Trial of Balance - A 3 in 1 Edit of the Prequels [V1 Released]

I’m happy to announce the release of my 3 in 1 Fan Edit of the Prequels, which can be watched as a standalone full-feature film:

Trial of Balance

(1) Format & Specs:

• Duration: 2:57
• Resolution: Full HD 1080p, 1920×1080, 24 FPS
• Codec: HEVC Main 10, 10-bit, 14.9 Mb/s
• Audio: AAC LC 2.0, 44.1 kHz, 192 kb/s
• File size: 18.7 GiB

I’m eager to receive feedback since this is my first release. If you’re interested to watch the edit, please request it via private message / topic.

(2) Summary

(2.1) Summary of Content

Trial of Balance is a fully realized, 3-in-1 fan edit of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, structured as a five-act tragic epic. Unlike other 3-in-1 edits, this version focuses on 2 main plots:

1. Anakin’s Development, especially with regards to his relationship with Obi-Wan, Padmé, the Chancellor Palpatine, and the Jedi Council
2. Downfall of the Republic and rise of the Empire.

Every scene has purpose: to build character depth, political intrigue, and emotional tension, while retaining the essential Star Wars mythos. The whole narration is presented almost exclusively from the perspective of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé, presenting events from their perspective and creating a coherent, immersive narrative
The result is a focused, intense, and dramatically cohesive prequel saga, trimming spectacle and extraneous plotlines to elevate the storytelling to a near-Shakespearean tragedy in five acts.

(2.2) Why This Edit is Unique

1. The whole prequel trilogy in one movie reimagined and restructured as a 5-Act Tragedy.
2. Focused POV: Almost entirely from Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan’s perspectives.
3. Intense & Believable: Emotional stakes amplified, relationships and motivations clear.
4. Balanced Action & Drama: Action sequences serve story, not spectacle.

(2.3) Key Highlights / Fanedit Decisions

• Training Fight & Flashbacks: Seamlessly integrates Kenobi series fight with Episode I flashbacks. Establishes bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin. The Anakin–Obi-Wan training fight at the film’s beginning, mirrored by their climactic duel at the end, serves as a framing device for the entire story. Together, these duels trace the arc of their relationship—from the trust and camaraderie of mentor and student to the heartbreak and tragedy of adversaries—giving the film a resonant emotional and thematic symmetry.
• Anakin-Padmé Relationship: Deepened, realistic, emotionally compelling; avoids previously awkward or melodramatic lines.
• Political Plot: Emergency powers, clone army, and Senate dynamics streamlined. Critical for Empire’s rise and Anakin’s fall.
• Selective Action Retention: Only sequences that serve character or plot are kept. Geonosis arena, Grievous battles, Yoda-Sidious duel removed. Many other action sequences are heavily trimmed.
• Music & Tone: Carefully curated from Episodes I–III to support emotion, tension, and mythic gravitas.
• Narrative Clarity: All major political, romantic, and moral arcs remain coherent; redundant or confusing sequences removed.

(3) Motivation and Philosophy

(3.1) My Relationship with the Prequels

I grew up loving the Star Wars Prequels. They were mysterious, mythic, and epic — a grand, operatic tale of heroes turning into villains and a republic descending into empire. I could almost recite every scene by heart. As a child, I experienced them as legend and morality play; as an adult, I began to notice the flaws: awkward dialogue, uneven pacing, over-reliance on CGI.

Yet despite these shortcomings, the Prequels never lost their emotional and mythological weight. Beneath the uneven execution lies an incredible story — a Shakespearean tragedy set in space. These films explore themes of ambition, attachment, moral blindness, and the seduction of power. They are culturally resonant, philosophically rich, and archetypally potent: epic stories of passion, betrayal, and institutional collapse. My edit is born from a desire to let these deeper truths shine, uncluttered by spectacle or inconsistency.

(3.2) Why the Prequels Are Worth Saving

The Prequels possess enduring artistic and cultural value, and their essence is what I aimed to preserve and amplify:
• Epic Content: The fall of the Republic and the Jedi; the rise of the Sith and the Empire. These are stories of historical, emotional, and moral scale.
• Philosophical Depth: At their core, the Prequels are tragic parables about power, fear, desire, and ethical compromise — universal themes worth exploring.
• Mythic Archetypes:
o Anakin — the ambitious hero whose heart and passion are both his strength and his undoing.
o Padmé — the embodiment of compassion, democracy, and moral clarity; the body of the Republic.
o Obi-Wan and the Jedi — wisdom, restraint, and the moral spirit of a fading order.
• Aesthetic Brilliance: The films feature visionary world-building, costumes, music, and choreography, which provide a rich cinematic canvas.
• Cultural Legacy: Flawed as they are, the Prequels are now integral to film history and pop culture. They continue to inspire discussion, reinterpretation, and reimagination.

(3.3) What Went Wrong

Critics and fans alike have dissected the trilogy extensively, and several consistent failures emerge:
• Indecision: The trilogy never fully commits — it oscillates between adult political tragedy and child-friendly adventure, satisfying neither.
• Weak Dramaturgy: Many scenes exist without narrative or emotional purpose. As RedLetterMedia famously put it, the films often feel like “a series of things that happen.”
• Flat Dialogue & Direction: Strong actors are constrained by stilted scripts. Performances are uneven, despite occasional brilliance.
• Excessive Spectacle: CGI-driven action often replaces dramatic tension. Choreography is weightless, undermining stakes and character impact.
• Tonal Inconsistency: Humor, politics, and operatic tragedy clash within the same sequences.
• Continuity & Emotional Gaps: Key arcs and motivations sometimes fail to connect with the Original Trilogy.

Ultimately, the ideas in the Prequels are brilliant; the execution is mechanical. The challenge is not the story itself but how it is told.

(3.4) My Approach: Resolving the Indecision

This fan edit seeks to create one coherent, emotionally resonant film: a 5-act epic that feels like a tragic myth, not a CGI rollercoaster. My goal is not compression, but careful curation, re-dramatization, and philosophical amplification.

(3.5) Core Principles:
• Emotional and Narrative Truth: Every scene serves character, theme, or plot. No over-the-top stunts, no filler, no cartoonish villains.
• Serve the Story, Not the Fans:
o Remove empty spectacle (Yoda vs. Palpatine, General Grievous, excessive CGI).
o Remove juvenile humor and fan-service moments.
o Present the narrative as a tragedy for adults.
• Character-Centric Focus:
o Track Anakin’s arc, especially his relationships with Padmé, Obi-Wan, the Jedi Council, and Palpatine.
o Explore the Jedi’s moral failings and the Republic’s collapse.
o Show the philosophical and emotional cost of ambition and fear.
• Action as Dramatic Tool: Action sequences exist only to escalate character and narrative tension, never as spectacle alone.
• Let Scenes Breathe: Emotional pauses are as important as movement; silence and reflection deepen resonance.
• Philosophical Framing: The film emphasizes choices, consequences, and moral ambiguity — turning spectacle into meditation on tragedy and human fallibility.

(4) Detailed Overview of Changes:

(4.1) Sources & Inspirations:

• Shroud of the Dark Side by DSQR: Provided the foundation for believable Anakin-Padmé and Anakin-Obi-Wan relationships, plus improved narrative clarity combined with high quality upscaled deleted scenes.
• Attack Of The Clones – Streamlined Streamlined (phase3): Inspired pacing improvements, dialogue fixes, and subtle political narrative tweaks.
• Revenge of the Sith by DominicCobb: Guided the psychologically intense portrayal of Anakin’s turn to the dark side.
• Episode III - Labyrinth Of Evil by HAL 9000: Used for OT-style cinematic tone, music adjustments, and emotional cohesion.
• SubjectZero’s Star Wars: Abridged I – The Republic: Reference for war montage and collage technique, as well as the transition from Episode II to Episode III.

(4.2) Key changes and editing decisions of Part I (up to 1:15)

The first part of the film is mainly passed on the Episode II edit Shroud of the Dark Side by DsqrD Studio, enhanced with the Obi-Wan & Anakin training fight from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series and flashbacks to Episode I.

Additional improvements from various fan edits have been incorporated, including:
• A more believable Padmé–Anakin relationship
• Cordé not apologizing to Padmé while she is dying
• Emergency powers not proposed by Jar Jar
• Certain Senate members aware of Sifo-Dyas’s clone army

Some elements are drawn from Phase3’s Streamlined Edit, and parts of the musical score are replaced with selections from Episodes I and II.

The training fight is interwoven with flashbacks to Episode I, introducing Obi-Wan and Anakin through key moments:
• Anakin’s farewell to his mother
• Young Anakin before the Jedi Council and Yoda’s approval for Obi-Wan to train him
• Qui-Gon’s death and last wish (implied, not explicitly shown)

This segment continues through Anakin’s mother’s funeral and the discovery of the Separatists. Obi-Wan’s capture is not shown; the transmission of events is only received on Coruscant by the Chancellor, leading politicians, and the Jedi Council.

Following this:
• Count Dooku & Darth Sidious scenes
• Emergency powers vote and the Clone Army deployment
• Ends with a collage of Geonosis battle scenes depicting the outbreak of the Clone Wars, inspired by SubjectZero’s Star Wars: Abridged I – The Republic.

(4.3) Key changes and editing decisions of Part II (up to 2:57)

The second part is largely a General Grievous–trimmed combination of HAL 9000’s and DominicCobb’s Episode III edits. Grievous appears briefly during the Chancellor’s rescue but does not fight, instead fleeing the scene. All other Grievous scenes are cut.

Transitions and key moments include:
• Fade from the Geonosis collage → black → starfield → text: “Three years have passed… The Separatist army strikes at Coruscant. The Chancellor has been taken hostage, and the galaxy balances on the edge.” → Episode III begins
• Shortened space battle, strongly influenced by TriggeredPuppy’s Machete Cut
• Anakin’s turn to the dark side follows DominicCobb’s edit with adjustments:
o He does not say “My powers have doubled”
o Nightmares are heavily trimmed
o Attempted arrest of Palpatine is only shown from Anakin’s perspective
o No cut to Yoda when Anakin becomes Darth Vader

Alongside Anakin’s arc—caught between the Jedi Council, Palpatine, and Padmé—there is a subplot showing the birth of the Rebellion, including the Petition of the 2000, replacing the explicit depiction of Obi-Wan hunting General Grievous. While the hunt occurs and is referenced in dialogue, it is never shown on screen.
From Order 66 onward, the edit follows HAL 9000’s Episode III version (with Padmé surviving) with minor adjustments.

Notable changes include:
• Vader’s scream is a blend of the Russian and Japanese versions
• The final confrontation between Anakin and Padmé is slightly revised: no “Together we will rule the galaxy” and no “From my point of view, the Jedi are evil”

(5) Limitations:

The cut is technically not perfect, there is especially a notable difference in color grading between the part based on DominicCobb’s Edit and the rest of the film. No subtitles are available and I don’t have the resources to add them.

(6) Acknowledgments

This edit stands on the shoulders of many dedicated fan editors and critics, especially DSQR, Phase3, DominicCobb, HAL 9000, SubjectZero, TriggeredPuppy, Spence, and others – who provided me with their edits and other resources. It synthesizes their insights into one cohesive, mythic prequel narrative.