Why didn't Qui-Gon just TAKE Shmi?

Threepio: "Wonderful!"

 

Don't slaves get blown up when trying to escape?

 

Jinn didn't want to have business freeing slaves. In order to get off of the planet, he needed the hyperdrive for his ship. If using/freeing a slave is in the process of him getting the hyperdrive, then so be it, but freeing slaves was not anyone's priority on Tatooine.

 

Because she had a bomb in her.

 

Last time I checked this was true.

 

Wow I never knew that! thanks

 

Ever see that movie Scanners?

I think there's a certain disallowed gif from that film that explains what would've happened quite well.

 

I never knew about these slave transmitters. I'll have to look them up. Thanks for the new tid-bit!

 

they are mentioned in the movie.

 

Shmi Skywalker: All slaves have a transmitter placed somewhere in their body.
Anakin: I've been working on a scanner to try and locate mine.
Shmi Skywalker: Any attempt to escape...
Anakin: And they blow you up! BOOM!
Jar Jar Binks: How wude!

 

Now that I've read Darth Maul, Lockdown...

Why didn't Qui Gon just take Shmi?

 

I think the main reason he didn't is because it didn't suit his objective not because he was condoning slavery. His focus was always the boy.

 

Little Ani: "Can my Mother come too?"
Qui-Gon: "The prophecy is for the chosen one."

 

Maybe he DID take her.


In a manly fashion.

 

How do you mean?

 

Err….does this explain it?

http://imgur.com/gallery/ezfpQgF

 

Where does this impression stem? I have seen fics of that tone as well but I don't understand the basis.

 

It was just a joke. A bit of wordplay with the thread title.

As to why people put them together in fics, I would imagine this is because Qui-Gon acts a bit like a father to Anakin and he's also quite gentle with Shmi.

 

Ah, yes, I am not good with humour but I did know what you meant just not why you said it.

I agree with you. Qui seemed to interface with Young Anakin most he also seemed the most human with him. Otherwise I found him a bit cold.

 

Reason 1: His objective was not to free the slaves.
Reason 2: The best blades stay in their sheathes.
Reason 3: Shmi would explode.

 

Reason 4: Watto wouldn't allow it, even when Qui-Gon had the appropriate money to free her.

 

You sound like one of those people that want the U.S army to destroy every evil dictator on Earth, for example Iraq. Jedi are guardians of the Republic, meaning they only have authority in the Republic. If they tried anything and got caught, it was cause bad situation between the Hutts and the Republic. If they did successfully did it secretly, there would be a big morale issue. The issue would be one just one slave? If you freed one slave, you should free them all right? Again this comes up to the bad situation between the Hutts and the Republic. The Hutts would obviously find out that the Jedi trying to free all their slaves. This might lead to war, and the Jedi would get blamed for it. I don't think the people of the Republic would want to go to war over a few slaves in the outer rim. From the movies you get this feeling that most citizens don't care about the outer rim at all.

 

Reason 5: The Jedi are the keepers of peace, not soldiers as Mace said in Episode II. They don't want to risk anything that'll spark an unintended war between the Republic (which would make the citizens of the Republic hate the Jedi for that) and the Hutts. They only act to preserve the Republic, under Republic jurisdiction. Qui-Gon said it himself. "I didn't exactly come here to free slaves." It sucks, but that's what happened.

Hey, look, I'm not saying that unless we free all the slaves, we shouldn't free any slave; I'm just saying that Qui-Gon got on Tatooine by accident, he wasn't exactly coming to lead a war of freedom on the Hutts and liberate the slaves. Now, Han Solo? Sure, I could see him smuggling Shmi out if she meant something to him. He doesn't care about the Hutts, so anything he can do to anger them would be pleasing to Han Solo.

 

Because he didn't want to traumatize Anakin by having his mother explode all over his nice clothes? Despite what others have said - I think Qui-Gon would have freed Shmi at a later point if he had survived the events of TPM. Or at least...I like to think so. But Qui-Gon couldn't do anything for her at the time and he had already spent a lot of time to get Anakin out of there. Naboo needed them more than one slave. Hell - the only reason Qui-Gon cared to free Anakin was because he thought he was the messiah of the Jedi.

It makes sense that the Jedi Order didn't do it. Again, I think Lucas was trying to show by this point the Jedi Order had become blind, deaf, and mute to everything outside of themselves. They had become so cold and emotionless that they'd see no problems with Shmi remaining a slave as it would allow Anakin to be completely cut off from any "emotional distractions". So I get why Obi-Wan didn't do it. As cold-blooded as it sounds.

It makes little sense that Anakin just accepted it (especially if he was having vivid dreams of her being in pain).

What really makes absolutely no sense is Padme not freeing her and I don't buy the excuse that she is selfish or flawed. Anakin helped to free her world and she couldn't muster up a weekend trip to Tatooine with goods that Watto would take for Shmi? Really? I get that as a story telling device - it is more organic to have flawed characters versus perfect ones. I support that idea but there is a fine line between being flawed and just making the character look bad. In ten years - no one thought to do anything for Shmi? They just used her to get to her son and left her to rot as a slave? These are the "good guys" of the story right?

At the very least, Lucas couldn't have mustered some type of explanation? Maybe Padme DID try to go free Shmi and Watto was so pissed about losing Anakin to these people (he felt like Qui-Gon had tricked him remember?) that he refuses to sell Shmi to Padme just to spite her. It would even add to the fact that Anakin had this obsession with Padme for years. Surely, he'd feel even more affection towards her knowing what Padme had tried to do for his own mother?

Or how about a nice twist? Padme tried to buy Shmi and told the Jedi Order her plans for Anakin and they prevented her from doing it out of fear that it would interrupt Anakin's training. Imagine Anakin learning of that later on and the rage/betrayal he'd feel knowing the Jedi had done that to him and his mother? It would also add fuel to Anakin's later sudden hatred of the Jedi ("From my point of view the Jedi are evil!")

But no....let's just have no one go after Shmi. /sigh/