I Will NOT Condone a Course of Action That Will Lead Us to WAR

Originally posted on July 18, 2006

I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war. Padme' as Queen Amidala, TPM

I have been thinking about this line since I watched TPM a couple days ago. Padme', as Queen Amidala, said this in response to allowing Trade Federation occupation of Naboo after all communication had been disrupted. She was relying on negotiations to settle the crisis, although signs were clear that either the negotiators had not arrived or that the negotiations had failed. She was not willing to sacrifice the peace and safety of her planet by giving in to the Federation's demands.

However, this statement also carries a deeper meaning, with an almost eerie foreboding. Padme' loved democracy and peace, and did not like the idea of war. She believed in finding diplomatic solutions to problems and not giving in to the demands of others. When she arrived in Coruscant to address the Senate in TPM, she first met with then-Senator Palpatine. During their discussion, he suggested that Chancellor Valorum could not be trusted to help with their "situation." When Amidala asked *what options have we*, Palpatine responded with *You could suggest a vote of no conficence in Chancellor Valourm's leadership*. Her response,* that is something I cannot do*, did not "stand" once in front of the Senate. Under Palpatine's prodding, she suggested a vote of no-confidence, thereby paving the way for Palpatine to become Chancellor and, eventually, Emperor.

Fast forward ten years to AOTC. Padme', now the Senator of Naboo, returned to Coruscant to fight the Military Creation Act...she did not believe that creating an army and threatening war would end the conflict with the Separatists. When made to return to Naboo for her protection, Padme' placed JarJar in charge of her vote...a move that would prove detrimental to her beliefs when he suggested giving Palpatine emergency powers to order the creation of the Grand Army of the Republic. Upon her return to Naboo, Padme' reported to the Queen for a discussion on the happenings within the Senate and the Republic. When asked by Queen Jamilla *do you see any way, through negotiations, to bring the Separatists back into the Republic,* Padme' responded *not if they feel threatened.* As the meeting concluded, Queen Jamilla said *the day we stop believing democracy can work, is the day we lose it*, to which Padme' responded *let's pray that day never comes.* Later, when Padme' and Anakin arrived on Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, she said to him (Ani)...*follow my lead. I'm not interested in getting into a war here. As a member of the Senate, maybe I can find a diplomatic solution to this mess.* Little did she know, however, just how close to war they really were. Just a short time later, the first shots of the Clone Wars were fired, and the war she so desperately tried to avoid was upon them.

So now my question is, did Padme' inadvertently lead the Republic into war by following Palpatine's suggestion to motion for a vote of no-confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership?   This move surely set in motion Palpatine's plan to "rule the galaxy," but was she so young and naive that she could not see this? If this is true, then Palpatine also used Padme', without her knowledge, to further his ultimate plan.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

May the Force Be With You