PT Did Qui-Gon, et al Sleep Over Ani's House?

...or did they go back to the ship the night before the pod race? It never seemed right to me how casually Anakin just invited them over to his slave quarters. I would think the quarters were the property of the slave owners and at the very least, the prospect of Watto discovering unapproved people sleeping over would be worrisome to Anakin and his mother. So maybe they went back to the ship?

 

I'd imagine they stayed put and slept over at Anakin's hovel. A bit of an odd melange, but for one night, in that galaxy far, far away, a displaced queen, a banished Gungan, a maverick Jedi, the galaxy's Chosen One, his loving mother, and two droids, destined for many adventures together, all slept under one roof.

And then the dawn came.

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But yeah, I think it's pretty evident -- even though I was earlier confused/undecided on the same issue -- that they must have stayed over, going by the film, considering a few details:

i) There was a sandstorm raging earlier, and while it certainly cleared up, I think Qui-Gon had second thoughts about heading back, once Anakin had offered shelter and his home proved cosy and agreeable.

ii) Qui-Gon become increasingly interested in Anakin and his innate abilities.

iii) Night fell on Tatooine and they decided it was too risky to head back to the ship at that time.

iv) Qui-Gon contacts Obi-Wan at night and asks him for a blood analysis. Why do that if he was shortly planning on returning to the ship?

v) Shmi may have offered to put them up and it might have seemed rude to refuse -- as it is in some cultures.

vi) They'd only have to head back there in the morning anyway.

vii) It's just cooler that they're there and provides plenty of sauce for slash fiction, okay?

 

It seems like on Tatooine, it was a different practice of slavery than what we'd relate to in real life. It seemed like their home was theirs, and they could do as they pleased. Besides, Watto wouldn't hate Qui-Gon that much that he'd deny him and his companions shelter.

 

I don't think he would deny them *if requested*, I just think it's strange for slaves to just casually offer their place to someone since they aren't the owners of the place.

 

More or less.

Unfortunately, it seems that people can't relate to slavery, or consider all the manifestations of slavery there are -- real and psychological -- in this world.

The explicit type of bondage Lucas depicts in TPM is both benign and anything but. On the one hand, a nice home, reasonably comfortable living, no obvious signs of extreme hardship. On the other, a home that you don't own and can't leave, a life that isn't really yours, and the constant threat of sudden change and upheaval if your owner is capricious, falls on hard times, is killed, grows old, no longer wants you, etc.; or if you piss him or someone else off.

And, oh, yeah, despite Anakin saying he loved it, Watto also made him take part in deadly podraces, awash in corruption, making a mockery of Shmi's parental authority and trampling all over her own peace-of-mind. So, let's add, a chronic, imposed inability to do anything about greed and exploitation, and constant reminders that you're powerless when you're made to suffer right through said greed and exploitation.

Not such a great existence now, is it?

And Watto? Yeah, I'll go with your take there. In the words of Anakin: "mostly".

I don't think he'd have been too happy, though, to find Anakin tinkering on a pod he'd been constructing under his nose, or that Anakin was basically conspiring with these strangers to, ultimately, make him a lot worse off.

 

This is what happened:

1.) The whole group stayed the night.
2.) Qui-Gon and Shmi had some totally non-attached fun times under a Bantha skin blanket. (because no woman in the galaxy would be able to keep her hands off Liam Neeson)
3.) Anakin saw Padmé showering, the Force was VERY strong with him. And his mind made an attachment to that little Naboo goddess.
4.) C3PO and R2-D2 talked all night, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
5.) Jar Jar ate some overripe and fermenting fruit, saw Anakin watching Padmé showering. In his slightly intoxicated state he decided Padmé was "pweddy hott".

George Lucas told me this! I swear on Abrams' lens flares!

 

You never know... I always thought Quiggy and Shmi had some kind of chemistry. Is Shmi-Gon a thing? That could make for some real interesting fan fiction.

 

Yes, very fond of riddles in the dark.

Or maybe cuddles under a Bantha skin blanket. In the dark.

JLS ... what have you started?

 

Not to mention the possibility of being blown up by one's implant if one tries to run away.

 

Well, maybe in the culture of Tatooine, it would be considered rude to turn away guests.

Also, considering that both Anakin and Shmi were slaves, they probably had no choice but to let Qui-Gon and the others stay at their hovel. I mean, if you're a slave and someone asked you to let them stay at your home, what are you going to do? Say "no"? Then that person could easily take offense and say, "I will report this to your master!" We know Qui-Gon is a good man and would never do this, but how would Shmi know this? Sure she may have learned more about him by the second day, but when she just met him on the first day? For all she knows, given that he enters with a pretty lady (who might be his daughter for all she knows), an alien (perhaps a servant?), and a droid (yet another servant?), that he's some rich nobleman with connections (he even claims to be a Jedi, or at the very least, knows how to kill a Jedi and take his weapon.) Best to not give him any reason to make her life even worse than it already is.

 

I think they stayed over twice i know that the novel says they did after the sand storm and the next night was when Qui-Gon does the blood analysis

 

The pod and 3PO both provide proof that Watto's slaves weren't monitored all that closely. Combine that with letting the boy go home early and I'd say Watto was the best slave owner in the Outer Rim. (-hard not to look good when your only competition is a Hutt )

Having just said all that, I wasn't sad when Infinities-Maul separated him from his greed.

 

They actually all went to Watto's place and threw the greatest house party the galaxy would ever see.

 

We all know where Qui Gon slept

 

Well, there was nothing to worry about. Having a bomb planted inside your body would discourage one from doing something silly, like running off.

 

I knew I was forgetting something important...

 

It's obvious that Watto wasn't portrayed as a villain, despite being a greedy slave owner. Even though he was one of the better slave owners, the very statement is a bit of an oxymoron. I'm sure Watto never really brought up the threat of bombing his slaves as leverage, but the fact still remained that their lives were in the hands of another person.

If Watto wasn't a slave owner, he might even gain some sympathy being it's not easy to make a living in the barren lands of Tatooine, and Watto's junk seemed mostly too specific to make an extravagant living (who else would have bought that hyperdrive?).

 

Forget buying it...

I'm still trying to figure out who lost a J-327 in the Outer Rim, in the first place.

 

I'm sure that story's floating around in the EU somewhere...

 

Not sure when or where I read it, but those all-chrome ships are/were for Royals-only....

so, that means they lost a different queen at some point.

 

On the floor?

 

Maybe no-one?

QUI-GON: I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian.

Personal reflection: It sounds like Qui-Gon is trying to construct a ship that will take him to heaven. He discovers Anakin in the same shop.

WATTO: Ah, yes, Nubian! We have lots of that.

Personal reflection: I should think so. It is Tatooine / Tataouine, after all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubia

WATTO: And no-one else has a T-14 hyperdrive, I promise you that!

Personal reflection: Anakin is the hyperdive. Or Padme. She is 14, remember.


* * *


So, erm, yeah, I think what I planned to say was...

The J-type 327 Nubian is clearly (nice chrome exterior aside) a modular design -- i.e., with bits that can be swapped out.

Qui-Gon is basically saying to Watto, "What do you have that will fit inside a ship of this type?"

He's going on the assumption / foreknowledge (or I am) that the innards aren't as special as the outer. Many ships -- or several, at least -- presumably use the parts that Qui-Gon is looking for.

It's also possible that a J-type 327 Nubian is not all that special / unique of a ship. The Queen's one could simply be customized to look a certain way. Pimp my ride?

It certainly has the feel of an expensive, luxury ship, though.

 

Its way more fun if they lost a queen, though I doubt Yoda and the younglings would agree.

 

The bigger question is did he use their toilet or did they 'force' him to go outside lol