To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the all-new episodes coming thanks to #CloneWarsSaved, we’re undertaking a full chronological rewatch of the five original seasons, The Lost Missions, and the theatrical release. We’d be honored if you would join us and share your thoughts on the award-winning series.
54: “Pursuit of Peace” (Season Three, Episode 11)
"Truth can strike down the spectre of fear."
Synopsis:
Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa, and Onaconda Farr attempt to rally Senators in opposition to a bill that would have disastrous financial consequences for the Republic, but their actions make them targets for intimidation and attacks by hired thugs.
Analysis:
Much like Lux and Ahsoka helped change each other's minds about their generalized beliefs about Separatists and Jedi, Padmé's story about the plight of one citizen of the Republic helps to sway the Senate on a critical vote to throw credits toward the war effort at the expense of basic quality of life.
The Banking Clan stands to benefit from the continued fighting, profiting through exorbitant interest rates as a result of deregulation and serving both the Separatists and the Republic with loans to fund more troops, including a recent order for 3 million more battle droids. Yikes.
Darth Sidious, who orchestrated this conflict, must stoke the turmoil to see his plot for unlimited power through to the end.
But one person stands in their way by truly representing the people. Padmé courageously stands before the Senate -- despite or perhaps because of the cascade of threats and physical intimidation she and several other senators have suffered -- to tell the story of Teckla Minnau, an aide whose family lives with the daily repercussions of the war while the senators maintain their comfortable lifestyle.
Teckla, and by extension the other average citizens of the galaxy, are suffering the consequences of a society consumed by war. Even far away from the battleground, she and her children live in a district that rarely has electricity, running water, and other basic necessities. As a result they are impoverished, dirty, and literally in the dark, which also precludes them from reading and studying. That kind of life breeds desperation.
A vote to put the Republic into deeper debt to fund the war is essentially a vote to continue to turn a blind eye to the disastrous side effects of the war, preventing the Republic from funding the basic services the people truly need to survive.
"This war is meant to save them from suffering, not increase it," Padmé says. "If we continue to impoverish our people, it is not on the battle field where Dooku will defeat us, but in our own homes."
Many of the senators are simply too far removed to empathetically understand the plight of the average citizen. But through her stirring speech, Padmé gives an anonymous war a face and a name, making it harder for those in power to turn away.
The truth is strong, and this battle is won. But the Sith may be stronger still.
Intel:
- At least three people -- Mark Hamill's son Nathan, a script writer, and a StarWars.com reader -- indirectly helped to contribute to the naming of Teckla Minnau.
What did you think of the episode? Tell us in the comments below and share on social with #CloneWarsRewatch!
Next up: Come back next Thursday when two politicians meet their end in "Senate Murders."
Associate Editor Kristin Baver is a writer and all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Want to talk more about The Clone Wars? Hop on Twitter and tell @KristinBaver what you thought about today’s episode.
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