#xtoad

This is actually a really good question...

I doubt it, though, because the Jedi thrived largely because they had no agenda. I think they knew better than to try inviting themselves into the hall of politics--as soon as they had a corner, people would start whispering about how they were “using mind control” and “arguing against this because they’re afraid of threats to their power”.

The Jedi served the Senate as advisors to those who would approach them. Padme, Bail, and Riyo all went to Jedi for advice or used them as moderators when they needed help.

However, I feel like in an optimal world, Anakin Skywalker might have breached that line. I think when his children were born and the war was over, he would have come clean about his relationship with Padme and accepted his expulsion from the Jedi Order. He would have chosen a life with Padme, a life of his own, and lived Happily Ever After. Odds are that Padme would have withdrawn from the Senate, too, in order to avoid those rumors and accusations I mentioned above; but it’s possible that they would have stepped up into a new role. Perhaps as co-chairs of the Clone Wars Veterans Affairs Department, or the Galactic Reconstruction Movement. A former Jedi and a former Senator with hundreds of victories and mercy missions behind them...they would have had the respect of thousands of worlds. Especially if Anakin was the one who exposed the manipulations of Darth Sidious (though, honestly, the fall of Palpatine would have been its own super-problem, because Palpatine undoubtedly had loyalists aplenty who would be causing trouble).

She literally had her bangs in her eyes from day one. And let it all go to hell by the final movie.

First of all, thank you friend, for reading and responding!

I do agree that Maul can only grasp power through surrogates, as it’s far too dangerous for him to try and rule anyone outright (which is an interesting question when it comes to Obi-wan’s rendering of aid - both times - to Mandalore. Because on the surface, to the Republic, at least, this is only a political coup on a neutral planet and with Almec being in charge, there’s no way anyone outside Death Watch and the Jedi would truly know what was going on, which, in terms of optics, the holonet, and Senators...is not a good thing - for Obi-wan, at least.)

And yes, Maul wanted that power block, whether to oppose the Republic to Palpy’s upcoming Empire and that move was a brilliant way of playing both sides just in case. 

I still personally think Maul had it in for Anakin at least as early as Satine (if not by Florrum, although he wasn’t ready to execute the plan at that point), or else why keep Obi-wan alive after killing Satine? Maul either wanted bait for Anakin or wanted to watch Obes turn, the latter of which was the far more dangerous proposition, as a dark!Obi-wan would be dangerous and Maul wouldn’t have the leverage over a dark!Obes that, let’s say, a Dooku would. 

Very true. Hiccup is a pacifist in many ways. We have to look at his reign as chief to get a better context on his decisions in HTTYD3: After his father’s death, he saw his entire village decimated by Drago. This was violent, horrible, and frankly, shocking. Many people died. He spent a year after that rebuilding the village. We all know Vikings don’t mind rebuilding their villages; they’re used to destruction and death and picking themselves up afterwards. But this time it’s different, and more personal: it’s not dragons doing the killing, it’s people. Drago controlling a dragon into this violence. Grimmel poisoning dragons into this violence. It’s not nature doing the killing, it’s not necessity doing the violence (“if they don’t bring enough food back, they’d be eaten themselves”). It’s cold-blooded, greedy, arrogant humanity who’s doing this war.

(Drago’s Bewilderbeast literally crawled over Berk in a surprise attack that must have killed a lot of people.)

And I believe that hurts Hiccup deeply. He’s a man who loves dragons to the depth of his soul. He’s a man who can’t let his people die by the hand of violent men. He spend a year picking up the pieces of Drago’s attack. He’s not going to do that again. He knows Grimmel is only the first of many who will threaten Berk. Hiccup is a leader here: he’s forward-thinking enough to realize that if they don’t move now, they’d move eventually. And why let the death of people now be wasted if they needed to find a new place to begin with? Hiccup wanted to move Berk out to follow the dragons to the Hidden World in the first place. Grimmel only pushed his timetable.