A Thousand Stars: Episode II, Part 5

[matril]

After a quick scene showing us two of the scum-and-villainy sort planning the next attack on Padmé, we return to the Jedi bodyguards, and begin an intercut of their conversation with shots of the sleeping Senator. Note the significance of the topic they're discussing just as the poisonous worms start creeping toward her -- a disagreement about the Chancellor's moral status. Anakin denies his corruption; Obi-Wan disputes that. And the worms creep closer, entirely unnoticed even by Artoo's scans.



Ewww. An apt symbol for the evil that seeps deeper and deeper into the Republic while everyone remains blissfully unaware.



They literally come this close to Padmé before the Jedi sense the danger and leap into action. Alas, they won't recognize the danger to the Republic until it's too late. And this won't be the last time Senator Amidala serves as a symbol for the ideals of the Republic. She represents everything that is lost when the Emperor takes command.

Next time, a startling metaphorical image....

Comments

[krpalmer]

Connecting "the worms" (I'm sure they have a distinctive "Star Wars name," but have to admit I'm fine without going to look it up) with the dialogue at that moment makes a useful comparison for me, or a counter at least to any temptation to respond to "complaints about Star Wars dialogue" with "this is one movie where the dialogue and how it's delivered isn't its be-all-and-end-all" to the point of actually "downplaying" it. Along with that, though, I did get to thinking how the "yes, Star Wars 'quotes' other movies; it quotes so many of them that's distinctive in itself" group have compared this scene to one in Dr. No where a tarantula is let loose in James Bond's hotel room at night. I then started wondering if it might be compared to "Han slicing open the tauntaun in The Empire Strikes Back" as another example of "sometimes, instead of just invoking a science-fictional gadget, Star Wars makes use of an alien beast..."

[matril]

I've always liked the "monsters" in Star Wars; they really add to the fairy-tale/fantasy in space feeling.