Why didn't they pay for Anikin's Mom to be free right away?

I imagine the Queen of Naboo has more money than your average junk dealer is willing to turn down.

Now, the Council might bar Anakin from actually seeing her, but they have no business regulating Padme's philanthropy; if she wants to free a slave, it's her perogative. Whether or not Anakin ever makes contact with her, he'd certainly rest easier if he sensed that she were free.

 

For the last time, the Queen of Naboo only has Republic Credits as money and Watto will not accept that kind of money.

Besides, the Republic has no jurisdiction on any planet not aligned with the Senate like Tatooine so they could careless about a slave who is the mother of Anakin Skywalker and they would forbid anyone from trying to free slaves because any senator who does so would risk committing career suicide or they might get in trouble with the Hutts.

As for how the Hutts do business, they can accept any kind of currency as long as it's not made from the Republic.

 

"As for how the Hutts do business, they can accept any kind of currency as long as it's not made from the Republic."

Show me your source.

And again, what about Han's docking fees, the cantina patrons' drinks and the race fans' bets? Surely you don't think that every one of those alien species is native to Tattooine.

As for the jurisdiction issue:

Slaves are property. So is food. The American government has no jurisdiction in, say, China. If I happen to be in China, does my government's lack of jurisdiction prohibit me from buying food? No.

 

They're living on Tatooine, aren't they?

The cantina patron and the podrace fans are using Tatooine's native currency to do business.

As for Han, we see him recieve his money from the Rebels in ANH and they're no longer with the Republic since it has degenerated into the Empire.

As for the goverment:

China's government won't let you send slaves over to America unless you have an immigration card which is why the American government won't let you send the slaves here.

 

"The cantina patron and the podrace fans are using Tatooine's native currency to do business."

Yes, and how do they acquire said currency? Could these spaceports possibly have--gasp--money exchanges?

 

"For the last time, the Queen of Naboo only has Republic Credits as money and Watto will not accept that kind of money.

Besides, the Republic has no jurisdiction on any planet not aligned with the Senate like Tatooine so they could careless about a slave who is the mother of Anakin Skywalker and they would forbid anyone from trying to free slaves because any senator who does so would risk committing career suicide or they might get in trouble with the Hutts. "


What about trading goods instead of money. After all Watto was very interested in the Queen's SR-71 Silverbird ship.

They could care less????? How ungrateful and uncompassionate is this royal family. Not even thanking the family that may have saved thier pitiful planet. What a bunch of bureacratic politicians. Jeez. No wonder the Republic fell. They deserved it.


Whay is Lucas making it so easy to root for the Sith??? After seeing this bureaucratic crap, I'm beginning to hate the Jedi & the Republic. Go Sith!!! Go Palpy!!!

 

"China's government won't let you send slaves over to America unless you have an immigration card which is why the American government won't let you send the slaves here."

Did Anakin need an immigration card to get off Tattooine?

 

"Could these spaceports possibly have-gasp-money exchanges?"

The kind that aren't made from the Republic? Yes.

"What about trading goods instead of money?"

We have nothing of value, that's our problem- Qui-Gon Jinn.

Nobody had anything to trade in purchase of Shmi and as Shmi herself pointed out, "The Republic doesn't exist out here" because even if they do want to free the slaves, they'd risk dealing with the Hutts thus creating an intergalactic crisis because one of their senators or better yet--the Supreme Chancellor has been held hostage by a bunch of gangsters on a backwater planet like Tatooine.

It's best not to cause any controversy.

"Did Anakin need an immigration card to get off Tatooine?"

Why bother???

Qui-Gon betted on Anakin's freedom in the podrace and Anakin won.

Anakin is free and he didn't need an immigration card to leave Tatooine.

 

All right; check this out.

Rodians, as proven by their place in the Senate, are a part of the Republic. We also see them on Tattooine. If Tattooinian money exchanges don't deal in Republic credits--which is something you made up just now--how do Tattooine-based Rodians get by?

As for Qui-Gon's lack of trade goods, that problem evaporated once Padme returned home. As has been pointed out, and has yet to be answered, Padme could easily have sent any one of her employees to barter with Watto, either with cash or with goods, without any danger to herself.

"Anakin is free and he didn't need an immigration card to leave Tatooine."

Exactly. Which renders the "immigration card" issue moot, as Shmi's buyer could instantly free her, then get her off the planet without a hassle.

 

Watto: "Republic Credits are no good out here. I need something more real".

We aren't talking about Rebublic Currency, we are talking about a Republic Credit Card. And it was a point made in the film that they were no good "out here" which I took to mean Tattoine.

You can confuse yourself all you want to pretend this wasn't well thought out or properly explained, but you would be wrong about that.

 

As has been pointed out, there are many ways around the money issue.

1) Offer him more. If you offer an Iraqi citizen a thousand American dollars for a sandwich, do you think he'll refuse on general principle?

2) Get the money exchanged. Even if no one on Tattooine is willing to trade one currency for the other (and why wouldn't they?), are there no banks in the Republic?

3) Offer goods instead. Think of the business Watto could find with a functional ship in his possession.

 

Stop using what if's to get around this situation. It was clearly stated that Republic forms of money were worthless on Tatooine. It was also clearly stated that Watto refused to trade Shmi away, especially to the people who just beat his brains in and put in in debt. THAT is the reason that is stated in the movie, end of story. Watto said no, he meant no. All these tangental "what if's" don't really seem to dwell on what really happened in the movie, and why it was written into the movie.

What if Luke just flew Yoda to Cloud City, and had Yoda use the force to implode Vader's head? Yeah, he probably could have done it, but it totally ignores the dialogue in the movie and the reasons the movie set up.

 

Just because it's in the movie doesn't mean it made sense.

EDIT: That's a good question, actually; why doesn't Yoda ever take on Vader directly? Hmm.

 

Watto REALLY didn't want to. They didn't have the means to. Makes sense to me.

 

"Stop using what if's to get around this situation. It was clearly stated that Republic forms of money were worthless on Tatooine. It was also clearly stated that Watto refused to trade Shmi away, especially to the people who just beat his brains in and put in in debt. THAT is the reason that is stated in the movie, end of story. Watto said no, he meant no. All these tangental "what if's" don't really seem to dwell on what really happened in the movie, and why it was written into the movie."


But this issue is so damm glaring. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Even non-SW fans were asking that same question. Why leave her there. Geist is right. Just because it's in the movie does'nt mean it makes sense. And this one does not.

 

Let me ask: If, either between or during EpII, Padme freed Shmi--perhaps by sending a man to pose as an Outer Rim merchant, who trades Shmi for a ship--if that were in the film, and the story continued from there, would you complain about it?

 

The gang at MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000 explain it best:

Welcome to Plot Convenience Playhouse Presents, folks...

 

He can't go exchanging republic funds. He is worried about the Hutts cathing on to the fact that they are there. Republic Credits would throw up all kinds of red flags.

Why is it so hard to follow the logc of what Lucas is doing?

With all the creativity you use to render the plot sensless, you could figure out why it makes sense.

If you are merely trying to blame Lucas for your inability to get into this saga, then I am not even sure why I bother.

 

Try this on for size. Suppose Padme HAD intended to free Shmi, and admitted as much to Palpatine. Palpy then said something like this:

"My dear, you cannot. You MUST not. I had already intended to do that myself, and the Jedi Council asked me not to. They say Jedi students must be as isolated and disconnected from their families as possible. Anakin is a Jedi student now, that is his reward for his heroism. At any rate, you surely have far more important things to deal with right now than the safety of an old woman at the farthest edge of the galaxy, yes?"

 

Rodians are from Rodia and were part of the Republic. They are not native to Tatooine.

 

That's nice. Is there a point that goes along with that?

 

I was refering to Darth Geist's comments.

 

"Rodians are from Rodia and were part of the Republic. They are not native to Tatooine."

Exactly. Which means that those Rodians who emigrated to Tattooine found a way around the currency issue--which means that either Wald is a Hutt wiseguy or there are other entities in the galaxy who deal in exchange.

Even if the Hutts were the sole body on Tattooine that showed any interest in the currency of the galaxy's biggest market, how would Republic credits "throw out all kinds of red flags?"

UNDERLING: Jabba! Jabba! Some guy wants his money exchanged!

JABBA: Sho mina bi dua! (Send in the Marines!)



The Republic is big, with a great many businessmen. If Padme sent an anonymous employee to get the job done--well, how uncommon is that?

Even if there were no possible way to acquire the proper currency--no banks, no deals, nothing--there's still the barter system.

The point is she never tried. Now, Nightowl, the scene you describe would've been nice if it were in the film, but it's not. Padme never mentions any attempt to free Anakin's mother, and without any evidence to the contrary, all signs point to it never having happened.

Shmi remained a slave because the script wanted her that way.

 

Right, but Rodians don't care if anyone notices them exchanging their Republic credits for Wuipiupies or what have you. Qui-Gon didn't want to draw any attention to themselves because as Panaka points out...

---

[b]Panaka:[/b] "The Hutts are gangsters, if they discover her..."

[b]Qui-Gon:[/b] "Then it will be no different than a planet controlled by the Trade Federation. The Hutt's aren't looking for her, which gives us an advantage."[hr][/blockquote]

 

"How would Republic Credits "throw out all kinds of red flags"?"

Because they're NOT "real" currency, as Watto suggested.

To him and the Hutts, Republic Credits are like counterfeit money and they won't accept it no matter how much Padme will give them which is why they only want the kind of currency that is native to them.