Very interesting article:

http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/10/star-wars-galactic-senate/409600/

Interesting read. Hadn't dawned on me before that there's the lack of a separate executive, though isn't there an exchange between Mace and Anakin in Episode III about Palpatine needing to stand trial (thus suggesting that there are, in fact, courts?).

They're making a lot of inferences there.

We've no idea how independent the courts are, or how much power they have. If the democratically elected senate chose to vest increasing amounts of power in Palpatine that's their choice, and I don't see what court could or should have done about it. Certainly, the senate should have passed laws specifying when his powers would be returned to them (or better yet made them expire automatically without the senate renewing them), and then the courts could have stepped in (although if he then had an army of storm troopers (and then a Death Star) the police might not have had a hard time arresting him), but if they didn't that's their mistake, not necessarily a weakness of the system (unless you choose to see it as a weakness of democracy - democratically elected people can make mistakes). Of course, for all we know there were lots of court cases going on against Palpatine and the Senate, they just weren't in the films.

I also don't see any reason to assume there wasn't a high degree of devolved power (but neither do I see any reason to assume that there was). Amidala left Naboo to join the senate not because she saw it as a promotion but because her "two terms were up". I always thought the Naboo blockade was meant to be inspired by Naboo's own policies anyway - if they had no real power and everything had to be decided on Curscant anyway then what did the Trade Federation hope to accomplish? Mind you, a planet that exclusively elects teenage girls as leaders probably needs a more grown up planet making its decisions for it...

Yeah...its a fun little article but it isnt really grounded on anything concrete. Nice read regardless.

The most disturbing missed fact in the movie is the Jedi's attempt at religious genocide.

Mace windu went to arrest Palpatine soley based on the rumor that he was a Sith. Palpatine broke no laws. His ascention to power was completely wit the approval of the elected repetasintatives of the Republic.

The Jedi followed the orders of Palpatine until Anakin said he thinks Palpatine might be a Sith. Then the Jedi saddle up and ride out to execute him. The Jedi are enemies of democracy and religious bigots.

The most disturbing missed fact in the movie is the Jedi's attempt at religious genocide.

Mace windu went to arrest Palpatine soley based on the rumor that he was a Sith. Palpatine broke no laws. His ascention to power was completely wit the approval of the elected repetasintatives of the Republic.

The Jedi followed the orders of Palpatine until Anakin said he thinks Palpatine might be a Sith. Then the Jedi saddle up and ride out to execute him. The Jedi are enemies of democracy and religious bigots.

Actually, Mace Windu's logic was that he was arresting Palpatine for treason. The Jedi knew that there were only ever two Sith, a Master and an Apprentice, so any Sith would be working together. Thanks to Darth Maul and Count Dooku, they knew the Sith were involved with the Separatists, which had taken up armed insurrection against the Republic (this is an act that generally falls in the category of "treason"). Once they discovered that Palapatine was the Sith Lord, then they knew he was working with the Separatists, and thus, a traitor.

You could make a good argument that they acted solely on the basis of a single witness' account (Anakin's), rather than having concrete proof, but that's a different charge than religious bigotry or being an enemy of democracy.

The most disturbing missed fact in the movie is the Jedi's attempt at religious genocide.

Mace windu went to arrest Palpatine soley based on the rumor that he was a Sith. Palpatine broke no laws. His ascention to power was completely wit the approval of the elected repetasintatives of the Republic.

The Jedi followed the orders of Palpatine until Anakin said he thinks Palpatine might be a Sith. Then the Jedi saddle up and ride out to execute him. The Jedi are enemies of democracy and religious bigots.

They were already suspicious of his power-grab. They planned to move against him if he didn't give up emergency powers. Finding out he was a Sith only made them understand what was happening.

Imagine if we suddenly discovered that the Chancalor of Germany was secretly a Nazi. Don't you think they'd pull her down in record time? (No offence to the actual chancalor of Germany, about whom I know nothing worth mentioning)

The article also misses that Tatooine is in Hutt space, not Republic territory, and that the Jedi have no recognized authority there. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan don't overthrow the system and forcibly free slaves because that would be tant amount to declaring war on the Hutts, certainly an act that would cause more suffering than it would prevent.

The courts do get a mention in at least episode 1 (we could appeal to the courts....? - THEY TAKE LONGER THAN THE SENATE!!)

And part of Maces final bungled coup attempt is a complaint to Anakin that "He controls the senate AND the courts - He's too dangerous to live!) or something....

What we saw of the courts during Ahsoka's trial didn't really inspire any confidence in that system.

The article also misses that Tatooine is in Hutt space, not Republic territory, and that the Jedi have no recognized authority there. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan don't overthrow the system and forcibly free slaves because that would be tant amount to declaring war on the Hutts, certainly an act that would cause more suffering than it would prevent.

But if it were, does it matter? Is Hurt Space legally sovereign under Republic law, or is it autonomous only to a degree, and the Jedi are empowered to transgress that autonomy at a mere suspicion?

As I'm thinking about this, I wonder if the Jedi Council is like the Guardian Council in Iran.

Is Tatooine in Hutt Space? Not according to the Essential Atlas.

It is according to every source I've seen. It's quite clear that Qui Gon doesn't feel he has any authority on the planet when he's there. It seems pretty clear to me based on the prequels that the Jedi have a lot of authority in the Republic, but next to none outside it.

Is Tatooine in Hutt Space? Not according to the Essential Atlas.

It is according to every source I've seen. It's quite clear that Qui Gon doesn't feel he has any authority on the planet when he's there. It seems pretty clear to me based on the prequels that the Jedi have a lot of authority in the Republic, but next to none outside it.

Consider the distinction between theoretical and actual authority.

For example, there are parts of Baltimore and Detroit (and probrably plenty of other places) where the police don't go. Sure, they are the police, and have authority. But if they try to do anything with it, they will at best be ineffectual, and at worst dead.

Alternatly, consider when Obama goes to visit other countries. Technicaly, he has no authority, but he's the president of the united bloody states. People are gonna listen to him.

While Qui-Gon behaves as if he has no authority, that is, IMO, simply because he knows that, like republic credits, it's not quite real. So, rather than pressing the issue, he plays on the respect, which is far less substantial, and would be broken if people were forced to look directly at it.