mPT - Episode 1 Draft

Star Wars
The Mulligan Prequel Trilogy
Episode 1 - A New Threat

Crawl:
It is a period of Galactic War.  In the 7 years since the uneasy peace established at the violent end of the GREAT CLONE WAR, its end has slowly disnintegrated.  Now a new enemy is taking advantage of the ravaged galaxy, and a battle fatigued Galactic Republic. 

Mercenaries under the leadership of MANDALORIAN War Lords are conducting hit and fade assaults on critical industrial and agricultural centers, crippling the Republic's ability to sustain its people.  Warships from all over the Republic are converging over TRAXIS in order to stop an attack on the planet's power generation facilities.

Peaceful classical music plays as the camera pans down and tracks a large battle cruiser coming out of hyperspace.  The cruiser passes by the camera and the large battle surrounding Traxis is revealed.  We cut to a shot inside the hanger of this ship. 

The hanger doors slide open and three assault transports lift off and slide out of the hanger.  The sound is muted, and the action seems to be in slow motion.  As the three shuttles leave the hanger, we see several medium sized fighters come to flank the transports as they head to the surface.  Popping lights, explosions, and lasers shake the space around the shuttles.  Enemy fire from offscreen focuses on the leftmost shuttle- scoring many hits.  Turrets on the fighters and the shuttles swivel in that direction and return fire.  Other turrets and guns fire at other offscreen targets.  The targeted shuttle silently and peacefully swells and then bursts as the beautiful explosion it was containing emerges through the seams.  The turrets track the enemy fighters as they fly above the frame.  Presumably the enemy craft are destroyed as the turrets cease firing in that direction and take on other random targets.  In the de-focused background, you can see other quick flashes and movement of the space battle. 

The group of hero space craft reach the atmosphere where the remaining fighter escort peels off and rejoins the space battle above.  The two troop transports sink through the upper atmosphere and then rattle through the planetary shields.  We're treated to an isometric view of the battlefield below.  Massive tanks and siege engines (a few smoking husks) surround a smoldering city which features a gigantic tower at its centre.  Flak canons track the incoming transports and open fire.  The forward shuttle on the left somewhat shields the transport on the right.  They rapidly descend while doing their best to avoid the blasts.  They dance lightly back and forth on the air.  Finally, the forward transport takes a direct hit, cracks open and explodes- silently and sweetly.  The final transport is gently lifted and pushed to the right a little by the force of the explosion. 

The transport shuttle comes in hot and engages powerful landing jets to instantly abort its descent- preventing it from cratering into the makeshift landing zone.  A courtyard surrounded by ruined shops and burnt landscaping provides minimal cover for the landing craft, and the troops on the ground are using it as a temporary basecamp.  Some of these troops creep toward the wake of the landing jets in anticipation of the landing troops.  An overhead bombing run cuts the anticipation short as the muted sounds of war come into full range and the final transport burts into a violent flame, scattering debris and shrapnel over the camp.

Lowering a gloved hand, and squinting up at the space in the sky where the shuttle recently occupied, Captain Obi-Wan Kenobi lets an oath escape his bearded lips- "Blast!"  His arm communicator beeps and he raises it to his face.  A coordinator in his command ship above, across a weak signal, gives him an update.  They're losing this battle.  Strategically, they can no longer spare the men to defend the shield generator that Kenobi's men has been protecting.  They are to fall back and reinfoce the next closest tower.  He lowers his arm and calls over his troops.  He gives them the bad news.  In five minutes, they are to be mobile enough to run under air cover to the next closest tower. 

As they run, their air support gets picked apart and so do some of the soldiers on the ground.  As they get close to the other tower, a canon blast takes it out.  The troops take cover as Captain Kenobi finds a quiet place to radio control and get new orders.  The planetary shield has fallen and the enemy is starting an aerial bombardment of all remaining ground troops.  There is no chance of extraction.  They have lost this planet- they'll try to hold them off at the next one.  Captain Kenobi and his men are going to die.  "But we'll make them pay before we do!" says Kenobi.  He orders his men to take better cover in the rubble so they can make their last stand.

Just then, a different kind of shuttle, with different colouration and markings flies haphazardly overhead.  Cpl. West fires his rocket launcher to take it out, and the shuttle quickly responds with a tight barrel roll and avoids the rocket.  Obi-Wan senses something and orders him to cease fire.  The shuttle puts down behind the crumbling tower and Captain Kenobi orders his men to follow him over to it.  The ramp is lowering and a flight helmetted figure steps down it- partially shrouded by the dust kicked up by the landing jets.  "Come on, come on!" shouts the pilot.  Kenobi orders his men to stand still.  "What are you doing here?!" asks Kenobi.  The pilot, anxious to get out of there, quickly removes his helmet.  "I'm Anakin Skywalker.  I'm here to rescue you!"  An enemy fighter flies overhead and takes some shots at the shuttle.  The fighter makes a long turn.  Kenobi orders, "Let's be out of here before he gets back!" and they all board the shuttle and head off planet.

(To be continued)

Thanks for the kind words.  I need to write a few more posts.

Mulligan?  As in the golf term for a "do-over"?  I was just trying to be clever.

Thanks for the encouragement.  Here's another chunk.  It's from my latest version, so there may be a few discrepancies with the above since I rewrote some of it since I posted.

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