#'sic Nico on Watto' sure

[blackkatmagic]

Question for you, because you are firmly pro Jedi and most takes on the issue are very anti Jedi:

Why do you think the Jedi never went back to free Shmi Skywalker?

It’s something that bothers me profoundly. I know that it’s not their duty, but at the same time they took in her child and told him to accept that she was in this situation. It seems like a lot to ask of a 9 year old…

I know that a lot of people use this as an excuse for why the Jedi are evil or why Anakin is never to blame for his choices, and that’s nonsense. But why do you think they they couldn’t just for example sick Nico on Watto?

Sorry if I’m bothering you, I have a lot of Shmi feels right now.

Because Tatooine is heavily implied to be in Hutt space, and the Jedi don't have money or authority there.

To clarify: the Jedi operate solely in the Republic, which has a political alliance with the Hutts, or at least a neutral political stance. Hutt space is not Republic space; Republic laws outlawing slavery don't apply there, and the Jedi, as an arm of the Republic government, can't operate there without causing a diplomatic incident. It's desperation that drives Qui-Gon and Padme to hide there while their ship is repaired. Even when Qui-Gon tries to do something about Anakin and Padme's fate, he's not really able to - he ends up doing something that is, objectively, really reckless and stupid, and wagering Padme's ship, basically the fate of Naboo, to get Anakin free.

On the other point: the Jedi are a monastic order and don't seem to personally control any wealth. The Republic is the one holding the purse strings, and I can't imagine them approving a very large chunk of money to free one slave in what's basically a foreign country when those funds could be used to help someone in Republic space, where the money won't help the Hutts. So that cuts out any quasi-legal way of buying Shmi's freedom. And if they wanted to do it the illegal way -

Okay. Picture: when Watto refuses to free Shmi, Qui-Gon kills him for being a slaveholder. It's not enough to free Shmi - she's passed on to a member of Watto's family. In true Liam Neeson style, Qui-Gon hunts down and murders every single person who inherits her until no one technically owns Shmi. But that's potentially a lot of death, and someone goes to Jabba, or Gardulla, or any of the nearby Hutts. They see an opportunity to wring concessions from the Republic, contact the Senate, and demand Qui-Gon's head on a platter. Maybe Shmi manages to get back to the Republic, maybe she manages to get the explosive round out of her head, maybe she makes it to safety somewhere inside Republic space. That's awesome, because Shmi deserves it. But it's a huge diplomatic incident and the Jedi are at fault for it. That's...not great.

And also. If you take the Padme novels as canon, Padme tries to find Shmi and free her. She sends Sabe to go look for her, undercover, and Sabe, who's one of the best spies and undercover agents in canon, can't do it. By the time all the dust has settled, Shmi's gone and no one knows where she is. Even if the Jedi had somehow managed to get permission to go into Hutt space and free one slave while tacitly abandoning all of the millions of other slaves sharing the exact same fate, Shmi had been sold to Cliegg and potentially freed, since the timeline is uncertain there. And then what? Tell her it's dangerous and she can't stay on Tatooine and she has to be forcibly removed to the Republic?

Like. I totally get why it's a big sticking point for the fandom, but the Jedi not managing to free her makes sense to me. The Jedi fight slavery everywhere they're allowed to, which means in the Republic. Outside of it, they have to resort to underhanded, reckless tricks like Qui-Gon used, which clearly don't work half the time.