Episode: The Clone Wars 3.11 – “Pursuit of Peace”
Original Air Date: December 3, 2010
Screencaps from The Clone Wars Screencap Gallery.
Sometimes politics is a war in and of itself.
In the wake of the Separatist bombing of Coruscant’s power station, the anti-Separatist sentiment is high and the demand is strong for more clone troopers. The Banking Clans are out for money, and since deregulation, they have already allowed for the Separatists to purchase thousands more droids.
Mounting an effective political resistance to this bill, Senators Amidala, Bail Organa, and Onaconda Farr (another example of the flashbacks in this season, considering he’s dead) attempt to rally other supporters to their cause, despite death threats and intimidation. Padme and Farr attempt to persuade those senators still on the fence, while Organa prepares a speech meant to sway the remaining senators.
However, Dooku is inclined to make sure the vote goes as planned, in keeping with his master’s wishes, so he sends two assassins after Padme. One brilliant idea to walk down a dark alley later, the assassins are on her and Padme leads them in a high-speed chase through the city.
Evading her captors, Padme goes back to her apartment where she waxes about how none of her peers seem to care about the effect of the war on everyday people. Her assistant, Tecla, points out to Padme that the senator is one of the only ones she knows who will actually speak to the people. Padme then turns to ask about the effect of the war on her family.
Meanwhile, the assassins turn their attention to Organa, and during a fight in the Senate’s garage, Bail injures himself attempting to escape and cannot give the speech. The responsibility then falls on Padme to address the Senate. While Padme frets about how no one will listen to her, Tecla reminds her that she understands what the people are going through.
Padme then steps up to the challenge and presents a great speech that reaches beyond the walls of the Senate to people all over Coruscant and across the Republic. The speech calls upon the Senate to vote against the bill for its impact on everyday people, who would be forced to go without basic necessities in funding the troops. Her speech is met with great applause and we are led to believe that the bill is voted down.
Later, a scene with Palpatine reveals his disappointment that, despite his power, one senator could affect so many minds and hearts. Reluctantly, he allows the decision to go through and abides by the principles of democracy.
This episode seemed odd to me, because despite the fact that Ahsoka and Anakin appear older in the previous episode, leading one to think it takes place in the present, the appearance of Senator Farr, who was killed in the season two episode “Senate Murders,” makes me wonder if the writers know what they’re doing anymore.
The Senate intrigue is nice, but we need some focus on the war itself to balance it out, instead of spending an entire episode focused on the politics. The only real action that occurs here is provided by the assassins. Otherwise, this would be a relatively boring episode.
Rating: 2.5 / 5 Stars
About the Author
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this to say about John Rabon:
John got started on the path to geekdom thanks to his brother's collection of comic books and Star Wars toys but was cemented into the geek class forever when LeVar Burton took Reading Rainbow viewers on a backstage tour of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A love of Monty Python soon followed, and it wasn't long before he was starting to collect his own comics. The rest, as they say, is history. But really, who are they to say something?
Since discovering the BBC some years ago, John has become an obsessive Anglophile. In fact, he even likes the food they serve over there! As such, some of his favourite programmes include: Doctor Who, Primeval, Coupling, QI, The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, and Shaun the Sheep.
Upon choosing a university, John enrolled in the University of South Carolina, which was nice enough to give him a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Master's in Teaching. Feeling that he hadn't been put through enough academic torment with student teaching, John decided to enroll in law school at Campbell University.
Hobbies, when he can find time for them, include: writing, video games, reading, and wasting time in the pub.