logo Sign In

How did you imagine The Star Wars Prequels before they came out?

Author
Time

This is more of a questions for those who saw The Original Trilogy back when it 1st came out, when prequels were years and years away...

What was your reaction when you first heard George Lucas mention a potential prequel trilogy - a cinematic Star Wars back-story?

What did you expect to see in those films? What kind of story-lines were running through your head at that moment? And what creatures and characters did you expect to see return?

I mean, I don't even know how to put this... I'd just like to know what did the original fans expect from another Star Wars Trilogy? Back when stuff like Gungans, Clone Troopers, The Sith, enormous CGI set pieces, baby Vader, fast-paced lightsaber fights and George's "true vision" were yet to be discovered?

And how did you imagine Jedi would be like? And "Clone Wars"? And Ben being buddies with Vader?

Please, share your thoughts, guys!

Author
Time

Never gave it much thought really.

but now i love imagining a better prequel set up.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

FYI... there are about 100 previous threads on this topic.

Well... 10 at least.

Go look in the rewrite forum for threads with this exact same (give or take) title as well as many other that will answer your question.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

Author
Time

What fun would that be? :p

Moth3r could merge it with another thread, however.

Author
Time

haraldo23 said:

xhonzi said:

Go look in the rewrite forum for threads with this exact same (give or take) title as well as many other that will answer your question.

Oh, snap!... I wasn't aware of this forum section: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/forum.cfm/Script-Writing-and-Re-writing/forum/21/ . Never noticed it...

I'm sorry. And... now I feel kinda awkward... 

Can I somehow delete this thread?

I'll confess- the rewrite forum maybe isn't the most natural place to find "what did you originally expect" kind of threads.  But, if you think about it, their placement there sort of makes them more constructive as opposed to just general whining/pining.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

Author
Time

Funnily enough, I had pictured the Vader conversion scene almost exactly like in the movie - in a dark, reddish room in front of a giant window... Anakin gets the same offer as Luke and accepts.

Though my memory could be playing a trick on me, so I'm not sure.

Obviously, it was supposed to be dramatic and serious, and Vader's decision conscious, not as falling for a con. Without all the narm and ham and all...



other than that, dunno. More authentic personal drama like in V and VI, more "hero in dragon's lair" situations full of doubt and despair... something like that.
Just as RLM pointed out, the prequels took the imagery, but forgot the dramatic context.

Author
Time

I pictured it much like John L Flynn's article 'Looking Back at Star Wars'.

Creator of Star Wars Begins, Building Empire and Returning to Jedi
Follow me on twitter @jamieSWB. Please support me at - http://www.patreon.com/jamiebenning/

Author
Time

Jambe Davdar said:

I pictured it much like John L Flynn's article 'Looking Back at Star Wars'.

Linky.

Author
Time

Off the top of my head:

  • I thought that Obi Wan would be the main character, and the films would focus on how his hubris helped bring about the fall of the Republic
  • The Mandalorians would be the main adversary (cloned super soldiers in powered armour)
  • The Emperor was not a Sith
  • Obiwan and Anakin would both be older from the start

“It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation, physical or mental, that the Force can grow within you.”
-Kreia, Jedi Master and Sith Lord

Author
Time
 (Edited)

haraldo23 said:


This is more of a questions for those who saw The Original Trilogy back when it 1st came out, when prequels were years and years away...


Well, I'm not one of you guys - fact is I was born in '87 and never got to properly see the OT until '99. That being said I didn't know George was making prequels until almost literally the last minute, so there was some time for me to think about how the prequel era might have been before the PT wave rolled in.

1. I expected Anakin to be older at the time he became a Jedi, more-or-less the same age as Luke

2. I expected the Jedi to be like the Jedi in the EU: non-dogmatic, allowed to marry, have children, families, etc.

3. I expected the clones to be the enemy in the Clone Wars

4. I expected the Mandalorians to have a large role in the Clone Wars, serving pretty much as nemeses of the Jedi

5. I expected Palpatine to be more of a background character - someone who wouldn't be focused on until the final prequel

6. I expected Palpatine to be a self-taught dark side sorceror, not a Sith

7. I expected multiple lightsaber colours for the Jedi

8. I didn't expect there to be any Sith (Vader and any other non-Palpatine darksiders would be simple Dark Jedi)

9. I expected the look and tone of the PT to match that of the OT

10. I expected the PT era to be more archaic in terms of architecture, technology, etc.

11. I expected Anakin's wife to be a minor character

12. I didn't expect Palpatine to use a lightsaber

13. I did expect Yoda to have a lightsaber, but I thought it would be purple instead of green

14. I expected the PT era to be "a more civilized time" - ie. no wide-spread corruption in the Senate, at least not at first

15. I didn't expect any Darths other than Vader.

Author
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

5. I expected Palpatine to be more of a background character - someone who wouldn't be focused on until the final prequel

 

That's kinda what happened, though :D

Author
Time

I saw SW and ESB in '82 and ROTJ in '83 so I guess that qualifies me.

I didn't have high hopes for the prequels, especially after the bad taste left in my mouth from the SEs.

But, I guessed I was expecting the prequels to be a little "drier" and less cornball that what they ended up being, closer in tone to a sci-fi TV series or something. I wasn't looking forward to them much mainly because I didn't like the whole idea of them, but they turned out worse than I expected.


Author
Time
 (Edited)

twooffour said:



DuracellEnergizer said:

 
5. I expected Palpatine to be more of a background character - someone who wouldn't be focused on until the final prequel


 


That's kinda what happened, though :D


I meant that I didn't expect Palpatine to be shown that much until it came time for him to seduce Anakin to the dark side and rise to power. Maybe he'd make one or two appearances throughout the PT, a few references to him would be made perhaps, but that's all I expected. I didn't expect him to be the puppet master pulling the strings of galactic events as he was shown to be throughout the PT.

Author
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

haraldo23 said:


This is more of a questions for those who saw The Original Trilogy back when it 1st came out, when prequels were years and years away...


Well, I'm not one of you guys - fact is I was born in '87 and never got to properly see the OT until '99. That being said I didn't know George was making prequels until almost literally the last minute, so there was some time for me to think about how the prequel era might have been before the PT wave rolled in.

1. I expected Anakin to be older at the time he became a Jedi, more-or-less the same age as Luke

2. I expected the Jedi to be like the Jedi in the EU: non-dogmatic, allowed to marry, have children, families, etc.

3. I expected the clones to be the enemy in the Clone Wars

4. I expected the Mandalorians to have a large role in the Clone Wars, serving pretty much as nemeses of the Jedi

5. I expected Palpatine to be more of a background character - someone who wouldn't be focused on until the final prequel

6. I expected Palpatine to be a self-taught dark side sorceror, not a Sith

7. I expected multiple lightsaber colours for the Jedi

8. I didn't expect there to be any Sith (Vader and any other non-Palpatine darksiders would be simple Dark Jedi)

9. I expected the look and tone of the PT to match that of the OT

10. I expected the PT era to be more archaic in terms of architecture, technology, etc.

11. I expected Anakin's wife to be a minor character

12. I didn't expect Palpatine to use a lightsaber

13. I did expect Yoda to have a lightsaber, but I thought it would be purple instead of green

14. I expected the PT era to be "a more civilized time" - ie. no wide-spread corruption in the Senate, at least not at first

15. I didn't expect any Darths other than Vader.

 

You are wise for your age! I'm not old enough to have seen any of the OT in the theater, though older than you, and I shared many of these preconceptions. I also thought there would be Mandalorians. Where did that idea originate?

The blue elephant in the room.

Author
Time

Trading Cards.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

Author
Time

I used to buy the poster books and that gave a few clues which bore out in the PT we had.

It mentioned that Storm Troopers were clones and it also said that Boba Fett wore Shock Trooper armour (and that they fought the Jedi in the Clone Wars).

Author
Time

I know I got the idea of Mandalorians fighting in the Clone Wars from The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook.

Author
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

 

twooffour said:



DuracellEnergizer said:

 
5. I expected Palpatine to be more of a background character - someone who wouldn't be focused on until the final prequel


 


That's kinda what happened, though :D


I meant that I didn't expect Palpatine to be shown that much until it came time for him to seduce Anakin to the dark side and rise to power. Maybe he'd make one or two appearances throughout the PT, a few references to him would be made perhaps, but that's all I expected. I didn't expect him to be the puppet master pulling the strings of galactic events as he was shown to be throughout the PT.

 

Yea, that probably was over-the-top. It would've been okay for him to pull a few strings at some point, maybe even usurp power in a similar form, but orchestrating the whole fucking plot was just too much.

Author
Time

DuracellEnergizer said:

I know I got the idea of Mandalorians fighting in the Clone Wars from The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook.

There's also this.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

END OF LINE

(It hasn’t happened yet)

Author
Time

 

I wasn't born during the releases of the Original Trilogy so I have always had the PT era filled in for the most part - however none-the-less it is not impossible to imagine the PT if you had only seen the OT.

 

Much of this is taking into account both the impressions I got from the Original Drafts of A New Hope as well as the original Ralph McQuarrie artwork. Because in 1999 George could essentially create any environment or scene he envisaged I would have imagined the Prequels would have encapsulated Ralph's artwork and the vibe of the initial drafts.

 

1. The overall setting could have been more ancient than the OT when removed from the Republic Capital of Coruscant and the other 'civilised' worlds. The many 'Tatooine-like' settings would have drawn inspiration of East-Asian culture with ancient temples, monks and a wild yet barren landscape. In many respects the world which Obi-Wan at least begins his journey (see below) would have been like the mountainous regions of Tibet. This would create a cultured yet mythic atmosphere for the Prequels:

 

http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1848R-351227.jpg http://www.sevensummittreks.com/admin/images/113111.jpg http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1848R-338322.jpg

 

2. The Jedi would not necessarily have been centralised on Coruscant with a Temple, etc. They would be spread throughout the galaxy much like Yoda and Obi-Wan were. In this way there were not necessarily in exile but had rather just retreated to even more backwater worlds. In this way, in some respects, Vader having 'hunted down' the Jedi Knights is given new meaning. Furthermore the Jedi would have been like wizards or mystics living on worlds keeping peace and order. Obi-Wan as such would have been much like Gandalf in the Tibettan-like environment shown above, probably with a few other masters and apprentises.

 

3. In earlier drafts of the A New Hope an old general trained a group of disciples (many Luke's in this respect) to be Jedi. If this concept had been carried forward many young men and women would have sought out Jedi like Luke had Yoda, seeking to be trained as Jedi.

 

4. Anakin would have been introduced as a spice-freighter pilot as Owen had told Luke. He would inevitably have been found by Obi-Wan and Anakin would have been trained as one of Obi-Wan's students. When the Clone Wars erupted Obi-Wan, as well as Anakin, would have gone on a 'Fellowship of the Ring' type adventure with a clear, and seemingly Holy, objective - this would have more clearly aligned with the 'idealistic crusade'. Eventually they would have reached Alderaan and would have been employed by Bail Organa as Generals to defend the Republic.

 

5. Palpatine would have ascended through the ranks of the Senate employing political tactics (such as the corruption of 'trader barons' as mentioned in one of the Drafts of A New Hope) and would have ascended to the office of President of the Republic. Inevitably he would have seized power and corrupted Anakin Skywalker to aid in this quest to destroy the Jedi Knights.

 

6. The Clone Wars would have centralised around cloning technology of some kind, however the clones would not have been the Republics military. It would either be a war to prevent some evil force from obtaining the technology or it would have been a war between the Republic and cloned soldiers.

 

7. Padme Amidala would have been, as she is in the established films, one of the Republic leaders would sided with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma opposed to Palpatine's growing power. She would have met Skywalker on Alderaan and they would have developed a relationship throughout the trilogy, marry, and eventually the twins (Luke and Leia) are born.

 

8. Luke and Leia would have been born immediately after the birth of the Empire and Obi-Wan and Yoda would be battling Vader as the Jedi are beginning to be eliminated. Luke would be immediately taken to Tatooine to escape the crisis, while Leia would live on Alderaan with Padme for a while before she dies. The reason for this separation was opposed by Padme, however Obi-Wan convinces her of its necessity.

 

Many of my ideas were influenced by this 1994 article:

http://starwarz.com/starkiller/2010/05/looking-back-to-the-future-of-star-wars/ (as linked above)

 

I enjoy and appreciate the Prequels as an important part of the Saga, however the PT created through the OT was never-the-less very different.

 

Author
Time

This thread is a good read! Thanks everyone!

Author
Time
 (Edited)

DuracellEnergizer said:

I know I got the idea of Mandalorians fighting in the Clone Wars from The Complete Star Wars Trilogy Scrapbook.

in at least one issue of the old Marvel Star Wars comics it's revealed that a few Mandalorians (Boba among them) fought on the side of the Empire during the Clone Wars.

doh, someone linked to the scan already!