How would you handle the transition from Republic to Empire? — Page 2

While it may be tempting to write a subtle political drama, I think you must first identify your audience. Who is likely to watch a trilogy of movies dedicated to complex political maneuverings? I doubt that children watching the movies in order would be interested, and adults watching them after seeing the originals would be perplexed at the sudden change of tone. After all, the original trilogy painted the political landscape in broad strokes.

I would make the Republic a macrocosm of Anakin's journey. The question then becomes: Does the prequel trilogy show Anakin's descent into the Dark Side? If so, then the Republic should follow. If not, then the prequels should end with Anakin as a hero and the Republic as victorious, at least for the moment. Both should reveal a tragic flaw, one seen later as the source of their inevitable defeat, and it could be a very stunning revelation in Episode 5.

Consider: The Republic is fighting the Clone Empire. Anakin is a soldier in the Republic army, and the Republic is fearful of its own survival. The mercenary planet of Corellia, with its vast fleet of ships and officers, is for sale to the highest bidder, and its leader, Grand Moff Tarkin, demands governorship over vast expanses of the Republic for his allegiance. The Republic refuses on principle, and the Clone Empire buys the services of Corellia instead. Anakin also is tempted with power, but seemingly rejects it. In Episode 4, the Empire has taken over. We are never told if it is the Clone Empire or the Republic turned Empire, and without this information we can assume that the Clone Empire has triumphed, using the clone-like stormtroopers and the services of the Corellian ships and officers. When it is revealed that the Emperor is the chancellor and Anakin is Vader, we see that Anakin stayed true to the Republic, even as it became an empire. In this way the revelation of Episode 5 becomes that much more potent, and is the hinge on which the entire saga turns.

That's the summary of my basic plot, anyway. I may do an entire thread dedicated to it, if anyone would find it interesting.

I feel that in Episode 3 alone could have done better with the rise of the Empire. I mean, the opening scene is an attack on Coruscant, the heart of the Republic! That alone should have caused some reaction. They could have used that to show the people's mistrust in the Jedi, thus leading to the Order's downfall and the Empire's rise.

What I plan to do for my rewrite's is to have the Republic's descent into the Empire similar to their historical Roman counterparts. During the last decade or so, Julius Caesar was assassinated by his fellow Senators and his great-nephew took his place, eventually creating the Empire following the deaths of Julius' assassins.

In my version, the Republic has finally recovered from the effects of the First Clone War against the Separatists (who were formed much earlier than in the actual prequels). Chancellor Valorum is coming to to disbanding the use of cloned soldiers, but the Clone Masters/Kaminoans (who provided the clones in the first war) and some senator don't want that to happen. Thus, they and the Sith to assassinate Valorum. It works, but the conspirators are declared enemies by the newly elected Chancellor Palpatine and thus side with the Separatists, leading to the Second Clone War.

Palpatine, being a Sith, pulls strings in the Republic while his apprentice, Maul, manipulates the ranks of the Separatists. The war would carry on, degrading the Jedi and the Republic, the latter of which turns into the Empire (maybe by Episode 2). The war would carry on until the Jedi Order's finally wiped out.

That's my idea. I plan on making some tweaks and hopefully, it'll turn out for the best.