The most unlikely emperor A children's book.
#1
Posted 08 May 2005 - 10:46 PM
He likes to plot. Plot, Palpatine, plot.
He made up a plan to take over the republic. It was not a very good plan.
Palpatine's plan was to blockade a planet and cause a chrisis in the senate.
But he wanted to make Amidala sign a treaty that would make it legal. Then there wouldnt be a chrisis anymore and he could own Naboo and somehow this would be very bad, for some reason!
Palpatine didn't know why he wanted to own Naboo except that it was shiney!
Palpatine loves shiney things!
But instead Amidala escaped and made fun of the people he sent. Palpatine's army tried to kill her.
But Palpatine would later need her to ask for the vote from the senate, so he really shouldn't have done that. Maybe he was sleeping at the time?
Then Amidala got to Corruscant and asked that he become chancelor. But even after that he kept trying to take over Naboo, because of it's shinyness. This confused the people a lot.
They didn't know that Palpatine liked shiney things. Later, Palpatine started a war for no reason with an army that popped out of nowhere, to fight another army that also popped out of nowhere. Somehow this led to him becoming the most unlikely emperor and this made Palpatine very happy.
But it made the viewer very, very mad.
The End.
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#2
Posted 09 May 2005 - 01:29 AM
"The most unlikely war"
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#3
Posted 09 May 2005 - 01:38 AM
I don't see any problem with it. Although I don't fully understand the whole "vote of no confidence" thing, I'm really not interested in looking into the issue further. It seemed to be a logical way of getting into power. I am more so annoyed with things like Anakin blowing up the Trade Federation Droid Control ship.
This post has been edited by Storm: 09 May 2005 - 01:40 AM
#4
Posted 09 May 2005 - 01:43 AM
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#5
Posted 09 May 2005 - 02:12 AM
I also suspect that many species, such as Toydarians or whatever Jabba is, are not influenced by force mind tricks. Therefore, it would not have been reliable for Palpatine to have just used his powers to "cloud their vision" and force them to vote for him.
Lastly, I don't think we can compare this situation to anything that has occured on Earth. In Star Wars, we have respresentatives from thousands of planets in a single room cooperating to some extent. On Earth, when was the last time people from EVERY country were together in the same room and getting along reasonably well? Hmmm....how about NEVER!
In a galaxy where species from different planets get along, I would expect more compassion and thus expect people to be sympathetic for a representative from Naboo. And keep in mind that is peace was present for 1000 years, that this type of compassion would be required for that peace to last. Palpatine decided to take advantage of this.
#6
Posted 09 May 2005 - 10:46 AM
the scheme itself was fine, in theory, it was just presented to the audience poorly. We don't need to know the boring plot details. It's TMI.
The characters should just relate the important parts of the politics to us through diaglogue then get back to the fun stuff. We didn't need to know the politics in ANH. Just tell us that "The emperor dissolved the senate and that the regional governors had direct control over their systems". Don't show us. Please.
#7
Posted 09 May 2005 - 11:53 AM
don't you get tired of explaining lucas' piss-poor storytelling?
you explain away a terrible piece of storytelling by referring to another terrible piece of storytelling...
having jar-jar 'fill in' for all-important senate hearing is totally ridiculous:
"Uh, yeah - I can't make the emergency meeting; so Jar-Jar here will fill in for me. Now remember, Jar-Jar... don't do anything stupid. Like bring down the Republic or anything."
#8
Posted 09 May 2005 - 02:32 PM
But I think that the invented conflict that has Palpatine playing both sides is fitting and mature for the Emperor.
#10
Posted 09 May 2005 - 03:10 PM
The term "Senate" in Episode I does not imply a parliamentary government but let us assume that it does. The Chancellor then would be the head of the cabinet of the majority party in the Senate, after the manner of the British Prime Minister.
It is worth mentioning, however, that the most famous Chancellorship in history was an appointed position, appointed by the democratically elected President von Hindenburg. However, von Hindenburg couldn't arbitrarily select a Chancellor; whoever it was had to come from the party or coalition that had gained the majority in the Reichstag. Not all parliamentary governments are the same. However it is true in all, so far as I know, that a motion of non confidence must lead to new elections and a possible shift of power in the parliamentary body.
Of course we see none of this. Amidala proposes the motion - nobody even seconds it - and the next thing we know Palpatine is Chancellor. Weren't there any elections? Let's assume there were. Palpatine, then, in manipulating Amidala into proposing the vote of no confidence, must have known that he (or his party, but there don't seem to be any political parties in the prequels' Republic) would have a parliamentary majority. If he knew this, why couldn't he have forced the vote at any time?
#11
Posted 09 May 2005 - 05:27 PM
And here's another question. What power to stop the blockade does the republic hold? The supreme chancelor doesn't have an army at his command and he already sent two Jedi, which is, apparently, about 2% of the republic military. What else could he have done, picked up a blaster and gone into combat against them?
Palpatine: You're not doing enough to save Naboo!
Belorem: I told them to stop!
Palpatine: Why havn't you sent in the army?
Belorem: We don't HAVE an army!
Palpatine: Sure we do I can pull armies out of my ass at any moment!
Belorem: This is insane!
Palpatine: Alright thats it I move for a vote of no confidence.
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#12
Posted 09 May 2005 - 10:31 PM
Actually its 2.5% if you look closely. So the Chancellor was actually risking a patload by sending them out there.
What was the Republic supposed to do about Naboo (even if they weren't tied up in procedures) if they had no army?
#13
Posted 10 May 2005 - 07:04 PM
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