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QUI-GON
Qui-Gon Jinn is my favorite Jedi, and in fact my favorite character in Star Wars. Liam Neeson being an incredible actor probably has something to do with it as well. His death in Episode 1, while necessary and expected, was emotional nonetheless. Any way to extend his role in the saga would be beneficial, as he is THE main character in 1, and his absence leaves an empty feeling throughout 2 and 3. Ben got a substantial comeback in ESB and RotJ; Qui-Gon deserves the same. Now, how to accomplish this? Voiceovers will be key, as unfortunately Jinn returning in spirit form would seem nearly impossible. One excellent source would be the Episode 1 tone poem. A version of it could be played, in Anakin's head I suppose, during Qui-Gon's funeral. The scene would have to be extended of course, but it could work. Another spot for it could be in Episode 3 when Anakin and Padme look out across Coruscant. However it might disrupt the eerie silence of the scene, and we wouldn't want to do that. Then there's Qui-Gon's short dialogue in Clone Wars. Even though it is not Liam Neeson, it sounds just like him, and could possibly be inserted as Anakin kills the Tusken Raiders. Other films are an excellent source for Neeson dialogue, as he has a tendency to play wise, mentor characters. Kingdom of Heaven, and especially Batman Begins might prove to be very useful. And of course there's Qui-Gon's deleted scene in RotS, which had better be on the DVD; that's a seriously important scene. It was suggested in another thread Qui-Gon could also speak to Yoda as he lies defeated on the floor of the Senate, influencing his decision to flee. That's an interesting scenario, but I'm not sure about the logistics of it all. I also have a thought about both Qui-Gon and Padme appearing in RotJ, but that's for another time.
MAUL
Darth Maul was an awesome villain, and it was a shame he had to be killed off so easily. Episode 3 gave Lucas a chance to bring him back in the form of General Grevious, but it was nothing but a missed opportunity. Grevious added nothing to the overall story as a character, and could EASILY have been a resurrected Maul. It was obvious all that was needed was a killing machine, so why invent a new one, a CYBERNETIC ALIEN no less, when you already have Maul in the perfect position to return in that form? Things were set up too well for him NOT to be Maul. But there are several logistics to be dealt with here. First off, the names. My solution is this: Since "Maul" is only mentioned by Sidious over a hologram, and "Grevious" is mentioned by numerous characters numerous times, regardless of which name you prefer, it would be prudent to change the character's name to "Darth Grevious." Which actually kind of fits: Plagueis>Sidious>Grevious. Secondly, wouldn't that make it THREE Sith? This also ties into the fact that Palpatine, Dooku, and Grevious are all working together, so Dooku being a rogue Jedi (as in Magnolia Fan's version) wouldn't quite work. Unless of course, through Grevious' new dialogue, it is revealed that Sidious and Grevious are manipulating Dooku for their own purposes (and Dooku is NOT Darth Tyranus; that character does not exist). Speaking of new Grevious lines, there is no question he should be dubbed over, in a mechanical voice as similar as possible to Maul's in Episode 1. If his fear speech from his tone poem could be worked in somewhere that would be great too. Some new dialogue along the lines of what Maul says to Obi-Wan in the infinities comic where he confronts him on Tatooine would go a long way in connecting the characters, with Grevious giving Obi-Wan his whole spiel before their duel. Grevious lightsabers would all be red, of his own making, not taken from Jedi; and when you think about it, his guards having double-bladed vibroblades makes a lot of sense considering his previous weapon of choice. Connections can be made musically as well. I really like the track "Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious," so that can be incorporated into Episode 1, and the Sith chants that served as musical backup for Maul can be put into RotS. Overall, it will take a lot of work, but ultimately make for a stronger story with recurring menaces instead of one-off villains.
Hopefully I've shared some usefull ideas that can be used in future fan edits. I look forward to getting the technology required to make my own versions, as well as other video projects, so I can experiment with these ideas myself. I'm on the verge of getting a new laptop and digital camera, so I'll be asking for some advice on that in another thread. But for now, I offer my creative services to anyone who wants to discuss fan editing possibilities. As you can tell, I'm very interested in the process.
