Too Frightened to Tease A Senator?

Originally posted on June 30, 2006

It sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me. Padme' to Anakin, AOTC
Well...if it works. Anakin to Padme', AOTC
You're making fun of me. Padme'
No...I'd be much too frightened to tease a Senator. Anakin

I've been thinking about this since ami made a comment about this line in one of my last entries (I can't remember which one, though), so I thought I would look at this a little further. OK...now we all know where this conversation between Anakin and Padme' took place and what the topic involved. Now, just how serious was Anakin when discussing his thoughts on how the Senate should handle things? He said: We need a system where all the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, agree what's in the best interest of the people, and then do it. To this, Padme' responded: That's exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don't always agree. And what was Anakin's response? Then they should be made to.

When watching the movie, it is easy to see that Padme' is a little disturbed by Anakin's statements...but the novel goes a little into what she was thinking was he so convinced that he had the answers... She just could not grasp what it was he was saying, and responded defensively by asking By whom? Who's going to make them?...You? Anakin's final respons was Someone wise. He tried to hold a "serious" look, but could not do so for long. After the "tease a Senator" part, the novel goes further in having Anakin say to Padme' You're always so serious while juggling the fruit she threw at him. Then the novel goes on to describe Padme's feelings about wanting to be free...free of her duties, free to follow her heart, free to rid herself of all those trappings, all those clothes and jump into the water...to laugh. And laugh is what she did while Anakin was riding the Shaak and again after she realized he was ok after his fall.

Now...just how serious was Anakin with these statements? Sure, he grinned and laughed with her...but was he trying to get a rise out of her or was he actually teasing her? At the time, without knowing the entire story, it would appear that he was, in his own way, just "teasing" to see how she would react to him. He was trying to get her to let her guard down...to enjoy the day and not to think so seriously about things, "to go with the flow" in a way. On the other hand, we all know what happens to him, and could argue that these were his true feelings about how the Republic should be run. As Anakin said to Padme' near the end of ROTS: You and I can rule the galaxy...make things the way we want them to be. 

So now I'm asking you...which was it: Anakin teasing Padme' about being so serious or Anakin expressing his true feelings about how the Republic should be ruled?   I believe it was a little of both...but more so to get Padme' to "lighten up" a little and enjoy the simple things.

Thank you, and May the Force Be With You