Watching Smudger’s Mandalore/Geonosis movie now.

Smudger trims a good amount from the second Mandalore episode, where I might have kept some more of the dialogue, including the scene where Anakin kills in cold blood with a smile on his face while Obi-Wan and Satine both hesitate. I still got the feeling that the first two episodes should be split in time from the third.

He also trims some of the nice Anakin/Padme romance from the Geonosis arc, which I think should stay. I also think the Clovis elements have a little context missing right off the bat, which I’d reintroduce - though I understand why he found himself pressed to keep the episode trim.

This movie barely interlaces the two arcs, essentially just playing Mandalore then Geonosis, with only the last and first episode of each arc intercut. He also uses some intercutting to imply that the destruction of the Geonosis factory is one of the reasons that Dooku can’t really back the Death Watch invasion of Mandalore, though this doesn’t quite land for me. It’s a fine way to consume these arcs if you want to watch for two hours, but I think it supports the idea that his first movie was able to take advantage of some particularly lucky opportunities.

There is also one odd part in the first Geonosis episode where the background music cuts out- but I’m not here to criticise these things.

Smudger’s interlacing of the two Geonosian worm-zombie episodes is fantastic. Especially the beginning, where what’s happened to the troopers is kept mysterious and ominous, and the way that it’s uncovered by each of the two parties in different ways. I’ll probably steal this wholesale.