Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'
via Lucasfilm

It’s been almost 25 years, and ‘Star Wars’ supporters still can’t understand the infamous trade embargo

Often, people get this look when thinking about it.

In 1999, Star Wars returned to cinemas, taking fans from grimy locations and civil war to gleaming metal and trade negotiations. While the start of the prequel trilogy has its merits and defenders today, many still do not grasp the meaning of its central dispute.

Recommended Videos

Reddit is burning up with discourse about the franchise rookie’s confusion over why the Trade Federation had it out for the planet of Jar Jar Binks and the funky bunch. One user says when you consider it is all a product of Palpatine’s manipulation, it makes much more sense with his ultimate goals in mind, and for another, it’s simply because Star Wars always has to fill in the gaps later, the best way to color in movie confusion is via some book tie-ins.

Elsewhere in the replies, people say the writing for these films is a mess, and they are better if you shut your mind off and just enjoy some of the action scenes. A different user says the Trade Federation did nothing wrong and (from a capitalist perspective) free trade is the best trade and, another says what ultimately launches the entire franchise boils down to some racism.

Whether any of this will be explored or fleshed out in a future Star Wars project remains to be seen. In the meantime, all of the films and projects released in the series to date are available to watch on Disney Plus, and more like Ahsoka are coming soon.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article How old was Bette Davis in ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’
Bette Davis in ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’
Read Article The ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer’s most deep-cut Easter egg is also its funniest
Read Article ‘Gone for $1M to a TMZ’: Chris Pratt posts an ‘illegal’ video and hits the world where it hurts
Chris Pratt
Read Article What was the hardest ‘Empire Strikes Back’ scene Carrie Fisher had to film?
Carrie Fisher with Darth Vader
Read Article These audience reactions to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ will have you on your feet all over again
Related Content
Read Article How old was Bette Davis in ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’
Bette Davis in ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’
Read Article The ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer’s most deep-cut Easter egg is also its funniest
Read Article ‘Gone for $1M to a TMZ’: Chris Pratt posts an ‘illegal’ video and hits the world where it hurts
Chris Pratt
Read Article What was the hardest ‘Empire Strikes Back’ scene Carrie Fisher had to film?
Carrie Fisher with Darth Vader
Read Article These audience reactions to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ will have you on your feet all over again
Author
Evan J. Pretzer
A freelance writer with We Got This Covered for more than a year, Evan has been writing professionally since 2017. His interests include television, film and gaming and previous articles have been filed at Screen Rant and Canada's National Post. Evan also has a master's degree from The American University in journalism and public affairs.