Full Series Can someone explain the Lott Dod thing to me?

Why is he still a Senator in the Republic, also isn't it illegal for species associated with the Confederacy to be on Coruscant?

 

Apparently, the Trade Federation is still part of the Republic.

Nute Gunray is an 'extremist'.

Yeah, who'd have thought, I know...

 

who also leads the Federation. Really, it's a very contrived plot element.

 

He is because he can.... it's very great to be spy on your opponents side... "species associated with CIS?????" oh so humans are not allowed either .... such specism is not way of the republic Lott Dod is seppie but There is no proof! the fact he is neimoidian means nothing- trade federation however is harder thing since republic needs it still..... and it is officially neutral for now while Nute Gunray who still holds the position on Viceroy- is separatist openly-

TF do openly business with both sides and stay officially out of the war (commerce treaty of 1647) but Gunray have given most droids and warships for Dooku's use- ships of CIS are painted with blue patterns so republic knows the difference netween "neutral" TF-ships and CIS-allied TF-ships- latter ones have 'nothing' to do with Lott Dod if you ask him......

because of cunning lawyers and bribed senators and judges they manage to keep their treacherous businesses secret from the public and senate is powerless even though most people know the truth....

and CIS is not based on species- there is plenty of quarrens and aqualish seen in the senate in AOTC and still same species are there with Dooku as well.... and humans there is humans in CIS- minority of them but still.... even leader of CIS is human you know....

 

I also thought that was really, really dumb. In republics representatives are their to represent people based on their geography. This would be like if Comcast and Wal-Mart had Senators in the United States Senate. Some would argue it pretty much is that bad anyway, but not to the point where corporate interests literally get the same representation that people do. I cringed at that.

 

I wonder what kind of relationship there is between Gunray and CIS-senate or Lott Dod and CIS-senate.... or Dod and Gunray- never seen them together

 

No, he isn't. He's the TF's senator, not its leader.

Viceroy Gunray is, well, the TF's Viceroy, its leader. So if the Republic thinks he's not the leader anymore, then who the heck is?

Man, how I hate this. If only this whole mess could have remained contained to Senate Spy...

 

Trade Federation is not Wal-Mart it's more like East India company state within state- it has been clear since TPM and i don't see that as dumb at all- what is dumb is the way they suddenly stated TF is neutral after even showing Nute as CIS-leader...... with AOTC this would still work they had shady conspiracy made there with "Friends from the Trade Federation" promising their support unofficially but now when Nute is so closely associated with CIS in TCW and he is leader of the trade federation it really needs more explanation now since this 'he is extremist.... but our leader' don't quite really work well

Trade Federation governing board of course ..... TF is democratic organisation... or so they say.... as neutral organisation Gunray's ties to CIS aren't treason..... I dunno i kinda like this mess... now just explain it better please some pressure towards Dod in senate- good argument about TF's role more than one little in SOI....

 

The Confederacy is led by Dooku, who is a human. I kind of doubt they'd kick all the humans off Coruscant.

I believe there's a Muun or two on the Jedi Council, even though Muuns are deeply involved in the Banking Clan.

Besides, kicking every single member of a species off of a planet because other members of that species are fighting you - that's kind of racist, isn't it?

 

Yes, but I remember reading it somewhere, Holonet News I think.

 

One thing I like a lot better about Star Wars than Star Trek is that ST's alien species are very monolithic and one-dimensional. ALL Klingons are honor-obsessed and aggressive. ALL Vulcans are logical and peace-loving. ALL Cardassians are scheming and ambitious. But in the Star Wars universe, this is not necessarily so. There are good and bad, honorable and dishonorable, trustworthy and untrustworthy members of every species. I think it's safe to assume that not all Nemoidians are evil schemers, any more than all Muun are cold-blooded and greedy. So why would such laws exist on Coruscant?

Again, take the EU for what it's worth.

 

Swashbuckling is correct. The TF resembles a mercantilist state within a state. In fact, with franchises, representatives and their own armies, it is most like the mercantilist regimes of the 16-1800s.

But that still doesn't explain why Dodd is still a senator. In fact, after the events of TPM, it makes it worse that he is. Wouldn't someone, anyone, want to censure or reprimand or even, dare I say it, expel the senator who represents this troublesome organization?

 

Didn't the Trade Federation Directorate (if that's what you were referring to) get wiped out by Nute Gunray whith the help of Darth Sidious so he could be the sole leader of the Trade Federation as Viceroy?

 

I can't explain it to you. The Trade Federation seceded from the Republic and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

They seceded, I don't know why they are still given representation in the Republic. Same goes for the other mega corporations.

One explanation I've heard is that the Republic did not want to recognize the CIS as an official government. They were basically denying the legitimacy of the secession.

Either way, it's extremely stupid to give your enemies in all out war representation in your government.

 

It really doesn't make sense to me regardless of whether they're recognized as enemies or not. Corporations do not get direct representation in a republic. They can lobby the representaives of the people, but they don't get their own specific representatives that are equal with the representatives of the people. Unless it's supposed to be implied that this is a sign of how corrupt the Senate has become under S.C. Palpatine. I can't think of another possible explanation.

 

The Trade Federation also represents a very, very large group of planets.

The planets have allied themselves with the TF for whatever reason (discount, protection, etc) and in return they essentially "give" their vote to the Trade Federation. The TF represents them in the Senate. It's actually a contracted trade agreement.

Stupid, I know.

 

I think I read somewhere (CW Character Encyclopedia, perhaps) that a coalition of senators led by Padme Amidala asked for the Trade Federation to be in the Senate, as a peace gesture to the CIS and such.

I don't know how valid it would be, but that's what I heard.

 

So he's not a real Senator, they just call him that because he's representing a group of Senators? Or a group of Senators resigned to elevate him as their representative?

 

Yes but that was before TPM- after that there were trials and after 4 trials in the supreme court Nute still managed to keep his rank but maybe it was during that time governing board was reorganised to lead the TF with Viceroy to make situation easier to accept for Nute's enemies-.... I think Lott Dod mentions "Governing board" of the TF in some EU- encyclopaedia and i kinda like the name

It is not U.S damn it it's the Galactic Republic and in GR there is long tradition of trading powers being involved in politics and different legislation- if there is law that says it is possible and in SW they apparently do...
- that's not the case in U.S so yes it makes no sense if you compare these senates but it makes sense to me that corporation such important would have representative.... not that it would be good thing but you know sometimes politics are not making sense

Also this is fact since TPM and even ANH novelisation (oldest official source) mentions megacorporations and tradebarons being Palpatine's way to rise the power
there is senator of the Trade Federation in Republic Senate and yes it is sign of corruption..... and yes he is senator that is his title he is one member of the senate and he has one vote in every voting- he just has more to represent than his people

 

Not to get too much into the real world, but there's an old political joke that might be enlightening here. The joke is: "Why would Israel not want to become a state?" Answer: "Because then they'd be limited to only having two Senators representing them".

Whether or not it's true in our world (and believe me, I don't want to start that debate here), the joke does illustrate a point. Maybe in the Republic, big corporations and organizations are given their own Senators on the understanding that this is supposed to be the representation they get for their interests, and that, in exchange, they're not supposed to lobby other Senators (either by legal means, or not).

It would be like if the auto industry or the defense contracting industry in the US got one Senator of their own, but in exchange for that, all lobbying, political donations, and other attempts to influence politicians were all completely banned. In a way, that would be a much cleaner system, wouldn't it? Give the auto makers one Senator instead of letting them buy fifty of them with political donations and other sweetheart deals.

Anyhow, just a thought.

 

I think that understanding TF's role in the republic we would need to go back in history........ in-universe history that is....

So TF was founded according to wookieepedia 350 BBY.....
It was probably just founded as well... trading federation- trade guild of the republic like any other- it was not neimoidian-dominated- it had no senator- and no droidarmy -it was not threat to the republic- not enemy of the jedi- not bad thing at all....

It was company for trading and commerce- probably it had neimoidians participating from the beginning- those nearduros-species having colonies near the midrim that is what "neimoidians" are they are just species- not even real species but race of duros evolved on Neimoidia to be different enough to be counted as different species ..... there were plenty of humans in TF- most numerous species in the galaxy and politically dominant as we can see- then all kind of other guys sullustans, maybe gran or ithorian etc. members throughout the republic.

TF's business was naturally trade and commerce- everyone knows what that is- buying stuff from place A and selling it to place B and gaining little profit by selling it with slightly bigger prize- so simple as that.

Trading was profitable and TF became rich. Republic controlled TF like other corporations by taxation of main trade routes-

bigger profits = bigger taxes
So when TF was doing well Republic also was doing well- it had more money and stuff went from place A to place B where it was needed-everything was fine- Republic flourished and TF's trading boosted it's economy it was good thing back then- symbiotic relationship- both sides gained and TF became Republic's greatest ally.....

TF brought many worlds to the Republic- while offering better prizes for members of the Republic many systems decided to join the Republic because of TF- so it can be said Trade Federation built the Republic- they spread the democracy and galactic main culture throughout 'uncivilised' worlds- perhaps they discovered new ones with primitive sentients and brought them to galactic community.... and where goes Republic's influence goes it's culture and beliefs of democracy, liberty and freedom and Jedi order who are guardians of peace and justice in the Republic you know.... only in the Republic..... not on Tatooine for example as we see in TPM...... so TF was not bad thing at all it was good even for a jedi- when discovered new worlds with new possible jedi it spread the belief in the Force as well....

After that it doesn't sound so odd that company like this would have it's own representative in the Republic Senate- at some point some senator said they should have a right to decided about the Republic since they are main reason why Republic is so powerful, rich and influental in the galaxy
Some senators disagreed "Company cannot have own representative like geographical areas" but then maybe it was first representative of TF-controlled areas and later it was changed to be senator of TF or something....
Anyway.... in democracy every bill can go through if majority supports it- so if someone says "Let's change the constitution and say that TF can have a senator" makes bill out of it- and senate accepts it -that's the law.... sense or not.....


So TF gained a place in the senate..... even that wouldn't have been a bad thing.... but greed can be powerful ally as one wise guy said

so all TF-leaders were not nice and reasonable merchants- some became greedy and corrupted idiots- that was probably happening since the beginning as always- but at some point it grew very very strong threath for TF and the Republic.... Darth Sidious had that idea of using the Trade Federation as his instrument to gain the power and he started plotting- these corrupted baddies in this company were his way to do it.........

One threath for the TF from the beginning was of course criminals- spacepiracy- (you know those damn weequays lurking everywhere in the galaxy ) when TF tradeship filled with goods ar

 

You could see it as an example of the collapsing integrity of the Republic; blatant corporate representation just shows how warped and corrupted it has become by the Rise of the Empire era.

 

That's because by the time of TPM, the republic is all but gone. It's a corporatist state.

Lucas put us in the midst of the decline, hence the opening crawl: "turmoil has engulfed the galactic republic".

So we never had a chance to really see "the golden age" but the middle of the decline of a republic-in-name-only limping towards empire.

 

You can use big business as part of your rise to power without them getting representation equal to that of the representatives of the people. It has nothing to do with the republic of the U.S. in particular but the concept of a republic in general. Elected officials are there to represent geographic areas. Industrial interests have many avenues to make their desires heard but they don't get their own representatives who get to vote alongside the representatives of, in this case, the thousands of planets in the Old Republic. Rodia gets a vote, Alderaan gets a vote, Naboo gets a vote...and the Banking Clan gets a vote? I know of no republic on earth that has existed that way, it seems counter-intuitive to the whole idea of government for, of, and by the people. Unless it's meant to symbolize how corrupt the Senate has become under the rule of S.C. Palpatine, as I have previoiusly posited, it seems like a glaring oversight.