Archived Thoughts

Episode I Thoughts

Please note that this section may contain possible spoilers for Episode I and the other prequels. You have been warned!

"If the trace was correct..."

July 12, 1999 - This is a line that may have more meaning than is readily apparent. When Darth Maul and Darth Sidious are conversing on Coruscant about the location of the Queen and her Jedi bodyguards, Maul mentions a trace that leads to Tatooine. The question is, how did he trace them? Especially when Obi-Wan warned the Queen not to make any transmissions after recieving Sio Bibble's message. Was Padm� sending a coded message when it looked like she was merely replaying the original one? Most people looked for a traitor in the ranks. And this traitor was to be Captain Panaka. It appears that they believe him to be under the control of the "Lando Calrissian Syndrome". This is really silly, since it was clear in the movie that Captain Panaka was more interested in the Queen's safety than anything else. What reason would he have to betray them to Sidious? He'd probably be killed in the end, anyway.

I think Maul was able to track the Queen and her entourage through a trace that was planted by none other than Palpatine himself. Which then supports the argument that Palpatine and Sidious are in fact the same person. For all of you disbelievers out there, take a minute to back track to the beginning of the movie. When Palpatine says "But I have confirmation from the Chancellor himself that the Ambassadors have arrived on board the Federation ship...". The only thing is, the Chancellor had no idea if the Jedi actually made it on board the shuttle. How does Palpatine know? Because he is Darth Sidious, and heard through his Neimoidian lackeys that two Jedi have arrived on board for negotiations. And of course, the final funeral scene where the famous "Which was killed, the Master or Apprentice..." line was said, and then the camera pans to Palpatine at the funeral. It's time to recognize the obvious, my friends.

Back to the original discussion. Amidala has nothing but trust for Palpatine, as it could be seen in the Republic Senate scene when he manipulated her to move for a vote of no confidence. After all, he is the Senator that represents Naboo in the Republic Senate. Because of this trust, he could have a)placed a tracking device on the Queen's ship, or b)maintained communication with Amidala during her escape. This would have been all too easy for Sidious/Palpatine to give this information to Maul. Thus the line "If the trace was correct..." actually means, "If your trace was correct...". Something to think about.

The Rule of Queen Amidala

July 3, 1999 - One of the things about Episode I that got me thinking, after about the 2nd viewing, was what makes Queen Amidala so special? What struck me as strange, is during the Senate meeting when Senator Palpatine introduced Amidala as the "recently elected ruler of Naboo". Elected? Isn't Amidala supposed to be 14? I mean, what sets her apart from the rest of Naboo, including leaders that are older than her? It was never really explained in the film, and although I am willing to suspend disbelief I think it would have made more sense if it was stated that Queen Amidala simply inherited the throne. It seems more like a setup device, so that the difference in age between Anakin and Amidala isn't so large (then it's just bordering on gross...like Luke and Leia! ugh...). Don't getta me wrongo, I'm not trying to debunk the movie.

According to the Episode I Visual Dictionary, "Naboo's monarchy is not hereditary and rulers are elected by their people on merit...Amidala is not the youngest sovereign ever to rule...Amidala can step down from the throne whenever she chooses." Fairly interesting method for electing a Queen. But how was Amidala selected? Well the book offers up some more info: "Amidala grew up in a small mountain village, where her abilities were recognized early in life. Given the best training and pushed to develop her capabilities, she became Princess of Theed. She became Queen upon the abdication of the previous ruler, who was tangled up in offworld politics." There's that theme again...leaders who are forced to deal with petty politics. I find this a little vague, only because a simple fact remains: How were her "abilities" detected? I mean this is a 14 year old queen that had already been trained, meaning that "detection" would have occurred at a much earlier age (sounds kind of like the Jedi). But what could a 6 - 9 year old exhibit that would tip people off? Perhaps it was leadership qualities in school, and they needed a new leader with fresh ideas. However, it could be that Amidala's election was engineered by Senator Palpatine, to make her easy to manipulate. Look how he got himself elected to Supreme Chancellor!

What Species is Darth Maul?

June 22, 1999 - I have to admit, at first I was convinced Darth Maul was human. After seeing a few closeup pictures showing his menacing crown of horns, I assumed he was just a human Sith Lord who decorated his face and head to look scary. I thought it was a reasonable assumption, since Sith Lords rely on Fear, a key facet of the Dark Side. However, after visiting a few of my favorite Star Wars sites, it was clear that many people think Darth Maul is of another species. This species being Zabrakian. The reason for this speculation is because of one of the members of the Jedi Council, Eeth Koth. He is pictured below, next to Darth Maul for comparison.

These pictures were taken from the Episode I Visual Dictionary, and in Eeth Koth's description (which you can read in the closeup) it says that he is an Iridonian Zabrak - meaning there are different types of Zabrakians. This would explain the difference in the crown of horns on each character's head. Note the two larger horns on each side of Eeth Koth's head. The description also explains that Zabrak have great mental abilities, and are tolerant of extreme pain. Great candidates for both Dark and Light side Jedi. Furthermore, look at the pattern on Eeth Koth's face, it almost looks like there are valleys traced over parts of his face. Could it be that Maul's face is similar, and that he patterned the tattoos after this? This is pure speculation at this point, and since George Lucas hasn't said one way or another what species he is, we will have to continue to guess. The CD-ROM Episode I Insider's Guide which should be hitting the shelves this summer, will probably hold the answer to this puzzling question.

UPDATE - I guess we won't find out after all. The Official Site posted this screenshot of the Insider's Guide which basically makes it official that Darth Maul's species will be "unknown". What a cop out. I guess they want Maul to remain mysterious until later episodes, who knows? Very disappointing.

�

�

�

In Support of Jar Jar...

June 11, 1999 - I hate to give more attention to this topic, but I thought I would add my opinions to the growing forum filled with Jar Jar haters. First of all, he wasn't that bad. He had some funny jokes, and like I said earlier I laughed at most. He was put in the movie for KIDS. To please the majority of the audience that would be watching this movie. But now people are saying that Jar Jar is a stereotypical character? That he insults African Americans and gay people? How does that work? I think that critics are just looking for more ways to shoot this movie down. You saw it in the early reviews, and even after the "normal" movie going public (ie. not Star Wars fans) got to see it, there was still some negativity spread around. I think this is overanalysis of a movie that is intended to allow people to ESCAPE from reality and visit that galaxy a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.

Supposedly Art imitates life right? In shows like Star Trek, the warring nations are SUPPOSED to represent the nations of Earth, to give us a better understanding of the relationship between ourselves back on Earth. Since this is intended, people think nothing of it. Now all of a sudden a completely fictional, CG character is being labelled as racist and stereotypical. Even Watto is being compared to someone of the Middle East or Jewish decent. This is insulting to me, because I would never think something like that. Yet critics and "scholars" are claiming that its so "obvious". Since when is society so sensitive to think that completely non-human, fictional characters are racist? We are too sensitive these days, and this hyper-political-correctness is frankly making me sick. TheForce.net's Ed Bain says it best in one of his cartoons. When people are already harbouring hard feelings or wearing "race tinted glasses", they will see whatever they want to believe. I for one will continue to enjoy the Star Wars movies and universe for exactly what it is.

Episode I's Supporting Characters

June 2, 1999 - I saw the movie again on the weekend. Picked up one of those nifty exlusive programs, too (Cineplex Odeon Canada). I think the movie gets better each time you see it. Some things that stuck in my mind from that viewing were the kids' response to Jar Jar's antics. It supported the fact that this movie IS for kids, and that some people have to realize that. Jar Jar is not the best, but he isn't that bad either. I found myself chuckling over the same jokes.

Another thing I noticed were the supporting actors' performances that I overlooked in my initial review. Namely Ian McDiarmid (Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious - yes, its been confirmed) and Hugh Quarshie (Captain Panaka). Ian McDiarmid played the slimiest, sneakiest most devious character in the movie - and I'm only talking about Senator Palpatine. It was a very convincing performance, and for those fans who know what he becomes, well its perfect foreshadowing.

Hugh Quarshie plays Captain Panaka extremely well, convincing us that he wants nothing to do with the Jedi, and everything to do with the protection of the Queen. He is in constant disagreement with the two ambassadors, and shows even a bit of resentment. This is great, it shows us that not everyone in the galaxy is afraid of Jedi.

Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine

May 28, 1999- I finally finished TPM novel last night. Kind of a disappointment. There was one point that was brought to my attention, though, by fellow Jedi Obi-Wan of the Walrus People. At the end Darth Sidious is overlooking a "city", while Senator Palpatine is attending the celebration on Naboo. This could be an argument to support the fact that Sidious and Palpatine may not be the same person. However, the book doesn't explicitly say which city he was overlooking. It could have been Theed, at night. Oh well, I guess the truth will not be revealed until Episode II or later.

Home | News | Star Wars | Book Reviews | PC Gaming | Links | Awards | Web Rings | About the Author