Prior Episodes | 7956 (21 BBY) | Next Episodes
Continuity & Analysis

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Heroes on Both Sides (2010) [S3E10]
Fear is a great motivator.
"Conflict with no end in sight! Across the galaxy, the quagmire of war continues.
While clone troopers suffer casualties at alarming rates, the Galactic Senate convenes
an emergency session to debate the true cost of the war..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Pursuit of Peace (2010) [S3E11]
Truth can strike down the spectre of fear.
"Peace shattered! Once-promising negotiations between the Republic and the Separatists are
now in shambles following a droid suicide bombing on the capital city planet of Coruscant.
As fear and anger prevail, the Senate overwhelmingly passes a bill to deregulate the banks,
opening a gateway to additional troops, and an increase in fighting..."
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Senate Murders (2010) [S2E15]
Searching for the truth is easy. Accepting the truth is hard.
"War on many fronts! While battles are fought by clones in the field, a different war is waged
in the Galactic Senate. As heavy losses add up, a group of senators led by Halle Burtoni
of Kamino propose an escalation of troop production. Senator Padme Amidala, recognizing
that more troops will only prolong the fighting, works tirelessly with her allies to introduce
a bill to cut down military spending and stop the creation of more clone troopers..."




CONTINUITY
These three episodes form a single storyline about the Senate. 'Senate Murders' is a standalone episode from Season 2 which did not
take place at the same time as most of the season. 'Heroes on Both Sides' and 'Pursuit of Peace' were created as a prequel story
to 'Senate Murders', which places that episode within the chronological order of episodes as given by Lucasfilm.
The planet Raxus is seen for the first time. Two worlds are seen in these episodes:

The two planets seen are the Republic and Separatist capitals, as this storyline is focused on the politics of the two competing governments.
These three episodes reveal more about the interstellar culture and politics in the galaxy than any prior SW material besides the prequel trilogy.

- Gume Saam of the Techno Union is a strong proponent of increasing troop production. Lott Dod of the Trade Federation wants to deregulate banks to
pay for those troops. Halle Burtoni of Kamino wants her planet to get another huge contract. These senators and their interests are focused on making
money for their organizations and planets. Bail Organa of Alderaan says the Republic can't afford it. Padme wants to discuss the philosophical implications
of the war, and insists on negotiation. These senators and their interests are focused on an end to the chaos of war, and what they feel will be best for
the Republic and their planets. These are not the only mindsets common in the Senate, but they are the most polarized and influential.


How will it help anything to order more clones? Trained adult clones take between six and nine years to produce,
with evidence strongly supporting the idea that it is closest to nine years. As subsequent generations of clones
continually reach maturity and complete their training, the Republic pays for them, as stipulated in their contract
with Kamino, providing the reinforcements which are always in need. There is nothing in canon to suggest that
there are fully completed clones just sitting around waiting for the Republic to pay for them before they can fight.
Burtoni suggests the Republic "purchase an additional five million clone troopers." How will that help address
the urgent situation and the casualty numbers? Those clones won't be ready to fight for nearly a decade.
Main Article: Dooku, Sifo-Dyas, and the Clone Army


- Padme is friends with many Senators who seceded from the Republic, since the beliefs of her Loyalist faction in the Senate aren't too distant from those
of the Separatist faction which left. Both are concerned about the corruption in the Republic, and the influence of the huge corporations and guilds, and
largely differ about what to do about it. Many of the elements of both of these groups of Senators and their allies will eventually form the Rebel Alliance.

- Grievous states rather emphatically that he only takes orders from Count Dooku. It is been seen that he clearly takes orders from Darth Sidious as well,
but since Sidious is Dooku's master, and a secretive figure not known to the public, those he was addressing wouldn't know that. As Grievous is seen
in Episode III to take over leadership of the executive Council after Dooku is killed, it seems he is considered the next most senior leader.

- Raxus is a beautiful and temperate world located in the Tion Hegemony Sector of the important Tion Cluster, in the Slice region of Outer Rim, just south
of the Perlemian Trade Route. Raxus features large oceans and significant continents, containing at least mountains, hills, riparian and littoral regions,
and rich plains. It hosts a reasonably sized but significant population, living in small settlements, towns, and cities, including the picturesque capital city
of Raxulon. According to legends and supplementary material, the planet is formally known as Raxus Secundus, to differentiate it from Raxus Prime,
which is found in the same starsystem. Raxus Prime was an important and heavily industrialized city world during the Old Sith Wars, which was
largely ruined and became a junk planet only still used for industrial activity. As a result, Raxus Secundus, now usually called only Raxus, became
the system's most prominent planet. Raxus is primarily a Human world, but it is extremely cosmopolitan, and is home to a diverse population.


- The Battle of Aargonar took place just short of a year earlier, near the very end of 7955 (22 BBY). This storyline takes place near the end of 7956 (21 BBY),
and at this point the war has lasted over a year and a half, between 19 and 23 months.

- There have always been those who have a negative opinion of the Jedi, but that has certainly increased due to the unpopularity of the Clone Wars.
The scapegoating and blaming of Jedi is understandable, as those who many once saw as heroes of justice now seem to be politically motivated
war-leaders who are in charge of a galaxy wide war which is causing so much death, suffering, and destruction.
Main Article: Awareness of the Jedi and the Sith

- The Separatist Parliament, which is sometimes also referred to as the Separatist Senate, is a more ideal version of an interstellar congress than
the Galactic Senate. Dooku is the leader of the Parliament, who presides over the votes the same as the Chancellor of the Republic. Bec Lawise
is seen in future to be the Speaker of Parliament. Individual Separatist systems and sectors are represented by Senators, some of whom were
members of the Galactic Senate before seceding to the Separatists. The Commerce Guild and the Corporate Alliance hold seats in
the Parliament the same way as the trade guilds in the Republic, either by virtue of the constituency they represent, or because they represent
worlds which have become synonymous with those organizations. The constitution which facilitates the Separatist government is known as
the By-Laws of Independent Systems. Dooku leads very much as Palpatine does, as if he is only a servant of the will of the assembly.



Every single Senator in the Parliament is a repeat of one of the same six Senators seen close up. Production of
new templates was apparently a major factor in time and expense for the creators when the first few seasons
were being made, leading to a number of continuity issues in the animation. This is understandable, but in this
case it reduces the impact of the scene. If it were even a bit less obvious it wouldn't be such a distracting detail.


- Grievous speaks to his infiltration team of attack droids disguised as sweeper droids from his command ship. It is unclear how this is accomplished,
whether by some sort of high-powered signal sent directly by Grievous' ship, or by connecting to Republic HoloNet and sending a simple message.
It would seem unlikely that a message powerful enough to reach the droids would not be intercepted. If it is sent using HoloNet, it once again
raises the question as to why a state as concerned about security in a time of war isn't monitoring these communications. It is possible that
the message could be intercepted, but without giving away the location of the droids on Coruscant, limiting the risk to the operation.
Main Article: Hyperspace Communications

- Palpatine's statement to Padme suggests that the Republic has made some attempts to initiate peace talks, but Dooku's government has rejected them
outright. It is not certain if this is known in the Separatist Parliament. Bonteri's statements suggest that the idea of peace talks was controversial
enough in the past to require a bit of convincing to pass the resolution, however the vote shows negotiation was a very popular option.

- Grievous' attack targets a massive generator station, which powers the region containing the Federal District of Galactic City, and is located beneath
the artificial 'surface' of Coruscant. It is 127 levels below the surface, located on Level 5000, which supplementary material suggests is devoted to
the power distribution grid, which may be true planet wide. Obviously, there must be many such massive generator stations on the planet.


- The bombing of the power station creates at least a regional blackout, and seems to have been accompanied by either secondary attacks or power surges
which led to secondary explosions and perhaps fires on the surface.


- The terrorism leads to fear and anger, which lead to reactionary attitudes and a desire to act violently among usually reasonable Senators like Zinn Paulness.
The righteous indignance is converted to blind nationalism, leading to a push for more military spending, and blanket accusations of treason for anyone who
opposes military spending or war in general. Senators are afraid to speak up against militarization considering what happened to Mina Bonteri. Ultimately,
it doesn't matter who they believed killed her, the point is they could be next if they stand up the way she did against those benefiting from the war.

- The Financial Reform Bill is designed to open up new lines of credit for the financially overextended Republic by removing some or all regulatory restrictions
on borrowing. This would permit financial institutions to exceed debt limitations, but would also allow them to set exceedingly large interest rates, ostensibly
to cover the risk involved in lending to the Republic which is already deeply in debt. The rate they are offering post-deregulation are 25% interest, which would
likely be considered usury under regulatory law. These terms will place the banks in control of the Republic and its future, as Senator Organa knows these
"obscene terms" will lead to bankruptcy and an endless cycle of loan-repayments. This bill is designed to facilitate the Emergency Appropriations Bill,
written by the Kaminoans, which would order five million additional clone troopers.


In one brief shot, we see the Ithorian Senate delegation arguing with the Bith delegation, and in the background
other known delegations can be seen, including two different pods with the same delegation from Kuat in them,
likely in an attempt to save time or cost during animation with what creators considered a minor detail. Poor form!


- A Toydarian delegation is seen in one of the pods in the Senate. Toydaria only recently joined the Republic, during events seen in 'Ambush' (S1E1).

- Palpatine and Mas Amedda play good cop, bad cop once again. Palpatine always makes sure not to appear too eager for militarization, or any other of his desires,
fostering trust that his leadership is good-intentioned but beholden to the democratic wishes of the Senate. Mas Amedda openly supports the measure, and privately
shows once again that he is a willing participant in Palpatine's plans to seize absolute power in the Republic. As always, Palpatine lets his allies do his work for him, so
he can pretend to be against the measures which empower him, and act subordinate to the Senate, while he secretly holds influence over a great many senators.
Main Article: Darth Sidious and The Plan


- Senate seats are allotted almost exclusively to sectors, so only one planet per sector gets its Senator in the Galactic Senate. The senators from the other populated
planets form a sector caucus, also called a congress in at least one instance, which presumably meets somewhere in their home sector. Many senators will consult
their caucus about controversial legislation in order to ensure their decisions are at least somewhat supported by the political climate in their home region.
Mot-Not Rab justifies his support for the measure to secure more clones by mentioning that his caucus feels the same way about the issue. Padme is never seen
consulting with the senators of the caucus of the Chommell Sector which she represents, but probably has similar contact with them. Supplementary material
suggests her sector has 36 Republic member worlds, and over 40,000 worlds with small populations within its jurisdiction. Since we have yet to learn how they work,
it can only be speculated that her caucus would contain at least 35 senators from other member worlds, and possibly representatives from some of the dependent
planets, or representatives for sub regions within the sector. Considering the number of planets in the known galaxy, this kind of system is necessary to allow
representation for all member worlds while limiting the Galactic Senate to a functional number of Senators.

- Dooku tries to have Padme assassinated, which is just as unsuccessful as Nute Gunray and Ziro's attempts. Considering the lackluster security for these high profile
Senators when they leave the Senate, it's surprising she is so difficult for these hired killers to eliminate. Clearly the Force was with her.

- Senator Christo says standing up against a bill isn't worth getting beaten to death. He also mentions that the majority of Republic casualties are clones, who were
created to die to protect the Republic. This conversation does not address the millions of civilians who have been killed or otherwise had their lives destroyed by
Separatist invasions and attacks. He is willing to listen to what Senator Organa has to say on the matter, since his opinion is widely respected.

- Padme asks rhetorically "what has happened to democracy, and why doesn't anyone seem to care?". She is once again portrayed as tactful and politically savvy
on the one hand, and then very naive on the other. This is in keeping with her entire character arc, as she is talented and adept, but also a detached idealist who
comes from a world where democracy is functional and works for the public good. Democracy on this scale, run for this long, wielding power of this magnitude
tends to degenerate into a battle for control and influence by the evil and greedy. Not knowing that is not to have learned the lessons of history. Her background
coming from a nice planet leads her to question why no one seems to care that the system is broken. For Padme, life has always been one of options and potentials,
so she cannot identify with the mindset of the many billions of people who come from life experiences where bad things cannot be changed, and where life is more
about acceptance and compromise. For those prospering in these systems, like the Senators she has been just talking with when she made this statement, most
do not care because they are rich, successful, and influential, so the quality of the system which empowers them is of far less concern to them. Padme comes from
a well-off background, but she does care, and thus continues to work to try to improve the lives of others. In her speech, she points out very effectively that Dooku
and his terrorists win if they make the Republic a miserable place to live by devoting so much of their resources to militarization. Unfortunately, such victories are
short-lived, as the public is always soon distracted and made fearful by some other political theater, leading it to once again seek to undermine its own interests.


Why is the war causing power and water shortages on Naboo? Apparently Padme's aide Teckla's family lives in
a miserable tiny village on Naboo where they barely have enough power for lights some of the time, where
the children are unable to bathe regularly, and it's all the Republic's fault for not paying for their utilities or
something. There are just too many problems with this to believe. We have seen the central power station for
Naboo's capital during the duel with Maul in Episode I. There is an insane amount of power in this one facility.
They could power up a single box droid and fly it out to any village and give the whole place enough power
for lights and water pumping devices. If fuel is in such short supply why not use hydroelectric power? Naboo
is host to large rivers and massive waterfalls. Hydroelectric technology is over 100,000 years old at this point,
and is beyond obsolete compared with the power sources available, but if their unwashed children can't
study at night, this civilization's devices could build a hydroelectric station easily. Naboo is not densely populated.
If villages like this one aren't near water, they could easily set up temporary structures near the beautiful rivers,
and relocate people to where they can stay clean and be near cities with large power sources. Why would
the Republic be paying utility bills on Naboo anyway? With the high-energy technology and droid labor
easily available in the galaxy, a world with abundant water and life like Naboo should be many millennia past
worrying about how to power lights, pump or distribute water, or any other basic necessity. If this were
actually going on, the real problem is the Naboo government not using their advanced technology to easily
aid their citizens. Most alarming is that Padme or the Naboo government apparently doesn't pay their aides
enough for Teckla to help her family out, maybe get them a nice little place in a better town or city.
There are many other reasons why this doesn't make sense. This was a poorly thought out story device.


- The Republic HoloNet, in addition to its use as a communications system, carries live broadcasts, in this case from the debate in the Senate, which can be
viewed with private receivers, and are also presented on large screens in public places around Coruscant.


- The leaders of the faction in the Senate pushing for increased troop production are now Halle Burtoni, Mas Amedda, Mot-Not Rab, and Mee Deechi, while
the opposition to the bill is led by Bail Organa, Padme Amidala, Onaconda Farr, and Mon Mothma. Burtoni describes the opposition leaders as Separatist
conspirators, which is inaccurate, but also interesting foreshadowing, as Organa, Mothma, and Padme's children will ally with more honest remnants of
the Separatists, and others, to form the Rebel Alliance, which two decades later battles the Empire that the Republic has become.

- The hologram Senator Burtoni is displaying shows the Phase 2 clone armor which will shortly become the standard for all clones, replacing the Phase 1 armor
seen since the beginning of the war. It is similar in appearance and functionality to Phase 1 ARC trooper armor.


Dutchess Satine of Mandalore is seen leaving Padme's office in the Senate with some of her guards. Why did Satine
visit Coruscant again? There could be many reasons, so it is entirely possible. As 'Senate Murders' (S2E15) is out
of chronological order, this is likely a continuity error, however not one that creates a problem in canon. Satine
was on Coruscant in 'Duchess of Mandalore' (S2E14), which took place several months earlier. 'Senate Murders'
may not have been originally imagined as out of order until Season 3 was in development. It could have
served as a loosely connected fourth episode to the political storyline of episodes 12, 13, and 14, however those
stories are more about Mandalore and Satine than the politics which serve as the backdrop of those events.
As 'Senate Murders' was integrated into this slightly later storyline, Satine must have visited Coruscant again.


- Senator Farr is assassinated by his own aide for his actions in 'Bombad Jedi' (S1E8). His desire to save the lives of his people led him to temporarily make
an unwise deal with the Separatists, but he returned to the Republic when the opportunity presented itself. Lolo kills him for not being strong enough to
stand up against the war, despite the fact that he was a widely respected Senator who stood firmly on the side of deescalation. She represents herself as
an honest actor, who is loyal to Rodia above all, but her motives are suspect, largely due to the fact that she quickly became comfortable enough with
Murder to kill Deechi to protect herself from arrest. She clearly has little problem justifying the means to achieve her desired ends.

- Inspector Divo of the Coruscant Security Force is investigating the murder of Senator Farr. This episode was his broadcast debut, but is his second appearance
chronologically, as his first appearance was in 'Sphere of Influence' (S3E4), which takes place two storylines earlier in time from this episode.


- Senator Deechi of Umbara is killed by Lolo, because he had evidence that would have implicated her in Farr's murder. The outrage over the murder of their
senator by a political opponent in the Senate leads to a chain of events which result in Umbara choosing to leave the Republic and join the Separatist Alliance.
This leads to the events seen in the Umbara storyline in Season 4.


When Lolo unexpectedly grabs Padme and takes her hostage with a blaster, Palpatine briefly shows his sinister
smile. Why exactly does he love this so much? It's clear few people expected the small, unassuming Rodian to
have been a manipulative murderer, so he is likely as surprised as everyone else, leading to a momentary break
in character. He may be enjoying that meddling opposition Senators are being killed by one of their own. He may
be pleased about the possibility of Padme's senseless murder, which would certainly cast a dark shadow over
Anakin. He may just take general pleasure from seeing machinations, despicable motives, and chaos unfolding,
as that is the very stuff of the dark side and the medium in which he thrives. No matter the reason, it's always
great to observe those times when even Palpatine is surprised by what is happening.


- Padme's bill was designed to stop production of new troopers. It seems that the bill to deregulate the banks to order more clones was on top of what was
already contracted, meaning the Republic was receiving more troopers anyways. This is a third and separate bill seen in this storyline:
The first was the Financial Reform Bill, to "deregulate" the banks. It was defeated by the opposition faction.
The second was the Emergency Appropriations Bill, to order 5 million more clones. It was reliant on the first bill, and thus was defeated but not voted on.
The third was referred to only as "the Motion to Stop the Production of Clone Troopers". It was defeated by the nationalist faction.

ANALYSIS
The Republic's strategy is to counter the Separatists superior numbers with the superior quality of their forces. This is not just the only strategy available
to them, it is more often than not an effective one, however the general parity in the war at this stage has prompted concern that the Republic will incur
too many casualties to find victory with their current troop numbers and projected reinforcements. The resulting debate in the Senate about increasing
troop production shows how powerful interests within the military-industrial complex use a nationalistic approach to pushing their agenda. While their
only concern is increasing their wealth and power, they are able to garner great political support by presenting themselves as the most committed to
victory, and strong on defense in the face of those who would negotiate with the enemy. This tactic was a major factor in the initiation of the war in
the first place, and continues to be the driving force behind its continuation and acceleration.

Nix Card of the Banking Clan, Lott Dod of the Trade Federation, and Gume Saam of the Techno Union, are actively pushing the agenda of the 'loyal'
factions of the trade guilds. As has been demonstrated, there is an actual difference between the interests and actions of the 'loyal' factions of the guilds
and those of the Separatist factions, however both sides of their organizations share most of the same goals. The 'loyal' factions aren't simply hedging
their bets against the possibility of a Republic victory, they are staying true to their nature, as their power comes entirely from their wealth and the place
they occupy in the machine of galactic commerce. Gunray and other guild leaders who have joined the Separatists are considered "extremists" because
they have placed an ideological struggle ahead of profit. Senator Card observes that the guilds "are about business not violence", however he agrees
that now that the war they helped orchestrate is their most profitable sector, that their business is violence. These three powers therefore plan a terrorist
attack on their own capital to benefit their organizations' political and financial interests. Since it will be Grievous who launches the attack, it isn't strictly
a false flag operation, but it is tantamount to one. This kind of covert action disguises the desires of the party that instigates it, making the public
response predictable and easy to manipulate. As Senator Saam observes, the guilds "need fighting to feed the machine of war." Dooku knows the chance
for peace will "evaporate" after the attack on Coruscant, and that the guilds will all get their "fair share, and then some".

Ahsoka says the Separatists are "evil". Anakin says "the Separatists believe the Republic is corrupt, but they're wrong, and we have to restore order."
Anakin has no problem with the concept of central authority, which has been fostered by the teachings and practices of the Jedi Council. His belief in
a righteous central authority triumphing over forces of disorder also comes from growing up as a slave on a frontier world controlled by gangsters.
Ahsoka learns that she knows very little of the politics of Separatist worlds which are willingly members, and that in her mind the Separatists are Dooku,
Grievous, Ventress, and armies of killer droids. She learns that most Separatists are regular people who are more good than they are evil, and simply
have a completely different viewpoint about the Republic and forces leading their movement. The very idea that the Republic supports democracy
is absurd, considering that the democratic decisions of planets to leave the Republic are treated as treason answerable with military force. The Republic
already is an empire, and despite being quasi-democratic and generally respectful of planetary sovereignty, it will not allow competition or permit
planets to deny it jurisdiction. The Republic's laws already make it an empire, so the war Sidious engineers is designed to force it to choose to become
a stronger and more centralized version of itself. The war is essentially proving the Separatist's point about the undemocratic nature of the Republic,
leading the most loyal Republic citizens and leaders to embrace the principles of military-enforced order, a security state, and ultimately empire.
Ahsoka is quite certain of her belief that the Separatists caused the war, which Bonteri rightly calls "a very polarized point of view". The Republic, and
the Jedi most of all, feel that Dooku and his allies orchestrated a needless war to gain power and destroy the Republic, and therefore assume Separatist
motivations are malevolent. The Separatists believe the Republic and the Jedi caused the war, by refusing to respect the peaceful and democratic
wishes of planets, and by adopting a position that defiance of the existing order will lead to a military response. Honest people and willing participants
are the reason the majority of Separatist worlds are voluntary members of the Alliance, and these people see Dooku as a political hero, and therefore
interpret him and his actions in a favorable light, and are apologists for what they see as his rational actions. The same can be said about Palpatine,
as many honest citizens of the Republic see him the way Anakin does, as a wise and effective leader with good intentions.

Raxus is the capital of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which is the official name of the state formed by the Separatist Alliance. While Republic
members also have functional sovereignty over their own affairs, it is likely that their federal system allows for more central control to be exerted by
Coruscant and the Senate than is legally allowed under the confederate system. In practice, the Separatist Parliament seems to be just as empowered to
enact laws that effect all planets, although they are less constrained than the Republic to observe a millennium of legal tradition. It is also likely that there
are even less restrictions on what a planet can do with its own people and resources, and certainly less restrictions and oversight over the trade guilds and
interstellar corporations. Raxus and the Separatists represent a view of the galaxy which is diametrically opposite to that of Coruscant and the Republic,
primarily as the natural result of history and astrography. The Republic has always been a political extension of the culture, economic influence, and
priorities of the heavily populated core. The concerns of individual planets, especially those with smaller populations or far from the Core, are seen as
petty compared with the importance of maintaining the stability of the galaxy and the systems which have evolved to regulate it. Coruscant and many
other worlds in the core have immense populations, which rely on food and resources from millions of more 'rural' planets to sustain their hundreds
of billions of people. The core usually sees itself as the center and source of the civilized galaxy, and views the peripheral regions as having been settled,
colonized, and tamed by their efforts, culture, and wealth. The Separatists, on the other hand, represent the values of local and regional sovereignty,
and are principally based in the Rim. Many in the Rim have never looked on the Core as a beacon of civilization, rather it is seen as a distant power
which meddles in the affairs of the Rim for its own benefit. Many homeworlds located in the Rim have cultures which were advanced before their
regions became increasingly woven into the fabric of the Republic. Some worlds were colonized by Humans and others in the early days of interstellar
exploration, and had formed powerful and populous regional states before the Old Republic began to extend its influence towards the Rim. The most
significant of these regions was the Tion Cluster, which fought a major war against the Old Republic 24,000 years earlier, and since that time has regularly
been a region which was a part of powers at war with the Republic. Raxus is among the most important systems in the Tion Cluster, and its choice as
capital is a direct reference to the Cluster's historical position as a center of Rim-based civilization. To the Separatists and many Rim cultures, the Core
is exploitive and colonialist, and continuing to benefit off of the work which Rim settlers and native peoples did to build their worlds themselves.
Raxus and Coruscant are perfect representations of this dichotomy. Coruscant is a world so overpopulated and overdeveloped its natural surface has
long been abandoned and forgotten beneath a towering artificial superstructure which consumes all, and unifies everything into what is essentially
one gigantic machine where organic beings are only tiny components: an ideal metaphor for the Republic. The needs of that machine dictate its
actions, as it is the only way to ensure its survival. Raxus is an Earth-like world located in a position in the galaxy similar to the location of Earth in
the Milky Way. It is a far more idyllic planet, where the advanced technology of the age allows a significant but appropriate population to live in
beautiful and well-developed cities without excessive disruption of the natural landscape and ecosystem. The problems of the Republic and power
of trade guilds and interstellar interests primarily serve to inhibit Raxus' ability to realize a more harmonious and ideal self-sufficiency.

Separatist Parliament is at a similar impasse about where to go as the the Repubic Senate, with most preferring to send the war but divided over
that requires negotiation or a military victory. Senator Bonteri believes there is room in the galaxy for a Republic and a Confederacy, which is very
much the entire issue the Republic is fighting them over. As far as the majority of the Senate is concerned, at least during Episode II when the war
began, the existence of a second state outside of Republic jurisdiction is unacceptable. It is possible the Republic might be more willing to discuss
such an option, but not very likely. Voe Atell from the Corporate Alliance suggests that they will never allow negotiation with the Republic, showing
the Alliance and the Commerce Guild are using their seats in the Parliament the same way the trade guilds do in the Republic. They lead a block
of nationalist partisans who oppose negotiation with the Republic that is opposed to their existence as a state. This influence is countered in
the Parliament by assertions that unlike in the Republic, corporations do not rule in the Alliance. This faction is among the most honest and
enthusiastic about the Separatist revolution, as evidenced by their rhetoric, and wish to see independence more than to defeat the Republic.
The Alliance and Guild are obviously concerned about maintaining their profits and influence gained by the war more than anything else.

Palpatine believes few Senators would dare risk communicating with a Separatist Senator for fear of charges of treason, reducing the chances
of a peace initiative that might threaten his plans. Palpatine's pretend friendship with Padme requires that he must seem to understand her
motives and desire for peace, so he instead uses her trust to expose who on the other side is working for peace. Dooku can then have Bonteri
assassinated, blame it on the Republic, and use it politically to put an end to calls for peace talks in the Separatist Parliament. The attack on
Coruscant would likely have stopped the peace initiative from the Republic side on its own, but would have left peace factions on both sides intact
to wait until the time was right for the next push to end the war. Eliminating Bonteri, the outspoken leader of the peace-loving faction in
the Separatist Parliament, does serious damage to their cause. Anyone who correctly suspects that Dooku was behind her killing will take it as
a warning about what happens to those who stand in the way of the goals of those leading the war. The malicious attack launched by Dooku
on Coruscant succeeds in framing the honest efforts of the Separatist Parliament to seek peace as a devious tactic, making future negotiation
even less likely, as the Separatists are increasingly viewed as bad-faith actors in the eyes of Senators and citizens of the Republic.

The influence of major weapons developer planets, like Geonosis, Umbara, and Kamino, is significant in galactic politics. The role of the military-industrial complex
in democratic politics is most directly addressed by the Kaminoans, and their figuratively named Senator, Halle Burtoni. The Kaminoans created the army that
made this war possible, working for the very people who orchestrated it. Having realized incredible profits for their endeavors, on top of which they succeeded
in having "bartered their creation of the clones into a seat on the Galactic Senate", they now seek to maximize their return by pushing for the war's continuation.
The Kaminoans are working for a protracted conflict, where the two sides stay in perpetual conflict for as long as possible. A negotiated end to the war or even
a swift victory by the Republic will seriously diminish the importance of their operations. Burtoni seems confident that her allies in the trade guilds are seeking
the same, telling Senator Farr that "this war will not end soon." Troops are in fact needed quite urgently, and Padme questions if it is possible to win the war
with the troop numbers they have. The Separatists have just requested funds for an additional three million battle droids, raising the stakes further, but also
showing the heavy toll the war is taking on their army. While still quite outnumbered, the Republic has succeeded in evening the odds a bit. Palpatine tells
Padme that since negotiation is impossible, their only hope for peace is for the Republic's army to win the war, which is very much the situation that he and
his allies have been working to engineer, although not entirely for the same reasons.

Dooku is shown to be as adept as his master at acting the role of a good-natured but strong political leader, when the eyes of the Separatist Parliament or Republic
Senate are upon him. When his audience is more private he is often more openly menacing, but his public persona is that of a principled leader who feels his side has
the moral high ground. He presents Separatist motivations as peaceful and democratic, and Republic actions as "barbaric", while using a murder he committed as
evidence of Republic barbarism. Dooku utilizes the same formula as Palpatine: first cause the event, second blame the event on someone else, third pretend to be
reluctant or opposed or outraged at the predictable response, and finally watch others willingly take the exact course of action that benefits the Sith plans. Dooku
doesn't have to worry as much as Palpatine about political blow back from moves like attacking his own civilians and then claiming it was the Republic. Since the Jedi
would not have authorized such an assassination or an attack against a strictly civilian target, it is obvious to anyone who cares to know that Dooku was behind it.
Most people in the galaxy who are paying attention believe what they want to believe, which either means they see Dooku as generally trustworthy, or they already
see him in a negative light. The majority of people in the galaxy probably have little concept of what is or isn't going on, and often times don't really care. Palpatine,
on the other hand, needs to allay the suspicions of the Jedi, and is more concerned with maintaining his facade than he is in using the Republic as the tool to achieve
his goals. That role falls to Dooku and the Separatists, who must maintain the support of honest people and their battle against the Republic only as long as needed
for Palpatine to strike the Jedi. In the meantime Palpatine uses legal means to set the political foundations for his empire, leaving Dooku and Grievous to take out
people, planets, and organizations that could potentially lead strong opposition to the new order they seek to put in place.

Senators have been openly attacked by thugs to send a message about opposing further militarization, and senators like Stonk are worried about public
opinion regarding the issue. The terrorist bombing has likely inflamed many people's desire to see the Separatists destroyed rather than reasoned with.
Stonk says he is sorry, indicating he would like to vote with the opposition, which shows that not only apathetic senators like Christo are now disinclined to vote
against a military solution. The coalition of senators brave enough to stand up against the growing tide of the security state is being reduced to only the most
committed to peace and justice, who also have enough popular backing in the region they represent to oppose widely popular policies. While this will only
get worse with time, for the time being the opposition does have some success in convincing enough undecided voters to effectively contest the bill.
Senator Deechi describes Padme's speech as unpatriotic, while Padme describes his warmongering as unpatriotic. Padme is correct, Deechi's warmongering
is nationalistic, not patriotic. He has no desire to uphold the values of the Republic, or to respect the patriotism of the Republic's opponent planets. Padme
is concerned first with preserving the safety and way of life of Republic citizens, and also of sparing further death and suffering on the side of the Separatists.
Patriotism shows respect for the patriotism of other groups, while nationalism prefers the success of one's own group at the expense of other groups.


FURTHER ANALYSIS
Report Pending