Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Greed

The characteristic of greed divides the characters of The Phantom Menace. Greedy characters join team Bad Guy; benevolent characters join team Hero. Then they're lined up on opposite sides of the gym and battle it out in a laser-infused game of dodge ball.

The actions of the villainous characters all stem from greedy motives. Sidious hungers for more power while Watto is all about those Jabbas—whom we assume appear on Tattoine's $100 bill.

Meanwhile our heroes fight for the benefit of others. Padmé wants nothing more than to save her people, and Anakin races in the podrace to help people he barely knows. Sorry, Gordon Gekko, guess greed isn't so good.

Questions About Greed

1. Who is the greediest character in The Phantom Menace? Why do think this?
2. Who is the most charitable character? Why?
3. Comparing these two characters, what do you think the film is saying about greed and its influence on others?
4. Let's compare these two again, only this time consider what the film is saying about greed and its influence of society?

Chew on This

Anakin's fear of change leads him to greedily hunger for permanence in life. Knowing Star Wars draws influence from Eastern religions, is it possible to read Anakin's struggle as related to the Buddhist concept of impermanence?

Qui-Gon is the only hero to have a greedy streak in him. He doesn't hunger for money or power, but once he has determined his goal, he will greedily go after it regardless of the warnings of others. His refusal to listen to the Jedi Council about Anakin shows as much.