EPISODE I: RECONSTRUCTED EDITION
Naboo is now Alderaan. At this point in time, Alderaan is the ruling planet of an independent system which has petitioned for Republic membership but is not yet part of that body.
Keeping this.
The Trade Federation is now the Federation Neimoidia. Instead of being a shipping/trading conglomerate (or whatever), the Federation’s a compact empire of mercenaries which hires its services out to planets/systems embroiled in small-scale conflicts.
Ditching this. I’d use the Mandalorian Death Watch instead.
Qui-Gon remains Obi-Wan’s master.
Ditching this. Yoda would be Obi-Wan’s master, with Qui-Gon Obi-Wan’s junior protege.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan wear black uniforms, the standard garb of Jedi.
Ditching this. Jedi would wear white uniforms.
[Obi-Wan] is the Jedi watchman of the Alderaan system. As such, he and [Qui-Gon] are already present on the planet’s surface when the Federation invades.
Keeping this.
Amidala and Padmé are now separate characters. Amidala is a child queen, 9 years old, innocent and demure. Padmé is one of her bodyguards, 17 years old, stern, with a lean muscular build.
Ditching this. I’d remove the Amidala/Padmé character altogether. A teenage Bail Organa would be the royal personage targeted by the Mandalorians, and his bodyguard would be the Mistryl Shadow Guard Nashira D’uquesne, a reimagined version of Anakin’s romantic partner from my previous PT rewrite.
Threepio is one of [Bail]'s servitors.
Keeping this.
Palpatine never appears in his Darth Sidious persona. It is Darth Maul alone who conspires with the [Mandalorians]. He is a human with red-&-black body tattoos, pristine white teeth, and a crown of feathers sewn with razor wire about his head. He wears white robes, the standard garb of Sith.
Ditching/amending this. I’m just completely sick to death of Maul; I’d use Asajj Ventress in his place, and she’d wear black.
The B1 battle droids are replaced with BX commando droids. These droids rarely speak.
Ditching this since Mandalorians are the enemy now.
[Obi-Wan], a nonconformist who straddles the line between orthodoxy/unorthdoxy, is the only Jedi who wields a green lightsaber. [Qui-Gon], more by-the-book than his master, wields a standard blue Jedi lightsaber.
Ditching this. Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon would both wield red lightsabers.
Gungans are present in the story, but Jar Jar is jettisoned.
Keeping this.
Anakin is 12 years old.
Ditching this. He’d be 14 years old to Nashira’s 19.
Cliegg Lars assumes Watto’s role. Owen is Anakin’s only friend. It is implied Cliegg is Anakin’s father (and Owen his half-brother).
Amending this. Cliegg would own the junk shop, but he’d be Anakin’s stepfather rather than biological father, and his relationship with Shmi would be a normal husband-wife relationship rather than one of master-slave.
No podrace. Qui-Gon successfully barters for Anakin’s freedom but hasn’t enough to buy Shmi’s.
Amending this. Still no podrace, but since Anakin’s not a slave, no bartering’s necessary.
Rather than a double-bladed lightsaber, [Ventress] wields a lightsaber pike. The shaft is of lightsaber-resistant metal, sporting a single red blade.
Ditching this. She’d wield two curved-hilt lightsabers with blue blades.
The [Mandalorians] erect planetary shield generators across the face of Alderaan. These generators, kilometres across in size, ravage the natural landscape and claim thousands-to-millions of lives.
There is no Chosen One prophecy. Anakin’s raw prowess with the Force is impetus enough for [Obi-Wan] to bring him before the Jedi Council.
The dissonance between [Obi-Wan] and the Council is greater here, with visible animosity between [Obi-Wan] and Mace Windu.
The Republic has a navy, modest but sizable enough to displace the [Mandalorian] presence on Alderaan. Being a non-member system, however, bureaucratic red tape prevents the Senate from assisting Alderaan. This is what inspires the non-confidence vote which ousts Valorum from the chancellorship.
Anakin remains behind at the Jedi Temple as [Obi-Wan] and the others return to Alderaan.
Allying with the Gungans, the Jedi & co. go to capture and disable the main shield generator. This is where [Obi-Wan] and [Qui-Gon] face [Ventress]. [Ventress] fatally wounds Qui-Gon and bests Obi-Wan. Rather than slay Obi-Wan, [Ventress] considers the [knight] too unworthy to die by [her] hand and so makes [her] departure.
The planetary shield nullified, the Republic fleet arrives to beat off the [Death Watch].
The ending mostly plays out the same as in Lucas’ film.
Keeping these.
Further changes I’d make:
- Pre Vizsla would be the leader of the Mandalorians. He’d have no darksaber, though.
- The Jedi council would remain adamant in their refusal to induct Anakin into the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan would defy them and begin training Anakin in secret.
Qui-Gon should also never constantly abuse his Force abilities to get his own way and he also wouldn’t have a contradictory moral code (e.g. he is perfectly happy brainwashing Watto into accepting useless money, but not to simply steal the spaceship part he needs).