The signifficance of Polis Massa

Knowing Star Wars as we do, there is usually a significance to why certain planets/locations are chosen for certain story or plot points.

As a quick example - Mustafar representing the heroes' journey to hell, Endor & Naboo representing nature (as opposed to technology).

Does anyone have any ideas as to why the birthplace of the twin hopes for the Galaxy, as well as the death of Padme - aleading character in the PT - took place on Polis Massa.

I am not looking for reasons such as Yoda & Obi Wan needed somewhere to hide etc but more for what metaphors or hidden meaning did the location of Polis Massa have when Lucas came up with the idea?

 

The fact that it was small, in seclusion, and not an actually planet was enough to set the mood that the Jedi aren't out of it yet.

 

There is no grand signifcance for Polis Massa, other than it was a safe haven.

 

In ESB, an asteroid is used as a hiding place by "our heroes" but what apparently is at first a non-living entity is revealed to be inhabited by a living creature that is a threat to "our heroes". That creature does not live in symbiosis with others of its kind, although it seems to tolerate the flying creatures in its belly.

In ROTS, an asteroid is used as a hiding place by "our heroes" from what is apparently at first a benign living entity (Anakin or Palpatine) that is revealed to be inhabited by a less-than-human creature (Anakin or Palpatine) that is a threat to "our heroes". The creatures do not live in symbiosis with others of their kind, although they seem to tolerate others around them (Piett in Vader's case and Imperial dignitaries and Vader in Palpatine's case).

Edit: Major spelling errors

 

I dont think it had much signifigance other than it made for a fun level on BF2.



Sccrman95

 

I can't really think of any deep thematic connections off-hand. Except for...

An asteroid is a primal entity in the cosmos, and when Luke and Leia are born, this is nature/life/the Force working at its most primal level. In this sense, perhaps, the birth of the twins - an event that was strictly forbidden by the Jedi Code and the old Jedi of the old Republic - is an affront to the impositions and regulations imposed on life by a group of people who'd lost their way. Ergo, the fact it's happening on an asteroid shows nature "taking back the reins", so to speak, and contrasts nicely with the completely urbanised planet of Coruscant sat at the heart of the galaxy. Unfortunately, although it can be read this way, having the twins birthed on Dagobah, by human hands and under natural light, would have accentuated this theme all the more (and, as a bonus, it would have made Luke's line in TESB - "There's something familiar about this place..." - make a whote lot more sense). Ah, well.

 

Polis Massa is practically invisible to the Republic/Empire, just like Obi-wan, Luke, Leia, Yoda, and even Bail somewhat must remain to the same group. That's the best I can come up with.

 

Yeah, I'd have to say that they needed to find somewhere that had some sort of medical facility. Going near any highly civlilized system wasn't going to work....too dangerous. If any place wasn't alerted to what was going on in the galaxy it was probably going to be a secluded facility like Polis Massa. The theme is that the Obi-Wan and Yoda, who were welcome almost everywhere in the Republic prior to this, had to find help on some rock in the middle of nowhere for any kind of help. Going from being higher ups at the Jedi Temple to hiding on some rock is a big fall.

Carnage

 

I have a crazy theorie about that place, I think that they were doing some weird experiments in that place. At some point they must have created a large worm that ate them all and it became the giant worm in ESB. .... what other explanation for a big worm like that to be on an astroid do you have???

 

well ill go outon a limb and say the POLIS means city in Greek right? so what does MASSA mean??

 

I dont know what massa means, but I'll stick with my crazy theorie posted above

 

on the galaxy map polis massa isn't near hoth or bespin, i believe. so it wouldn't be the space slug. besides, the polis massans were offed by darth maul anyway, so they wouldn't last long enough to be eaten by the space slug.

 

Where did you get that?

 

Good question. It could signify "humble beginnings", perhaps? Luke and Leia were born on an asteroid, something that's "not even" a planet, but they grew up to become great heroes, sorta thing.

Or the scatter of asteroids (as opposed to one big planet) could symbolise how the Jedi (those that were left, anyhow) were scattered in all directions and even Luke and Leia had to be separated?

Or maybe sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and an asteroid field is just an asteroid field. Might as well ask what's the significance of Aayla Secura dying on a planet of flowers...

 

Hey pass that over... whatever you're smoking, I'll have some!

 

To me, Polis Massa represents a lack of stability. They no longer have a home to return to, no base of operations. It's an asteroid, it represents that from now on the good guys stay on the move, on the run.

 

gabe is both pretty and wise. I don't think there's much more to it than that. Not everything has to have a really deep Saga-wide significance. But there is already a precedence for "hiding" on asteroids.

 

Polis Massa looks like it's in the same area as the asteroid field in ESB. Also, the shot of Padme's ship landing (with the Polis Massans watching on the surface) is Lucas' homage to 2001: A Space Oddessy when the astronauts land at the site on the moon where the monolith is discovered.

 

There's more than one asteroid belt in the GFFA. We've only seen the one at Hoth, the Graveyard aka Alderaan and around Geonosis.

 

Indeed

I also thought Dagobah would be the twins' birth planet and was disapointed when it wasnt.

2 points about this though:

1. it means Luke's line in TESB is just meant to show Luke was having visions about his future (similar to Leia's Padme memories - now just being in the film to show she too had Force induced visions - this time of the past, not future)

2. all the credit in the world to the clone wars cartoons guys for giving dagobah more saga-wide significance by putting in the scene where yoda has a vision of qui-gon & young anakin on dagobah - showing a warped version of his own future with a skywalker

 

They say it is a planet used for the refuge of Jedi.

 

I've gotta go with Gabe on this one