Response to RedLetterMedia's TPM Review (108 Page PDF)

[Elfdart]

I don't think the PT portrays the Jedi as cold and uncaring, it fails to give the Jedi any sort of overall characterisation at all since besides Qui-Gon, Obi Wan, Anakin and Yoda the lot of them doesn't have scenes that aren't tied to perfunctory exposition. All plot no characterisation. At one point in AOTC Yoda laments that the Jedi have become arrogant yet nothing ever follows that portrays them as being so, a classic "show don't tell" type filmmaking blunder.

Other than Mace Windu leading a bunch of Jedi into the middle of an army of battle droids and super battle droids, and then all just igniting their lightsabres and striking cool poses, as if the mere sight of them would make the enemy stand down. Far too many of them paid with their lives for that bit of hubris.

And the Librarian telling Obi-Wan that if a planet isn't in the records it doesn't exist, then smiling and walking off.

One beef I had with the Prequels was the way Lucas practically beat the audience over the head with plot points that should have been obvious to anyone who isn't severely retarded. For some, he didn't dumb it down enough, I guess.

[Metahive]

Other than Mace Windu leading a bunch of Jedi into the middle of an army of battle droids and super battle droids, and then all just igniting their lightsabres and striking cool poses, as if the mere sight of them would make the enemy stand down. Far too many of them paid with their lives for that bit of hubris.

Was that really meant as a sign of arrogance rather them being completely surprised by the mass of combat ready battledroids rushing in? That would fit with the whole "Dark Side clouds Jedi perception" theme that is going on in the PT. Why also then doesn't Yoda, who before complained about growing Jedi arrogance, not chastise Windu for this action?

[ronindave]

And the Librarian telling Obi-Wan that if a planet isn't in the records it doesn't exist, then smiling and walking off.

Ah, yes that brilliant scene when Obi-wan is off to track down a killer stupid enough to leave a calling card in the form of a dart and not a lazer blast or heck even a missile. He goes to a diner and a library - whoa! calm my beating heart from all this action!

Are you trying to tell me the librarian was a Jedi? What, did she use the force to accurately catalogue books and shush noisy people in the library? Was she fighting in the clone wars when she got gunned down by the clones with a light saber in one hand and list of overdue library books in the other?

But that scene was suppose to show us how the Jedi including Jedi librarians (do they have Jedi janitors too) had lost their way? Uh, yeah...no. Nice try.

One beef I had with the Prequels was the way Lucas practically beat the audience over the head with plot points that should have been obvious to anyone who isn't severely retarded. For some, he didn't dumb it down enough, I guess.

Ah, yes of course. Most people just aren't as gifted as you are with your brilliant insight to see plot themes that are so hidden they're non-existent. Really how much of this stuff that you are so desperately trying to peddle did you pull from EU novelizations and your own backside?

[Terralthra]

Other than Mace Windu leading a bunch of Jedi into the middle of an army of battle droids and super battle droids, and then all just igniting their lightsabres and striking cool poses, as if the mere sight of them would make the enemy stand down. Far too many of them paid with their lives for that bit of hubris.

Was that really meant as a sign of arrogance rather them being completely surprised by the mass of combat ready battledroids rushing in? That would fit with the whole "Dark Side clouds Jedi perception" theme that is going on in the PT. Why also then doesn't Yoda, who before complained about growing Jedi arrogance, not chastise Windu for this action?

By the time Mace Windu and the other 200 Jedi unmask, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme are already surrounded by droidekas, on a world that, per fluff, is entirely devoted to being a battle droid foundry. The idea that there wouldn't be an army of battle droids at the ready is just another way of saying "unspeakable arrogance."

[Terralthra]

And the Librarian telling Obi-Wan that if a planet isn't in the records it doesn't exist, then smiling and walking off.

Ah, yes that brilliant scene when Obi-wan is off to track down a killer stupid enough to leave a calling card in the form of a dart and not a lazer blast or heck even a missile. He goes to a diner and a library - whoa! calm my beating heart from all this action!

Are you trying to tell me the librarian was a Jedi?

Yes, she was.

[Metahive]

I would not say that deciding to blow your cover to rescue the people you've come to save rather than risk their deaths until reinforcements arrive is a sign of arrogance. Also, why would anyone think that massive numbers of combat machines are stored near a place of public entertainment? It's like saying one should await entire tank platoons to come rushing into the Cowboys Stadium during the Superbowl just because the US are known as an industrial powerhouse.

Sorry for misattributing your quote BTW.

[Dooey Jo]

Most people just aren't as gifted as you are with your brilliant insight to see plot themes that are so hidden they're non-existent. Really how much of this stuff that you are so desperately trying to peddle did you pull from EU novelizations and your own backside?

I remember way back when a teacher I had, who happened to be a Christian, criticised the prequels for portraying the Jedi, the supposed good guys, as cold and uncaring, "Buddhist" types. The other teacher didn't think Lucas was really trying to push such values, although she didn't deny it was there. I guarantee neither of them has ever touched anything from the EU.

It really is that obvious that the Jedi Order is pretty fundamentally fucked up. If you didn't see it that doesn't mean that it isn't obvious; just that you're not a very astute observer. Contrary to what your inflated opinion of yourself may tell you, this is your own problem, and probably why you are not a screenwriter.

[Metahive]

I remember way back when a teacher I had, who happened to be a Christian, criticised the prequels for portraying the Jedi, the supposed good guys, as cold and uncaring, "Buddhist" types. The other teacher didn't think Lucas was really trying to push such values, although she didn't deny it was there. I guarantee neither of them has ever touched anything from the EU.

Rather ironic considering that one of the main tenets of Buddhism is compassion towards all living things so describing uncaring aloofness as "buddhist" sounds like someone is either uninformed or has an axe to grind.

[ronindave]

I remember way back when a teacher I had, who happened to be a Christian, criticised the prequels for portraying the Jedi, the supposed good guys, as cold and uncaring, "Buddhist" types. The other teacher didn't think Lucas was really trying to push such values, although she didn't deny it was there. I guarantee neither of them has ever touched anything from the EU.

So that's your argument? The perceptions of an obvious religious bigot? Anyway I said the Jedi come off as cold in the Prequels because bad writing not because that was the point of the Prequels. A Clone Wars fan here above even says they aren't like that in the series. BTW your teacher didn't know what they were talking about regarding Buddhism (big surprise!) Metahive is right.

It really is that obvious that the Jedi Order is pretty fundamentally fucked up. If you didn't see it that doesn't mean that it isn't obvious; just that you're not a very astute observer.

Oh, yes of course, it's just me - and about several hundred other thousand people. You are so fortunate to be one of the few who are such astute observers.

Contrary to what your inflated opinion of yourself may tell you, this is your own problem, and probably why you are not a screenwriter.

Uh, yeah... pray tell, what does my not being a screenwriter really have to do with anything? Are you a screenwriter? Try to stick to something more a bit more reasonable if you are going to criticize my opinion.

[ronindave]

And the Librarian telling Obi-Wan that if a planet isn't in the records it doesn't exist, then smiling and walking off.

Ah, yes that brilliant scene when Obi-wan is off to track down a killer stupid enough to leave a calling card in the form of a dart and not a lazer blast or heck even a missile. He goes to a diner and a library - whoa! calm my beating heart from all this action!

Are you trying to tell me the librarian was a Jedi?

Yes, she was.

And I don't care, it's still stupid.

[Jim Raynor]

I think I've been relatively patient with the RLM-fanboys who have come into this thread just to defend their idol. But at least most of them stuck to simple two-sentence spams. This guy is wrong and longwinded.

Building C3PO is not the same as giving your mother a clay ashtray you made even when she doesn't smoke.

You're right. It's much better than that, and can clearly provide some service around the house. Again, have you (and Stoklasa) actually seen the kind of crappy gifts kids make for their moms? I'm talking macaroni art level of useless. Are you guys that clueless, to actually nitpick a child's gift to his mother over its practical value?

And I don't think she needed a droid to serve drinks to her frequent house quests which with her being a slave was about none save the occasional wandering Jedi and fugitive Queen in disguise.

Because literally serving drinks as I pointed out the Trade Fed droid doing earlier is the only thing a humanoid droid capable of lifting things can do. You're being deliberately dense, just like your favorite movie critic.

Lucas just wanted to shoehorn C3PO into the film and the way it was done was ridiculous. The main point of this was to just show ridiculous it would be that of all the kinds of droids for Anakin to make from his imagination and to help his mother just happened to be a protocol droid C3PO!

What is this building a droid "from his imagination" nonsense? I love how Stoklasa just said that as if it was the most sensible thing to do. For Anakin to go around picking mismatched parts that might not even be compatible for each other, just to personalize his droid...rather than finding the remnants or disassembled parts of a one common type of droid and putting them together again.

It's the same problem that shows up again and again in Stoklasa's reviews. A guy who doesn't seem to understand much of how anything works in real life, stating his own thoughts as if they make the most sense.

Well how did he build C3PO and a whole freaking pod-racer, and some brain scanner without Watto knowing and where did he get the parts to begin with? Considering the shop he was working at i think making off with parts is not beyond reason especially if it's lying in the garbage dump. Again it's just to show how ridiculous it was to shoehorn C3PO in this fashion and have him being built by Darth Vader I mean Anakin.

Who knows and who cares. Oh, I know you care. But hardly anyone else was dying to learn the mystery of where Anakin dug up a bunch of old junk. It is just plain stupid to argue that Anakin should've stolen a piece of property lying in plain sight of his slave master's shop.

[Jim Raynor]

Spoken words are not to be taken literally all the time

Except when they are meant to be No but seriously that is a very weak rebuttal with a big assumption of what the character was thinking and what the writer was intending. There is no evidence in the script that Boss Nass meant anything other than the planet core nor that he was mistaken. I bring this up because it just shows how nitpicking he is. If I were him, I'd have let something like this one go and focused on more debatable points but he seems bound and determine to argue every single point almost in review hence the reason it's a whopping 108 pages long.

No evidence such as Boss Nass being a stupid, fat slob, as proven in that very scene? How later, nobody at all acted as if the Gungan's underwater city, their hiding place in the swamps, the battlefield, or the Naboo capital were on other sides of the world? I agree that the choice of words in the script was questionable. It was still a very small part of the movie, and a small part of my review. Focusing on this crap is nitpicking, especially when I have dozens of pages showing how wrong and dishonest the RLM was.

Overall a defense of the Phantom Menace would have been better than a point-by-point nitpicking of another person's review.

I already went over this in my response. It's not my job to tell people to like a movie, and liking a movie is subjective anyway. An objective, point-by-point rebuttal of Stoklasa's review does show how dishonest and wrong he is.

If you actually read all of that and act like Stoklasa wasn't BSing most of the time, then that gives me the impression that you can't read very well.

A lot of what he misses like with his nitpick of the blockade scene is that at the end of the day much of the film is just boring and pointless to many viewers.

Oh please, don't try to justify his (dishonest, incorrect) nitpicking as having some greater and more profound point. It's the same excuse that's been used too much already in this very thread. The fact that Stoklasa felt the need to over-analyze the blockade scene in the dumbest way imaginable (getting down to seconds-long visuals, even as those seconds-long visuals directly refute what he is saying) shows what a poor critic he is.

The reason why many people like RLM's review is 1) it's funny; 2) it confirms what a lot of people thought was wrong with the film(s); and 3) it's insightful in the way stories are told and films are made.

4) Those people either didn't watch the review with the minimal attention needed to sort out its BS
5) They're stupid and latched on to Stoklasa as their Dork Idol, for hating the same thing they hate

[Jim Raynor]

The first thing I noticed is the most obvious: This is not an essay. I was being naively kind to this 108-page grouping of forum posts. Jim Raynor spent (on-and-off) six months of his life typing arguments at a video review. This is not an intricate insightful response to what he claims is babble. He's babbling right back, and the only reason why it was 108 pages is because he babbled about every tiny thing that Plinkett babbles about in the video. It was tripe that was on the very same level intellectually as the review itself.

Oh this is funny. I directly addressed each of Stoklasa's points, providing extensive quotes as well as the specific times in the video when he said those things. I brought up evidence and provided numerous other quotes from the movies. I spent a lot of time explaining Qui-Gon's characterization, supported by yet more details and quotes. When Stoklasa had rather simplistically dismissed him as "stern" and nothing more.

Yet I wasn't "intricate" or "insightful" enough for this Pebkio guy. Whatever.

Well, there's my thoughts about the Plinkett Review in general: I thought that the Plinkett Review was tripe that wasn't very intelligent.

Well, at least you didn't call his review "insightful," which too many people on the internet have.

And if I were arguing for the movie, I would not use this 108-page waste-of-time to support those arguments. I am personally disappointed in this entire thing, because I see all the time spent as potential for clear-minded counterargument... then seeing that all it features is some guy's manuscript of what he was mentally yelling at his monitor.

You wouldn't use a point-by-point rebuttal that quotes each point and cites the times, in a counter-argument to the very thing that I was refuting...

When the question of why the Trade Federation looks and acts like a military (not like a conglomeration of merchants and trade unions), Jim explains that it's because they're the direct threat and need to feel like an oppressive force of evil. Fine sure, but that's why the Storyteller would want them to be a militaristic group, not why the logically would be a militaristic group.

What "logic" are you talking about? The Trade Fed has some military muscle behind it. Which makes it no different than lots of big bad businesses in lots of other movies.

When the point that Obi-Wan is making up shit to get the Gungans to cooperate, Jim explains that the character's motivation was to get the Gungas to cooperate. The story called for it, so that's what Obi-Wan did. But that's why a director tells an actor to do something, not why a person in any real-life situation would do anything. No matter the medium used for telling a story, the characters in that story aren't supposed to follow the direction of the pages (except in extremely artsy stories like Heinlein's "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls"), they follow their own motivations based on their personalities.

This is just funny now. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent on a mission to help the Naboo. The Trade Federation does not negotiate with them, but rather tries to kill them. The Jedi see the invasion army, and on the ground some droids from that army tries to kill them again. Qui-Gon goes to the Gungan city, rather explicitly because Jar Jar told him that the Gungans could help. At the end of that scene with the Gungan leader, Qui-Gon uses a mind trick to secure that help. It's pounded into the audience's head that the Jedi are there to get help for their mission.

Yet Pebkio here acts as if the Jedi didn't have sufficient "motivations based on their personalities" to want something as simple as some help. As if there's some personality type out there that wouldn't want some help against the people who just tried to kill you. His wording also makes it seem as if he didn't think that Stoklasa was being dense by acting as if the Jedi were "making shit up" for thinking that there was an invasion after seeing the invasion.

Now, I didn't want to directly argue against a point that Jim made, but this was just wrong. He portrays the Jedi Council as stupid. More than stupid, he assumes that the Jedi council is trying so very hard to be cold that it'll drive them to making poor choices. This section (pages 74-75) puts forth the idea that the Jedi council is uncaring to the point of evil by not saving a woman from slavery. A child's parents will always represent a personal attachment. The personal attachment could be very weak if the child was taken at age 2 and never-ever allowed to see the parents again, but it would still be there. Which, by the way, brings up as to why would anyone in a democratic-republic would ever give their children to such an evil organization as the Jedi Order who basically kidnap the kids - never to be seen again.

It's explicitly shown in the movie that the Jedi are disapproving of Anakin's (perfectly natural) personal attachment to his mother. And again, I'd like to know of real-life government agencies that go out of their way to buy off slaves (and finance human trafficking) in other nations.

Your comments in this post of yours are what's tripe.

[Jim Raynor]

"He labels the Jedi's super speed as a cop out by the writer, although it seems to me that it was more of a momentary "cool effect." If the writer wanted the Jedi to run away...then the Jedi would simply run away, super speed or not. The Droidekas were standing still while shooting; there was no implication at all that the Jedi couldn't otherwise outrun them."

If someone is writing to just have a "cool effect" that later could be used by the character to save the life of someone they care about, that's called shitty writing.

"5:06 RLM: "But we never see them run fast again."
Fair point, although you can say that about all the other Force powers. Why don't the Jedi and Sith use telekinesis or lightning at every moment during every fight? The
simple explanation is that the Jedi's powers aren't limitless, and you can't just pull out any Force power at any given moment."

Never in the movies does anyone say the force is limited. It's not mana that can be drained. You're just making stuff up, which I believe is something you kept complaining the RLM did.

Wow. Does anyone else find it a consistent source of comedy that the people defending the RLM review keep putting on airs of being more analytical, tasteful, and intelligent...yet they keep saying the most lamebrained of things?

This guy actually put forth the argument that Jedi powers were never shown to have limits. WTF.

"A clip is shown, of Obi-Wan not being fast enough to rejoin Qui-Gon before an energy shield cuts him off.
But Stoklasa also doesn't mention the factors leading up to the specific part that he's complaining about here. Obi-Wan is kicked in the face by Darth Maul. He then falls several dozen feet down, slamming hard into another walkway below him which he barely grabs hold of in order to avoid falling even more. Obi-Wan then pulls himself up, before using the Force to leap high up again. So excuse him for not using the Force again several seconds after just using it, and not long after taking some hard hits."

Your wrong again. After Obi-Wan gets up to the platform and the energy shields come on for the first time. Everyone stops and catches their breath. Fucking Qui-Gon grabs a seat and start meditating. So even if you were right and the force was limited he had more than enough time to build up his mana and speed run to save his master.

No, I'm not wrong. The scene is exactly as I described. Obi-Wan is kicked in the face, falls and slams into a surface several dozen feet (at least) below, has to hold on from falling again, pulls himself back up, Force jumps to where Qui-Gon and Maul are fighting...and doesn't use Force speed in the seconds right after taking all those hits and making those other Force feats. All of his talk about Qui-Gon sitting down and meditating are irrelevant, because that happens after Obi-Wan runs.

[ronindave]

This guy is wrong and longwinded.

Jimmie boy of all people is calling someone longwinded!?!?!

Jimmie, are you being ironic, hypocritical, or just plain stupid? My money is on the last two!

You and your defenders have been bashing people for just trashing your Opus with just a few words. Now when someone actually spends a a few more words on the subject you accuse them of being longwinded?

Jimmy-boy, you are the epitome of internet nerdrage. There is no point challenging any of your points or your rebuttal as a whole because you and your defenders will either say it's too short or it's too long. It's a complete waste of time I see now so I will yield the field to you. You have won though your victory signifies absolutely nothing but you can have a trophy depicting you with your head of your ass.

At the end of day, it all boils down to the fact that quite a number of people don't like the Prequels because they lacked a lot of what made the Originals so great. A lot of people like RLM's reviews because the reviews delve into a lot of what was wrong with the Prequels on different levels from story, character, theme, filming, special effects, collaborations and lack thereof, etc... but the thing is he didn't change a lot of people's opinions, he only reconfirmed them.

It doesn't really matter if he doesn't know that a hyperspace thingy is bigger than your hand, that's not the point - the story still sucks in many people's opinions for far more reasons than this. You should reflect on this but for some reason I don't think you will as you are probably at work on a 216-page rebuttal for the second review series.

[Spoon of Bombadil]

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, apparently. Until the 108-page rebuttal backlash against RLM came out I wasn't aware that there was this kind of passionate and delusional defense of these prequels. I thought prequel defenders were a much smaller minority than they actually are - and really you are. In the past what few prequel defenders there were just came off as kids who just liked the films because they couldn't see past the flashy light sabers and Yoda leaping around. But you other type of defenders take the proverbial cake. You have built almost a completely different version of reality supported by all the EU and novelizations. You have convinced yourselves these are good films and that they don't punch huge holes in the storyline's continuity. It's absolutely amazing this level of self-deception!

Most of the hate stems from disappointment rather than the films themselves. Most people thought they were okay films but not as good as the OT. The prequel haters/OT elitists are a smaller group than what people think. They are extremely vocal (on the internet) but they are a small.

[ronindave]

Most of the hate stems from disappointment rather than the films themselves. Most people thought they were okay films but not as good as the OT. The prequel haters/OT elitists are a smaller group than what people think. They are extremely vocal (on the internet) but they are a small.

[/quote]

Whatever gets you through the day - you just keep telling yourself that

[Spoon of Bombadil]

Most of the hate stems from disappointment rather than the films themselves. Most people thought they were okay films but not as good as the OT. The prequel haters/OT elitists are a smaller group than what people think. They are extremely vocal (on the internet) but they are a small.

Whatever gets you through the day - you just keep telling yourself that

You keep telling yourself whatever you think too. This is the conclusion I have drawn from various encounters, review sites, etc. The people that hated them tend to be biased against them (same goes for the defenders as they are biased for them). People tend to be more vocal with criticisms rather than praises. This group of people has pretty much forced the people that actually liked them in to hiding.

Here is a good, pretty non biased review.
Pretty much how I feel as well

[nygma619]

Okay I just got done skimming through the seven sections of Raynor's review, and while I think he does make some fair points (while also making ones that just don't really ring true, at least to me), I think he fails to see the larger criticism of the film RLM makes.

That The Phantom Menace fails as a film that didn't really have a story that engaged or characters that quite connected with the audience. Not just as a star wars film, but a film in general.

He calls Qui-Gon the main character, but ignores how starting a trilogy with a character who dies in its first film is counter productive. He lists attributes about Qui-Gon being a father figure, but doesn't give us any real examples of how this guy is someone we the audience can relate to (Luke Skywalker) or find entertaining (Han Solo). To top that we're not given any real information/backstory on who Qui-Gon really is beyond being a jedi, and Obi Wan's master. We're just thrown in to a trivial mission with him right from the beginning and we're just supposed to care. Qui-Gon might've been fine if he were a supporting character like Obi-Wan was in a New Hope or something, but as a lead in a franchise like Star Wars I think it's a valid criticism when he calls out TPM on having characters that don't really connect with anyone.

The only person were given information on is Anakin, though it's hard to care about him when he's played by a cringe-inducing child actor who does some things in an unbelievable manner.

[nygma619]

Jim Raynor:
"What "logic" are you talking about? The Trade Fed has some military muscle behind it. Which makes it no different than lots of big bad businesses in lots of other movies."

How many big bad businesses invade a country in real life or the movies (besides this one)?

[ronindave]

You keep telling yourself whatever you think too. This is the conclusion I have drawn from various encounters, review sites, etc. The people that hated them tend to be biased against them (same goes for the defenders as they are biased for them). People tend to be more vocal with criticisms rather than praises. This group of people has pretty much forced the people that actually liked them in to hiding.

In hiding? You like Star Wars Prequels, you aren't Jews in Nazi Germany. But anyway let's forget whose group is larger or smaller. It's about quality. Lucas made a shit ton of money on the prequels and there's no debate on that. The song "Who let the Dogs Out!" was a huge hit in 2000 and made a shit ton of money. Was it a good song, though?

[nygma619]

Jim Raynor:
"No, I'm not wrong. The scene is exactly as I described. Obi-Wan is kicked in the face, falls and slams into a surface several dozen feet (at least) below, has to hold on from falling again, pulls himself back up, Force jumps to where Qui-Gon and Maul are fighting...and doesn't use Force speed in the seconds right after taking all those hits and making those other Force feats. All of his talk about Qui-Gon sitting down and meditating are irrelevant, because that happens after Obi-Wan runs."

You left something out, after Obi-Wan does all those things, he runs up to the point where the shield walls block him. While he is waiting for the shield wall to go down, a little further ahead Qui-Gon and Maul are on opposite sides of another shield wall, also waiting for the shield walls to go down. You know what all three of these characters had in common during this? They had some time to CATCH THEIR BREATH, and get some energy back. Once the shields go down, Maul and Qui-Gon fight, and Obi-Wan runs to catch up to them, but a shield blocks him from doing so. I think it was entirely possible for Obi-Wan to "run faster" regardless of what powers he used or how much damage he took.

[nygma619]

"Oh please, don't try to justify his (dishonest, incorrect) nitpicking as having some greater and more profound point."

Not really but he gets a pass on some of it for playing a character who supposed to be senile (and it's used for entertainment reasons). When you do it, it's just your attempt to prove him wrong.

[Bakustra]

"Oh please, don't try to justify his (dishonest, incorrect) nitpicking as having some greater and more profound point."

Not really but he gets a pass on some of it for playing a character who supposed to be senile (and it's used for entertainment reasons). When you do it, it's just your attempt to prove him wrong.

Ah, yes, clearly anything bad with the RedLetterMedia review is deliberate! I hereby declare that any poor elements of the prequels are similarly deliberate on the choice of Lucas, thereby excusing them for all time from any critiques. Now go ahead and explain why you can invoke this "defense" for him but not for the prequels, if you please.

[Elfdart]

Jim Raynor:
"What "logic" are you talking about? The Trade Fed has some military muscle behind it. Which makes it no different than lots of big bad businesses in lots of other movies."

How many big bad businesses invade a country in real life or the movies (besides this one)?

United Fruit Company hired mercenaries to overthrow the government of Guatemala in the 1950s. Gulf Oil hired Cuban soldiers to fight in Angola in the 1980s. This kind of thing was much more common in the 18th and 19th Centuries, especially under the East India Tea Company, which had its own army in India. Given the Indian-sounding names from TPM (Naboo, Padme) this might be where Lucas got the idea.