Clone Wars Movies - Tartakovsky’s 2003 series - an Ideas thread

I thought I’d set this up just to knock around some ideas.

In case some of you have never watched, been put off, or given up on the CLONE WARS cartoon series - you really should be watching it! Since season 3 it has been truly brilliant and in many cases is superior to the PT.

Something I’d love to try in the future, is to construct three Films from the Clone Wars TV series, as a possible alternative to the PT. I have no idea what the stories would be, but there are so many great story arcs emerging that you could interweave theme to produce some coherent narratives.

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas, I’d love to start discussing them!

I think this is a great idea.  I have often watched the episodes looking out for shots of planets or ships that might be transferred to an edit of the PT by making them look slightly more real.  However, I am now starting to come around to think that there is so little right with the PT this idea could produce a better result.

Yeah I had the same thought with some of the geonosis space battle footage to add to AOTC.

I really can't wait until the Mandalorian centred episodes at the end of Season 5, as it looks like some sort of endgame plot is coming into play.

It would be great if they went further back so we could see anakin knighted and watch grevious slowly lose his body. Those two plot strands would form a great Episode One.

I completely agree.  I have been thinking about what parts would be worth including but really need to go back to rewatch the earlier episodes (and the film). 

I think my ideal scenario would be to have Obi Wan be the central character.  Have Dooku as the main villian throughout all three, supported by Grevious, Sidious (who would not obviously be Palpatine), and Tarkin.  Keep Yoda completely hidden.  And make the love story much better without being too big a part of the story. 

That said the only part that springs to mind from the episodes is when Coruscant gets attacked and we see buildings blowing up, I think that would be worth including.  It is a shame we aren't likely to get any shots of Vader that would match in style, or that we can't somehow mix this with the newer cinematic videogame trailers (The Old Republic one also has some great shots of Coruscant being attacked). 

Would you keep Ahsoka or cut her out altogether?

Haha, I'd actually make Asoka the central character!

She was annoying in the earlier seasons when the show was still finding its feet, but she is so much better since season 3 (especially with the costume change).

She would be the audience. We would get introduced to the universe, meet the characters, and develop and age as she does, much like Luke does in the OT.

I'd have no suggestion of Vader, no Yoda (like you suggested) and leave the trilogy at a point where ROTJ finishes (the Empire is not totally defeated, but the tide is turning).

Ventriss would be the main rival in the first film, with Dooku being the 'Emperor' character (mentioned, but not seen). I'd consider the second film to open with her betrayal, or possibly finish the film with that. Her return as a more sympathetic anti-hero could be the twist of the second film.

I'm hoping the series ultimately ends with Asoka quitting the order and fleeing. Ventriss will probably die, if they could be connected that would be superb.

We need to know about Padme, but she wouldn't be remotely important, and would already be Anakin's wife.

Wow thats a major rethink.  Clearly I have been viewing the idea through existing PT tinted glasses.  I have always hoped that the writers are brave enough to kill Ahsoka and make it contribute to Anakin's reason for turning to the dark side (though unfortunately I doubt they will do anything that suggests changes from the canon of the films). 

well with Obi-Wan explaining alot of backstory, specifically Anakin's fate in the OT, do we ACTUALLY need to see it? thats my thinking now.

so really what is left now is figuring out the actual narrative agenda behind the trilogy.

You make a good point, and I suppose the only reason I want to see it now is because I have seen it done badly and would like to see it done well.  That said I am now very interested in the idea you presented too.  Would you retain the Anakin Ahsoka relationship or just make her a jedi in her own right?

I was thinking of making it seem that Anakin was more like Asoka's Mentor as oppose to Master (much like Obi-wan is to Anakin). It really depends on what material is available in future episodes, but it would be great if it could be made to look like Obi-Wan is/was her master directly, to suggest he would have had more (ie Darth Vader later on)

Have you seen these before? There are a few floating around on various forums and blogs -

http://dauntlessmedia.net/starwars/clone-wars/episode-timeline.html

One story I'd love to interweave is the Domino Squad clones. I'm really hoping that there may be an episode in the future focused on Fives.

There is also the option of redubbing/switching lines of characters, and swapping the music in places. If Grevious could be silenced, or redubbed with the Battle droids it would be awesome.

I hadn't seen the timeline but I had guessed it was possible to figure one out (even if only roughly in some parts). 

I've just been rewatching a few of the episodes from the first series.  The episode Cloak of Darkness made me think maybe you could show Ahsoka being trained by several jedi, creating the implication this is standard, whereas Obi Wan tried to train Anakin all by himself and it failed (whereas Yoda was good enough to manage it with Obi Wan).

I also think this would be a good episode to use as, with a little cutting and reworking the script, it could give a cool introduction the Ventriss, showing her creeping around the ship without knowing exactly who she is before revealing her as someone who can take on a jedi master.  I'm hoping they do a couple of episodes to bridge the gaps between this and a few of the following episodes so this story line could be cut down into a good half of a film introducing the three main bad guys.  I may change my mind slightly depending on exactly what happens in the other episodes though once they are fresh in my mind again.

As for a story focussing on the clones.  I've always been in two minds.  Part of me likes them becoming more developed characters.  However, I can't get past firstly, wanting them to be recruits from republic worlds rather than clones, and secondly, I can't help but feel it contradicts to have them originally shown as good skilled warriors, who we could even relate to and warm to, then to show them as stormtroopers who are fairly useless warriors, never seen as anything but fully helmetted symbols rather than characters. 

Yeah that episode could work possibly, especially as Ventriss is very much the infiltrator, and Asoka does meet her face to face. It would be good to make the first Episode very much in the flavour of 'the Seperatists are Winning', then some event would turn the war. Malevolence does this, but there is no Ventriss.:(

I do agree with what you mean about keeping the clonetroopers more anonymous and mysterious. This could actually be more valuable than using them as stand ins for the rebel staff in the OT.

I guess it also depends on what content will feature in Episode 2 and 3 of the trilogy.

I'm really enjoying the new story arc of Maul and the Mandalorians. If this was to be an Episode 3 storyline, then Maul would have to be introduced earlier, and couldn't rely on his appearance in TPM. Could it be possible to construct an emnity with Obi Wan based on their two fights before this story arc?

I was thinking the exact same myself about this latest episode.  I plan to rewatch the previous Maul episodes as well as the Mandalorian episodes and see if theres anything that could form a larger story from to support this theme.

Have you seen the latest episode? I don't want to ruin it for you .. but OH MY GLOB.

Just watched it and thought it was great.  I really hope there is a good conclusion to the Obi Wan and Maul issues because this would be great as a storyline for a film.  We just have to hope they are generous with the footage. 

The whole Satine thing really shocked me, like I honestly didn't expect that. Did you get really upset? My girlfriend actually cried.

Noone cried for Padme.

I thought it might happen purely because Star Wars doesn't seem to leave loose ends with regards to its characters so I figure anyone that isn't explained away by the films will ultimately die.  But I thought it was very well done within the story.  Like I say, I just hope we get a good conclusion.  I did think it was out of character for Palpatine to take on Maul though rather than leave him for the Jedi to sort out and then maybe step in if they couldn't manage it.  He is usually more of a long term goal kinda guy than a head on assault like that.

Yeah I didn't expect that either. It would be amazing if obi-wan could ultimately defeat him. I assumed from the trailer that Palpatine would kill Maul to avoid him exposing his identity. I'm wondering if he sends him after Dooku next.

I'm jumping in on this because I thought the last 2 episodes of TCW has been incredible. On all levels.

When Maul killed Satine, I said to myself, "Finally, this show grew a pair!"

Finally they did it right. We know Anakin, Obi-Wan and certain others can't be killed, so they needed to get us acquainted with new characters, make us care, and then kill one of them (at least) Now there is some tension in the show.

This last episode was better than the prequels combined. Proof that SW can be better outside of Lucas' creative hands.

Also, I think making some movies out of these is a great idea. I've often felt that you could make several films, and not just a trilogy. And this season we got several stories that intertwine that it's even more conceivable that you could create a true full length film experience.

Just a random idea I had ages ago was that the EU is often creating stories between the films and though I haven't given much time to the EU I do think they have a nice idea now and then.  This lead me to think of additional films that fit between the films as .5 episodes.  For example, Splinter of the Mind's Eye could be episode 4.5. 

Now I know strictly speaking all of these episodes are occuring between Episodes 2 and 3, but perhaps with a little clever editing they could be made into 3 films that fit between Episodes 1-4.  For example Anakin and the clones did not feature in this episode, so who says it couldn't fall between Episodes 1 and 2. 

I haven't thought this through enough to know how well it might work, but if it could be done then perhaps it could even be used to expand on elements in the existing films.  Imagine if we could make a sub plot where a Sifo Dias is involved.

What do you think?

Man I think that *could* work. Alot happens outside the Clone Wars, and depending what Canon you want to work to there might even be clones and separatists before AOTC. Imagine if you could convincingly portray Dooku before he left the Jedi?

It is clear we could have many Clone Wars films. My original thinking was to create an alternative to the PT, but more and more it seems like there could be half a dozen films to be made.

I wonder if we will get a series set between VI and VII next? That surely is full of potential stories.

Well since they announced doing many new films, I'm finding myself more excited about the idea they will do some that are set in the PT timeline but not entirely about the main story we already know.  Imagine if they bring Ewan McGregor back for an Obi Wan story, there might be enough footage right there to pad out Episode 2 enough that you could remove anything you didn't like and introduce whole new elements.  Chances are it won't be that simple but who knows.

Your suggestion of portraying a jedi Dooku has made me think of a pre Episode 1 film.  I have long wanted to find enough footage from other films to add into Episode 1 that could suggest Obi Wan had already been assigned an apprentice who was lost and grew up to be Maul after being corrupted by Dooku.  I know the ages are all over the place for this idea, but it would add elements of Dooku's fall from the Jedi Order, add a second apprentice for Obi Wan, and develop Maul a little.  I don't think there is anywhere near enough footage in the Clone Wars to show this, but I think something like this could be shown with Ventress. 

As for which canon to follow, I usually go with the idea that if its good then maybe use it, if it isn't good replace it with anything better.

Frankly I love the idea of a film with Dooku starting as a Jedi and ending up as a rogue Jedi.  I also like the idea of this latest Obi Wan and Maul storyline making an Obi Wan centred film.  I would like to say your idea of an Ahsoka film would round it all off perfecty, but the hardest thing is not knowing where she is headed in the series.  I was toying with the idea of using the clip of the old Ahsoka speaking to her younger self, and trying to show her run away from her life with the jedi, only to later reappear as an adult and use the footage from the Force Unleashed showing Shaak Ti to portray Ahsoka, but I just don't think it can work.

Watching this current Ahsoka arc, it seems these episodes are so much better than any previous episodes I've ever seen.  It would be great to include this one.

Plus, anyone else notcing major OT look? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4muv9bMOrXI

Yeah the design work and expressiveness of the characters has gotten so good lately! This plotline is great. I'm really hoping she is found guilty and goes on the run with Ventriss.