PT Why did Qui-Gon bring Anakin to Naboo?

It was the will of the force..

Ok no. Best guess I have is Qui Gon was upset with the Council for refusing Anakin & didn't want to leave him there without him. So he took him with him. Obviously Anakin couldn't fully comprehend why he was rejected Jedi training at that age, so leaving him in Coruscant where he probably felt unwanted -- wouldn't be very nice.

That's my best guess!

 

That's logical. But if declining the sanctuary of the Jedi temple for Anakin is done by Qui Gon out of spite, then taking him into a battle zone seems that spiting the council was more important to Qui Gon than Anakin's safety, which he only becomes concerned about once the inevitable battle commences.

 

Pretty much. In-story, it makes no sense. I mean, if I were writing a story and one of my main characters wanted to take a child with him to battle because he sensed the child's potential, the others would sure as hell ask questions. If anything else, there'd at least be a scene where they discussed options -- showing that they at least made an attempt to figure out any other way beyond "let's take a child to a warzone where he'll get horribly killed even though I KNOW he has supernatural potential in him that he doesn't even know he has."

If Qui-Gon wanted to take Anakin with him to a warzone, fine -- but there should've been a scene where Panaka (or some other-non Jedi), or hell even Obi-Wan asks him why this is a good idea. Maybe even have earlier scenes where Anakin begins to display his Force abilities (like maybe he accidentally Force Chokes someone, or he sticks his hand out and causes an object out of reach to be flung into a wall.)

It's the golden rule of storytelling: SHOW, don't tell. Show us Anakin's Force potential (and no, not in a podracing sequence), show us the characters discussing among themselves what exactly they should do for Anakin to ensure his safety...after all, Qui-Gon believes he's the friggin' Chosen One of the Jedi Order.

 

Uh, wouldn't that be telling, not showing? I thought showing characters talking about things was considered a cardinal sin in the prequel-bashing community.

 

You can't show how a group of people come to a crucial decision without some discourse though.

A bit of stimulating rhetoric. Give and take. Compromise.

The body language displayed by the people discussing things shows us their attitude to the principles being discussed.

Show don't tell is great when and where it is applicable.

There's no rule that says don't bother if you can't explain to the audience without just showing them.

 

I mostly agree.
I think in an earlier version of the script, then Anakin snuck onboard the ship.
Qui-Gon found out eventually and was a bit irritated but by now he could not take him back.

This is a bit of a cliché but makes a bit more sense.

What I would have done, to make the third act be less contrived.
First Padme leaves a communicator with some of the people that stay behind.
Later she talks to them and they inform her that the blockade is gone, that the TF have control over the planet but they have managed to secure some fighters and some soldiers but not enough to fight the whole TF army.
Then after talking to Jar Jar, she decides to go back.
This removes the issue of them ignoring the blockade question and are just lucky that it is gone.
And it removes the question of why the TF just have the Naboo fighters sit there in the place they control.
This would mean that Anakin would not go to the palace if he has to fly a Naboo fighter as they are not there.
But one could have him hide in a TF ship instead and he turns it on and it flies off.
And since it is a TF ship, it can fly through the TF shield and he fires of some weapons that blow up the TF ship.

Not perfect but makes better sense to me.

Lastly, good comment about show, don't tell, which I think the PT far too often does wrong.

Here I think it is more of a case where the plot needs something to happen and the writer doesn't want to bother with an explanation how this can happen , it just does and he hopes that the audience won't question it.
Same with the blockade, the Naboo fighters etc. The plot needs it to happen so don't think about too hard.

Part of the problem is also that Anakin is so young. Had he been a little older, say 13-14, his presence would not have been as much of an issue.

Bye for now.
Old Stoneface

 

^ Chris Nolan has two "great" solution for characters arriving at critical decisions that the writer can't be bothered making a convincing case for. Either you just have one of the characters roll their eyes and say something glib like so that you realise that they are the person who is right even if you don't understand what they are saying. Or you make the soundtrack drown out what they are saying so that the audience feels that it is a momentous decision, even though they can't hear the argument.