My overall goals for the Prequels are:
- Make them better movies.
- Make them feel like the true precursors to the original trilogy.
- Make Anakin consistent with Darth Vader from the original trilogy, and his turn both more fitting for the original character and better on its own.
These edits will be called the Vader edition because while many Prequel edits succeed at improving them as films, not many go out of their way to make Anakin more consistent with Vader.
Darth Vader was a cold, reserved, bold, calculating, terrifying villain who owned every scene he was in. He loved the dark side, even making sadistic jokes about the people he killed. The Prequels portray his younger self as whiny, too talkative and explosive, and he turned because of a lie he should’ve seen right through. Tricked, rather then seduced.
My edits will change this. Light side Anakin will still be heroic, passionate and caring person. Dark side Anakin, however, will truly feel like a younger Vader, like Vader from the 2017 canon comics - understandably a bit more emotional, but still mostly cold and reserved like OT Vader.
We will never be able to create the perfect, Walter White-esqe turn we really should’ve gotten with what’s available. But this is the next best thing.
Attack of the Clones gives us a lot more legwork to morph Anakin into a more Vader-like character, and set up his turn. Anakin is drastically altered to be colder, reserved, bolder, and even calculating, while still passionate and heroic with a soft inside. Anakin has a good heart, but also a lust for power.
Ideas from Hal9000’s The Approaching Storm and DsqrD Studio’s Shroud of the Dark Side labeled as such.
Changelist:
- Less confusing opening crawl. Clarifies why the Jedi are “overwhelmed” (they are overwhelmed as ambassadors, trying to negotiate peace between two warring factions).
- Remove Captain Typho’s lines before the ship blows up. Him commenting on how they’re surprised nothing bad happened ruins the surprise. (The Approaching Storm)
- Remove Corde apologizing to Padme right before her death. (The Approaching Storm)
- Added deleted scene where Padme addresses the Senate. This establishes some context for the political content of this film, as well as Padme’s post-Queen character. (The Approaching Storm)
- Added Anakin and Obi-Wan training scene from Obi-Wan Kenobi series. This does wonders to establish their friendship and Anakin’s character. Using Snooker’s edit of the scene.
- This scene shows Anakin and Obi-Wan being warm and friendly towards each other. They’re both likable and clearly have a deep bond. This gives the audience an infinitely better first impression of these characters.
- Anakin’s personality in this scene feels like a perfect meld between PT Anakin and OT Vader, which is a big goal. “Mercy doesn’t defeat an enemy” will be a recurring theme throughout the trilogy. Anakin believes in destroying his enemies, even if it requires diving into the dark side.
- Very intentionally kept Yoda saying that seeing Padme alive brings warm feelings to his heart. The Jedi are not the cold emotion repressors the fandom often likes to characterize them as.
- Removed Anakin’s “for a senator, I mean” line, and replaced Padme’s original uncomfortable reaction with a warm smile. Anakin is bold about his advances towards Padme and is rewarded. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Cut Padme’s “Ani, you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine”. (The Approaching Storm)
- Heavily cut down Anakin and Obi-Wan’s argument about pursuing Padme’s assassin. Anakin and Obi-Wan are stable friends in this edit. (The Approaching Storm)
- Padme’s previously uncomfortable looks are replaced by a brief, knowing look from Captain Typho, informing his later line about Padme’s rashness. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Cut Anakin’s conversation with Jar Jar after Padme retires. Anakin is not forward about his feelings to people, except for when he’s trying to woo Padme. Bold, but reserved.
- Removed Anakin’s line, “I don’t think she liked me watching her.” (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Using Padme as bait is Anakin’s idea. It makes him more bold and calculating, like Darth Vader (using one person to lure another is very similar to his plan in ESB).
- Intentionally kept Anakin’s snark at Obi-Wan for telling him his powers “aren’t well attuned”. Reinforces Anakin’s ego.
- Removed “Just being around her again is… intoxicating.” (The Approaching Storm)
- Tighten Padme’s reaction to Anakin slicing the poison worms. (The Approaching Storm)
- Cut Anakin going on and on with his sarcastic comment about finding a speeder. Don’t over explain the joke. (The Approaching Storm)
- Trimmed Anakin landing on Zam’s speeder to make this move more intentional and successful. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Removed Zam firing her blaster at Anakin on the roof of her speeder. Anakin now short circuits Zam’s speeder with his light saber. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Anakin doesn’t lose his lightsaber, and Obi-Wan doesn’t lecture him about it. (The Approaching Storm)
- Intentionally kept, “Jedi business, go back to your drinks.” Subtle moment of authoritativeness for Anakin.
- Cut Anakin’s, “Tell us now!”. Colder Anakin.
- Cut Windu’s instructions to Anakin to tell Palpatine to force Padme to leave. It’s a more effective characterization if Anakin decides to talk to Palpatine himself. (The Approaching Storm)
- Cut scene with Obi-Wan, Mace and Yoda in Jedi Temple hallways. A deleted scene taking place later replaces it. (The Approaching Storm)
- Trimmed Jar Jar’s acceptance of his duties to fill in for Padme in the Senate. (The Approaching Storm)
- Packing scenes ends with Padme saying “Anakin, you’ve grown up”, and Padme gazing upon Anakin as he silently plays with the small ball with the Force. Removes Anakin’s whining and characterizes him as more reserved. He doesn’t go on a rant without Padme asking. Also subtle way of showing Padme likes Anakin.
- Jocasta-Nu scene removed. The Obi-Wan subplot needs to speed up a bit, and we learn everything we need to know from the Yoda scene, which is more important.
- Yoda scene establishes that he trains the younglings, thus smoothing the continuity snarl with the OT about who Obi-Wan’s master is. It also shows some of Yoda’s impish sense of humor from the OT.
- Cut Anakin’s, “Attachments are forbidden.” The line delivery is awkward, and Lucas not explaining in the movies that he’s referring to the Buddhist definition (refusing to let go of things) and not the English one (emotional connections) has forever tainted the Prequel Jedi’s reputation in a way he didn’t intend. (The Approaching Storm)
- Cut Anakin’s, “You’re exactly the way I remember you in my dreams.” (The Approaching Storm)
- Deleted scene with Obi-Wan and Mace Windu readded. (The Approaching Storm)
- Intentionally added Windu’s line from the version of this scene with Yoda, “The boy has exceptional skills.”
- Trimmed version of deleted extended arrival on Naboo added. Padme opens up about her past to Anakin. (The Approaching Storm)
- Intentionally retained only one annoying Anakin moment where he gets mad at Padme for not recognizing that he’s in charge of security in the Naboo throne room. Reinforces Anakin’s ego. He loves being “the man”, and Padme undermines him, so he gets upset. All other unlikable Anakin moments are gone, so I think the audience will give him some grace here.
- Trim Kaminoan prime minister listing numbers of clone units. It lessens the power of their reveal in a few scenes. (The Approaching Storm)
- The scene in which Anakin and Padme first kiss is moved to later. The deleted scene with Padme and her family (The Approaching Storm) and the scene in her old bedroom (my idea) replaces its current place.
- Picnic scene comes before first kiss scene. Very intentionally kept Anakin’s authoritarianism.
- Cut Anakin, “I don’t like sand…”.
- Padme does not move away from Anakin’s kiss. She initially embraces it, but as we’ll see later in the film, backpedals.
- Cut Anakin’s line, “If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this he’d be very grumpy.” during the dinner scene.
- All the overly flowery poetic talk during the fireplace scene is cut. It starts with, Padme’s, “We can’t, it’s just not possible”.
- Cut Anakin saying he can’t be rational.
- New Anakin nightmare that shows him facing a figure that represents his “Vader side” and losing. Heavily inspired by ESB cave scene.
- Trimmed Anakin begging Padme to go with him.
- A lot of young Boba Fett’s dialogue is cut. He’s quieter in this version. (The Approaching Storm)
- Trimmed Owen’s line “I guess you’re my step-brother.” (The Approaching Storm)
- Intentionally kept Yoda sensing Anakin’s pain. Shows once again that the Jedi do not repress their emotions, and they did care about Anakin.
- Anakin shows no remorse towards killing the Tuskins. He’s almost entirely cold about the ordeal. Any guilt is buried by the Vader persona. Anakin is too prideful to let people see his sensitive emotions. Anakin sees indulging in his anger and vengeance as strength, as it gives him the illusion of control.
- “I killed them all” scene heavily trimmed. Anakin is very reserved and stoic until he’s pushed by Padme enough to go on a short rant about his lust for power. He does not admit to being a mass murderer (therefore whether he killed “the women and the children too” or not is completely up to the audience).
- Very intentionally cut “I will even learn to stop people from dying” and left it on, “I will be the most powerful Jedi ever.” Puts more emphasis on power. Attachment is a part of a greater whole, not the center. We already understand he wants power partially to save others from dying.
- Cut Anakin’s, “…so much” during the funeral. The line delivery here is bad, and leaving it at “I miss you” is far more effective. (The Approaching Storm)
- Trimmed Padme incredulous reaction to R2. (The Approaching Storm)
- Changed the subtitles in Palpatine’s office to suggest that at least some senators knew that Syfo-Dias ordered the clone army, and that now it’s time for the entire senate to know. This also helps to confirm that Syfo-Dias did indeed order the army before Darth Tyranus took over the project following the Jedi’s death. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Cuts straight to Jar Jar after Mas Ameda says “He can then approve the creation of an army.” (The Approaching Storm)
- Jar Jar doesn’t fumble his words when proposing to give Palpatine emergency powers. He appears more confident. (The Approaching Storm)
- Edited version of the droid factory sequence which removes the droids and has Anakin save Padme rather than R2-D2. (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- This scene needs to be kept as otherwise the movie gets boring and it’s one of the few times we see Anakin’s Jedi skills.
- Insert deleted scene in which Padme and Anakin confront Dooku to release Obi-Wan. Dooku gives much more exposition about his political motivations, while Padme’s line highlights his hypocrisy and that his seemingly altruistic motivations are just a façade. (The Approaching Storm)
- Trim “Love Pledge” scene.
- Moved Anakin’s “I have a bad feeling about this” to before the monsters are released. (The Approaching Storm)
- The droid’s involvement in the Battle of Geonosis is removed. (The Approaching Storm)
- Rearranged the order of the Jedi reveal. When Mace says, “this party’s over,” we cut back to a reaction shot of Dooku. The Jedi reveal now comes after Dooku replies, “You’re impossible outnumbered” and Mace counters with, “I don’t think so.” (Shroud of the Dark Side)
- Trim Anakin and Obi-Wan’s argument after Padme falls out of the gunship. (The Approaching Storm)
- Cut Anakin just standing still and letting Dooku cut his arm off.
- Rearranged Dooku’s escape to be like the theatrical cut in which he leaves before we see Anakin and Yoda’s reactions. This makes it so it doesn’t seem like Dooku just sits around and waits to leave. (The Approaching Storm)
- Added Darth Vader breathing to end credits.
Changes that make Anakin more like Vader: as stated several times, Anakin is more reserved, colder, bolder, more calculating. Whininess is gone, replaced by an assertive ego. By removing things like, “It’s unfair!” it allows scenes like his reunion with Watto, which screams Vader, to shine more. This Anakin’s personality come across exactly what you’d expect from a younger Vader. The Vader persona was there all along, his turn is about embracing it rather then making the right choice and staying a good person.
Subplot with Anakin’s mother used to emphasis more of the powerlessness in Anakin’s life that culminates in his need for control, and thus his need to keep reinforcing his ego rather then overcoming it. He likes using the dark side, even if he knows it’s wrong.
