How would YOU re-do the prequels? — Page 2

Hi guys, I'm new here and I'm glad I found the site (Thanks Adywan). 

If I could go back and re-do the PT, I would first get Lawrence Kasdan or a writer similar to him to do the scripts. George would still be an executive producer, but someone else would direct.

Next, a smaller cast. Obi-Wan, IN (of course), Yoda, IN. Artoo and 3PO, IN. Padme, IN, and she wouldn't be a queen or senator either and probably wouldn't come in until EPII. Shmi, IN. Palpatine, IN. Darth Maul, IN!9 year old Anakin, OUT. Anakin would be older so he would apprear as he did agewise at the end of Jedi, so that means we would start more than 32 years before ANH. No Qui-Gon, no Binks (although I do like him), no Jango, no young Boba, no Dooku, no Trade Federation.

I'm thinking Anakin is already a great pilot, and he has questions about the powers he has. Yoda IS Obi's master as was disclosed in ESB. The Force is still and energy field created by all living things. Palpatine is a Sith making moves behind the scenes to take control of the Republic. Darth Maul would be the main villain in all three episodes. Jedi are everywhere!

Since we already know what happens in the OT, we do not need to explain everything. All that needs explaining is how Anakin gets seduced by the dark side and Palpatine by the time we get to the end of EPIII. We don't even have to show him getting suited up as Vader.

We just need a set of circumstances that lead our good guys to link up. I'm still thinking of how Shmi fits into all of this as I liked her character. Maybe she is a direct relative of Uncle Owen?

Real sets and real locations just like in the OT. Creatures would be animatronic suits and prothetics unless it's a beast like the Tauntaun for example. Real environments and sets produce genuine performances. CG would be used only to enhance  settings like Coruscant or Alderaan the same way glass matte painting did, and also in creating the starships but there wouldn't be any chrome or silvery ships; everything would still be boilerplate tech. No exhaust flames coming out of the engines like the Jedi starfighters in EPIII either!

Star Wars is supposed to be fun and adventurous but deep philosophically. It shouldn't have thick political overtones. It's the rise and fall, then finally the redemption of Anakin Skywalker. This is my 2 cents of ideas of how I'd re-do the PT. Get at me :)

Matt

Episode 1 and 2: I would get rid of Jar-Jar Binks (or at least give him a less annoying voice) and make Anakin less whiny. I would also make it so Anakin does not make 3PO. I mean how would Owen Lars not notice him in episode 4 from episode 2.

I started thinking about this again a few days ago, and started jotting down notes in TextEdit.  It deals almost exclusively with Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Darth Vader situation - Anakin's mistress and the Clone Wars are to be fleshed out later.  Here's what I wrote down (I hope this doesn't screw up the thread):

-A little background: Obi-Wan already has an apprentice who isn't Anakin at the beginning of Episode I.  Also, Yoda is never seen in my prequels, only talked about with great reverence and admiration - it's understood that Yoda telepathically guides certain young potential Jedi to Dagobah to train them himself, which is how Obi-Wan became a Jedi.  He then joined the order of the Jedi Knights, a more organized branch of the Jedi that focuses on using the Force to fight for the Republic, which some non-Knight Jedi take exception to.

Episode I

Obi-Wan's apprentice in Episode I turns out to be a Sith Lord, who attempted to infiltrate the Jedi Knights.  He calls himself "Darth Vader" (he uses a different name before he is discovered as a Sith Lord).  He and Obi-Wan fight at the end of Episode I, and Vader is gravely injured.

Obi-Wan meets Anakin Skywalker during the course of Episode I (we learn of the Force, the Jedi, and the Jedi Knights through Obi-Wan's conversations with Anakin).  Anakin requests to be taught by Obi-Wan, who refuses on the grounds that he already has an apprentice.  He offers to take Anakin to Yoda, the great, reclusive Jedi Master.

After Vader escapes at the end of Episode I, Obi-Wan decides that he will train Anakin instead of Yoda.

Episode II

In Episode II, we see Vader slowly get his armor - first, a mask (without the eye pieces), breathing apparatus, and an artificial arm; then, the eye pieces to replace his real eyes; then a helmet when he sustains severe head trauma.  By the end of the film, he dons the full suit.

Anakin has become a fully-fledged Jedi Knight by this point, and is fighting alongside Obi-Wan in the Second Clone War (I'll elaborate on this at some point in the future).

Meanwhile, Vader begins to hunt down the Jedi Knights one by one, as revenge for the destruction of the Sith long ago.  Anakin, having gained the support of Palpatine, the Prime Minister, is sent by the Republic leader to find Vader, as Anakin is the only one strong enough to stop him.

When Anakin finds Vader, Vader tells him that he's been working for Palpatine all along, and that Palpatine is simply trying to use Anakin to take his place, as he thinks Anakin is stronger than Vader.  Feeling betrayed, Anakin doesn't know what to do.  Vader tells Anakin that he will join with him to take down Palpatine, so they can take over the Republic and rule the galaxy together with an iron fist.  Anakin agrees, after much wrestling with his emotions.

Anakin secretly reports back to Obi-Wan, telling him what happened, saying that he'll defeat Vader after Palpatine is dealt with, then turn control over to the next in line of succession after Palpatine.  Obi-Wan doesn't like the plan, feeling it's too risky, but Anakin goes along with it anyway.  Before he leaves, he gives Obi-Wan the first lightsaber he'd made (he has a newer one now), telling him to give it to his (then-unborn) son if he didn't make it back.

Vader and Anakin confront the Emperor, who immediately knows what they're doing.  He admits to wanting Anakin to replace Vader at his side, and insists that he'll still get his wish.  Almost immediately, Anakin attacks, only to be prevented from attacking by Palpatine, who claims that he can control the darkness inside Anakin (note that this is a mind-control thing, not a Force lightning or lightsaber thing - Anakin begins to strike, but physically can't, as the Emperor is controlling his mind).

At this point, Obi-Wan arrives.  Vader attacks him almost immediately, and they duel as Palpatine talks to a captive Anakin.  Obi-Wan screams at Anakin to help, then realizes what's happening.

Palpatine then turns Anakin on the dueling Jedi and Sith Lord.  Anakin pleads with Obi-Wan to leave before he kills him.  Obi-Wan refuses, and Anakin joins the duel ... but he's attacking both Vader and Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan, realizing that he can't fight both at once, flees, leaving Anakin to fend for himself.  We don't see the rest of the duel, and Episode II ends with the audience in the dark as to what happened to Anakin and Vader.

Episode III

Episode III sees the return of Vader, in full armor.  It's really Anakin now, but we don't know that - the audience assumes that Vader killed Anakin, not that Anakin has become Vader.

Vader slowly hunts down and exterminates the Jedi and the Jedi Knights.  Palpatine solidifies his power, demonizes the Jedi, and creates the Empire.

Most of this film sees Obi-Wan trying to hunt down Vader to stop him, as well as the birth of the resistance movement that will later be known as the Rebel Alliance.

In the last act of the film, Obi-Wan and Vader confront one another.  During the duel, Obi-Wan cuts off Vader's right arm, noting that it's not artificial.  Vader simply retrieves his lightsaber from his disembodied arm, and fights with his left.

The two duel until, finally, they're in some sort of power plant.  Obi-Wan slowly drives Vader into a power generator, finally giving him a hard kick in the controls on his chest, damaging his life support.  The kick forces Vader off-balance, and he falls backward into the power generator, his head colliding first.  Enormous amounts of electricity arc through his body (similar to the Force lightning at the end of Jedi), and the top of his helmet is blown off (this is how the back of his head is scarred).

With Vader collapsed on the ground, Obi-Wan holds his lightsaber to his throat, then bends down to remove the mask.  We never see the mask removed, and we don't know what Obi-Wan and Vader talk about.  The last thing we see before the mask is removed is Vader pressing a button on his belt.

The button is a distress beacon that now-Emperor Palpatine receives.  He orders a group of stormtroopers to find Vader and return him to Coruscant.

The end of the movie sees Vader being fitted with new armor (the ANH armor) and a mechanical right arm, while Obi-Wan brings Anakin's son into exile with him on Tatooine.  (In my view, Beru is Obi-Wan's sister, and Anakin has never been to Tatooine, so not looking for Luke there makes a little bit of sense.)

@Chainsaw - I like your approach, I'll continue to follow your story. But maybe make your own thread and update it periodically like others have done.

You make an excellent point on the timeline. It's my curse of writing before thinking everything through. I just can't accept the PT starting with a 9yo Anakin, and then how old he looks at the end of Jedi being in his mid to late 40's supposedly. I'm kind of nitpicky over stuff like that.

The whole Jar Jar thing; yeah, I get hit a lot over that :P At least he wouldn't be in my story so that should earn me points!

What it all boils down to is I'd focus on the characters and the adventures they have, and then wrap things up with Anakin becoming Vader in EpIII but without the whole suiting up montage. I wouldn't focus on connecting all of the dots as we already know what happens in the OT. George went overboard in trying to explain everything and it backfired. 

I would have focused on Anakin's and Obi-Wans relationship and adventures, because when it all went south in EpIII it would have been more dramatic. All of the political stuff would have been dialed down, and the Clone Wars brought forward because we really didn't get to see it; only bits and pieces.

Mind you, these are only ideas I have floating around in my head. I don't have the talent to actually put it down on paper properly even though I've been a fan since '77. What thinks you?

Hey Chainsaw! Nice to see you back in an NPT thread.

I missed your imput when I was trying to put my ideas in order.

I, of course, like the idea of no Yoda on screen and the end of "Anakin" by the end of Ep II.

I'm not sure I understand your use of Vader tho.

Why does Anakin take Vader's place?

Is he just ALWAYS controled by the emperor?

The darkside is not his choice?

If it is...why?

Why would he take up Vader's crusade to wipe out the Jedi?

I know keeping the Vader secret takes a careful slight of hand, but this doesn't seem to play fair with the audience.  Especially when it can't be explain in your story without blowing the secret and it's not explained in the OT.

You should DEF start your own thread.

I'd like to brainstorm with ya again.

In case you can't tell from the long post that follows, I have thought a lot about how I would have done the prequels to make them better. I don't blame you if you decide to skip my post because there is a lot to take in:

• I don't know about anyone else, but I really hated many of the names Lucas came up with for the people and places of the PT. Padme, Naboo, Jar Jar Binks, Panaka, all those names make me cringe when I hear them out loud. Qui Gon Jinn was ok, and I kind of like the name Mace Windu, but other than that I would replace many of the names with something a bit more pleasing to the ear.
• Obi-Wan would be the main character of the trilogy. Ep I should really be his "coming of age" story. Ep V mentions that Obi-Wan was brash and reckless, so we should see some of that. He could be somewhat humbled by the events of Ep I and come out a much more mature and level headed Jedi, but some of his faults would still carry over to his training of Anakin.
• As many others have said, Anakin would be a lot older than 9 when we first meet him. I'm thinking he should be closer to 15 at the youngest. We need to see his skills as a pilot. I want to see a progression in his attitude, going from a humble "farm boy" to a war hero. The experience changes him, and eventually causes his fall.
• I want Uncle Owen to fit into the relationship of Anakin and Obi-Wan somewhere. As Obi-Wan said "He didn't hold with your father's ideals, he thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved." I can see Owen being very good friends with Anakin before he becomes a Jedi and goes off to fight in the Clone Wars.
• The Clone wars would have already started before the beginning of Ep I and would continue through at least the beginning of EP III. My version of the Clone wars would be slightly different. I think it would be much more interesting if the clones were the enemy. I envision a group of Mandalorian warriors trying to relive the glory days of their past by artificially expanding their numbers. The Sith would be behind their actions in some way, goading them on to war with the Republic.
• Darth Maul had the most potential of any character developed specifically for the prequels. In my version he would be the main enemy in the series. Maul would be the face of the Sith with Palpatine in the background pulling all the strings. Anakin would develop a deep hatred for Maul that would be one of the driving forces to bringing Anakin to the Dark Side. I also had an idea of adding Assaj Ventress in here because she is such a cool character. I saw her as either being Maul's twin sister (this would be a nice contrast to Luke and Leia later on) or maybe the two were lovers. Either way, they would be a deadly combo.
• Like Chainsaw, I wanted to make Darth Vader's identity a bit of a mystery. The surprise reveal in ESB that Vader might be Luke's father is one of the great moments in cinematic history, and I would want to preserve that somehow. Adding in another potential candidate for who Vader might be would solve that problem. Maybe Anakin was finished with his formal Jedi training and Obi-Wan had taken up another apprentice who turns bad.  After Obi Wan and Anakin's epic duel in EP III, it would be suggested that Anakin is physically dead at this point. Then, a new black laden Sith Lord would appear and systematically erradicate the Jedi. Following this same topic, Leia's existence should be kept a secret from the viewer too, or else the reveal in RotJ isn't surprising or moving at all.
• Anakin's fall to the Dark Side was actually explained in a little more detail in the script for RotJ: Obi-Wan's spirit is talking to Luke on Dagobah, "To be a Jedi, Luke, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side - the side your father couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door - for you, like your father. Only, your father was seduced by what he found on the other side of the door, and you have held firm." Because Obi-Wan did not prepare Anakin for his confrontation with the Dark Side, Anakin succumbed to it. It should be explained that the Dark Side is like a drug. When a Jedi wanders into that territory he/she is corrupted by it, and free will goes out the window. A prominent storyline in Star Wars EU stories deal with Jedi trying to destroy the Dark Side from within. Anakin could succumb to the Dark Side willingly as a way of defeating the Sith because he thinks that the Dark Side gives strength that the Light does not.
  
• I also want to give Anakin some reason for really hating the Jedi order, maybe through the use of a plot twist like that of ESB. Borrowing a bit from Dune (as Lucas did a lot for the OT) I had an idea that maybe Anakin was a part of a multi-generation breeding program developed by the Jedi to create a superior Force user. However, Anakin's parents, out of love for their child, fled the order with him. They were subsequently hunted and killed by the Jedi as traitors. Anakin could find out about it somehow and really start to hate all Jedi. It would also give a little explanation into Vader's hatred of his given name, "That name no longer has any meaning for me." His whole life had been a lie, so when it came time to renounce the Jedi, he picked his own identity.
  
• Alderaan would feature much more prominently and would be one of the main locations of my trilogy much the same as Tattooine was in the OT. Getting to know this planet a bit more and becoming familiar with its history would make it's destruction in Ep IV all that much more emotional.
• The entire 3 movie arc would show the decay of the Republic without showing all those unnecessary and downright boring scenes within the Senate chambers. I want to see the Clone Wars taking it's toll on the regular men and women of the Republic. After fighting in a series of Clone Wars, the people cry out for peace and order. In comes up-and-coming Senator Palpatine who offers those things... for a price. This part of my version of the story is heavily inspired by V for Vendetta, and the rise of Hitler. Palpatine will put together his own political party that will slowly dominate the Republic and eventually replace it.
• I'm still struggling with how I would want to present Anakin's relationship with Palpatine, but the two would have to be given plenty of screen time together starting in Ep II at the latest. I wanted to introduce a storyline where Anakin met and fell in love with Palpatine's Daughter or maybe Stepdaughter.
• No R2 or 3PO, except MAYBE in a small cameo appearance
• I don't have a problem with showing Yoda. I think that if the Audience is aware of who Yoda is in the Prequels, it adds a new dimension to his appearance in ESB. Since the Audience already knows who Yoda is, we can laugh along with him as he messes with Luke.

Believe me, I could go on, but I think I'll spare you the rest... for now.

spynet315 said:

Oh no, now the machines are able to think logically about the prequels...Judgment Day is here!

;-)

TV's Frink said:

spynet315 said:

Oh no, now the machines are able to think logically about the prequels...Judgment Day is here!

 

;-)

Lol.... wait, I don't get it.

Spynet...Skynet...it's a bit of a stretch.

  Hi all,

   I'm wondering about the basic character of the prequels. Before TPM, to the extent I'd thought about it, I thought it should have a three act structure like the OT. I thought Ep II should end on a strong downbeat like ESB. Now I'm thinking the saga could have an unusual structure. Eps I and II might be as upbeat as the material permits (like ANH) and serve as a sort of first act of the saga. Eps III and V would be the middle act. Ep VI would be the third act. Ep IV would be a sort of odd interlude.

    In ESB, the ending has an almost 'Gone With The Wind' nature. The loss (seemingly forever) of a beloved member of the triangle, followed by another member vowing to recover and set everything right.  

The way I look at it:

ACT I = Episodes 1 and 2

ACT II = Episode 3

Then it kind of goes back, since the jump forward in time requires everything to be set up again:

ACT IB = Episode 4

ACT IIB = Episode 5

ACT III = Episode 6

So basically, the entire OT is Act III, but it has its own 3-act structure within.

   I would have produced a remake of the OT first *SHOCK*. The controversy alone would have sold hundreds of millions of tickets. All live-action principle photography for the new OT in the space of three years (or less, if possible). As much of the post-pro and FX work and so forth on V and VI would be put off as long as possible to allow IV to finance the follow-ons. Try to design the new OT to be converted to 3D when the tech permits (now.) "Insubstantial" is a good word to describe the trouble with current CGI. It can be used to very good effect in a great many places, but it should not be overused. If actors in costumes can do the job about as well, they should. All shots meant to be outdoors should be shot outdoors, with natural light and air and as many real elements as possible, even if it is in front of a green screen. I found the "video game" environments in AOTC a little disorienting. They were spectacular and worthwhile in their own right, but it interfered a little with sus-dis. As many real elements as practicable in the sets. The purpose would be to create an OT that is perfectly consistent within itself in mood, tone, FX and so-forth. THEN produce a new PT that is perfectly consistent with the new OT.

     For the PT, at first, I was just trying to work out enough backstory to understand the OT. Also, I was playing a game to see how well I could guess GL's backstory, when it was finally revealed. After ROTJ, I needed a working concept of the backstory. I never really tried to divide it into a trilogy or develope full storylines. When TPM came out, it's basic story became canon, so far as I was concerned (it is GL's intellectual property.)

    It would be nice to know there is a record of my SW experiences somewhere. If you will forgive me, I'll drop them here. Feel free to by-pass.

    In the summer of '77, I imagined a trio/triangle with Luke's mother, father, and young Jedi Vader. They were all around twenty. I thought they would be best friends and go on clone war adventures with each other, led by Ben. Luke's mother was also very special. She had Force powers that were different from the Jedi. She could see the future a little and influence others in a positive way. Jealousy played a part in Vader's fall. Different worlds created clone armies to fight each other and it was up to the Jedi and "Force Women" to put a stop to the fighting. I had guessed that there were only a few hundred or a few thousand Jedi (Han and the ImpOffs thought it was all myth), and that Senator Palpatine must have great force power (to control Vader), and that the capitol world must have an enormous city larger than all earth cities combined (If they could build a DS.) I didn't guess that the Jedi had a central HQ. I thought they were more scattered. That's about it in '77-'78. :)

You'd never know it, but I can get extremely fussy when I focus in on particular things.;) Anything I say must be taken with a grain of salt. It's when things come very close to being perfect that I'm at my worst. Slight feelings.

    The background environments of Kamino interiors and the battle on Geonosis left me with a slight sense of unreality. I'm not a video gamer.

    I was surprised by the difference the color adjustments tests made for the arena battle. It was very good as is, but the greys and contrasts moved it to utterly convincing. Oranges, pinks, and buff colors, together with lighter contrasts, seem to be very slightly less solid. Upping the grey scales and contrast slightly increases solidity. Jar-Jar was an excellent CGI presence. I think slight problems in live characters relating to him made the only tiny difference there.

    My only point is that any live action remake should be entirely about presenting GL's story arcs and characters to the greatest effect, artisticaly. All other considerations should serve that goal with a faith that plenty of merchandise opportunities will be created on the way.  

Am I the one one who can't see anything after the first half of

spynet315's post?

I'll give the most radical iteration. It can be walked back easily.

   Ben survives the DS duel, is rescued by Luke, but is too injured to participate in the battle of Yavin. He coaches Luke through it with the Force. In ESB, he is still recovering and on a mission for the rebel leadership on the opposite side of the galaxy from Hoth. He tells Luke through the Force to find Yoda. Yoda gives some expo about Force ghosts. Ben contacts Luke through the Force to tell him that he couldn't reach cloud city before Luke.

    I'm not sayin' I ever intended to get that rad, just trying to make things consistent with past impressions and what seemed like past GL iterations.

^ My rationale was that no one else could ever match Sir Alec's performance, anyway. Might as well go in a different direction.

I've had a bunch of different thoughts on this that I'll try to separate by post:

So much of the glimpses and hints of the back story we saw prior to the making of the prequel films seems so intriguing even still a dozen years later. 

I think personally the two key elements are Obi-Wan and Anakin. Its really their story, and in an odd way serve as the eventual respective "parents" of sorts to Luke. (This also helps to indicate the difficulty in writing about Anakin's wife given that she's an entirely self contained character in the prequels, but that's another matter entirely) Serving to how they ended up the way they did, and the falls of the two men (yes both) are what would make the story such a great tragedy. 

A lot of my thinking is going back to the various novelizations of the films, which do serve to have some interesting gems as far as character and plot points, especially with Kenobi in ROTJ. Indeed, having read that, I'm thinking there could be great potential in making Kenobi the one who's too sure of himself, too confident, too convinced he's the best possible teacher of Anakin. Obi-Wan himself is a generally good person, and too dedicated to his morals and ideals to turn, but his own massive character flaw does help to doom his student. 

I mean, we see in the original trilogy, an all knowing, well traveled mentor, who seems to possess wisdom beyond anything we could imagine. That sort of character, to me, feels like it means so much more if that wisdom came at a costly price. Truly understanding that much of Kenobi's actions in the original trilogy are to make up for the arrogance he had and resulting failure in him being a mentor and teacher to his student makes those scenes with Luke mean all the more. We see why he is a better teacher now, than he was then. 

Which of course, brings us to Anakin, arguably the real lynch pin of the entire prequel films. Something that I always wanted to witness in the first three films, is not simply how Skywalker turned, but how he turned into the exact kind of cold hearted merciless Sith he was the original trilogy. Evil can have many personalities, and the Vader of ROTS seems to resemble the one from the originals only cosmetically. He's an evil guy in a suit, and that seemed to be as far as they went with it. 

Its why I believe its critical to see exactly what character traits of Anakin's that either through being twisted or exaggerated, still existed within Vader. With that in mind, Anakin would have been better off as, well, being genuinely tragic. Somebody who starts out much like his son does; an eager and optimistic young man out to take on the world. Yet that while conflict and problems allowed Luke to grow into a mature, but still visionary member of the Rebel Alliance, his father grows into an increasingly shell shocked and bitter man. 

Indeed, both Luke and Anakin start off very similar (with perhaps the former at bit more inclined towards seeking adventure). The key split is that Luke never lost his idealism. With the support of his friends, the guidance of Yoda/Kenobi and the unfortunate example of his father set, Luke avoided it. 

Anakin wasn't so lucky. The sense of patience and discipline that defines him early on start to disappear (with him slowly getting less and less forgiving of mistakes and failures of those under his command) as the battles take a toll on him. Skywalker, a young man who started out on the "damn fool idealistic crusade to make the galaxy free, just, and peaceful becomes a desperate individual tired of the death and destruction of the Clone Wars, and is eventually just looking for peace in the galaxy at any cost.

Enter Palpatine who's able to offer him just that. The dark side being quicker and easier simply is far more appealing and turns into what ultimately drives him to trust Palpatine's judgement. Skywalker seeing the Emperor's rule as a fair price to pay to potentially save millions of lives from the war becomes the major moral compromise that ultimately dooms him. More importantly though, it helps to explain the specific facets of Vader in the original films. Its why he's so unforgiving of his own officers, why he's so personally determined to crush the rebellion, and why he made the offer to Luke in ESB. 

That desire for the galaxy to be safe, the thing that made Anakin into a Jedi, is what serves to damn him so badly, because after that one compromise with Palapatine, everything became easy to justify. Imperial officers ruining impeding his plans, the Rebel Alliance causing war, his son possibly opposing him; they're all hindrances to peace, all the things preventing him from indeed "bring(ing) order to the galaxy". It takes the cruel sadism of the Emperor's torture of Luke, and recognizing the true goodness of his son to make Vader realize not only that he himself needed to be saved, but that he could be saved. 

Getting beyond issues of plot and character, I’m left thinking about the elements of tone and style and what kind of difference the prequels would have from the original saga. I guess part of me thinks that Star Wars films can’t really work without homage of some sort, and with the original films largely doing a pastiche of sorts the old serials, one wonders what episodes 1-3 could homage to.

Truth be told, as risky as it might be, it would be interesting to have a feel in the prequels (especially in the latter two) somewhat reminiscent of the darker shades for gray films from the New Hollywood of the 70s. Create a real sense of decay in the Republic and a growing distrust of those in authority. Perhaps even throw in some film noir tropes like those seen in 40s, which has real possibilities considering much of that genre is made up of settings glamorous and clean with a seedy underbelly underneath.

Really I think, if one were careful and smart about it, making a parallel between Anakin and elements of the Republic, with the loss of idealism in both, could potentially work. Demonstrating that once the people lost faith in the Republic that it became remarkably easy for someone like Palpatine to come in and start a tyrannical reign, in and of itself is a fascinating story. The "dark times" Kenobi references could be recalling not just days of the Empire, but for the decline the led to it.

If done right, it could in a broader sense set up thematically that the events of A New Hope did for the galaxy what the Star Wars itself did to Hollywood; ushering in a bright, optimistic, era that moved passed the cynicism of the proceeding generation. It could be something that could really illustrate how the respective eras affected Luke and Anakin so differently. 

In terms of New Hollywood, the typical stuff comes to mind (French Connection, Godfathers, Dog Day Afternoon, Dear Hunter, Serpico, Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid). Many very countercultural, with an anti-establishment streak to them. 

I do think that yeah, you can't suddenly make the prequels overtly gritty and reminiscent of that era, given that the originals were such fun escapist space fantasy. However, I do believe there is a way to have aspects of that kind of an element subtly present and working symbolically. 

Say for example if in the second film, Obi-Wan and Anakin are separated for much of the story, that's where one could really do some interesting stuff with tone.

Kenobi's settings feel reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood and thus, the Republic: Bright, with vast colors, large settings, and an outworldly, yet personally pleasing style. Some visual hints that its starting to decay and fall apart a bit, yet it still retains a classical feel. People always seem to be part of crowds and groups. Even Kenobi's clean and quasi-majestic Jedi attire seems right at home.

Skywalker's story feels much differently. Muted color palette, confined settings, even a harsher feel in editing with the cuts. Various characters are much more isolated and alone. Anakin looks more haggard, his Jedi clothes not really fitting, with bits of dirt and grime starting to appear on his attire. He sticks out much more in his settings, never seems entirely relaxed. Have just enough little visual clues to make the surroundings feel  bit too familiar and close to home for the audience. 

Again, the key thing is subtlety and doing in a way that isn't overt and taking the audience out of the films. No doubt its a hell of gamble because its so easy to mess up. But if it can be pulled off, it would make for really interesting trilogy.