Unseen Scenes: How Palpatine’s Rise Mirrors History’s Darkest Moments!

When George Lucas developed the Star Wars series, it was a blend of various elements. It contained aspects of Westerns, Arthurian lore, fairy tales, Samurai movies, Flash Gordon serials, Frank Herbert’s Dune, DC Comics’ New Gods, and numerous other influences. However, Lucas was quite explicit about one inspiration for the prequels – the similarity between Palpatine’s rise to Emperor and Adolf Hitler’s ascent in 1930s Germany. In the original version of Revenge of the Sith, additional scenes linked the Empire to real-world fascism more closely. A video from the YouTube channel Star Wars Analyst delves deeper into this topic, and you can watch the full video below:

According to the video’s narrator, the prequels weren’t solely a sad story about the fall of the Republic or Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader. Instead, they served as a warning. A warning concerning individuals who claim to guarantee safety but do so at the expense of freedom, while gradually gaining control over all aspects of society. Moreover, some deleted scenes delved deeper into Chancellor Palpatine’s consolidation of power, including one where he explains to Anakin his plans to seize command over the once-independent Jedi Council.

A pivotal hidden conversation took place between Senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Padmé Amidala (alongside three unnamed senators), which delved into the aftermath of Palpatine’s rise to power. This secret gathering was instrumental in the formation of the Rebellion, with a small group working covertly against the Empire from within. In this scenario, Padme played a significant role as a symbolic “Mother of the Rebellion” due to her maternal relationship with Luke and Leia. However, this scene also established her as a literal mother of the movement, having been one of its founding members before her untimely demise.

In addition to being significant within the Star Wars universe, this discarded scene holds weight because it introduced Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, a role she later played in Rogue One, Rebels, Andor, and Ahsoka. Despite not making it into the final version of the film, O’Reilly’s portrayal of Mon Mothma was pivotal to the storyline. This cut scene is regarded as one of the most influential in the entire saga due to its connection to Palpatine’s rise and the struggle against it, which mirrors real-world historical events. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, demonstrates through his work a deep understanding of history and an intent to use this popular entertainment as a cautionary tale about the perils of repeating our most devastating historical mistakes.

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2025-03-21 03:03