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Great Moments in "The Phantom Menace"

By tps12 (Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 02:45:39 AM EST) Star Wars, Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon, Watto, Jedi mind trick (all tags)

Moment 8

QUI-GON, using his mind power, waves his hand again.



               QUI-GON

          Credits will do fine.


               WATTO

          No, they won'ta. What you

          think you're some kinda Jedi,

          waving your hand around like

          that? I'm a Toydarian. Mind

          tricks don'ta work on me—

          only money. No money, no

          parts! No deal! And no one

          else has a T-14 hyperdrive, I

          promise you that.

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Great Moments in "The Phantom Menace" | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)

Definitely not a "Great Moment" by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #1 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 02:50:42 AM EST

It was at this moment that I had my first direct misgivings about the movie. Talk about a lame plot device.

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aw, c'mon by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #3 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:06:45 AM EST

Don't you love how the thing you immediately think of—that they can just go find some non-Toydarian vendor who can be JMT'd—is so elegantly dealt with by Watto declaring out of nowhere that for some reason he is the only guy on Tatooine who has any parts for that ship?

I also love this scene because Watto is probably the least frequently acknowledged of the film's ethnic stereotypes, and because it's here that it is revealed that their spaceship is called a "Nubian."

[ Parent ]

It also glosses over by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 2) #4 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:18:34 AM EST

a pretty big ethical problem. Are Jedii allowed to just wave their hands and not pay for stuff whenever it's inconvenient? And if they are, why can't they just sneak in later and steal the parts instead of putting an M year old boy in danger?

Searching for the significance (beyond the racist) of "Nubian", I found 78 Reasons to Hate Star Wars: Episode I. That's gonna come in handy.

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[ Parent ]

yeah, really by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #5 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:33:41 AM EST

Remember when Obi-Wan uses the Force to convince the "death stick" dealer to turn his life around in Episode II? What's up with that? The existence of the Council makes it look like they have a very rigid set of rules governing where and how Jedi powers can be used, but maybe that only applies to who is and is not trained, and it's just assumed that anyone who makes it far enough to be a Jedi Knight probably has good enough judgement to handle these potential pitfalls on their own.

Thanks for the link.

[ Parent ]

That's what I always assumed by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #7 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:43:01 AM EST

The good judgement one, I mean. But that doesn't answer the question of why they can't just steal the parts--that was the original plan, after all.

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you're right by tps12 (4.00 / 3) #9 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:47:15 AM EST

I think you have discovered a fatal flaw in an otherwise perfectly woven plot.

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: Jedi Ethics by Orion Blastar (2.00 / 0) #25 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:47:35 PM EST

apparently it is wrong to steal the starship parts. Yet they lie about winning the racing pod in a card game, and actually steal the parts for it from Watto, and scam him into betting all he has against them, and they used their Jedi Powers to see into the future to know that Anakin won the race.
Therefore, stealing the starship parts is unethical. Yet lying, stealing, and gambling on a contest that they know the outcome to, is suddenly not unethical? Oh wait, they had their fingers crossed, so it didn't count.
"I drank what?" - Socrates after drinking the Conium
[ Parent ]

the jedi by MillMan

(2.00 / 0) #22 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 06:20:18 AM EST

are benevolent dictators.

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oh man by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #6 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:37:35 AM EST

I really wish I could read "it's like that part in the Star Wars novel where Lando makes hot chocolate" and not be thinking "oh yeah, totally."

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I'm proud to say by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #8 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:44:23 AM EST

that I read that and thought "Lando makes hot chocolate??"

Most of these are pretty dumb. The IV-VI Nitpicks are a little better, but I think it's pretty funny how he seems to worship the originals without realizing they are almost as bad as the new episodes.

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the hot chocolate scene is really bad by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #11 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:18:00 AM EST

It's from the first Timothy Zahn book, IIRC. Luke is having trouble sleeping, so his roommate Lando (???) tells him about this "strange alien beverage" called hot chocolate. I give Zahn a pass, because (again, IIRC) he also invented "coffeine," which is right up there with Romulan Ale on the list of Great Sci-Fi Beverages.

Yes, this web page rules. Ah, Star Wars, I love it so.

[ Parent ]

You read at least one Star Wars book? by DesiredUsername (2.00 / 0) #13 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:27:25 AM EST

OMISG

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i was 12! (nt) by tps12 (2.00 / 0) #14 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:45:46 AM EST

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so was i! by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #15 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:49:20 AM EST

I used to wonder who read those. I knew, even then, that those were the lowest of the low.

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[ Parent ]

I recall reading Splinter of the Mind's Eye by georgeha (4.00 / 2) #17 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:56:23 AM EST

which is now so noncanonical, it's hearly heretical.

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: You people make me sick by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #19 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 05:02:21 AM EST

Many times I was at the library and could find nothing to read but never, NEVER did I resort to a Star Wars (or Star Trek) "novel". I had standards.
This entire website is peopled by barbarians and I"M LEAVING FOREVER.

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not when the books came out (nt) by tps12 (2.00 / 0) #18 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 05:01:55 AM EST

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The Zahn books are decent by wiredog (4.00 / 1) #16 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:51:51 AM EST

I have all 3.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}

[ Parent ]

Payment by TypographicalError (2.00 / 0) #10 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:59:46 AM EST

He was trying to pay in imperial credits, which makes it a bit more foggy. It might be useless money, or it might just be inconvenient for Watto to make it useable.

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(Comment Deleted) by yicky yacky (2.00 / 0) #12 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 04:26:11 AM EST

This comment has been deleted by yicky yacky

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hey, wait a second by tps12 (2.00 / 0) #20 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 05:42:28 AM EST

You made it past the R2-D2 award ceremony without direct misgivings?

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The what? by DesiredUsername (2.00 / 0) #21 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 06:06:20 AM EST

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Moment 5.5 by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #23 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 06:36:54 AM EST

               CAPT. PANAKA

          ...An extremely well put

          together little droid. Without

          a doubt, it saved the ship, as

          well as our lives. 


               AMIDALA

          It is to be commended...what

          is its number? 


The LITTLE BLUE DROID lets out a series of bleeps. CAPTAIN PANAKA leans over and scrapes some dirt off of the side of the DROID and reads the number:


               CAPT. PANAKA

          R2-D2, Your Highness. 


               AMIDALA

          Thank you, Artoo Detoo. You

          have proven to be very

          loyal. Padme! 


PADME bows before the QUEEN. 


               AMIDALA (CONT'D)

          Clean this droid up the best

          you can. It deserves our

          gratitude.

[ Parent ]

: How can that be before.... by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #24 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 06:45:10 AM EST

Oh forget it.

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Love of money, big nose, Eastern European by georgeha (4.00 / 6) #2 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 03:04:49 AM EST

accent? Good thing the Ashkenazi aren't a distinct race.

That alien's mouth by nebbish (2.00 / 0) #26 Wed Mar 30, 2005 at 08:20:25 PM EST

Looks like a cat's arse.

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It's political correctness gone mad!

Great Moments in "The Phantom Menace" | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)