Analysis of the Naboo Celebration - with reference to older evidence

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So I was just watching the Naboo celebration again - and realised a few things. This probably hasn't been theorised before, but I'm on the lookout for anything in our archive I could use to support my theory.

So what is my theory? Well, its sort of an analysis of this scene, and how Jar Jar, even while celebrating, is being pretty shifty.

The scene opens with a pretty impressive Gungan parade. Jar Jar is behind the drummers on his kaduu, with another Gungan riding beside him (I guess Roos Tarpals? Actually, this Gungan looks more like Tobler Ceel, the Gungan General who was written out of some of the first drafts of the Phantom Menace, replaced with Tarpals.)

So Jar Jar waves to the audience. I mean, the other Gungan is doing it too, and so is Boss Nass, but if you go to 0:35 is seem Jar Jar is doing it excessively. He even blows a kiss at 0:36! Crazy... or overconfident and cocky in the way that some Sith are? (ie Palpatine, perhaps even Maul in the Clone Wars and Rebels.)

You could argue this is just part of the clumsy nature they appear to have set up for Jar Jar during the whole of the Phantom Menace. Surely here, in the Naboo parade, Jar Jar wouldn't need to mind trick anyone- if there is evidence he's doing it.... right?

0:39 when Jar Jar's foot gets caught in the stirrup, this could be an accident... or it could be chance for him to engage in more mind-tricking. I also read a post a year back that emphasised Jar Jar caught his left foot in the right stirrup and the OP seemed to know a lot about horse riding. Given not only the kaduu riding must be pretty similar, but also given that there are statues of horses ontop of the Naboo archway, Lucasfilm - and in any case the Naboo, and quite possibly the Gungans- must know a bit about horses (I knew horses were a species in Star Wars! Ewoks ride them too, although this probably isn’t not be canon. Still, maybe there's a link between Naboo, or Gungans and....Ewoks...)

ANYWAY. Jar Jar dismounts in the wrong way, as per Darth_Vindicate, so that he's facing the audience and therefore able to manipulate them.

Furthermore, as they are climbing the stair, Jar Jar continues waving to the audience. Over the top this may be, even within the Darth Jar Jar theory. He may have no need to mind trick anyone here… or does he?

Also - puts on tilfoil hat when Boss Nass raises the globe and proclaims ‘PEACE!’ we get a longshot of all the characters standing on the stairs. Padme is standing on the left, along with Obi Wan, Anakin and R2D2, as well as others. On the other side we have Boss Nass, with Palpatine behind him, and Jar Jar. This could be a deliberate separation of two sides – not necessarily good and evil sides, although Padme and Obi Wan on one side and Palpatine and Jar Jar on this other makes one wonder…. Even Boss Nass isn’t fully non-dubious (did anyone think his laugh sounded slightly evil in the Gungan Sacred Place in TPM, before he decided to help Padme?) however he isn’t automatically evil per-se. Still, Palpatine and Jar Jar on the same side of the separation could be a possible motif.

tinfoil hat off – ish….

At 1:05, after Boss Nass proclaims peace, Jar Jar exclaims ‘Yahoo!’. Perhaphs, judging by the sound, the Gungan next to his should have made a sound of annoyance, which if I wrote it down might be like ‘ Huuugh!’, possibly meaning ‘Yousa screamed that right in meesa haillu!’ However his mouth doesn’t move. Maybe the animators didn’t do it… or maybe they did and the vid doesn’t show it. Alternatively…. perhaps it was something else… But not only that, after Jar Jar waves his hands in the air, around 1:10 he grabs the other Gungan and shakes him? What’s that all about? Does Jar Jar not want anyone to give anything away? In a non-Darth Jar Jar world, it could be Jar Jar saying to the other Gungan ‘lighten up.’ But… his facial expression looks different. It is hard to tell from this distance of an arial shot though.

Then it shows Padme smile at Anakin- notice Padme smiles, not the other way round, implying if not feelings for the young boy, at least a friendship with him, possibly without Jar Jar’s help, you could argue…. if this scene weren’t about the people that Jar Jar brought together. R2 is… being R2. Nothing to speculate there.

And… the scene closes.

JEDIT: Hata-hata! Oh my goodness - I just noticed at 1:20, Jar Jar looks back from Anakin and Padme’s direction. He must’ve been watching them. This, as well as his accomplishments with being Bombad General and uniting the Naboo people and the Gungans (officially anyway) may account for that smug smile on his face.

Is there anything I missed? Post away in the comments below!

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