Bo-Katan and Din eventually get to the bottom of Plazir’s malfunctioning droid mystery. Head of Safety, Commissioner Helgait (Christopher Lloyd), is actually a longtime Separatist and admirer of Count Dooku. Honestly, he speaks so condescendingly of the people of Plazir and how utterly lost they’d be without him and droids that his treachery doesn’t come as much of a surprise. “I didn’t give up to the corrupt Republic, I didn’t give up to the Empire, and I won’t give up to you,” he bellows at his captors.
With his hand hovering over a button, he’s about to unleash droid chaos on the planet, but he waxes poet about his viewpoints for a little too long, which gives Bo-Katan a clean shot at him. “Politics,” she deadpans as his stunned (but not dead) body falls. Never mind the fact that, as the former and once-again leader of Mandalorian society, Bo-Katan has had to and will again necessarily have to engage in politics.
This one-word line of dialogue is a brief but hilarious bit of meta-commentary on the public’s reaction to the prequel trilogy. Though they’ve been somewhat reclaimed (especially by younger generations), Episodes I-III were roundly criticized for, among other things, being too focused on and dry and convoluted in their depiction of the politics of the era. Many, many minutes of runtime were devoted to, say, trade route disputes between the Republic and Separatists. The franchise has also had to fend off accusations of ideological leanings, some of which are the intention of its creator. Bo-Katan’s throwaway delivery of the line, “Politics,” is a last laugh of sorts.
