settlement would be fine with it.
Roman and Imperial Chinese coins ended up being used as currency half a continent away (and were all devalued well below face value or already fiat) at much of their given value throughout (and even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire).
theuniqueone@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 6h
Depends to much on the hutt's policies regarding this that I don't know enough to speculate.
Semjeza@fedinsfw.app · 4 pts · 5h
As far as I'm aware Hutt Space also used Republic Credits. But I'll concede that it is also a time-space location that I don't know enough about. (Hubristic enough to have speculated on though.)
RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 3h
In fairness, it is completely fictional. So it doesn't really require much thought. Just decide whatever is coolest and go with it.
chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 2h
Isn't it implied to be some kind of digital currency? Maybe it's like accepting Paypal where Paypal can decide to make you jump through hoops to access your money or cut off your access entirely for seemingly arbitrary reasons.
Semjeza@fedinsfw.app · 3 pts · 1h
It's certainly possible for it to be that if you dealt with people deemed verborten by the Republic that it could be frozen, or just transaction denied - so Watto perhaps risked losing all of it for his normal business practices... But I don't think anything like that was ever mentioned in any of the Star Wars, and it is also a physical currency too (at least sometimes).
yucandu@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 8h
The flying space Jew should have made a deal with the Space-Asians (Spacians) and Alien-Jamaicans (Jamaicaliens).
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 2h
You know, if Qui-Gon had just done it up Glaswegian style with Watto...
bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 9h
The TV show Spaced has a similar bit about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZnsOZsA7_4
M137@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 1h
Toydarian effect