PT The value of entertainment

Just a random thought while watching AOTC.

When Anakin and Obi-Wan go into the nightclub on Coruscant, there're three big screens with sports events (one of them is podracing). The patrons are watching them, just like people do in real life.

A few days later, and both Anakin and Obi-Wan - along with Padme, who they're trying to help here - become the subject of the gruesome crowd entertainment on Geonosis. So I'm thinking: if Dooku set up live broadcast, it's quite possible that same folks in the club watch our heroes prepare to die, just like we're doing.

I don't know if it's intentional on Lucas's part, but it seems fairly ironic to me.

 

Mayhaps and perbe. AOTC does touch upon the unquestioned acceptance of institutionalized violence. Padme, for such a staunch critic of war, seems rather enthralled by the idea of "aggressive negotiations", doesn't she?

What's more interesting to me is the idea that the patrons of the sports bar would actually have seen the Clone War unfold live on TV. Not sure that formal executions are really a sporting event, but I guess rodeos and demolition derbys are almost the same thing.

 

Did gladiators die in during games in the Kotor comic?

 

Something else that occurred to me: our hero needs to prove himself on the arena in both TPM and AOTC. In TPM, it's his ticket to leave Tatooine. In AOTC, he's joined by the former "spectator" (Padme) and while he fares better than some other Jedi they're rescued by the clones and the event leads to the beginning of the war.

In addition to that, the arenas are not just about homage to the classics like Ben-Hur, they're also another reminder that Star Wars is loosely based on the Roman Republic/Empire (i.e. "bread and circus").

 

I keep finding more and more things to think about with the star wars prequels. I honestly never thought of that, great catch!

 

That's the best thing about prequels, and it compensates for some execution flaws. They have more layers and details than any other blockbuster franchise of the time (same goes for the OT, of course).

The last thought occurred to me while watching Spartacus (the show), of all things

 

The Geonosis Arena sounds like it would be a pay-per-view event, and some folks cheaped out and just caught the event at the club I'm guessing.

 

Their idea of entertainment is very similar to ours in the fact that a place like the big city enjoys things like sports and racing. I don't think something like the Geonosis execution would be broadcast there, it seems like that would just be considered barbaric and uncivilized.

The cultures are another thing that broadens the universe of Star Wars; places like Geonosis enjoy a good bloodbath like the Romans, while Couruscant seems to be more modern with its idea of entertainment.

 

Podracing seems a very bloody affair, and yet they're watching it too. I'm sure there's a market for macabre entertainment, just like in our world.

 

There was a lot of things going on in the bar on Coruscant. As Anakin walks through the bar he gets a friendly look from one of the patrons in the club in which Anakin is busy looking for the bounty hunter and does not pay attention. Then there is Obi-Wan who is taking a sip of something. I would presume it is alright for a Jedi to have a drink in moderation so long as it does not become a passion yet he tells the patron to go home and "rethink his life". Last but not least there is the video playing on the screen of the sports entertainment. Indeed it was interesting that they used robots instead of human beings for the sports whereas the Geonosians used life forms and creatures that most likely had not been fed in a very long time.

There is also the Opera. It appears that Sidious is one who likes the arts as he had a quite comfortable seat in the balcony with his entourage. It even appeared that he had a "date" sitting near him. He did get to slip in his line "Leave us." during that little interlude so he could have some personal time with a Mr. Anakin Skywalker.

 

Good catch about the Opera. In this case, Palpatine and Anakin are both spectators but aren't really paying attention to what the performers are doing. The real performer here is Palpatine, luring Anakin to the Dark side with the tales of Darth Palgeuis.

I think it's significant that "Baron Papanoida" appears right outside Palpatine's box

 

I'd say it's on the same level of car racing in our word, which can indeed end badly. But no station could get away with airing an execution, nor would any governments allow it. That's why it's not quite applicable to our idea of entertainment.

 

Maybe not as entertainment, but as news? Like a coverage of war or a natural disaster.

 

In that case, it would definately be news. Jedi and a Senator of the Republic about to be executed by Separatists? Definately applicable to real-life tragedies (Benghazi).

 

This may or may not fall under entertainment but I believe that the Jedi did not use one of their best ideas to expose the Emperor. Once they found out that he may be a Sith Lord why did they not go to the media. One thing that I noticed was that the Jedi isolated themselves from regular everyday people in the prequel trilogy. The only ones that I saw that did not isolate themselves was Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn.

 

With what? It's not as if Anakin had a holo recording of Palpatine showing his true colors.

It's probably true about the council. They're the ones sitting in the literal "ivory tower".

 

Palpatine was a public figure. I find it very hard to believe that they did not have cameras in that office for the Chancellors own protection. They have security recordings of Anakin turning to the Darkside in Palpatines Office but they do not have any of him saying he is a Sith Lord? I find that hard to believe. There are so many things that the Council did wrong in the prequel trilogy.

 

The only Anakin security recording I recall is of him, in the temple, massacring younglings.

In the novel Palpatine records the initial stages of the confrontation with the Jedi- then cuts it off- and plays the truncated recording afterward. It includes Mace accusing him of being a Sith Lord- and has him responding basically that "even if that's true- my religion is my business"

 

The novels do explain a lot more. My only point in saying that was that I felt Mace's decision to go face Palpatine instead of going to the public and letting them know what was going on first was a fatal flaw. He could have used the media to show what was happening. If they have security recordings they could have easily put Palpatine on the defensive. Instead they play right into his hands. In the novel as you pointed out Palpatine already knew to use the media in the way he saw fit. Palpatine tried to make it into an argument about religion when he knows that could not have been further from the truth.

 

Bringing along cops, and reporters- might have made it harder for Palpatine to present himself as the victim.

 

At this point, the Jedi couldn't trust anyone. I suppose they were so used to be the protectors they didn't realize they'd need backup at some point.

 

The Jedi were out of touch in the prequel trilogy. That is exactly the case. At times it seemed as though they felt that they were the "only" ones who could help. However in the original trilogy we see Luke use every resource available including the Ewoks. Ultimately the media could have helped the Jedi reach regular people. Instead they isolated themselves and that is more than likely what created so much anti-Jedi sentiment during that era. Palpatine was out and about often in the prequel trilogy. His charisma and charm had all of the bureaucrats on his side.