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Prequel Trilogy Script rewrite

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I know, let’s rewrite the prequels! First off, follow the ques from the episodes IV-VI: Make the technology a little less advanced or at least the same, make the jedi more male, more human, and more mystical, keep Yoda a puppet PLEASE! Start with Anakin older, make the clone wars longer and cooler, stop with all the deus ex machina crud, film with ACTUAL actors, models and sets, Wala!

Episode I
Begins with Obi-Wan as Yoda’s apprentice and Anakin as Qui-Gon’s. Both are on seperate missions - Qui-gon + Anakin = Hunting Sith on distatnt mon, Yoda + Obi-Wan = Freeing Naboo. Change nemodians too pre-Imperial rebels who are taking over whole systems, change battle droids to stormtrooper-like soldiers, Cut Gungans or change them so they are big and fierce. Don’t go to Tatooine … period. Both Jedi Duos paths converge on Corucant, Anakin meets Padme etc. Final battle, Qui-Gon killed, Obi-Wan becomes knight and takes Anakin as apprentice. End with ominous war on the brink.

Episode II
Clone Wars. Desperate missions, lots of space flight and battles, cut all chrome ships! R2 D2 is not here, neither is 3PO. Instead maybe have different type of droid duo, or only one droid. Anakin falls to the dark side. Attaks Jedi temple and commits massacre, and flees. Ends with the end of the clone war and Padme pregnant.

Episode III
Begins with Jedi army battling Anakin on lava planet. He destroys magority of Jedi. Anakin is all evil, no goody-twoshoes stuff. Obi-Wan arrives late with Yoda and to survey damage, confronts Anakin and eventually nocks him COMPLETLY in Lava. Palpatine sneeks in and Darth Vader is born. Darth Vader rebuilds seperatist army and defeats Old Republic in massive battle. Palpatine takes power, becomes old and wrinkled over time, NOT through some bizzare acedent. Darth Vader confronts Padme who has just given birth to twins and is dying. He is heart-broken at what he has done. Obi Wan escapes with Skywalker children, Yoda fights emperor and is not defeated but escapes in a firey explosion, completely disapearing.

Other Notes: Mace Windu would be a smaller character and a better actor, George Lucas would not direct the actors, less aliens would be seen, no wookies, no matrix jedi moves, Yoda wouldn’t fight like a bullfrog, AND QUI-GON WOULD COME BACK AS A GHOST!!!

These are all just initial thoughts. A lot of wealth could be tapped from George’s original script “The Star Wars” What do you think?

Sean
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Originally posted by: Obi_sean
I know, let's rewrite the prequels! First off, follow the ques from the episodes IV-VI: Make the technology a little less advanced or at least the same, make the jedi more male, more human, and more mystical, keep Yoda a puppet PLEASE! Start with Anakin older, make the clone wars longer and cooler, stop with all the deus ex machina crud, film with ACTUAL actors, models and sets, Wala!


I agree mostly but why do the jedi have to be male and human? there's nothing in the original trilogy that implies this.

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Episode I
Begins with Obi-Wan as Yoda's apprentice and Anakin as Qui-Gon's. Both are on seperate missions - Qui-gon + Anakin = Hunting Sith on distatnt mon, Yoda + Obi-Wan = Freeing Naboo. Change nemodians too pre-Imperial rebels who are taking over whole systems, change battle droids to stormtrooper-like soldiers, Cut Gungans or change them so they are big and fierce. Don't go to Tatooine ... period. Both Jedi Duos paths converge on Corucant, Anakin meets Padme etc. Final battle, Qui-Gon killed, Obi-Wan becomes knight and takes Anakin as apprentice. End with ominous war on the brink.


Interesting ideas but I'd prefer to see as little of yoda as possible in the prequels, and Tatooine is anakins home this is stated in ANH, so you may aswell show it in episode 1 but not in episode 2.

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Episode II
Clone Wars. Desperate missions, lots of space flight and battles, cut all chrome ships! R2 D2 is not here, neither is 3PO. Instead maybe have different type of droid duo, or only one droid. Anakin falls to the dark side. Attaks Jedi temple and commits massacre, and flees. Ends with the end of the clone war and Padme pregnant.


I like R2 and 3po, but they were badly used in the prequels they should have been together from the start much like in ANH, lucas tried to answer too many questions in the prequels but only answered the insignificant ones. I'm kind of drawn to there being a completely different droid though. Also Boba Fett should not be in it more stupid answers that weren't needed, have mandalore warriors if you want but don't call any of them Fett, draw no direct conection.

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Episode III
Begins with Jedi army battling Anakin on lava planet. He destroys magority of Jedi. Anakin is all evil, no goody-twoshoes stuff. Obi-Wan arrives late with Yoda and to survey damage, confronts Anakin and eventually nocks him COMPLETLY in Lava. Palpatine sneeks in and Darth Vader is born. Darth Vader rebuilds seperatist army and defeats Old Republic in massive battle. Palpatine takes power, becomes old and wrinkled over time, NOT through some bizzare acedent. Darth Vader confronts Padme who has just given birth to twins and is dying. He is heart-broken at what he has done. Obi Wan escapes with Skywalker children, Yoda fights emperor and is not defeated but escapes in a firey explosion, completely disapearing.


Vader shouldn't be seen in the prequels, he shouldn't know about the twins, obi-wan shouldn't know about leia, although I agree about the emperor becoming distorted over time, again lucas answers the questions that don't need answers.

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Other Notes: Mace Windu would be a smaller character and a better actor, George Lucas would not direct the actors, less aliens would be seen, no wookies, no matrix jedi moves, Yoda wouldn't fight like a bullfrog, AND QUI-GON WOULD COME BACK AS A GHOST!!!


agreed mostly, less CG aliens certainly I'd like to see more of the cantina aliens used much like in the clone wars cartoon (which was the best thing about the prequels). Who would Qui-gon appear as a ghost to, it can't be anakin because in ANH he doesn't know of the possibility, so it would be obi-wan which might work, I'd rather he was just a disenbodied voice like ben in ANH so the first time you see a force-ghost is in ESB.

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These are all just initial thoughts. A lot of wealth could be tapped from George's original script "The Star Wars" What do you think?


Good ideas on the whole and I don't mean to nit-pick, the prequels just really annoyed me.
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I can live with the prequel story that Lucas did produce and like some of it but it could have been improved

1.Get rid off Qui-Gonn so Obi Wan meets and finds Anakin and trains him despite the objections of the council.

2. Anakin older in Menace, and his and Padmes relationship has grown before Clones starts, and the relationship hitting its peak towards the end.

3. Dont include 3-PO until the end certainly not built by Anakin(gets rid of contuinity problems as does introducing R2 until later)

4. Needed more interaction between Palps and Anakin as kid?, teenager and as an adult.

5. Thought the introduction storyliine of Jango was a bad idea, shrunk the universe, could have been anyone cloned,we dont need a bit of the life story or introduction for every character in the O.T.

6.Mas Amedda Sly Moore should have been those Imperial Advisor guys in ROTJ, Tarkin as an assistant to see why he is in charge of the Death Star and his importance to the Emperor.

7.But I dont feel the introduction of the Death Star was essential again creates issues over the construction time frame.

8. Anakin showing more of his attributes"cunning warrior" "best starpilot in the galaxy" and a "good friend" on screen.

9. Love and something else not just a snub from the council for his turn to evil then to murderer

10.Padmes death needed to be more convincing Anakin killing her, living long enough to deliver the babies but not naming them.

11. Anakin begging The Emperor to save him. no just the Emperor finding him and saving him.

13. Got rid off Binks the travelling scenes and Gungan battle reduced and replaced with meaningful to the saga scenes.
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We forgot something. Leia says she remembers her mother, not just how she thought and felt, which could have been through the force while still inside womb, but how her face looked.

Also, recast all actors, except Palpatine and Obi-Wan. Don't get me started about Natalie Portman!
Sean
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Don’t really think you need to recast the whole film. Most of the players were perfectly adequate, it was bad writing and direction that was to blame. After all, it is Lucas who ultimately chooses what takes go into the film, and we know for a fact that Christensen did (in his opinion) better takes of certain key scenes. I’m sure Obi-Wan’s ‘I have failed’ you in Sith was a casuality of Lucas’ inability to direct. The emphasis should have been on the word ‘failed’, not the word ‘have’ as it is in the film.

Anyway, I’m with most people in thinking that the prequels are hugely flawed, but I can see why Lucas did certain things. I hate the concept of Midichlorians, but I imagine that they were introduced to explain why Anakin was less powerful as Vader (because he has fewer organic body parts and therefore less funky DNA). Still, it was something that didn’t need explaining.

I also hate Lucas’ current explanation of the crap fight between Obi-Wan and Vader in the original Star Wars. He now says it’s because one is old and the other a cyborg, but he contradicted all of that in the prequels. I mean, come on, you have Qui-Gon and Count Dooku, who are both well over 60, doing stuff that aged Obi-Wan could only dream of, and he was only in his mid 50s! Then you have General Grievous (a cyborg), who is incredibly agile and powerful without having any Force ability. By that measure, Vader should rule!

Personally I don’t mind that Anakin was found on Tatooine, as it makes sense that he would be unwilling to return there. What I really hate is the ages of the characters. Obi-Wan should have been 30 minimum, and Anakin should have been a brilliant, but troubled teen. This would have made the romance with Padme far more convincing (not to mention the rest of his character). If they really had to have the droids in the film then they should both have been Padmes. Better yet he should have appeared right at the end with Bail Organa. The whole Anakin building 3P0 is terrible.

Loads more I thought of the other day, but can't remember it now
"Whatever! I digitally put Jabba the Hutt back into the original Star Wars movie! I'll do what I want!"
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Though Lucas annoys me a lot, I dont hate the guy, and he has in my opinion more filmaking talent than most but I feel and its probably been said before he should have collabrated more, I feel some one should have said to Lucas that he couldnt do it all(direct screenplay dialouge etc) and Lucas should have listened and got more people involved as he did for the original trilogy....

we had Hales and Stoppards input but I feel must of their collaberation was pushed to one side by Lucas..

It will still be Lucas "vision" as ANH ESB and ROTJ was with all the collaberation they had.
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Most of the players were perfectly adequate, it was bad writing and direction that was to blame.


I agree on the bad writing and direction, but I think most of the players were highly inadequate. Yeah, they were working with wooden, sometimes awful dialogue, but they should have enough talent to sell it at least a little more than the bad script on paper. Samuel L. Jackson is badass otherwise, but I still think he was miscast in SW. Palpatine was the only character with any real substance, with Obi-Wan a close second. The OT just had overall better actors for the roles-- and therefore better characters, of course. Fisher/Leia and Ford/Han were strong and had attitude and sarcasm, Hamill/Luke was an innocent yet strong fighter. Those levels and nuances were not reached in the PT, and I think it has just as much to do with Portman and Christensen's lack of ability as it does the crap script and direction. Portman is okay overall in other films, but her range is very limited, and Hayden's is nonexistent. He went from sulky to more sulky. I didn't buy his "anger" for a second, not even in the 2nd half of Sith.

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Lucas should have listened and got more people involved as he did for the original trilogy....


Ain't that the truth.
We don't have enough road to get up to 88.
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It is frustrating to think what we could have had from the prequels if GL had commissioned a bunch of writers and directors to do them. But I suppose we'll never know now. One thing is certain, they're not even the films that GL originally wanted to make. Probably pressure from marketing men and greedy actors contributed to spoiling these movies as much as the lame stories and acting did.
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Originally posted by: Mr Bungle
I can live with the prequel story that Lucas did produce and like some of it but it could have been improved

1.Get rid off Qui-Gonn so Obi Wan meets and finds Anakin and trains him despite the objections of the council.

2. Anakin older in Menace, and his and Padmes relationship has grown before Clones starts, and the relationship hitting its peak towards the end.

3. Dont include 3-PO until the end certainly not built by Anakin(gets rid of contuinity problems as does introducing R2 until later)

4. Needed more interaction between Palps and Anakin as kid?, teenager and as an adult.

5. Thought the introduction storyliine of Jango was a bad idea, shrunk the universe, could have been anyone cloned,we dont need a bit of the life story or introduction for every character in the O.T.

6.Mas Amedda Sly Moore should have been those Imperial Advisor guys in ROTJ, Tarkin as an assistant to see why he is in charge of the Death Star and his importance to the Emperor.

7.But I dont feel the introduction of the Death Star was essential again creates issues over the construction time frame.

8. Anakin showing more of his attributes"cunning warrior" "best starpilot in the galaxy" and a "good friend" on screen.

9. Love and something else not just a snub from the council for his turn to evil then to murderer

10.Padmes death needed to be more convincing Anakin killing her, living long enough to deliver the babies but not naming them.

11. Anakin begging The Emperor to save him. no just the Emperor finding him and saving him.

13. Got rid off Binks the travelling scenes and Gungan battle reduced and replaced with meaningful to the saga scenes.



I did most of these in my story rewrites of Episodes I and II, check them out here (EPI) and here (EPII).

In EPI, I did take the liberty of explaining the clones' origins - but the final revelation of them comes in EPIII. It also isn't so coincidental - it kind of has a reason to it. I am struggling to get Anakin and Palpatine to interact more in my rewrites, mostly because of the changes I've made in the politics. I am thinking, however, that I will forge a relationship between Anakin and Sidious instead, after Anakin is expelled from the Jedi Order. I bring Tarkin into the political climate in EPII, as Palpatine is surrounding himself with allies in the Senate. I am formulating decent reasons for Anakin's expulsion from the order as I am currently rewriting EPIII. I will have Padmé die a lot later (I may not even have her die in the films, but merely infer that she does), to give credence to Leia's remembrance of her. Binks and the Gungans are gone - I've tried to stick with using mostly aliens from the OT (with the exception of the Kaminoans).
MTFBWY. Always.

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