Zee reads The Phantom Menace: Why Naboo?

[mamuzzy]

 


Using a RepComm quote as an intro while reading The Phantom Menace is truly something, but I really find it fitting because Darth Sidious didn't destroy the Jedi Order with his dark sith force osik, no. He succeeded in his plan because he was a damn fucking good politician. No magic was needed. It needed money, it needed manipulation, it needed wits, it needed useful pawns. 

Probably one of my best decision to read the books. I already liked the snippets I have read from the Revenge of the Sith especially regarding Palpatine and I'm even more intrigued in his character more than ever. 

It gives so much more context what is exactly happening in movie, and because you already have the whole plot of the movies in your brain, you can simply just put the puzzle pieces together and getting so much AHA!!!! moments. And Qui-gon Jinn asked a very important question right at the start: Why Naboo? 

Just a little burb is my little self-indulgent lore hunting about the Trade Federation and how the invasion of Naboo made it possible to get Palpatine into leading position. 

-- PLASMA MINES OF NABOO -- 

The Trade Federation had interest in Naboo: The plasma mines. 

Through the Trade Federation the Sith (Plaguis and Sidious) established their own choosen person for the throne of Naboo - Tapalo - and with it they gained access to the plasma-mines which of course was more worthwhile to the Federations rather than the people of Naboo.

Naboo selled the plasma for fixed price while the Trade Federation could gain profit by selling it to others with more elevated price, and this made the Nabooans dissatisfied with the recent dealings especially that the made profit filled the pockets of the current regime leader, Tapalo.

Ars Veruna - Tapalo's former chief advisor -, the next candidate for the throne started to oppose the Trade Federation by trying to do deals with the Hutts instead. And this was the point where Palpatine Chancellor broke ties with Ars Veruna and suggested Padmé Amidala - Governor of Theed - that she should run for the election. Keeping the Hutts away from the resources of Naboo was still a better outcome, and he can still use Padmé in his plans. 

And while they enginered Amidala's election, on the other side, Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious had the current leader of the Trade Federation assassinated on Eriadu, which resulted putting another puppet, Nute Gunray of the Neimoidians into position. 

-- TRADE FEDERATION AND THE FREE TRADE ZONES -- 

What is the Free Trade Zone? 
The Galactic Republic established tax-free zones where trade could have been made between system regardless of political stances. While this supposed to be a friendly gesture, it had its loopholes and these territories made safe havens for pirates, smugglers, and made other commerce- and tech-corporations rich, but the absolute winners of this zones was the Trade Federation. 

So much of a winners, Nute Gunray - who was already a representative in the Galactive Senate and being a wealthy politician -, was able to buy votes for legislations that gave better options to the Federation but also was enough to bribe people to look away when doing shady business behind the borders of the Republic. Chancellor Palpatine urged Supreme Chancellor Valorum to take actions against the Trade Federation by proposing the taxations of the Free Trade Zones and trade routes through it. The gained money would have went into fixing the Republic's economy in shambles, and funding developmental projects. This is how the Senate Resolution BR-0371 came alive. 

So of course that this made the Trade Federation pissed off. The Summit of Eriadu was proposed by Supreme Chancellor Valorum to make agreeable deals, but it resulted in a disaster, the current Federation leaders being assassinated. 

So basically the taxation of these free routes was the official reason why the Neimoidians put blockade over Naboo. 

-- NABOO BLOCKADE --

The less official reason was that Darth Sidious wanted to test the new war droids on a system that was less likely to fight back, so the Trade Federation being in bad terms with the Nabooans was a perfectly good disguise for this plan.

He offered this army to Nute Gunray to put Naboo under blockade and with this, showing his defiance and protest against the Republic's decisions about the taxes. This was supposed to pressure Queen Amidala to work out agreeable deals with the Federation but instead of negotiating with the Federation, Amidala requested aid from the Republic itself. 

When we start the story of The Phantom Menace, this blockade has been active for one month and Amidala pressured Supreme Chancellor Valorum to take action. This is how Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi comes into picture, assigned as peace ambassadors between the factions. 

-- REPUBLIC INTERVENTION -- 

There was a little problem though.

The reason why the Republic held up any aid toward Naboo, because the Trade Federation current representative, Lott Dod made a perfect case: according to him, the Federation didn't violate Republic's law and just stationing ships around the planet isn't considered as an attack. No attack, then no intervention needed, and this divided the Senate and with this, the representative could delay any meaningful action.

Which is made Queen Amidala understandably furious, eventually resolving into a guilttripping from her part toward Valorum (a politician with conscience, it was enough to mention starving children). So while the debating was still going on, Valorum in secret sent the two Jedi to pressure the Neimoidians to back down. 

 
The book states that the Jedi obeys for the Supreme Chancellor. But also it states that what Valorum did - sending the Jedi over there - was something that needed the approval of the whole Senate. Basically Valorum used his power and rank to get around everyone in secret and no one knows about this mission aside from the Chancellor, the Jedi Order and Padmé Amidala.  


And now the Jedi are there, Darth Sidious made Nute Gunray initiatie the invasion against Naboo with the droid army, also ordering to kill the Jedi ambassadors. When Queen Amidala contacted Gunray that this issue is now known by the Republic and she is expecting ambassadors, Gunray tried to deny of meeting with the Jedi to cover their asses. But the invasion is already in motion. They had their second thoughts, but it was a point of no return. And they feared Darth Sidious more. 

-- AFTERMATH -- 

Because overall Valorum coudn't make any meaning legal action toward the planet of Naboo, Queen Amidala deemed him unfit in leading role - and by the suggestion of Chancellor Palpatine -, she called for a Vote of No Confidence against him, and Valorum had to resign from being the Supreme Chancellor.

Palpatine made sure that Amidala became a queen of Naboo and Amidala made sure he was elected as the Supreme Chancellor. 

And because not everyone was satisfied with the current politicial stances - same as the Federation -, this whole conflict settled the ground for the birth of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS).