Mandalore's Phantom Menace
In The Clone Wars, the two-part arc consisting of "Corruption" (3.5) and "The Academy" (3.6) closely mirrors the plot of The Phantom Menace.
In both cases, the plot is set in motion by the blockade of a peaceful planet, which challenges the pacifist ideals of its female rulers. In The Phantom Menace, the planet is Naboo, ruled by Padmé Amidala. In The Clone Wars, the planet is Mandalore, ruled by Duchess Satine Kryze.
Moreover, in both cases, the female ruler has an older male mentor who is secretly working against her. In The Phantom Menace, Padmé is being manipulated by Palpatine; in The Clone Wars, Satine is being undermined by Prime Minister Almec. The connection is highlighted by the fact that Almec appears to his underlings as a hologram, his face obscured by a hood, visually recalling the way Darth Sidious presents himself to the Neimoidians.
At the climax of "The Academy," Almec wants Satine to sign a confession taking the blame for his corruption – just as, at the climax of The Phantom Menace, Palpatine wants Padmé to sign a treaty legalizing the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo. Both stories culminate with a corrupt older man putting pressure on a younger woman to compromise her principles and her name.
In both cases, an apparently peaceful society is corrupted by what Satine refers to as "the contamination of greed," which "runs deep in the Republic." Leaders like Padmé and Satine may be able to hold out against this corruption for a while, but not forever; the contamination of greed will ultimately take over the Republic and turn it into the rapacious Empire.
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Duchess Satine Kryze / Padmé Amidala / Palpatine / Prime Minister Almec
Shows: The Clone Wars
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: greed
READ MORE ABOUT…
Follow The Jedi Archives on…