STAR WARS Movies Animated — Page 24

Anything else being considered here? Are we still waiting on a script?

TheoOdo said:

I have a lot of ideas for an alternate prequel series. I think I've posted them elsewhere before, but I'll try and recap here if anyone's interested in hearing them (they're in no particular order, I'll splash 'em down as they come to mind):

1. The alternate prequel series takes place during the "dark times" mentioned by Obi-Wan in Star Wars. It isn't possible to actually show us the true glory days of the Republic because, and I think I went into this more in another post, that kind of perfect society will only ever be a dream - we can't ever show it on film. (As opposed to the Dark Times taking place between RotS and ANH)

2. There is a single antagonistic Sith figure just as with the original trilogy. In terms of design, I would say something like Darth Maul - he's iconic in the same way that Vader is iconic, he's a very obvious representation of evil. This antagonistic figure would initially be the golden boy of the unknown Sith but, after having been defeated by Anakin Skywalker, falls from grace and desperately hopes to regain the favor of his former master - his fall from power is Vader's rise to power. As Anakin turns to the dark side, this Sith becomes weaker before finally he's completely pitiful yet Anakin murders him just the same. "Battle not with a monster lest ye become a monster", and all that. (As opposed to multiple Sith)

3. Anakin Skywalker is essentially a good person, but the toils of war begin to wear heavily upon him. Obi-Wan wishes for him to be disciplined and patient, even under the awful circumstances of the Clone Wars. Seeing suffering all around him, Anakin gradually begins to reject this view. He wants order and he wants it now, before more suffer. He takes the easy way out, the way that entails less suffering for others but (more importantly) also less suffering for him - he chooses the dark side. (As opposed to saving his love interest)

4. The friendship between Obi-Wan and Anakin could work on the basis of Anakin being worldly wise yet Obi-Wan being spiritually wise. Initially, Obi-Wan would not understand the cut-throat world of Tatooine, but it's Anakin who shows him the ropes. In the same way, Anakin is completely out of his element in the stoic world of the Jedi, but Obi-Wan shows him how to be in that world too. It would be a friendship based on helping each other, with the line between master and teacher very blurred. (As opposed to the clearly struggling relationship from AotC and the lack of a relationship in PM)

5. Anakin would surrender his light-saber to Obi-Wan before his final turn to the dark side. The pain of the war would come to be too much for him and he would resign from the Jedi. Regardless of his resignation, he cannot ignore the continuing blood-shed and would long for "an end to this destructive conflict" and for "order" in the galaxy. (As opposed to Obi-Wan taking his saber from him after he is defeated on Mustafar)

These are just some themes, ideas, characters and situations I think would work in an alternate prequel series. I think there's glimmers of some of these things in the prequel series, but they're mostly unfulfilled and lost in the general confusion of those movies.

I had a much more elaborate plan worked out before I deleted it, swearing to myself that I wouldn't waste any more time thinking about what might have been. But if we're talking about animating an alternate series, I'd be more than happy to submit some ideas and maybe even a draft.

 

Oh and here's an important thing we should work out, who are our heroes and what are their personalities?

Anakin: Idealistic yet worldy-wise, he's a down to earth kind of guy who just wants to do good in the universe. He's seen the tough side of life and wants to do his part to make things better - one way he sees of doing this is fighting against the [whoever the antagonistic army is in this alternate series], which is why he joins Obi-Wan on his "fool idealistic crusade".

Obi-Wan: Like Anakin, Obi-Wan also wants to do good in the universe. Unlike Anakin, he sees this conflict in spiritual rather than practical terms (something that can become a point of light-hearted and also serious conflict between them). In the first episode, he's a naive true-believer. By the time we near the end of the series, he's a man who truly understands war.

Bail Organa: Something of a stuck-up royal, he is at first skeptical of the Jedi. Obi-Wan's apparently "head in the clouds" attitude frustrates him - especially considering he comes to rely on him for defence in dangerous situations. As the series progresses, however, this skepticism begins to slip and he comes to appreciate both Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Yoda: All we know that he must do in this series is train Obi-Wan and refuse to train Anakin - though he could probably be a major character, perhaps even the alien in the way Chewbacca is the alien in the OT.

C-3PO & R2D2: Obi-Wan didn't seem to remember ever owning a droid, so that's out of the question. Though 3PO does say "no more adventures", why not let us see these "adventures"?

The Love Interest™: I got nothin'.

The Badguy: See #2 for some ideas.

Lot's of good ideas that I agree with and how I envision it going down.

1. I think you're right, we need to be thrown into the action, just like in ANH. I think the Emperor's influence needs to have been something going on for a long time as well. It doesn't make sense that he waited til he was 70 to try and take over the galaxy. It also makes ROTJ more rewarding.

2. Agree.

3. Agree.

4. I don't think we really need to see any kind of transformation with Obi-Wan, but I think Anakin should definitely start off as a crusader and by the end the toils of war have made him pessimistic as you said. He sees the world in a totally different way, and Obi is unable to help him.

5. Yup.

TheoOdo said:

I'd like to present another idea here for some scrutiny, if that's okay. This is an idea for the basic background of the prequels and for the antagonistic army of the prequels:

Many years have passed since the Mandalorian War brought chaos to the Galactic Republic. Surviving only barely thanks to the efforts of the Jedi Knights, the Galactic Republic has now entered a dark period in its history.

Insisting that the Republic is ill-suited to handle these conflicts, a separatist movement has emerged united under a common philosophy of militarism and authoritarianism. Led by former Republic General, Wilhuff Tarkin (an ingenious tactician and military strategist), the Republic was at first forced to ignore the ever widening scope of the newly formed "Galactic Federation".

The Republic finally entered into conflict with the Galactic Federation when, under the pretense of "offering military protection to unprotected planets", the Federation invaded and occupied several defenceless worlds - including Alderaan - with an army of Clones.

The prequel series concludes with what had been the scheme of the Emperor all along - the merging of the Republic with the occupied Federation worlds, to form the Galactic Empire. The source of the Madalorian conflict is "identified" as having been the work of the Jedi, and they are outlawed. The re-unification of the Republic and the Federation is hailed as the way toward stability in the galaxy, with Palpatine publicly welcoming Tarkin back into the fold and offering many of the former Federation leaders positions in the new order.

Visually, the Federation army would have a lot in common with the Galactic Empire of the original trilogy. In a way, it is the Empire's ideas that are being fought from day one, until gradually the Republic comes to share those ideas and, once the Jedi have been scape-goated, transforms into the Empire.

Agree, but I think the Clones should be the bad guys. I'm sure from the beginning it was supposed to be like that. Wars are named after the enemy, not after yourself. I don't know if we need a separate governmental entity, I think it can be kept simple. But a separatist party or something isn't a bad idea I guess. If you go with a Federation army and government, you're then dealing with a 3 way war since you mentioned the Mandalorians. I think it could get pretty complicated, and would require a lot of explaining and it may bog down the story. I have a few ideas about this, let me know if you're interested.