Dual introduction of Palpatine and Sidious in TPM

I think this a fairly overlooked aspect of the saga's opening.

We see that Sidious has always fed a bunch of lies to the Seperatists, which backs up Dooku's claims of betrayal in the next movie. This is interesting, because although this made it seem like lying is a Sith trait, the course of the three movies shows that he really reserves his outright lies just for the Seperatists.
What adds layers to this is the short holo-meeting between the Naboo government and Palpatine that follows. He demonstrates that "ultra-sincerity" Ian McDiarmid mentioned in an interview.

I'm gonna go through some subtleties to the dialogue present in these scenes.


"As you know, this blockade is perfectly legal, and we would be happy to receive the ambassadors."
(Shows that at this stage the Seperatists still care (to an extent) what the loyalists of the Republic think about them. "As you know" implies that the matter has been discussed peacefully beforehand. This is shown, however, to be just keeping up appearances, through the dialogue shortly after) -
"I knew it! They're here to force a settlement." "Distract them, I will conduct Lord Sidious."
(Besides showing their true feelings about the meeting, this raises an interesting ethical question with the audience - the Jedi were indeed likely planning on forcing a settlement).


OBI-WAN:
"How do you think the Trade Federation will deal with the Chancellor's demands?"
QUI-GON:
"These Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be short."
(Mentioning the "Chancellor's demands" is funny to me because the TF are currently receiving orders (demands) from the future Chancellor Sidious. And they act pretty cowardly in his presence, too).


DOFINE:
"This scheme of yours has failed Lord Sidious." (This names Sidious as the sole initiator of the war). "The blockade is finished. We dare not go against the Jedi." (Shows that things were more civilised in the Republic before it came to war).
SIDIOUS:
"Viceroy, I don't want this stunted slime in my sight again. This turn of events is unfortunate. We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops." (Sidious is talking through his arse. He doesn't find the turn of events unfortunate at all, and accelerating the plans is exactly what he had hoped for. The fact that he says "We must" is just him being manipulative, making it seem that their "team" has no choice. What's more, he already knew that the Jedi were on their way beforehand).
NUTE:
"My Lord, is that legal?"
SIDIOUS:
"I will make it legal." (Unless of course I can gain power faster with your enemy's help).


Compare these two exchanges:

NUTE:
"And the Jedi?"
SIDIOUS:
"The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately."
NUTE:
"Yes, yes my Lord. As you wish."

Soon after-

PALPATINE:
"The negotiations haven't started because the ambassadors aren't there? How can that be true? I have assurances from the Chancellor himself, his ambassadors did arrive."

I love the flip around here. Orders the Seperatists to start the conflict, then subverts the loyalist's trust in them by blatantly pointing out that the Seperatists are lying. The way he states this is also very reminiscent of his manipulation of Anakin - "How can that be true?", so they think they are coming to a conclusion themselves.

There was a little more I can't remember, but this'll do.

 

Interesting read...

 

Good insight i_dont_know.

 

"I knew it! They're here to force a settlement." "Distract them, I will conduct Lord Sidious."
(Besides showing their true feelings about the meeting, this raises an interesting ethical question with the audience - the Jedi were indeed likely planning on forcing a settlement).




Well, like you mention in your next sentence, the TF are cowardly types. The term "Forcing" to them could mean something as benign as talking loudly or in an angry voice like Sids did.

 

^^ I agree. And frankly, gien the nature of what the TF is doing here (this is a major galactic incident-it'd be like if Microsoft cut off all trade in Washington State in an attempt to get tax breaks from the government) I'd say the Jedi were justified in doing whatever to them.

 

Just a minor point: in TPM, the future Separtists weren't that yet. They were the galactic equivalent of stepping away in the elevator by one step. They weren't quite fully separated yet.

 

I agree, I was just calling them Seperatists out of convinience.

The Jedi admit that they are doing this though.
"These Trade Federation types are cowards. The negotiations will be short."

This is why I said it raises an ehtical question. Doesn't mean the TF were right.

 

It's a question of big government vs. small government. You can even compare it to the American Civil War. The North was trying to impinge on the rights of the southern states to make money by taking away slavery. The southern gentlemen, although not starving, sent people to war in the interest of protecting their economy as they knew it. People will still defend the Confederacy of American States and they were Enslaving a race of people. The Trade Federation was just trying to create an embargo on a planet (Country) to protect their economic health, and eventually tried to secede for a much less treacherous reason than perpetuating slavery. The Trade Federation and other groups probably had investors and other people that they had to keep happy where a southern plantation owner was his own boss and reported only to himself. It certainly was an ethical question and the CIS themselves aren't necessarily evil, they were trying to ensure that they could continue to make a living and possibly meet profit margins in order to scare away investors on the intergalactic stock exchange. They just happened to be somewhat unwittingly allied with people who were extremely evil.

Carnage

 

Interesting observations. I just wanted to say that I think Nute says: I will contact Lord Sidious, not I will conduct Lord Sidious.

I especially like the first part, because you know Palpatine was probably using the same holoprojector to talk to both the Trade Federation and the Naboo.

 

Yeah gosh I never really thought about the opening events of TPM in that respect. I mean it all clicked together but it gives me even more appreciation for Sidious as he is proactively starting a war, oh so eloquently.

I like it how the transmission dies out, no more questions!

haha

 

It's interesting that you say that, because nothing in these opening scenes resembles my memory of seeing TPM in the cinema anymore (Well, besides that cool sense of mystery as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walk in, that's pretty much the same).
That's quite an achievment IMO, that not much in the prequels is what it seems. I wish I could watch them with no knowledge of the OT.

lol
I had also wondered if he asked the Seperatists to jam Naboo's transmissions just so he wouldn't have to explain himself.

Whoops, typo. That sounded more like he wants Sidious to force-lightning him.