Season 2 Episode 4

“A true heart should never be doubted.”

The Jedi Council suspects that Senator Rush Clovis, an InterGalactic Banking Clan delegate and former colleague of Padmé Amidala, may be working for the Separatists. Against Anakin’s wishes, the Council asks Padmé if she would accompany Rush to Cato Neimoidia to uncover any clues regarding the Senator’s true allegiances.

Padmé agrees, feeling that her past relationship with the Senator — which for a time had been romantic until she ended it — might give her an advantage in the investigation. Fending off Anakin’s jealousy, as well as an attempt on her life by Neimoidian Lott Dod, Padmé successfully reveals Clovis to be conspiring with the Separatists to build a military droid factory on Geonosis.

Senate Spy Commentary, Preview and starwars.com Episode Guide.

Concept Art and Trivia

This episode uses a number of environments previously seen in the live action movies, including Padmé’s apartment verandah (Episode III), the Senate corridor (Episode II) and rotunda chambers (Episode I), the Jedi Council war room (Episode III), entrance gates (Episode III), and Cato Neimoidia (Episode (III).

Anakin uses “clicks” as a unit of time in this episode. In previous episodes, “klicks” were used to denote distance — kilometers. It is not yet known how long a click is.

Design artwork for star skiff

When Anakin expresses surprise that Padme and Clovis were ever close, Obi-Wan raises a very suspicious eyebrow.

Not a single blaster is fired in this episode, nor is a lightsaber ignited, nor does anything explode.

An earlier concept for this story would have replaced Rush Clovis with the boy Palo, mentioned by Padmé in Episode II. This was abandoned for a couple of obvious reasons. One, Palo is said to have abandoned politics to become an artist. Secondly, their relationship was at a very young age — when Padmé was 12. It worked better for the thread of jealousy if Padmé’s past flame would have been a relationship she had as an adult.

Concept art of Rush Clovis

The Senate pods do indeed have sound-dampening privacy technology, which is what allows Anakin and Padmé to talk so freely even in the midst of the Senate chambers.

Padmé mentions the Holonet to Rush Clovis, the first time this expanded universe concept is mentioned in a source like this. The HoloNet is a galaxy-wide communications network that works somewhat like television and the Internet. It was first mentioned in a 1989 roleplaying game sourcebook.
The chairs at the Neimoidian dinner are all articulated self-propelled mechno-chairs.

The grand hall gallery at Lott Dod’s palace include many heroic paintings of past Neimoidians, done in a classical style, including a Napoleonic Neimoidian riding a kaadu.

The all-Aurebesh screen on the holographic projector in Lott Dod’s library actually contains tutorial text for basic 3-D computer modelling.

The take-out food Anakin carries is labeled “WARM FOOD” on the side, and “SUSHI” on the top. The crashing wave design printed on the box is taken from an R2-D2 tea towel.