This above is more or less how I intend to represent Dooku in my edit (though he won’t be a Sith). He’s aware of Palpatine, and his machinations, obviously certain things will have to be inferred due to the material available. I thought by adding Dooku to the Senate scene in TPM it draws a link between him and Palpatine, and the fact that he turns and walks away will show his disillusionment with the Senate.
He would be wielding a blue sabre in my edit.
Yeah, that is cool. This has been a common idea and luckily it doesn’t require major changes (cutting some lines, a scene, and changing Dooku’s saber color). This totally works for a radical edit, but it does contradict any non-film material, like the Clone Wars show. I guess I’m trying to figure out a way to maintain some of that added depth, but not blatantly contradict other material.
If there was a way one could add a line for Dooku about having joined the Dark Lord or something along those lines, but still keep him saying “we can destroy the Sith”, might help get that idea across. I think even deleting/altering Dooku’s lines about the Viceroy coming to him for help could help with this idea a little. If anyone has any ideas regarding line alterations or other usable Christopher Lee lines that could help, I’d appreciate the input!
On another note, I always felt Obi-Wan should be wielding Qui-Gon’s green blade at the start of Attack of the Clones.
This would be a cool idea too. Anakin and Obi’s Episode 2 sabers really could be any color since they end up losing both of them by the end of the movie.
Alternatively, I’ve always liked the idea that Luke uses Qui-Gon’s saber that Obi-Wan kept to build his green lightsaber. You could imply this by changing the ignition sound of Qui-Gon’s saber in TPM to the sound Luke’s makes in ROTJ.
If one were to also reinsert the scene of Luke building his saber in ROTJ, maybe someone could insert a brand new shot of Qui-Gon’s dismantled saber on the ground.
Another idea I wanted to discuss, and I believe this has been done in some edits before, is the idea of removing all of the Darth Sidious scenes in The Phantom Menace. I think there are some pros to this idea. One, it keeps the Sith more mysterious, because the only Sith we’ll ever see is Darth Maul. It allows the question Mace poses at the end, “But which was destroyed? The master, or the apprentice?”
It also allows Dooku’s exposition to Obi-Wan in AOTC be a little more revealing since that information wouldn’t be as obvious in TPM. At that point we wouldn’t know if Dooku was lying or if he was the “master” during the events of TPM. Then at the end of AOTC, the persona of Darth Sidious appears on screen for the first time and we realize Dooku was telling the truth.
It also would parallel A New Hope, since the Emperor is mentioned but never seen. In this version of TPM, we may hear reference to a Sith Master and feel his influence, but we would never see the Sidious persona.
Obviously there would be some cons, but I’m wondering if people think the film would be worse off without those scenes.
Do you think we would lose context that would make the film more confusing? I just think it would be interesting if we knew just about as much as our protagonists know.
If necessary, you could replace Sidious in some of those scenes with Darth Maul, and either add new VO or use existing dialogue from the film or of Sam Witwer voicing Maul. This would be a lot more work, but you would be giving Maul more to do in the film, though.
What do you guys think?