"My friend, your devotion to rules is sometimes inspiring and sometimes maddening."
Mace Windu and Count Dooku investigate the death of Master Katri on Raxus.
Tropes:
- Absence of Evidence: The fact that the senator's ship is suspiciously unmarked by blaster fire from a supposed ambush demonstrates that the attackers weren't firing in the direction of the ship, but rather from it.
- Asshole Victim: Subverted. Larik was corrupt, but Dooku concedes that he ultimately didn't deserve his ultimate fate since he was hardly an irredeemable monster.
- Bad Liar: Even without their Jedi senses, it's easy for Dooku and Windu to see that Senator Larik is hiding the truth about Katri's death, given his vague answers and nervous demeanor when they question him.
- Bothering by the Book: Mace Windu insists on following their orders from the Jedi Council to simply retrieve Master Katri's body and leave. He also files a full report about Dooku's Cowboy Cop antics on Raxus, costing him a seat on the Council.
- Broken Pedestal: At the end of the episode, Dooku's faith in the Jedi Council has taken a hit when they give Windu a seat but not him, and he's even suspicious of Windu for it.
- By-the-Book Cop: Mace Windu contrasts Dooku's Cowboy Cop actions by being a stickler for protocol who is clearly not pleased with his reckless attitude.
- Call-Forward:
- At one point while conversing with Dooku, Mace Windu notes that the Jedi Council is not ruled by politics nor ego. As many viewers would likely know, the majority of the Council, especially Windu himself, would end up becoming increasingly reliant on their popularity and influence in other matters.
- Dooku's description of Master Katri's death is eerily prescient of both his own future betrayal by Palpatine, and the fall of the Jedi Order at the hands of their own clone troops in Revenge of the Sith.Dooku: For a Jedi to succumb to a surprise attack is rare, unless that attack is from someone one would trust.
- Cowboy Cop: Or Cowboy Jedi. Dooku tends to disobey orders in favor of doing what he feels is right, such as investigating why a Jedi Master was killed, rather than just retrieving her body.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: The first of Larik's guards seen has a set of scars on his face. He turns out to be part of the plot to kill Larik, and far less reasonable than his partner.
- The Idealist: Windu is a true believer in the Jedi cause, sticking closely with the Jedi Orthodoxy. Notably, during the funeral ceremony he stands in awe as a beam of light (likely representing the deceased becoming one with the Force, and also the broader ideals of the Order) exits Master Katri's coffin. This contrasts with Dooku, who stands in stony grief, symbolizing his increasing disillusionment with the Order.
- Lured into a Trap: Senator Larik helped lure Master Katri into an ambush, whereupon she was gunned down by the guards. They try the same trick on Windu and Dooku, with much less successful results.
- Mirror Character: Both Dooku and Windu are stoic, powerful Jedi Masters and are about equal in rank at the start of the episode. Both are keen investigators, though Dooku is more upfront while Windu is more reluctant and a sticker to rules in his handling of the investigation. More importantly, Windu is steadfastly loyal to the Jedi Council and its ideals, while Dooku has grown disillusioned.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished:
- Dooku uncovers the truth of Katri's murder, but because he disobeys orders, Windu is the one that replaces Katri on the Council instead.
- Ironically, Windu pulling back his lightsaber from one of the rebellious guards gives the latter an opening to pick up his blaster and make a fatal final attack.
- Oblivious to Their Own Description: Windu says that Katri would've listened if Larik's guards had come to her for help. Dooku has a negative expression on his face hearing this, since after putting up with both the Council's refusal to investigate Katri's death, and Windu's By-the-Book Cop approach all episode, he is finding little reason to believe this would be true.
- Posthumous Character: Jedi Master Katri is dead on Raxus Secundus, with Dooku and Windu being sent to retrieve her body and return it to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Dooku takes the opportunity to investigate the circumstances of her death.
- Puppet King: Larik's guards intended to force him to put forth their agenda at the next Senate meeting.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Dooku insists on investigating Katri's death despite the Jedi Council merely ordering her body be retrieved for burial.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Dooku acknowledges that even if their actions went too far, the guards' motivations were perfectly reasonable.
- Time-Passage Beard: It's been an unspecified amount of time from the previous episode, and Dooku is now a Jedi Master with a beard, signifying his own growth.
- Too Dumb to Live: The young scarred guard picks up a blaster and tries to shoot Windu despite having witnessed the Jedi Master's prowess only seconds before and Windu being on guard for a sudden attack, unlike poor Master Katri. Predictably he dies in seconds when Windu deflects one of his own shots back into him.
- Villain Has a Point: Larik's guards feel the Jedi are beholden to the whims of a detached and corrupt Senate. Dooku even agrees with their point of view, and this after they shot at him. Of course, anyone familiar with Star Wars knows where that leads.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Larik's guards only wanted what's best for their planet, but murdered Katri (a Jedi Master and Council member) so they could turn Larik into a Puppet King.
- We Used to Be Friends: It is implied that Windu and Dooku's friendship was permanently damaged after this incident, with Dooku believing that Windu usurped his rightful place on the Jedi High Council. This feeling does not seem to be reciprocated however, as by Attack of the Clones, Windu adamantly refuses to believe Dooku was turned.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When Senator Larik folds and reveals his guards killed Katri, they immediately kill him.
