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He openly admitted to Wedge Antilles that he used to "Bullseye (kill) womp rats" in his T-16. So when he killed animals for target practice, was this leveraging him to the Dark Side? It really adds to the questionable things he did.

Meat Trademark
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Gelfamat
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    "..was this leveraging him to the Dark Side?" If a person in Queensland Australia were to become known for killing Cane Toads they'd be given a community service award. It all depends on the circumstances.. – Andrew Thompson Sep 19 '14 at 00:37
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    "The womp rat was a large, omnivorous rodent native to Tatooine. It was widely considered to be a pest." I don't think killing rodent pests is akin to killing pets or more innocent animals or a sign of "Dark Side" behavior. Kittens? Yes. Rat-like predators? Not so much. – Meat Trademark Sep 19 '14 at 00:38
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    But he used the force to hit the exhaust port, so he must have been somehow using it to hit the womprats as well. This means he was using the force for an offensive attack against a defenseless animal. – Gelfamat Sep 19 '14 at 00:44
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    Who the hell is downvoting this? It's a marvelous and surprisingly deep question! – DVK-on-Ahch-To Sep 19 '14 at 01:12
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    @MeatTrademark - that's quite a biology leap from "omnivorous rodent" to "predator". Also, apes and elephants were considered pests in certain human culture. Would you be as blasé about Luke killing those? – DVK-on-Ahch-To Sep 19 '14 at 01:14
  • @Gelfamat: If he was using the force, he didn't know it (he had never heard of the force until he met Obiwan). That may or may not matter. – Keith Thompson Sep 19 '14 at 01:16
  • "Bullseye (kill) womp rats" Does it ever explicitly state that they died? 'Womp Ratting' might have been the Tatooine equivalent of 'Paint Ball'.. – Andrew Thompson Sep 19 '14 at 01:18
  • @KeithThompson - doesn't matter. Young Sidious didn't know of using the Force either, presumably – DVK-on-Ahch-To Sep 19 '14 at 01:19
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    @DVK reading Meat Trademark's link, "...opportunists and fond of carrion and refuse, they were also predators, though most of their prey were old, sick, or generally weak. ... Womp rats traveled in packs to overwhelm larger prey items, such as Dewbacks and Banthas. ... Once it reproduced to such a point that the population could not be kept in check, and womp rats were hunting Jawas and raiding storehouses. The Imperial prefect of Tatooine and the Affiliated Moisture Farmers then passed a bounty ordinance of ten credits per rat." - they're pretty clearly dangerous pests. – Adeptus Sep 19 '14 at 01:24
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    @DVK - Elephants & apes are such intelligent, social animals that you have a sense that they form deep attachments, so killing one may cause its companions major sorrow akin to human grief--rightly or wrongly, I think most people are inclined to think that's a lot less likely to be an issue with rodents, who seem to be much less intelligent and also live in far larger groups. And if the pain of loss isn't an issue, then I don't think killing itself is "cruelty" since their deaths are likely to be quick & painless. At the other extreme, would you say swatting flies is flirting w/ the dark side? – Hypnosifl Sep 19 '14 at 01:34
  • @Gelfamat Rats bigger than two meters are by no means defenseless. When we encounter rats we get squeamish not eaten. – Mazura Sep 19 '14 at 02:49
  • Thanks @Adeptus. I just posted a similar thing then saw your much better comment. [delete] – Meat Trademark Sep 19 '14 at 16:10
  • Various sources indicate that Luke and his friends may have been using stun blasts. We know blasters have variable power settings (Stormtroops can, but usually don't, 'set for stun') so it stands to reason that scaled up versions might, too. – Jeff Sep 19 '14 at 17:45
  • It would still be animal cruelty, as using a stun gun on an animal in real life would be considered mindless and cruel. These animals would be defenseless against T 16 blasts, stun or otherwise. – Gelfamat Sep 19 '14 at 23:15

1 Answers1

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Opinion based answer since I really doubt there's anything in canon:

No.

Even if Luke was using the force to hit the womp rats and not just motor-skills (consider that shooting a rifle is a hell of a lot easier than shooting torpedoes from a fighter, and that shooting on a planet is easier than shooting in space), the Dark Side of the Force requires an emotional component; giving in to a negative emotion and letting it control your actions.

"Bullseyeing" womp rats may have been fun and it may have given Luke a measure of pleasure but he didn't hate the womp rats, and he didn't fear them and think they needed to be killed. The only emotional component to that would have been satisfaction at a 'job well done.' Hence no Dark Side points for Luke.

Valorum
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revenant
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    +1, Don't drive angry. http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/55281/why-would-killing-darth-vader-or-the-emperor-turn-luke-to-the-dark-side?rq=1 – Mazura Sep 19 '14 at 09:12
  • @Mazura - Sides of your eyes... – Valorum Sep 19 '14 at 11:14
  • Where does a rifle come into it? – Rawling Sep 19 '14 at 11:36
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    right killing vermin, pests isn't a bad or evil thing. Its necessary for your "farm" to keep away things that could damage equipment, crops, ect. moreover it wasn't even animal cruelty since he was shooting them with something, which was probably killing them instantly. its not like he was gathering them up and cutting them open while they were alive lol. – Himarm Sep 19 '14 at 13:10
  • The taking a measure pleasure is a bit misleading though. AS himarm noted. If he has FUN torturing those animals it would still be a way to the dark side. If he just felt pleasure at a job well done (keeping the farm safe) its not. – Thomas Sep 17 '15 at 17:57