The Phantom Menace/Headscratchers: Difference between revisions

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** I think the problem was the amount. 20,000 credits is probably somewhat hard to change, especially with a total lack of noncriminal government. The exchange rates are probably too unpredictable since the local currency is not the Republic credit and there is probably no actual bank to make exchanges. Watto probably knows most people he does business with do not use Republic credits, so he refuses to use them as well. His business is made up of himself, a nine year old, and the nine year old's mother (never mind that the latter two are slaves). It is highly doubtful he goes into Republic space regularly.
** I think the problem was the amount. 20,000 credits is probably somewhat hard to change, especially with a total lack of noncriminal government. The exchange rates are probably too unpredictable since the local currency is not the Republic credit and there is probably no actual bank to make exchanges. Watto probably knows most people he does business with do not use Republic credits, so he refuses to use them as well. His business is made up of himself, a nine year old, and the nine year old's mother (never mind that the latter two are slaves). It is highly doubtful he goes into Republic space regularly.
*** Put it this way: A store in, say, Texas might be willing to take a handful of Canadian dollars if that's all a patron had to spend on something small, like a meal or a candy bar or something. But a car dealership in Texas probably wouldn't take $20,000 in Canadian cash.
*** Put it this way: A store in, say, Texas might be willing to take a handful of Canadian dollars if that's all a patron had to spend on something small, like a meal or a candy bar or something. But a car dealership in Texas probably wouldn't take $20,000 in Canadian cash.
* What is the point of Darth Maul? I don't mean to sound petty, but I really have no idea why Maul needs to exist from a story perspective. One of the [[WMGs]] even works on the premise that he doesn't exist. If we want Qui-Gon Jinn to die (and there is a fair argument that QGJ doesn't need to exist either, but at least there's a half-decent counterargument), why can't Sidious kill him himself? He doesn't need to unmask himself in the process, and it would make the title less confusing. I can see the argument that it isn't Palpatine's style, but if he wanted to use someone else, why not introduce Count Dooku earlier (and keep him masked to prevent ruining the mystique of the next movie)? Maul does literally nothing else in any of the movies. I know he is explained a bit more in EU materials, but why not just keep him there instead of bringing him into the main franchise to complete a job anyone else could do? The cynical answer is marketing, I guess, but I'm trying to give Lucas the benefit of the doubt here.
* What is the point of Darth Maul? I don't mean to sound petty, but I really have no idea why Maul needs to exist from a story perspective. One of the [[WMG]]s even works on the premise that he doesn't exist. If we want Qui-Gon Jinn to die (and there is a fair argument that QGJ doesn't need to exist either, but at least there's a half-decent counterargument), why can't Sidious kill him himself? He doesn't need to unmask himself in the process, and it would make the title less confusing. I can see the argument that it isn't Palpatine's style, but if he wanted to use someone else, why not introduce Count Dooku earlier (and keep him masked to prevent ruining the mystique of the next movie)? Maul does literally nothing else in any of the movies. I know he is explained a bit more in EU materials, but why not just keep him there instead of bringing him into the main franchise to complete a job anyone else could do? The cynical answer is marketing, I guess, but I'm trying to give Lucas the benefit of the doubt here.
** Just because it's the basis of a WMG doesn't mean it's at all legit. Quite often it means exactly the opposite.<br />Darth Maul exists from a story perspective because ''he'' has to die. If Sidious kills Qui Gon, he clearly can't die, so we're left with Episode I, the most idealistically themed of the prequels, ending with the Jedi's murderer getting off completely scott free. Same with Dooku.<br />And mixing it up physically at this part of the plan is completely out of character for someone who gets into a grand total of two fights in the whole saga, and who only does so when he's attacked--Palpatine's whole thing is catspaws and misdirection. He doesn't want people to know he exists, let alone travel to Naboo (when, you know, he's trying to build power in the senate) to pick a fight with two Jedi just to reveal himself, and short of wearing a full facemask, they're ''going'' to see his face.<br />And yeah, Maul does nothing else in the rest of the movies. Being dead tends to have that effect.<br />For the purposes of the story, they needed a disposable badguy, plain and simple.
** Just because it's the basis of a WMG doesn't mean it's at all legit. Quite often it means exactly the opposite.<br />Darth Maul exists from a story perspective because ''he'' has to die. If Sidious kills Qui Gon, he clearly can't die, so we're left with Episode I, the most idealistically themed of the prequels, ending with the Jedi's murderer getting off completely scott free. Same with Dooku.<br />And mixing it up physically at this part of the plan is completely out of character for someone who gets into a grand total of two fights in the whole saga, and who only does so when he's attacked--Palpatine's whole thing is catspaws and misdirection. He doesn't want people to know he exists, let alone travel to Naboo (when, you know, he's trying to build power in the senate) to pick a fight with two Jedi just to reveal himself, and short of wearing a full facemask, they're ''going'' to see his face.<br />And yeah, Maul does nothing else in the rest of the movies. Being dead tends to have that effect.<br />For the purposes of the story, they needed a disposable badguy, plain and simple.
* What exactly was Palpatine's original plan? He wasn't expecting Amidala to escape the planet and assumed the Jedi would be killed. What would he gain from his home planet being taken over and his queen eventually being forced to sign an agreement with the Trade Federation making it legal? How would this do anything to increase his power? If anything you would expect anyone who didn't know that he was a Sith to assume that he was much weaker as a result and give him less credibility.
* What exactly was Palpatine's original plan? He wasn't expecting Amidala to escape the planet and assumed the Jedi would be killed. What would he gain from his home planet being taken over and his queen eventually being forced to sign an agreement with the Trade Federation making it legal? How would this do anything to increase his power? If anything you would expect anyone who didn't know that he was a Sith to assume that he was much weaker as a result and give him less credibility.
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