If Queen <PERSON> had signed the treaty, would the Republic Senate recognize it as legitimate?
We learn in the opening crawl of The Phantom Menace that the Trade Federation has set up a blockade around Naboo in response to taxation of trade routes. The opening crawl states:
Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.
The Republic Senate was well aware of the blockade, which is why Chancellor <PERSON> sent <PERSON> and <PERSON> to the system in hopes of settling the dispute. However, it's pretty clear that they were not aware of the Trade Federation's planned invasion of Naboo, as the two Jedi were surprised to discover the droid army. On top of that, <PERSON>, the Trade Federation Senator, managed to successfully deny this event when Queen <PERSON> brought this up during the Senate hearing:
Queen <PERSON>: "Honorable representatives of the Republic, I come to you under the gravest of circumstances. The Naboo system has been invaded by the droid armies of the Trade…"
<PERSON>: "I object! There is no proof! This is incredible. We recommend a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth."
Senator <PERSON>: "The Congress of Malastare concurs with the honorable delegate from the Trade Federation. A commission must be appointed."
So, the fact that the Trade Federation was trying to keep the invasion under wraps indicates that the Republic Senate would not be happy about it if they found out. Early in the film, Captain <PERSON> said:
"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal. They can't afford to kill her."
And <PERSON> was determined to persuade her into signing the treaty:
<PERSON>: "...how will you explain this invasion to the Senate?"
<PERSON>: "The Naboo and the Federation will forge a treaty that will legitimize our occupation here. I've been assured it will be ratified by the Senate."
Queen <PERSON>: "I will not co-operate."
Nute Gunray: "Now, now, your Highness. 503
You are not going to like what we have in store for your people. In time, their suffering will persuade you to see our point of view."
If their initial plan had worked and Queen <PERSON> had signed the treaty, would the Republic actually recognize it as valid? It seems like there would be several problems with this:
1. She was coerced into signing the treaty. This would be evident if the treaty actually described the event as an "invasion" or an "occupation" (I recognize that this is the least likely scenario, but the film is vague as to how they intended to spin this event and the characters spoke of it as simply "making the invasion legal," so I thought that I would put it out there just for the sake of it).
2. She would have plenty of witnesses of what actually transpired, including two Jedi, the Naboo Advisory Council and God knows how many civilians harmed, threatened, or held prisoner by Trade Federation forces.
3. She could have had her decoy sign it for her, which would render it void since <PERSON> was only a handmaiden, not the Queen. Even the Jedi couldn't tell the difference prior to <PERSON> meeting with the Gungans.
4. Given the above points, it seems like they were wasting their time trying to convince her to sign the treaty herself. They could have simply attempted to forge her signature.
5. It seems like it would be difficult to cover up the acts of mass murder perpetrated by the Trade Federation in their effort to "persuade" the <PERSON> (here, I'm speaking of bodies, not the surviving witnesses).
If any of this would have interfered with their plans, then how did the Trade Federation intend to get away with it? 865