DuracellEnergizer

Ya know, I've really come to dislike KOTOR. The prequelization of eras outside of the PT began in earnest with this damn video game.

Drew Karpyshyn's a shitty writer, though, who like screwing established continuity over just so he can paint things the way he wants to paint them, so why should I be surprised?

I guess these shape-shifting abilities you speak of are some kind of over-the-top Clayface-like deal, right? 'Cause I remember the race being a race of shape-shifters from the beginning, only they weren't capable of altering their mass or changing into anything non-humanoid.

^That's why I prefer to believe the Vader Luke & Leia fought in the Temple of Pomojema was actually a phantom created by the Kaiburr Crystal and not the real deal. ;-)

I just finished watching the entire Clone Wars microseries (that 2-D series that premiered before the CG version), and all I can say is this:

I liked that one scene where they showed a Jedi weilding a red lightsaber. No, it wasn't a red lightsaber briefly borrowed from a Dark Jedi or Sith -- it was the Jedi's own lightsaber. I don't know who thought to do that, but I commend them regardless -- I love Jedi with red lightsabers, and it's certainly hard to find any in the franchise since AOTC came out.

Yep, that's it -- a Jedi with a red lightsaber is the only thing I liked about the series. Everything else was either meh or mindnumbingly stupid. I certainly hope the CG version is better than this (yeah, I have decided to give the series a chance after all; even if I don't end up liking it very much, some aspects of it may inspire my own writing).

Sadako said:

I wonder if the lack of 'Old West' spirit in the PT has something to do with why it was ultimately so poorly received.

It's just one of countless reasons why it -- and the rest of the PT -- fails.

ratpack1961 said:

Just thought of this issue, for all the EU fans.

Ep. 7 is going to come out and with it will be a bunch of tie in novels.  These will be new extended takes on characters featured in ep. 7.  Kinda like the prequel novels that centered on Obi Wan's training etc.

They are still coming out with EU novels but eventually these ep. 7 novels will take precedent.  They are probably being written write now.

Are these novels going to be EU since they are after ep 6? Most likely they are starting an alternate timelline.  So at some point Disney will have to announce the EU is done and this new timeline takes over.  So Mara Jade will be erased from existence...

As Doc Brown would say Great Scott!

I hope the EU writers use the upcoming overhaul of the EU as an opportunity to finally establish the existence of a greater SW Multiverse. There's no reason whatsoever for there to only be a single universe with a single timeline (and never has been).

EXT. DESERT - DAY

Obi-Wan makes his way deeper into the barren, empty desert on his landspeeder. Every now and then he stops and gets out, taking short treks out into the sand to look about his surroundings with a pair of macrobinoculars; though the wind has all but erased the bantha tracks, he occasionally finds a trace of the Tuskens' passage, allowing him to narrow down his search and continue.

Hours pass, and the twin suns begin to set. Ben, in his speeder, passes beyond the mundane track of desert and enters the Sunland Wastes -- the vast, rocky area of caverns and canyons which the Tusken Raiders -- among various dangerous beasts -- call home.

EXT. JUNDLAND WASTES - TWILIGHT

Eventually, Obi-Wan finds his way to the end of a narrow valley which opens out into open air; beyond, far to the bottom, lies a large stretch of flat, open rock. Unable to proceed any further in the landspeeder, the Jedi parks his vehicle and shuts it down, climbing out.

Walking to the edge of the valley, Ben pulls out his set of macrobinoculars and begins to survey the plain of desolate rock.

OBI-WAN'S P.O.V. - TUSKEN RAIDER CAMP

Out on the rocky plain is a large Tusken camp, complete with tents and burning campfires.

CUT TO

Obi-Wan as he puts the macrobinoculars down. Returning to the speeder, he retrieves his supplies -- two large blaster pistols, a blaster rifle, and a satchel of power packs -- and, holstering the blasters and slinging the rifle behind his back, begins to make his way down the face of the cliff on his long trek toward the camp in the distance.

EXT. TUSKEN RAIDER CAMP - TWILIGHT

In the centre of the camp, Nellith and Beru have been tied to a large, wooden rack. Surrounding them is the leader of the tribe -- a tall, intimidating warrior wearing a headdress made up of varicoloured wires -- and his immediate family members, all of which look upon the women as visitors to a zoo would look upon the animals therein.

The Tusken leader beckons to one of the other Tuskens -- a son, perhaps -- who walks over to the older, taller Sand Person. Grunting and growling, the leader points down at the younger warrior's belt, upon which hangs Obi-Wan's lightsaber. Responding with his own series of hoots and groans, the younger Tusken unhooks the weapon and hands it to his elder.

The leader turns the metallic cylinder over in his hands, trying and failing to make out its purpose. Grunting, the other Sand Person shows him how to hold the lightsaber and then gestures toward the activation stud on the pommel. Upon pressing the button, the blue blade of the weapon shoots out with a sharp snap-hiss.

Startled, the tribal leader drops the weapon, honking aggressive Tusken expletives. The younger Tusken, incredibly amused, replies with what passes for laughter among the Sand People.

CUT TO

Obi-Wan as he reaches the camp. Avoiding the sentries posted at watch, the Jedi silently slips in between tents, cautiously making his way into the camp.

CUT TO

The Tusken tribal leader and the rest of his family surrounding Beru and Nellith.

Picking the lightsaber back up, the Tusken leader reactivates it; now that he knows what to expect from the weapon, he has no fear of it. Turning toward the two women, he approaches them, the glowing azure blade held out before him menacingly.

BERU: (panicking) Oh, please! Oh, please! Oh, please, no! No, no, please! Please, don't hurt us! Don't --!

With the precision of a surgeon, the Sand Person places the tip of the lightsaber against Nellith's forehead and begins to draw it across her hairline. The energy blade burning into her flesh effortlessly, she screams in complete and total agony.

CUT TO

Ben, standing behind one of the tents which overlook the tribal leader and his family members surrounding Nellith and Beru. His face twisted with desperation, he throws out a hand.

CUT TO

The Tusken Raider leader as he traces the tip of the lightsaber around Nellith's face, unfazed by the horrific screams coming out of her mouth.

Suddenly, from the other end of the camp, the ferocious bellow of a large and powerful krayt dragon sounds out with deafening force.

Alarmed by the blood-freezing sound, the tribal leader, his family members, and the other Sand People turn toward the apparent source of the sound. Pointing forward toward where the krayt is believed to be, the leader orders his people to take up arms against the invader. Hooting and hollering, the Tuskens pour forth to combat the dragon, their leader alongside them, Obi-Wan's stolen lightsaber raised above his head.

Once the Sand People have left the area, Obi-Wan steps out of hiding and hurries over to Beru and Nellith. Pulling out a knife, he begins cutting through the straps holding them to the rack.

OBI-WAN: (concerned) Are you alright, Nellith?

NELLITH: (grimacing in agony) I-I'll be okay.

Ben cuts through the final bonds, and the women are free. Bracing Nellith against her, Beru follows the Jedi on out of the camp.

Having found no sign of the krayt dragon they plainly heard, the Sand People begin to return to where they were before.

Returning to the centre of the camp, the Tusken leader and his family find the rack empty, the two captive women gone. Enraged, the tribal leader roars a command, and with two of his sons joining his side, he runs off after the escapees.

CUT TO

Ben and the women making their way away from the Tusken camp.

As soon as they leave their camp, the Tusken tribal leader and his sons immediately notice the Jedi with the women. Honking out a battle cry, he charges them, lightsaber swinging and his warriors right beside him.

OBI-WAN: (to Beru) Go on! I'll hold them off!

Obeying, Beru -- Nellith by her side -- takes off into a run toward the faraway valley.

Turning toward the approaching Tuskens, the Jedi knight pulls out his two blasters. As the Sand People approach, he fires. The shot from the blaster in his left hand catches one of the leader's sons in the hip, the shot from the blaster in his right catches the other in the leg; both shots knock the Tuskens down, taking them out of the fight, leaving the Jedi the tribal leader to defeat.

Hollering in anger, the Tusken leader swings the blue lightsaber. Ben jumps back, but the blade slashes through one of his blasters, destroying it. Bringing up the remaining blaster, he fires, but the blue bolt merely grazes the Tusken's side, leaving him alive and still hungry for blood. Roaring, the Tusken kicks the blaster out of the Jedi's hand, and then takes another swing at the human.

Crouching down, Ben springs into the air, somersaulting over the Tusken and landing behind him. Throwing out his hands, he uses the powers granted him through the Force to reinforce his strength, shoving the Tusken warrior violently forward. Hollering in surprise and fear, the Tusken flies through the air ungracefully, dropping the Jedi weapon in his hand before finally hitting the hard ground with enough force to knock him unconscious.

Collecting the intact blaster and his lightsaber, Ben runs off to rejoin Beru and Nellith.

Hmm ... this has been happening to me, also, usually around 11:30 PM-1:00+ AM PST. I didn't bother mentioning it before 'cause I assumed it was a problem on my end. 

Well, at least they referred to it as the Star Wars Trilogy, not the Star Wars Original Trilogy ('cause let's be honest -- there's really only one Star Wars trilogy, and that crap released from 1999-2005 sure as Hell isn't it).

I think now's a good time to play another game of "assign a face to the character", as I've introduced a few more characters to the story since the last time.

Oh, and I'd just like to say right up front that if I don't mention any major characters, it's either because I think the face they already have applied to them (Jimmy Smits as Bail or the actors who played Owen and Beru in the PT as Owen and Beru) work just fine for them, or because -- as in the case of Zull -- I don't envision them as looking like any particular person; it isn't because I forgot to mention them. =P

===

I've envisioned the character of Raia Vaness as looking like the model Vanessa Raia (no great surprise there, eh?)

I admit it's kind of odd to picture a bimbo with fake boobs in the role of a strong female military officer, but somehow my mind's able to make it work (imagining her without heavy makeup, as taller, and with natural boobs probably helps =P).

Mr. Solo is, as mentioned in the text of my script, a yellow-skinned near-Duros. =P

Obviously, Mr. Solo is a homage to Sulu, the Asian helmsman from Star Trek: TOS. He is not, though -- is NOT -- related to Han Solo; the two share the same last name, nothing more.

And before anyone mentions it, yeah, I suppose giving an alien patterned after Sulu yellow skin is a tad racist. If any of you know a better way of making the visual connection between the two characters closer, though, I certainly wouldn't mind hearing it.

In my mind, the Mandalorian who violates Zull looks like a battle-scarred Jeff Fahey (a Jeff Fahey with a Cockney accent, BTW =P).

I see Anakin as looking like a young Leonardo DiCaprio.

I guess the genesis of this vision came when I heard that DiCaprio was considered for the role during the casting of AOTC. Later on, I noticed -- to my eyes, at least -- that his features (the shape of his face, in particular) resembled Sebastian Shaw's enough that I could imagine him growing to look like the older actor with time (which is more than I can say for Hayden Christensen; nothing about that guy's face resembles Shaw's in the least and never will).

In the end, when I came to the conclusion that I just couldn't imagine my Anakin looking or sounding anything like Hayden, I chose to base him on Leo instead.

I thought It'd be interesting if I patterned -- at least some -- of the Tusken Raiders in my script after the guys in this image. Perhaps they're a different kind of Tusken -- a more feral branch of the species -- or just members of a different tribe than the one seen in Star Wars.

As most of you have no doubt realized, the "dark warrior" that Obi-Wan encounters in his flashback during his first fight with the Sand People is patterned after Darth Maul.

In my universe, the character wears black robes with red trim like in this image, and has perfect white teeth (a deliberate reversal of how the character's teeth were depicted in TPM).

Oh, and before anyone asks, the character doesn't go by "Darth Maul" in my continuity. "Darth" is not a title anyone -- Sith or otherwise -- uses in my universe.

Once again the TPM concept art inspires the visuals of my SW Universe. =P

This is basically how I imagine Qui-Gon -- the Jedi apprentice Ben keeps having flashbacks and nightmares about -- to look like (just picture a sixteen-year-old Liam Neeson with that hair, and the image is complete ;-)).

Nellith is basically Brooke Shields with magenta hair, fuschia eyes, and no makeup.

I picture Craetorius as looking like Jackie Earle Haley with red-pink skin and a whole lot of nasty facial scars (no -- not like with his Freddy Krueger; that look is so goddamn stupid and I would never pattern any character's appearance after it (I am so glad I have never seen the ANOES remake, BTW)).

That tall humanoid in the hooded, black robe who directs Obi-Wan over to the dark side cave in his dream? Yeah, this one isn't hard to figure out ... ;-)

imperialscum said:

DuracellEnergizer said:

^That must explain why crap like this

keeps showing up, regardless of the fact that it contradicts stuff like this

It does not contradict anything. The first picture describes the arrival of exiled Jedi on Korriban centuries before the events of the second picture took place. In fact the first picture shows the reason as to why one of the guy on the second picture is half human.

*sigh* In The Golden Age of the Sith and The Fall of the Sith Empire, it was heavily implied that when the Great Schism between the Jedi occurred, lightsabers hadn't been invented yet, and therefore the Jedi/Dark Jedi of that era used alchemically-forged swords. The Jedi only took to using the first archaic lightsabers after the Dark Jedi who became the Sith Lords were exiled from the Republic; as a result of this, the Sith were never initially exposed to the lightsaber technology and never developed it on their own, only coming into contact with lightsabers when the Great Hyperspace War occurred.

So that means that showing any Force-user of the era weilding lightsabers of any variety -- archaic or modern, single or double-bladed -- conflicts with the history portrayed in those above mentioned storylines.

(Yes, I know -- in some of the earlier Tales of the Jedi comics, Jedi from the time of the Great Schism were depicted using modern lightsabers. Since these depictions are few in number and were shown only as holocron recordings and flashbacks, though, I feel they can be chalked up as being poorly-researched recreations of actual events and/or the results of artistic license.)

A side note: the second picture is visually crap compared to the first. At least the first feels like it could be something from Star Wars while the second one looks like some from a cheap superhero comic book.

Yes, the art from The Golden Age of the Sith and The Fall of the Sith Empire isn't very good. Frankly, though, I don't care, as the visual design of the Sith, their clothing, their architecture, and other various aspects of their culture more than makes up for it (that's more than I can say for the uninspired, black hat "anti-Jedi" look).

And JFTR, the second image does not look like it comes from a "cheap superhero comic". It brings to mind sword-and-sorcery comics, if anything.

EXT. SWAMP WORLD - CAVE - DAY (DREAMSCAPE)

Obi-Wan stands looking into the mouth of a dark, foreboding cave with thick ground mist swirling about his ankles. Here, Obi-Wan is only about sixteen years old, with shaggy blond hair and clad in a simple tan flight suit. Standing beside the Jedi apprentice is a very tall humanoid figure clad in a black, hooded robe that conceals all but his pale white hands.

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD OBI-WAN: (turns to the figure) What is in there?

The figure responds by silently lifting an arm and pointing with one long finger toward the cave.

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD OBI-WAN: (turns toward the cave) Only what I take with me.

Tentative, Obi-Wan steps away from the dark figure towards the cave. Coming up to the mouth he stops, cautiously peering about the dark interior for hidden dangers. When he has satisfied himself that there are no immediate threats to his person, he slowly slips inside.

INT. CAVE - DAY (DREAMSCAPE)

Ben makes his way along the length of the cave's interior, taking care to avoid tripping in the overgrown vegetation which runs along the walls and floor. Soon he stops, his eyes growing wide.

At the end of the cave is a figure clad in the uniform of a Coruscanti Jedi apprentice with thick, dark hair tied up in a topknot; the figure stands with his back turned toward Obi-Wan.

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD OBI-WAN: (walks up to the figure and gingerly places a hand on his shoulder) Qui-Gon?

Suddenly the figure spins around, revealing himself to be the young Jedi who fought with Ben against the zabrak darksider. His skin gray and his eyes glassy, the Jedi is plainly dead.

QUI-GON: (echoing) Obi-Wan ...

The cadaver's eyeballs roll up into his head, and a sticky, yellow ichor oozes out from under them, running down his cheeks. His black lips part, and a centipede slides out of his mouth.

Before Obi-Wan can react to this apparition standing before him, an arm wielding a ruby-bladed saberstaff bursts through the corpse's chest, filling the air with decayed, black biological matter.

INT. TATOOINE - LARS HOMESTEAD/OBI-WAN'S BEDROOM - DAY

Obi-Wan bolts upright in bed, breathing rapidly with his face wet with heavy perspiration. Awake, he is no longer in the dark cave on the swamp planet with the apparition of Qui-Gon Jinn, but that is no cause for comfort; from outside can be heard the shouts of Owen and Anakin, the hollerings of Tusken Raiders, and the screams of blasterfire.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - DAY

Owen and Anakin, blasters firing, fight desperately to repel a raiding party of Tusken Raiders. The Tuskens, hollering and hooting, gallop in a circle around the entrance to the homestead, shaking gaffi sticks and blaster rifles above their heads in defiance.

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD/OBI-WAN'S BEDROOM - DAY

Having hurriedly dressed himself, Obi-Wan grabs his lightsaber and rushes out the door.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - DAY

OWEN: (to Anakin) My pack's running low!

ANAKIN: (quickly pulls a fresh blaster pack from a satchel at his side) Here!

The young blond man tosses the fresh blaster pack to Owen, who catches it easily. As he hurries to replace the old pack, five Sand People dismount their banthas and coming charging. Unable to snap the pack in in time, Owen can do nothing but use the blaster rifle as a shield as one of the Tuskens comes at him, raining down blows with his gaffi stick.

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD/ENTRANCE - DAY

As Ben reaches the sealed entrance that will take him up to the surface above the homestead, he finds Beru and Nellith crouched down in defensive positions, blasters in their hands.

OBI-WAN: What's happening?

NELLITH: Tuskens!

BERU: They came out of nowhere and just started circling the house, hollering and shooting at us!

With desperation evident in his eyes, Ben crosses to the door, opening it.

OBI-WAN: (to Nellith) Do you have another blaster?

Nellith nods.

OBI-WAN: Then give me the one you have.

Nellith tosses the blaster to Ben, who catches it effortlessly.

BERU: Be careful, Ben.

Saluting her with his lightsaber, Obi-Wan runs out the door, sealing it behind him.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - DAY

Owen and Anakin fight on bravely, with Anakin taking out every Sand Person he can find in the scope of his blaster rifle while Owen uses his powerless weapon as a club to keep the others at bay. With half of the Tusken Raiders having dismounted their banthas, however, the two moisture farmers are sorely outnumbered.

Having taken all the damage it can, Owen's rifle snaps in two as a Sand Person gives it one, strong whack with his gaffi stick. Suddenly defenseless, Owen can do nothing as the Tusken swings the gaffi through the air, hitting him in the head with the butt of the weapon and knocking him out cold.

As Owen collapses to the ground, Obi-Wan comes bursting out from the dome entrance, the azure blade of his lightsaber engaged in his left hand with the cold blaster gripped in his right. Sighting the Tusken take out his brother, he aims the blaster and shoots the warrior in the head before he can deliver a killing blow to the unconscious moisture farmer.

ANAKIN: (seeing Obi-Wan) Ben!

Together, Obi-Wan and Anakin press their counterattack against the Tusken Raiders. With his skills as a Jedi at his command, Ben makes significant progress against the desert warriors, cutting them down in droves with both his lightsaber and the blaster; Nik, with the blaster rifle and a smaller blaster pistol, covers him, firing upon each and every Tusken who escapes the Jedi's offense to attack him in turn.

In the end, though, the numbers of the Sand People prove to be too overwhelming a force even for the Jedi to overcome. Four of the last six remaining Tuskens gang up on the Jedi, pulling him to the ground and knocking him out; when Anakin rushes to offer his aid, the other two turn on him, with one of them hurling a shuriken which strikes the boy in the shoulder and cuts into the underlying flesh and bone, knocking him head-over-heels to the sandy ground.

With all three men down for the count, the six Tusken Raiders turn their attention to the entrance dome leading down into the underground homestead. With fierce determination, they break through the locked door and file inside. Blaster bolts ring out from within, and the pained grunts and cries of injured Sand People follow.

After several moments, four of the Sand People come out, Nellith and Beru struggling in the arms of two of them. As they come to one of the banthas, the Tuskens grab some metal cable and proceed to tie the two women up with it. Once that is done, the two women are tossed up onto one of the banthas and secured into place. The remaining Tusken Raiders then tie their banthas together and take their place atop their mounts.

With cries of victory, the Tuskens take off in a gallop with their captives toward the horizon. They disappear into the distance as a fierce wind begins to pick up, scouring the sand and erasing the tracks the banthas leave behind.

An hour or so later, Obi-Wan returns to consciousness and pushes himself up into a sitting position, groaning with the effort. Looking about him, he tries to locate his lightsaber but cannot find it; one of the Tuskens has obviously taken it.

Rising to feet, the Jedi makes his way over to Anakin; with the blades of the shuriken embedded in his flesh, the boy is in very bad shape.

OBI-WAN: (pained) Dammit, Anakin ...

Having regained consciousness as well, Owen slowly walks over to Ben and Nik, rubbing his bruised head.

OWEN: (concerned) How is he? Is he okay?

OBI-WAN: He's losing a lot of blood. (strips his shirt off and crumples it up, placing it around the wound and pressing down on it) We have to get him medical attention immediately. Bring the speeder around.

OWEN: Yeah, sure, just -- (freezes) Beru! Oh, God, I forgot about them!

With new matters of importance on his mind, Owen takes off in a run for the entrance into the homestead.

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD/ENTRANCE - DAY

Stepping through the entrance into the home, Owen begins searching through the house for Beru and Nellith. While he finds the bodies of the two Tuskens they managed to kill before been captured, Beru and Nellith themselves are nowhere to be found.

Consumed with fear and rage, the moisture farmer falls to his knees, releasing a mindless, animalistic roar as he clenches his fists into tight, hard balls.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - DAY

Having brought the Lars landspeeder out of the garage himself, Obi-Wan, carrying the still form of Anakin in his arms, walks up to the vehicle. Climbing inside, he lays the unconscious boy down in the back seat carefully.

Just as he climbs back out of the speeder, Owen comes at him, grabbing the Jedi by the shoulders and dragging him down to the ground.

OWEN: (panicking) They took them, Ben, they took them! They took Nellith, they took Beru! They took them!

Rage starting to well up within him once again, the moisture farmer starts shaking Ben by the shoulders.

OWEN: (enraged) What were you doing when those monsters took them, you bastard!? Why weren't you protecting them?! Answer me, goddamn you!

Without a word, Obi-Wan slaps Owen hard in the face.

OWEN: (releases Ben and collapses to a heap, sobbing) Oh, God, Ben! They took her! They took her! What are they going to do to her?! What!?

Pulling Owen up into a sitting position, the Jedi slaps him hard in the face again.

OBI-WAN: (firm) Snap out of it, Owen! Get a hold of yourself now!

Sobbing, Owen begins to recover his bearings.

OBI-WAN: (cont'd) Anakin has been badly injured -- we have to get him to Anchorhead immediately. If we don't, he'll die. Do you understand?

OWEN: (nods) Yes, yes, I understand.

OBI-WAN: Alright. (beat) I've bandaged the wound as best I can and placed him in the speeder. You have to be the one to take him to Anchorhead.

OWEN: But what about Beru, about Nellith?

OBI-WAN: With that attack you sustained, you're in no condition to track down those Tuskens. (beat) I'll find Beru and Nellith.

OWEN: But they took your weapon!

OBI-WAN: The lightsaber is a tool, nothing more. I don't need it to be a Jedi.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - DAY

Two landspeeders comes to life and zoom off in opposite directions. The first is the Lars family speeder -- with Owen at the controls and Anakin injured in the back seat -- headed off toward Anchorhead, while the second is the rented landspeeder of Obi-Wan, who is headed out into the deep desert, on the search for the Tusken Raiders who kidnapped Nellith and Beru.

I don't know about anyone else, but I love Beldorion the Hutt.

From a franchise that, like Star Trek, unfortunately likes to run with the whole "the individual represents the entire species" characterization of alien races, it's incredibly novel and refreshing to see a Hutt that is both muscular and a (Dark) Jedi.

Hmm ... that might actually work. I've been trying to figure out a way to incorporate Anakin's skills as a pilot into the story but haven't had any concrete ideas on how to do that before now.

Maybe if Ben and Owen have an errand to run that takes them out to the Dune Sea, and they end up getting caught in a fierce sandstorm, requiring someone to come in and rescue them ...

I've actually come to find Tatooine a magical place of sorts. Not on the surface, mind you, in its towns and other settlements, but in its deep desert regions, where there are few men. It is there where I get a sense that the planet has some deep, hidden secrets -- like its own version of Atlantis buried out there somewhere in the Dune Sea or something along those lines.

Of course, how much of this has been influenced by the EU I can't say.

God, I love Dolores O'Riordan's voice.

Well, I've hit a snag in the development of the script and entered a doldrums of sorts. 

Between where I am in the story right now -- with Anakin aware of his Force-sensitivity but Obi-Wan unwilling to train him -- and where I plan on going -- with Obi-Wan deciding to take Anakin from Tatooine and train him as a Jedi -- I don't know how to develop the story. I know I have to show Ben helping out around the farm, Anakin pestering him to know more about the Force and the Jedi, and so on, but I don't know how to flesh these elements out.

If anyone reading has any ideas of how I can explore this period in the story -- how Ben should come around to accepting Anakin as his apprentice, any sidestories between them and/or the other members of the Lars/Whitesun families -- I'd be grateful if you'd share them, 'cause I'm simply drawing blanks right now.

^I feel your pain. All things considered, though, the show left a pretty good legacy behind.

skyjedi2005 said:

Totally agree and its also quite hilarious that the clone wars were not really shown on screen nor the Jedi purge its all comic books, or video games, cartoons.

But as far as George is concerned, the Jedi Purge was depicted on screen. He envisioned the Purge as being a pathetically short event involving clones simply shooting Jedi in the back like punks, and lo, it was so.

Yes, I know, the Purge really should have been a several-years-long event involving Darth Vader, other darksiders, and various Imperial agents, bounty hunters, and mercenaries tracking down, rounding up, and exterminating Jedi, but that's a different subject for a different post.

Well, The Ridiculous Menace was very funny, but it dragged a bit too much in the Tatooine part of the movie, and the edited dialogue was a bit crude (that obviously couldn't be helped, though).

Attack of the Ridiculous, however, didn't suffer from any dragging scenes and the editing appeared much more seamless (plus I just loved Jar Jar with Krusty's voice).

EXT. TATOOINE - WHITESUN HOMESTEAD - GRAVESITE - SUNSET

Obi-Wan, Owen, Anakin, Nellith, and Beru stand before a freshly-buried grave, the simple tombstone placed at the head of it identifying the occupant as Mir Whitesun. The faces of all five mourners, in sharp contrast to the beautiful fiery light of the setting suns, are grim and dark.

NELLITH: (cont'd) When I came to Tatooine, I didn't think I'd ever be able to find love again. But then I met you, and you awoke something in me that I thought I'd lost forever. You were the most loving husband a woman could have, Mir, and I thank you. (beat) Until God reunites us, my love, goodbye.

Eyes tearful but with a slight smile of fondly remembered memories on her lips, Nellith walks up to the gravestone. Kissing the tips of her fingers, she presses them on the warm stone. As a tear falls from her eye onto the fresh earth of the plot, the handsome magenta-haired woman returns to her side by her daughter.

Leaving the others, Anakin walks up to the grave, and kneels down on one leg before it.

ANAKIN: I'm sorry, Dad -- I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Maybe if I'd been here, I could have stopped them or distracted them somehow, given you and poor Jira the chance to escape. (beat) You may not have been my biological father, but you were always there to love and support me, to teach me wrong from right, and I'll never forget you. (beat) I don't know how, Dad, but I'll find a way to give your death meaning. I won't let you be forgotten.

With that, Anakin's speech and the funeral both come to an end. Silently, the members of the Lars and Whitesun family move off towards their landspeeder. Only Ben remains behind, looking upon the grave with deep contemplation. Owen, noticing his brother lagging behind, leaves the others to join him.

OWEN: What is it?

OBI-WAN: I never knew Mir Whitesun all that well, but I know what it means to lose a loved one to senseless violence. (beat) Perhaps time can heal all wounds, but the scars'll never go away.

Hearing these words, Owen can't help but to laugh sardonically.

OBI-WAN: (frowns) What is so funny?

OWEN: I'm sorry, it's not funny, but I'd built you Jedi up to be these aloof, demi-godlike lobotomy patients. It's strange to see that you're human after all.

OBI-WAN: Jedi may be able to touch the Force, but that doesn't change our fundamental natures. We're as prone to human virtues -- and failings -- as any other man. (beat) What is going to happen with Nellith and Anakin?

OWEN: There's nowhere else for them to go, so they'll stay with Beru and me. As for the farm, I suppose we'll sell it -- I certainly can't run it, not without some hired help, and for that, I'd need to bring in a greater profit than I'm getting at the moment. (beat) You never got around to telling me how you paid Watto off. How'd you manage to accomplish a minor miracle like that?

OBI-WAN: I gave him a corusca gem.

OWEN: (Astonished) A corusca gem!? Where in God's name did you get your paws on a corusca gem?!

OBI-WAN: It was a gift from Amidala Naberrie, the Princess of Nabu. We'd ... formed a bond of sorts during my time stationed there, so when it came time for us to part ways, she gave it to me.

OWEN: Why didn't you stay there, with her?

OBI-WAN: The worlds of a Jedi Knight and a queen-to-be are worlds apart -- we couldn't have made it work, not in the long run. (beat) The gem was her way of keeping us together; if we couldn't be one in the flesh, we could in spirit.

OWEN: Obi-Wan, I'm sorry. (beat) What are you going to do now? Are you going back to Yoda?

OBI-WAN: I tried that, but he couldn't help me. (beat) I suppose I'll just drift around from place-to-place until I find what I'm looking for.

OWEN: Ben ...

OBI-WAN: Yes?

OWEN: I suppose with Anakin and Nellith helping us, Beru and I can start getting ahead. But it'll be a while before they get over this. Why don't you stay with us awhile -- at least until they're back on their feet again.

Turning to regard Owen, Obi-Wan gives him the first truly happy smile he's had to give in a long time.

BEN: I left you alone once, and look where it got you. It seems you can't make anything work without your big brother around to help you out.

Grinning broadly, Owen uses one hand to trap Ben in a headlock, using the other to give the Jedi a vigorous noogie. Laughing broadly, the two brothers go off together to join the others at the speeder.

INT. LARS HOMESTEAD - DINING ROOM - EVENING

The combined families of the Larses and Whitesuns sit together around a dining table, finishing off a modest supper.

OBI-WAN: (to Beru) That was a delicious meal, Beru. My compliments to the chef.

ANAKIN: Yeah, sis -- excellent meal, like always.

BERU: (beaming) Thanks.

Once the food has been cleared from their plates, Nellith stands up and begins to collect the used dishes.

BERU: Mom, let me do that.

OWEN: Yes, please sit down. We'll take care of it.

NELLITH: Oh, shush. You don't want to make me feel like a freeloader, do you?

OWEN: Don't say that, Nellith. You're family and a part of the household now.

NELLITH: Still, just this one time, I want to do it. I've got to. To --

The death of her husband still painfully fresh in her mind and heart, Nellith starts to cry again. Standing up, Anakin goes to assist her, taking the plates and utensils from her arms.

ANAKIN: We'll take care of the dishes, Mom. You go to bed.

NELLITH: (wipes tears away) Alright, Ani, alright. (kisses Nik on the cheek) Goodnight.

ANAKIN: (Returns her kiss) Goodnight, Mom.

Once Nellith has given her farewells to each of the others in the room and leaves, all four of them proceed to collect the dishes and tidy the table up.

EXT. LARS HOMESTEAD - COURTYARD - EVENING

Sometime later, Obi-Wan sits upon the ground outside the homestead, his legs crossed and his back turned to the entrance. His eyes closed, his face is tranquil, without burden. Sitting there, he doesn't seem to notice as Anakin silently steps outside, crossing his arms across his chest as he leans back against the stone entrance to look upon the Jedi.

OBI-WAN: (opens his eyes) Hello, Anakin.

ANAKIN: (smirks) You heard me?

OBI-WAN: (rises to his feet and turns to face Anakin) Not exactly, no.

ANAKIN: I like going outside at night when I want to get away from things, too. With the stars and moons out so bright, it helps to make me feel like I'm in tune with something larger -- nature, I guess. The whole universe, even.

OBI-WAN: I know what you mean, Anakin, perfectly. (beat) Did you want something?

ANAKIN: What are you?

OBI-WAN: (frowns) Pardon?

ANAKIN: What are you, exactly? A cyborg? A spice junkie? I saw how you dealt with Sebulba and Craetorius -- no normal human can do what you did.

OBI-WAN: (laughs) I'm no cyborg, Anakin, and I've never touched a single gram of spice in my life. What you saw was perfectly natural.

ANAKIN: (shakes his head) Don't give me that. Maybe if you were an alien or some kind of evolved near-human, I could buy into it, but you're as normal as I am. (beat) Wait a minute -- are you telling me that you've received genetic enhancements? I guess that could be considered natural from a certain point of view, but --

OBI-WAN: No genetic enhancements, Anakin. What I have is something I was born with.

ANAKIN: You're a mutant, then!

OBI-WAN: (sighs) Have you ever heard of the Jedi, Anakin?

ANAKIN: (shakes his head) I don't think so.

OBI-WAN: You told me that when you go out to stare at the stars, you feel like you're in touch with the universe.

ANAKIN: Yes, so?

OBI-WAN: I am in touch with the universe, Anakin. Not figuratively, but literally -- through the Force.

ANAKIN: Force?

OBI-WAN: The Force is the soul of the universe, an energy field which generates -- and is generated from -- all life. It surrounds us, permeates us, and binds us together.

ANAKIN: (smirks) You're talking about hokey religious stuff.

OBI-WAN: (shrugs) If that's what you want to call it.

ANAKIN: (rolls his eyes) Get real.

OBI-WAN: Anakin, hold out your hand.

ANAKIN: (confused) What?

OBI-WAN: Just hold out your hand, like this.

The Jedi, holds up his hand, fingers out and palm facing outward. Tentatively, Nik mimes his gesture.

OBI-WAN: Now close your eyes and empty your mind.

ANAKIN: What --

OBI-WAN: Just do it, Anakin. (beat) Close your eyes, empty your mind, place yourself in the state that brings you in touch with the greater reality surrounding you.

Shrugging, the boy does what is asked of him. Smiling with contentment, Obi-Wan brings his hand up close to Anakin's until they almost -- but not quite -- touch. He then closes his eyes, returning to the meditative trance he was in earlier.

Standing there together, eyes both closed and hands nearly touching, nothing seems to be happening; all is still and silent. As the seconds pass, though, something non-visual begins to happen. Nik's brow first furrows, then his head tilts as if in search of the source of some unheard sound. Finally, his eyes shoot open and he exhales loudly.

ANAKIN: (amazed) What the hell was that?!

OBI-WAN: What do you think?

ANAKIN: (shakes himself as if cold) The Force?

OBI-WAN: (nods) All life is born with a connection to the Force, but only some of us are gifted with the potential to actively perceive and touch it. You and I are among those few.

ANAKIN: And you knew I was like you?

OBI-WAN: (nods) I sensed you were strong with the Force from the moment we met.

ANAKIN: But I've never --

OBI-WAN: Force-sensitivity is inherent but not immediately apparent. It takes time and effort to hone your connection with the Force and harness the powers it can give you.

ANAKIN: Powers like parrying blaster bolts and speaking in multiple voices at once?

OBI-WAN: Among many others. (beat) Too many others.

His expression growing suddenly grave, Ben ends the conversation there. Silently, the Jedi walks past Nik on his way back inside. Anakin quickly reaches out, grabbing him by the shoulder.

ANAKIN: You can teach me, can't you?

OBI-WAN: (brushes his hand off) No.

ANAKIN: (frowns) Why not?

OBI-WAN: It's not my place. I'm no teacher, Anakin.

ANAKIN: If you've told me this much, then you can tell me more!

OBI-WAN: (shakes his head) Just forget I said anything.

ANAKIN: (angry) Forget!? You can't just open my eyes and expect me to forget sight and colour!

OBI-WAN: As someone who has seen far more than you ever have and -- God willing -- ever will, believe me when I say that sight and colour are not all they're cracked up to be.

skyjedi2005 said:

I find it funny Mark Hamill played the Joker for twenty years and now is returning to the Luke Skywalker role he had distanced himself from.

I don't understand what you're finding so funny. Are you implying he should be ashamed of his work as the Joker?

Star Wars - Episode I: The Ridiculous Menace (2011)

Good, but needed more Ric.

7.5/10

Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Ridiculousness (2013)

Great, but still needed more Ric.

8/10

SilverWook said:

You haven't seen Oblivion then?

I was thinking about the first three movies in particular. The fourth did show some promise of taking the series to a conclusion.