Originally posted by: InfoDroid
So, you're saying to cut the bet with Watto scene before the race, then after the race leave the scene with Watto as is? And leave the scene in the house with his mother before they leave?

I still think the audience would be going, "Huh? What just happened?"

In the scene with Watto, he makes it clear that he made a deal to get the boy. What the deal was, he doesn't reiterate-- only that it depended on how the race came out and that Watto has to admit it was a fair deal.

When he sees Shmi, QG explains that he wasn't able to make a deal for the mother.

I think this gets most of the important information across. The Question is, does anyone else see the value in keeping it a secret that QG wants to take the kid away? I see it definitely as a goal to achieve-- it activates the pod race as the event that convinces QG the kid is the chosen one. His secret deal with Watto was a hedged bet-- if the boy won, then he was the chosen one and worthy of special attention.

As it is, QG telegraphs his interest and undermines the tension. Not terminally, I'll admit. But it's not as good as it could be.

If we wanted to change this, we could adjust the dialogue with Watto slipping into alien speak in order to explain the deal a little more fully when he talks to Qui Gonn. Or the dialogue from the cut "bet" scene could be moved to the latter scene.

...As to getting to a rough cut... OH MY GOD!!! FANTASTIC!!!

I've never been interested in an opening seqence before the opening-- but after seeing InfoDroid's "Ben's Hut" scene, I know he can pull it off well. My feeling is that niether ANH nor TPM felt confusing without a Lord of the Rings type opening, so I wouldn't try to fix what I thought was already working. But whenever someone has this kind of idea, I think the best way to go is try it and decide based on what is come up with. At the very least it would be a great thing for the dvd.

Good work and good luck!