In Part One, we discussed the story elements of Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones that make it less a “reverse hero’s journey,” as it’s been called, and more so a Greek Tragedy. In Part Two, we’re talking about why the politics matter and why, after 20 years, you should absolutely love how George Lucas flawless executes the rise of a tyrannical Empire.
Political Games
Have you ever wondered how a country can come to accept “Big Brother” in George Orwell’s 1984? Or how Norsefire came to rule in V for Vendetta? Well, what if I told you Attack of the Clones, and the prequels as a whole, is a masterclass in how tyrannical governments rise?
As I’ve gotten older, the political games Palpatine plays throughout the Prequels are so incredibly terrifying and played so cleverly close to the vest that these exchanges are as fascinating as watching The Pelican Brief or The Insider.
Chancellor Palpatine’s Rise to Power

Attack of the Clones is possibly the most vital entry in Chancellor Palpatine’s rise to power, and if you didn’t already hate him enough, it’s pretty much Jar Jar Bink’s fault. After being recognized as a contributing culture to the welfare of Naboo, Jar Jar takes a position in the Senate as a special advisor to Senator Amadala. He then takes on her responsibilities when she goes into hiding.
As Darth Sidious is behind the attempts on her life, his 4D chess match allows him to essentially orchestrate kicking Padme out of the Senate, temporarily, allowing Jar Jar to take her place. A few chosen exchanges later, Jar Jar “comes up with the idea” of posing to the Senate that Chancellor Palpatine be given temporary emergency powers so he can activate the newly discovered Clone Army for the Republic and defeat the Separatists.
Jar Jar is never asked directly by Palpatine to do this. He does it thinking it’s the best action to take for the safety and security of the Republic.
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As obvious as a comparison it is, this is how Hitler consolidated his power in 1933 with what came to be known as The Enabling Act. A law that granted him absolute control over Germany, evading the oversight of Parliament and establishing the Third Reich. After being democratically elected Chancellor of Germany, he requested the dissolution of the Reichstag after the burning of the Reichstag building by Nazi “communists” (as Hitler called them). He used this event, and other methods of intimidation, to get the Act passed and cement his reign of terror in Europe.
However, this tactic of absolute power consolidation can be seen throughout history. Augustus in Rome was given tribunician powers, allowing him absolute control of the state after defeating his great-Uncle Caesar’s assassins and bringing together the generals Marc Antony and Marcus Lepidus. Essentially a 3-man dictatorship was formed, and the way of the Elders was thrown out of Roman rule.

Napoleon was named First Consul for life after orchestrating a coup in 1799. He had garnered favor with the public as a war hero, despite failures in Egypt, so when the coup was successful, he not only accepted a ten-year role as First Consul but was later written into a new constitution which passed with a 3 million to 1,500 vote in favor of keeping his seat for life. The illusion of democracy gave way for Napoleon, Augustus, and Hilter to become several of the most notably tyrannical dictators of all time.
And so the formula is progressed in Attack of the Clones, as Palpatine pulls the strings of not only Jar Jar but Obi-wan, Anakin, and the Jedi Council. He relegates his most powerful political adversary to doing love interest. He engineers circumstances that lead to the discovery of his Clone Army. He manipulates the weak-minded to grant him emergency powers in the face of crisis.
And he does it all while appearing as a kindly old man whose interest is only in the Republic winning over the Separatist threat. It isn’t until his full political will is established in Revenge of the Sith that we realize the Separatists were right…and we should have been on their side all along.
The Importance of “A Long Time Ago…”

Now maybe this is boring to you. Perhaps this is the “no one cares” part of Star Wars that is so often levied at the prequels. When I was a youngling watching in the theatre, I did not fully understand these intricacies. But, in retrospect, with many years and multiple watches under my belt, I now watch these sequences with as much interest as the Jedi on Geonosis.
And, as I would attempt to explain it, I find that Anne Lanchaser wrote it best.
In The Dalhousie Review, she states, “also, in the political and economic rereading, it invites of the four previous films in the series, now in part turning the Star Wars saga as a whole into an epic commentary on American and international politics and economics, past as well as present, and on the rise and fall of political empires…as an ongoing, cyclical process in human history, based on human greed/appetite, aggressiveness, hatred, and fear.”
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Essentially, Attack of the Clones is the moment at which all four previous films come together in social reflection and commentary. It’s a warning and a playbook, seeing the moves as they happen and showing what is to come. And despite its superb handling of the political intrigue, a rarity at the time in sci-fi action/adventure flicks, Attack of the Clones was not so much celebrated as it was disparaged for it. The only reasoning I can come up with is…it wasn’t what audiences and critics wanted.
The idea of “dashed expectations” as a reason for critiquing a film is cynical at best. If you do not understand history, you are doomed to repeat it, so the stories of totalitarian governments remind us of this. And while it may not be what you wanted, twenty years later, it leaves an indelible and thoughtful mark on how absolute power absolutely corrupts.
Continued in Part III: On the Conveyor Belt – About Dialogue and Visual Effects