A Thousand Stars: Episode I, Part 31

[matril]

Things are looking pretty tense as our heroes prepare to return to Naboo. Anakin is worried about being a problem, despite Qui-Gon's assurances. Obi-Wan is pretty miffed at his master's obvious preferential treatment of the boy. And, as Panaka reminds the queen, they are headed straight into Federation-occupied territory without any sort of army to bolster their assault.

Ah, but Amidala has been quietly formulating plans of her own. She has a trick up her sleeve that no one counted on -- least of all, the trick(ster) himself.


See Jar Jar's body language as he responds to the queen's declaration, accompanied by a disbelieving "Meesa?!" She needs his help? Who would ever need the help of a clumsy exiled Gungan, least of all the leader of the Naboo? It's especially amusing to me that he pops his head out as if he were hiding behind Obi-Wan, even though he's way too tall to hide behind a human. And yet he does blend into the background metaphorically if not literally, because everyone underestimates him, discounts his abilities, assumes he's nothing but a dead weight. Here we get to see one of my favorite themes of Episode I: never underestimate the underdog (underfrog, as it were.)

Next time, the power of humility....

Comments

[krpalmer]

When you said Jar Jar "does blend into the background" I have to admit remembering my own bumpy experiences in 1999 and how many (noisy) people seemed to find him Patient Zero before declaring all other aspects of The Phantom Menace affronts against civilization itself, even if pretty much in reaction to that I either found myself or made myself sympathetic towards him... in going back to make this comment, though, I did notice you added "metaphorically if not literally." In any case, when the movie came out on home video I would walk by video stores playing it in their windows and tell myself "he's not inescapably on screen all the time."