There are some pretty common ideas to editing the prequels which are hard to do (to the point I dont think they have been done in an edit - but may be wrong) but which most people agree would be good if they could be done.
Such as:
- giving Obi Wan another apprentice so that that apprentice can be assumed to be Vader and thus maintain the reveal in ESB
- having Maul become Grievous so that we the PT villians arent always swapping and changing.
- bringing the original look Vader into the PT - possibly to help maintain the secracy of his identity.
Originally I tried to use these ideas as rules to form ideas for how the PT should be remade (because I didnt think an edit could achieve this), but I'm starting to change my mind.
For example, if Maul and Grievous are the same character, and he was once taught by Obi Wan, and Grievous was made to look more like an early version of Vader's armour then this would achieve the examples mentioned above. It would require a lot of editing of the look of Grievous but I think it would be worth it.
The only downside is I cannot think of a way to show Maul as Obi Wan's apprentice without them being flashback scenes of some kind. Either as a dream or a straight flashback, but either way it doesn't seem very Star Warsy. However, that asside here is the basic outline for Episode 1 using this idea.
The opening crawl states how Naboo is a peaceful planet being attacked by a Trade Federation (possibly just called the Federation) who are aiming to imprison the people and sell them as slaves. Two jedi, posing as ambassadors, are attempting to help free Naboo.
The film would then begin as normal but a remove the attempted gassing and have a direct attack on the door in an attempt to reach Gunray. When this fails they retreat to the surface. There they meet Binks who is a Gungan scout sent from a neighbouring planet. He agrees to help and using his ship the Jedi reach the palace. At the palace they rescue the Queen but learn that all communications are being jammed.
Ideally there would be a scene here where the Naboo forces with the help of the jedi destroy the communications jammer, but I dont think there would be sufficient footage. So somehow they manage to make a communication to the Chancellor (Palpatine) who says that the situation is being discussed and that the Republic will resolve the issue in time.
Obi Wan has bad dreams about his former apprentice who was lost and presumed killed on a previous mission (through no fault of Obi Wan), the apprentice would look like a very young Maul. Ideally the two Jedi would be Obi Wan and Anakin though this may prove impossible but for simplicity of explanation lets assume it can be done and that Obi Wan and Anakin in this film look how they look in AotC. Obi Wan would tell Anakin about how he has had a vision that Maul did not die but was taken by another jedi who he recognises as Dooku (a jedi who left the order years ago).
Binks informs the small Naboo force that he has received communications from the Gungans who have sent an attack force along with Bail Organa from Alderaan, in the hope that their alliance can defeat the Federation. The Gungans then land to draw the droid army away from the city, the Alderaan fighters (which are the yellow Naboo fighters in the original) then attack the Federation blockade. Together they win as per tPM, but in trying to retake the palace the jedi encounter Maul who engages them. In this edit Qui Gon and Dooku would essentally be merged so that footage of Qui Gon fighting Maul in the desert could be a flashback of a sparring and training session. Neither of the Jedi would end up dying and Obi Wan would eventually defeat Maul as in tPM (though he wouldnt fall in half, just a shallow slice through the stomach and a long fall).
Then after the fights are resolved a few extra scenes. Firstly Bail would address the Gungans and possibly others (Ackbar perhaps) suggesting how these alliances are necessary if the Republic won't protect its planets. Then perhaps reuse a scene between Palpatine and Amidala from Coruscant but move it to Naboo, where he informs her of the illegality of the formation of alliances for the purposes of war. Then finally show Dooku lifting the body of Maul, and end on a dark medical lab (like the one on Hoth in ESB) but in the tank is Maul and besides the tank is some armour that looks like a Vader style mask but also with Grievous style armour too. Then have the scene close with Maul's eyes opening to show he is still alive and being rebuilt.
Without being able to extend any of the scenes (such as the space battle) the runtime would be massively shorter, and unless Qui Gon could be changed to a teenage Anakin then obviously there is the massive plot hole of Anakin not being in it at all. However, besides that, I think the rest of the things could be shown with existing footage, and perhaps a few shots from other films used as the younger Darth Maul.
What do you guys think of these ideas?