Why wouldn't Watto accept Republic credits?

Why wouldn't Watto accept Republic credits? They're the official form of legal tender throughout the galaxy. He insisted on something "more real." Like what?

I never quite understood this.

 

Tatooine, as we have learned, is not a Republic system.

It's like if you went to some remote island in Indonesia and expected them to accept the euro.



("The American Express card is the finest way of settling bills known to man!")


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in keeping with what Adam here said, there is probly no bank or similar such establishment where Watto could redeem or exchange them for local currency.

 

he prolly wanted wupiupi...

 

It's like if you went to some remote island in Indonesia and expected them to accept the euro

I wouldn't equate Tatooine with a "remote island". From what I see Tatooine is a bustling commercial centre, albeit one located outside of the Republic's control. So hey, surely they would have some currency exchange facilities or something. Indonesian cities like Jakarta or tourist spots like Bali would have places where one can exchange euros (or any other currency) for rupiahs

He insisted on something "more real." Like what?

Well, aside from the currency of Tatooine, Watto was probably referring to stuff like jewels or gold. I'm sure the SW galaxy has it's equivalent of those things. Or perhaps he would accept goods, ya know, barter trade and all that.

 

I was in a bar in London just the other day, and they refused to accept my perfectly valid credit card.

I tried waving my hand in front of the barmans face and telling him that it will do fine, but he just ignored me...

 

He didn't accept Republic credits because he wouldn't be able to spend them on Tatooine.

 

The Republic had very little presence in the Outer Rim systems, thus any form of their currency wouldn't be of very much value to anyone living in that area of the galaxy.

 

[image=http://www.blueharvest.net/images/closeups/yoda.jpg]

Warned Qui-Gon, I did. Carry some non-Republic money, I said. Listen to me, he would not. Daktaris are good everywhere, he said.

 

The answer is simple, bad story telling on the Old Man's part. He ignores the most basic concept of commerce in order to force the podrace on us. Tatooine is on the outskirts of the largest economic market and the Republic probably has the strongest currency in the galaxy. Republic law doesn't exist out there but the idea that their currency can't be exchanged or has no value is ludicrous. Tatooine is a haven for smugglers and traders, people are always coming and going. And Georgie Boy expects us to believe that they haven't set up some form of currency exchange. Not to mention that place is controlled by a criminal syndicate which no doubt has some dealings or operations going on in Republic space.

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What the Ewok said. I really have to push my suspension of disbelieve in order to buy this plot device. I can understand Watto not taking it, but the idea that there wasn't any way at all to exchange money on Tatooine? It would have made more sense if QGJ just didn't have much money on him, not enough for major ship parts. It wasn't like he was expecting to crash on an outrim world when he left Coruscant for Naboo anyway.

 

And hey, those smugglers, where do you think they were smuggling goods into/out of? The Republic of course! This would certainly indicate that there would be some form of currency exchange (though it would be unofficial) so that their Republic customers can pay the smugglers.

 

Just because Watto didn't want the Republic Credits is no reason to think there's no exchange. Maybe he just didn't want them.
On the other hand, there is no reason at all to assume that the Hutts offer a currency exchange. Or if they do, I imagine it's on the order of 500 to 1.
It's not bad story telling, it's reality. You head on down to Hounduras, and pay with Canadian dollars. They won't take your money. Sure there are places to exchange it, but it's not worth it to the merchant and they still won't take it.

 

I have used the U.S. dollar in several countries, they always take it. Gotta be careful, in some places a $20 is worth hundreds of their dollars.

Still, these were tourist areas, in deeper parts of various countries they don't want and/or have no need for your money.

 

You head on down to Hounduras, and pay with Canadian dollars. They won't take your money

Hey, even if you try to pay with Canadian dollars in the US, they'd still wouldn't accept it Why the heck would a local guy accept a foreign currency? The customer has to go change the foreign currency into local currency first. I've certainly never been in a situation where I had to rely on the local merchant to make the currency exchange, I'd have to do that first myself so that I can buy goods in the country I'm visiting (even before I step into the country, I've already changed the currency. Alas, poor Qui-Gon never travelled before, eh? ).

The point here is not about Watto, the seller. Of course he doesn't accept the currency, that's not the problem. The problem is Qui-Gon not looking for a place to exchange the currency. This should have been his number one solution, and there's nothing in the movie to suggest that Tatooine is some "remote island" filled with uncivilized natives who use coconuts for money (this would probably apply to the sand people, but not to the city folk. Perhaps the scenerio would have been better if they were stranded near a Tusken settlement rather than a busy modern city). On the contrary, Tatooine is filled with businesses and smugglers and gamblers, etc. It's a thriving commercial center, they've even got fancy entertainment in the form of podraces. With the amount of transactions made, there's no way there wouldn't be some sort of currency exchange facilities.

 

The problem is Qui-Gon not looking for a place to exchange the currency. This should have been his number one solution

I would guess that this entered his mind. Maybe the exchange rate is so poor, it would have left him without enough money? But I tend to believe that the republic credits are worthless there. If the pod races did offer a monetary exchange, Qui-Gon would have paid the entry fee, and not had Watto do it for him. Again, unless the exchange rate is pathetic.


Tatooine is filled with businesses and smugglers and gamblers, etc. It's a thriving commercial center, they've even got fancy entertainment in the form of podraces.

I'm not sure pod racing is "fancy". Is NASCAR "fancy"? Anyway, I would descride Tatooine not so much as a Comercial center, as I would a Criminal Empire. The Hutts are gangsters and are in control of Tatooine. There's little reason to suspect that they offer any of the regular government facilities to the people.


Hey, even if you try to pay with Canadian dollars in the US, they'd still wouldn't accept it

Very true. But here in Michigan the coins are as common as the U.S. ones.

 

I'm not sure pod racing is "fancy". Is NASCAR "fancy"?

Well, it's certainly not the sort of entertainment one would find in some remote country where people don't use money and they don't have currency exchange

I would descride Tatooine not so much as a Comercial center, as I would a Criminal Empire

They may be criminals, but they're still businessmen. Give 'em money, they'd still accept it if it brings profit to them. In the wise words of Michael Corleone: "It's not personal, just business!".

Heh, too bad Al Pacino didn't play Qui-Gon, then he could just go to Watto and made him "an offer he can't refuse".

(forgive the Godfather jokes, the movie is on TV right now )

Anyway, like I said, those smugglers and all would have Republic clients, it would make sense to have a currency exchange. I think someone in this thread said it would have been better if Qui-Gon simply didn't have enough money, rather than the "Republic credits aren't good here!" scenario. I agree with that.

 

There?s an assumption going on here that needs to be questioned- who says that it?s a currency that Watto has a problem with?

"Republic credits are no good here. I need something more real"

From this line, we can deduce that "Republic Dataries" aren't real, which seems a strange thing to say. What could that mean?

Well, the fact that Watto refers to them as "credits" is a clue. (Qui Gon doesn't use this word, so it's not as if Watto thinks it's a currency he's invented when he says they aren't "real.")

Credit: System of allowing customers to take goods and pay later.

It seems highly likely that Qui Gon's "money" isn't a hard currency like dollars, pounds or deutchmarks, but rather a form of credit.

Think about it- the Jedi have to travel all over the Republic, to different worlds with their own customs, traditions, languages and currencies. They aren?t going to carry samples of every currency going in the Republic- they will need some sort of universal payment, in the same way that, if you?re travelling around the world, you would take something that can be used in as many places as possible- either travellers cheques (which can be exchanged for currency, but not usually used as payment) or a credit card.

While they are very handy ways to pay for goods, you don't actually pay real money with a credit card- the vendor is paid by the credit card company, who you then repay at some point in the future. If you were a vendor without any agreement with a credit card company, then you obviously wouldn't accept a credit card payment from someone- no matter what amount they offered, it would be worthless to you- you would need a different form of payment; something more real.

IMHO, there?s a bigger point to this than teaching us about the currency trading systems in the GFFA, or even the straightforward plot device to move on to the pod race- it is about the nature of value, and the fact that nothing has a fixed value- everything is relative; while Qui Gon's Credits are probably very useful within the Republic (given the Jedi's status, I would imagine that their "Republic Credit Card" would be a more or less limitless source of funds within the Republic), it's value is obviously very different outside the Republic when dealing with someone like Watto.

This idea of the necessity of rethinking ones values is echoed in countless stories- think of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indy is so blinded by his desire that he almost gives up his life when reaching for the Grail. Or "a horse, a horse- my kingdom for a horse." Or the story of the monkey trap, where a hole is made in a coconut big enough for a monkeys open hand, but too small for it's fist to fit through, and some food is put in the shell- the monkey can grab the food, but can't get it's hand out without letting go of a food. Because the monkey isn't smart enough to reassess its values, it will pull and pull at the food without letting go, even when the hunters approach it at their leisure.

This theme of ?value transition? is repeated a few times in TPM- Jar Jar is seen as having no value by the Gungans, who banish him and threaten to kill him if he returns- but when he unites them with the Naboo and allows them to stand up to the TF, he is seen in a new light and made a General. Conversely, Qui Gon sees Anakin?s value as little more than his midichlorian count, while the Jedi council see him as a kid too old to begin the training- they have different value systems.

 

So, you're saying that Watto just doesn't take credit cards?
That makes some sense, but seems pretty anticlimactic.

"No Visaaaa, no of worrld checksss!"

 

Tatooine is in the Outer Rim territories. Apparently the Republic proper only extends to Naboo and nothing beyond. Naboo is a fringe world as far as members of the Republic go.

Once the Empire ascends to power, however, they have a more universal control. (Stormtroopers are the law on Tatooine during A New Hope.)

Republic credits are worthless because they have absolutely no value on a planet (or other planets in the Outer Rim) because they don't recognize Republic sovreignty, thus they have a different currency. . . Or various other forms.

<[-]> Saber

 

I think there probably was a system of exchange, but Watto didn't feel like dealing with it--he wanted whatever they had out on Tatooine that would be easiest for him to barter with.

I was in Vancouver last summer and wanted to buy a pair of earrings from a street vendor--I didn't have quite enough Canadian money, and so I told the vendor that I only had US money and that I needed to go to the exchange down the street and change some of it. The vendor told me not to worry about it and asked how much I had in US--he accepted my Canadian money and the rest of the cost of the earrings in US money, giving me the correct exchange rate. Was he obligated to do that? No. It was his choice. Watto chose not to do the same thing for Qui-Gon. He probably could have taken the Republic ditaris and exchanged them for something more "real" that he could use on Tatooine, but he didn't want to bother.

 

They no good out there.

 

>>>I think there probably was a system of exchange, but Watto didn't feel like dealing with it--he wanted whatever they had out on Tatooine that would be easiest for him to barter with.<<<

And your excuse for Qui Gon not exchanging it himself is?

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