Pointless Clawdite.

So what was the point in Zam being a shape-shifter then?
At no point does she actually use this skill for subterfuge or deception. Anaking mentions it to Obi before they enter the bar so we expect perhaps that she might change form to blend in or something. But she does'nt. In fact she relies more on that napkin across her face than she does her morphing abilities.
So I put it to you. Why did Lucas bother making her a changling, and to have the characters mention it, if she's never going to actually put the skill to any use onscreen?
One horrible thought is that maybe we are being introduced to the idea of changlings to brace us for the terrible truth-
The Truth?

The Truth!

Palpatine is a Clawdite shapeshifter!


God that would suck.

 

Well, I'd say Lucas felt like introducing a different kind of character. And I think it worked well when Zam dies and morphs back to her real form, the gross Clawdite. That was a cool effect.

 

Heck, not just in AOTC, but in every single Star Wars movie. Why is anything alien in Star Wars? Why can't they all just be human?

It's all just a stupid gimmick to sell more toys and merchandise.

GEORGE AND HIS POINTLESS ALIENS RAPED MY CHILDHOOD!!!!1111!1!!11!!1

 

KolKothap does raise a good point, Sithman. Try not to be so quick to make the usual rubbish jokes and instead have a go at countering his question. As for why there are aliens in the Star Wars universe, well, it is set in a galaxy, so it rather follows that there'd be many different life-forms living together, however, that doesn't answer why Zam didn't bother changing her shape. I haven't really seen a good enough excuse of why that didn't occure to her, unless of course Jango was just using her, of course, which doesn't really seem to ring true to me.

 

I'm glad someone sees my point.

It's the mentioning of the fact that she's a changeling which interests me the most.
Why is this mentioned and then pretty much unused in the following scene?
If it were only to demonstrate another 'wierd' Star wars alien then it was hardly very original was it?
From the T100 to Mystique to Red Dwarf and back again shapeshifters are no new thing to fans of Sci-fi.
I can't understand the reason for making Zam have this ability.
The only other possibility is that there are some deleted scenes on the cutting room floor or abandoned scene ideas in which she does morph for a reason more useful than merely to show us she's an alien.

 

I'm probably wrong here, but I think the whole Clawdite idea was something that only happened in the reshoots, as if you look closely during the exchange where Anakin tells Obi-Wan she's a changling, you can tell it's the reshoot version of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Why they made the change, I don't know. Before it was a rather neat joke of Anakin saying, "I think he's a she," and Obi-Wan saying, "In that case, be extra careful," but for some reason, it was changed during the reshoots. Possibly because George felt it would bring more diversity to the Star Wars Galaxy if there were shape-shifters about the place, or possibly because he felt it might upset some of the more ultra politcally correct people in the audience if Obi-Wan chopped a woman's arm off, but I don't think the original intention was to have Zam as a shape-shifter. But mind you, I might be wrong.

 

Maybe GL had the idea to protray a character that appeared to be beautiful but was a monster inside. The whole, looks can be decieving morality play. Or something like that.

Other than that there is no point to her being a changeling. It would have been cool for her to change in the bar scene and then attack Obi-Wan. An amazing scene would have been Anakin walking towards Obi-Wan's back and then Kenobi swinging back and chopping his arm off...after which we discover that it was Zam in Anakin's form. It would have then demonstrated true Jedi ability that even though she looked different, Obi-Wan still knew she was the enemy.

 

Does she get her arm chopped off? I thought Obi just bashed the blaster away.
I'll have to look again.
Maybe you're right about the re-shoot idea.
I still would have preferred that scene if Zam had morphed into a different creature in an effort to hide but was sensed through the force and thus caught or something.

 

Actually I like Spikes idea the best. That would have been a helluva lot better.

 

Yeah, that would´ve been awesome. Also, it would have foreshadowed what happens to Anakin in the third act of the film.

I think the concept of changelings will be used in some way during EpIII. I do not think Palpy is a clawdite, but you know, every episode has it´s own main bounty hunter(except TPM), so there might be one clawdite character yet to be introduced....

 

SHE DOES GET HER ARM CHOPPED OFF ,BUT I THINK GEORGE JUST NEEDED A NEW CHARACTER TO INTRODUCE PLUS I GUESS THEY COULD NOT WASTE TO MUCH TIME ON HER THEY HAD TO KEEP THE PLOT GOING

 

already i've seen two better edit ideas than what george has. he's a good "idea" guy, but he really can't "finish". or write.

i think it would've been better to either leave out anakin's (edited?) bit about the changling. it really does make obi wan's line a lot funnier then.

i like spike's idea, though, too.

 

"but I don't think the original intention was to have Zam as a shape-shifter. But mind you, I might be wrong."

You are correct. The actress apparently wasn't aware that she was to be an "alien" until watching the footage afterwards. I'll try to find the quote for that (I ran over it recently.)

"Maybe GL had the idea to protray a character that appeared to be beautiful but was a monster inside. The whole, looks can be decieving morality play. Or something like that."

Agreed. Wasn't something to that effect mentioned in the commentary?

"SHE DOES GET HER ARM CHOPPED OFF"

Please turn off your Caps-Lock.

 

Yeah, I think the commentary mentions something about that when Anakin's on top of Zam's speeder...I'm not sure, though. Something about how it's one of the symbols for how things aren't what they seem, appearences can be deceptive etc.

We don't know the first thing about how Zam changes, for all we know it could take her several minutes or even longer to do so.

 

<Maybe GL had the idea to protray a character that appeared to be beautiful but was a monster inside. The whole, looks can be decieving morality play. Or something like that. >

That still doesn't explain it. If he wanted to do the "everyone isn't what he appears to be" then he wouldn't have gone with making her an alien monster since it would contribute more to the theme of "appearances are everything" since Wessell was in the end an alien monster not a beautiful human assassin.

 

Actually, it contributes to the statement that "appearances aren't everything"

 

<Actually, it contributes to the statement that "appearances aren't everything" >

But it doesn't. The bad guys are almost all aliens or monsters or badly scarred. Zam Wessell, an evil bounty hunter, looks like a monster in reality while the trio of good guys are handsome and human looking.

 

" But it doesn't. The bad guys are almost all aliens or monsters or badly scarred. Zam Wessell, an evil bounty hunter, looks like a monster in reality while the trio of good guys are handsome and human looking."

What "trio"? Besides, is Chewbacca "handsome" or "human-looking"? Have you seen ROTJ? Admiral Ackar? Nien Numb? Even the ewoks are kinda ugly.

Lucas is only focusing on that character, probably as a prelude to Palpatine in Ep.III. You are trying to apply this one scene to the entire speciest makeup of the entire film.

 

I don't see much a big deal over this. Firstly, whether Zam is a shapeshifter or not, you can't just fool Jedi easily. She was gonna be caught anyway. Secondly, Im glad she didn't change her clothing to Anakin's, this isn't X-men.

And finally, its shows things aren't as they seem. That is the big picture,IMO.

Then again, if one doesn't like it, what can you say? No big thing, IMO.