So.... why did they blockade Naboo?

Question

So.... why did they blockade Naboo?

So the opening crawl says

Hoping to resolve the (taxation of trade routes) with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.

What does this accomplish? Naboo doesn't look like a planet reliant on interstellar trade. In fact the planet seems quite self sufficient. So why even blockade Naboo? Why would the trade federation think blockading this single world of little consequence would somehow get the Republic to rescind the taxation of their trade routes? Why not lobby more senators to change the tax laws? Why not just raise their prices to make up for the deficits caused by the taxation? They have a monopoly on Trade routes don't they? Hell why even pay the taxes at all if they have a droid army and the republic doesn't even have an army to enforce their taxation? This whole set up seems like a huge retarded mess that actively works against the Trade Federation's goals.

pic unrelated

They made an example of naboo. And besides, they're not working for the trade federation's goal, they're working for sheev's goals. A blockade creates instability, which sheev wants in order to grab power.

they're not working for the trade federation's goal, they're working for sheev's goals

What kind of shitty cop out explanation is this? That's like saying that Jabba isn't working for his own goals keeping Han in Carbonite, he's working for the Empire. A major corporation isn't going to just do something that isn't self serving just because some random shadowy figure told them to.

turmoil has engulfed the galactic republic

the taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute

Because they didn't anyone else to have that Naboo Poontang.

Their main investor was a nosy hooded man. They did whatever he told them to do.

That's like saying that Jabba isn't working for his own goals keeping Han in Carbonite

But he is: making example out of han.

The entire thing was just orchestrated by palpatine because he wanted to sow the seeds of discord and war that he could capitalize on to make the empire.

There was no point and that's what confused everyone, Quigon explains this in the first 30 minutes.

Some mysterious figure is so powerful that he helped you become CEO of a megacorp.

The figure offers partnership, sends a super assassin to take care of your pirate problems.

In the end, he apparently promises a monopoly on the trade routes of the core worlds.

Of course they'd be happy to sell everything as long as it seems like an easy ride.

Kek imagine getting this filtered by a movie little babies can understand easily

It's to show that the Republic has no power in the outer rim, the Trade Federation does. They get kicked out in the end anyway but the Republic doesn't lift a finger to help, which upsets everyone in the Outer Rim and leads to the old Chancellor getting kicked out and Palpatine coming in. Also it's specifically Naboo so Palpatine gets pity points when he runs for election.

It was a practical joke

taxing trade routes

in space

yeah fuck that im with the Federation, fuck these republic assholes.

Palpatine made it happen so that he could use it as a pretext to get emergency powers.... just like you know who...

George tried to warn us, but we didn't listen.

Are you the kind of moron that thinks ocean trade routes aren't taxed either?

Naboo doesn't look like a planet reliant on interstellar trade. In fact the planet seems quite self sufficient. So why even blockade Naboo?

Think of japan, it didn't want or need unrestricted trade with foreigners and the foreigners got really buttblasted about it, set up blockade, and eventually went to war over it.

its almost like it was written by an idiot

raaargh!

at least those use national waters, ports and canals.

youtube.com/watch?v=FK09TwG_N30

Palpatine had them hold Naboo hostage so that as a representative of Naboo he would appear more sympathetic to the Senate. While he was gaining positive exposure for handling a crisis on his homeworld he was also seeding discontent for the current chancellor. With the Republic looking to save face after the Trade Federation debacle he basically maneuvered himself to be in position to take the seat.

It's insane that for all the bad writing the prequels do have, that through it all Palpatine is actually one of the best written villains in cinema.

Shit that is never established in the film

Not an answer

The question isn't why did Palpatine want the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo. It's why did the Trade Federation want to do it. The thing no one ever seems to be able to answer when someone asks why Naboo was blockaded is why the Trade Federation does it. All anyone argues is "Palpatine told them to do it" which is akin to saying "A wizard did it" They never establish a proper motive for the Trade Federation to blockade Naboo on behalf of Sidious. As established blockading Naboo doesn't provide enough sway to get the taxes lifted in the first place.

A major corporation isn't going to just do something that isn't self serving just because some random shadowy figure told them to.

I work for one, we do exactly that because our board select the CEO, the board members are selected by 'shareholder vote', and those are farce elections because Vanguard and Blackrock own the biggest number of shares and use the massive amount of 'deferred voting rights' they hold on behalf of their investors to pick whoever they like.
They also own our big three competitors in the same way. We constantly do weird pozzed things that make us slower to deliver change or just operate worse but with an increased number of X minority, or use XYZ supplier that is way more expensive because of 'environmental sustainability'.
The board answers to their 'shareholders', and if the biggest shareholder is deranged, so is the company's direction.
t. Guy whose bonus is dictated by gender parity in my direct reports.
Assuming they have the infrastructure in place for feeding themselves with farming, in a sci-fi setting it could be as simple as no longer having free access to advanced power sources on which they've come to rely. Some first world nations barely have the ability to manufacture a car anymore.

The vote for emergency powers didn't happen until Ep 3 you nerf herder

Again, see they did in fact do it for entirely arbitrary reasons and that's entirely WHY QuiGon and Obi Wan go there

it actually happened during Episode 2. The TF invasion of Naboo happened so that Sheev could make everybody think that the sitting Chancellor was a spineless bitch and he could call for an emergency election. He was planning to do it himself, but Padme being brought to Coruscant ended up working out in his favor since having her do it would look better on him.

Within the context of the movie it isn't explained and is not important, it's clear that he is the one pulling the strings and the viceroys have no choice and are scared of him.
It could be
-He threatened them
-He promised them separation
-He promised them political sway in the senate

Yeah it's not blockaded

Be Greedy Nute Gunray head of the trade federation

Meet some shadowy figure called Sidious

Guy can move immense amounts of credits

Work with him to get even RICHER, guy has basically endless wealth and can seemingly make anything happen

He love bombs you with gifts and bribes

One day he gets you a really rare bird

Video calls you

Dude force chokes this priceless bird from across the galaxy

"You will do exactly as I say or I'll do the same to you"

The blockade isn't supposed to make sense, Nute is just in charge of the trade federation and he is pants shittingly terrified of a dude who completely underestimated before he got into bed with him and now stuck doing exactly what he says.

No blockade and able to trade with every single country except for one.

I forgot to mention that is anyone else in the trade federation questions what Nute is doing, then Palpy just murders them too.

So yeah, Nute is charge of the trade federation. If anyone challenges Nute palpy murders them and make it clear to Nute if Nute doesn't do exactly what he says he'll murder Nute.

MY MOUSE ARE HUNG GUH REE!

That's a hamster you moron.

Naboo were being very mean, very nasty. They were smuggling death sticks, everyone says so. People ask me, "Sir, why is Sleepy Velorum doing nothing about these Death Sticks?" Because Sleepy Velorum is incompetent. So, I'm going to enact a blockade against Naboo, the biggest trade blockade people have ever seen. Blockade is such a beautiful word, of course it can mean many things to many people, like Communications Disruptions."

Naboo doesn't look like a planet reliant on interstellar trade. In fact the planet seems quite self sufficient.

The Plagueis novel explains that Naboo was the source for a significant part of the galaxy's energy because of some rare underground resource (hence why they have the gigantic bottomless pit structure)
Of course this was just a retroactive explanation to try to patch the movie's nonsense together

Well fuck you're right, I genuinely forgot - my brain shoved that scene into 3 because he had so many raw as fuck lines in that I filtered "I love democracy" into that movie

the inciting incident for the film

which ultimately leads to the rise of the empire

isn't important

I've watched The Phantom Menace 50+ times in my life and it's one of my favorite films of all time AMA

They were dupes of Sidious. They’d never have done it but for him. That’s why the guy in the hat says “this scheme of yours has failed” before he’s told to get out of Sith sight. It’s so strange to me that everyone seems to rag TPM for getting bogged down in details but also ask more of the Space Japs than just being stooges of Palpy

Yes, it wasn't. All that happened in the movie was that viceroys were scared as shit to question Sidious. That's it. That's the answer to that dumb question. Because he told them to.

IT IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE REPUBLIC