You know what would be interesting, I think? What if Anakin had been part of the Rebellion at one point in time? Some sort of goal would line him up with the Empire.
Now, why an idea like this? I don't know... I just think that somewhere along the line Anakin should really lose himself. It would be interesting to see, I think. Plus, "idealistic crusade" anyone?
A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em
I think it may be interesting if the Jedi realize at some point that the tide is turning in such a way as to cause an incredible imbalance in the Force, and the only way they can stop it is to oppose the Republic - thus birthing the Rebellion. This also makes it very easy for the Empire to discredit the Jedi, saying that they were fighting for the enemy in Clone War II (whether they do or not depends on who the enemy ends up being).
These are all really good ideas. A real fresh start!
I like Blackhawk's approach of Episode I as Obi Wan's encounter with Anakin and the whole "idealistic crusade" idea. Anakin should be no younger than 18. Any younger, and he would not believably be called the best pilot in the galaxy. And would Obi Wan really take someone under 18 off to a potential war?
Anakin should be noble but overconfident, and we should like him. He should never have a "I shouldn't have done that" moment.
In general, the Jedi should be like wandering reclusive monks who only turn to violence as a VERY LAST RESORT. Like wise old martial arts masters who can effortlessly kick your butt with a twig when you insist on attacking them. They should be very few and far between, with low visbility. Some people should even doubt whether they exist at all. In the OT, we see Ben living comfortably in a little hut on Tatooine, and Yoda living in a mud igloo on Degobah. Is there any reason to think that the Jedi haven't always lived like this? I think it certainly fits their philosophy.
Reagrding Owen, I don't think he should be Anakin's brother. Maybe Owen could be Anakin's brother-in-law (his wife's brother, more on that below). Owen should not be a native of Tatooine. The results of the new PT should force Owen into relocating to Tatooine to find a new life and start over. Then we can see the tragedy of his demise in Episode IV, when the galactic conflict he hoped to escape revisits him.
How's this for an idea: when we meet Anakin in Episode I, his last name is not Skywalker. Skywalker is the name of his future wife, and on her planet, it's the wife's name that's passed along, not the husband's. When Anakin gets married (maybe in Episode II), he becomes Anakin Skywalker. Eventually in our new PT, his wife will die, and his rage/revenge will send him over to the dark side. When he becomes Darth Vader, it will be because of his desire to start over as a new person, and to forget his "Skywalker" (married) identity. Remember Vader's words: "That name no longer has any meaning to me."
The Clone Wars. There should be more than one clone War. And they should be fought OVER cloning or AGAINST clones, not with clones as the good guys. It just makes no semantic sense for the wars to be named afer the (supposed) good guys.
Already in my head, I have a theme forming for this new PT: the inability to confront evil and destroy it will always come back to bite you.
You know of the rebellion against the Empire?
Zahn's post OT trilogy of books mentioned that there were clones of Jedi, not just clones of a bounty hunter. Perhaps, one aspect of the Clone War could be Jedi vs cloned Jedi...how would each one know which was the real one, or more to the fact, how do you fight an enemy who knows your exact move as you're about to make it? Perhaps Darth Vader could be born of Anakin's clone...a replacement who genuinely doesn't know that he is a clone and filled with the rage of watching himself die at the hands of his closest friend?
Having the cloned Jedi involved might give more impact to the whole Clone Wars idea, rather than a slightly weak 'we've cloned a billion versions of this one man, let's use them to fight' type thing....
You should use ideas from this blog:
http://fraggmented.blogspot.com/search/label/under%20the%20hood
astromech said:Zahn's post OT trilogy of books mentioned that there were clones of Jedi, not just clones of a bounty hunter. Perhaps, one aspect of the Clone War could be Jedi vs cloned Jedi...how would each one know which was the real one, or more to the fact, how do you fight an enemy who knows your exact move as you're about to make it? Perhaps Darth Vader could be born of Anakin's clone...a replacement who genuinely doesn't know that he is a clone and filled with the rage of watching himself die at the hands of his closest friend?
Having the cloned Jedi involved might give more impact to the whole Clone Wars idea, rather than a slightly weak 'we've cloned a billion versions of this one man, let's use them to fight' type thing....
ewww....ewww.....ewwwww.......NO!!!!!
sorry but no...that's a positively terrible idea. worse than midichlorians.
Okay here's some rough ideas.
Episode I
CHARACTERS:
The Lars family:
Anakin Skywalker lives on the moisture farm with his stepbrother Owen, Owen's girlfriend Beru, His stepfather, and his mother. His father abandoned his mother when he was very young. His other family members have the name Lars (His stepfather's name) while Anakin has the family name Skywalker, his mother's maiden name. Anakin's mother is in her late 30's or so and could be similar to her portrayal in Episode I by Pernilla August. Anakin's stepfather is older, say in his 50's, is very ill and cannot work on the farm.
Anakin and Owen:
The two boys do all the farm work and their parents rely on them to make their living. Anakin is about 15 or 16 and Owen is about 19 or 20. Owen is courting Beru and expects to marry her soon. He has a very practical work oriented mind and only thinks of providing for his family and his girl. When Obi-Wan comes to whisk Anakin away he is very upset at Anakin and argues that he needs to stay to provide for the family. He sees Anakin as an idealistic person who doesn't put family first. Anakin, like Luke, is very adept with computers, technology and piloting. He has a strong imagination and always looks toward the future. He parallels Luke in many ways although he also has a harsh, resentful and impulsive side to his character which isn't present in Luke. He is always searching for bigger and better things. He has a very close attachment to his mother but doesn't have good relationships with his step family. His mother and the Lars family were only married together a few years ago. When Obi-wan finds Anakin he immediately senses his capacity in the force and thinks Anakin is so unusually adept that Jedi code regarding age and history (The Jedi like to start with clean slates) should be broken to allow for his immediate training.
Obi-wan Kenobi:
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a young Jedi knight in his prime. He is in his late twenties or early thirties during episode I. He was a prominent pupil of powerful Jedi master Yoda and was selected for an important mission. When he finds himself on Tatooine and stays in the Skywalker home he is not liked by Owen, who sees him as an idealistic philosopher who lives a life of grandeur, knows nothing of real work, and is mooching off the family. Anakin is fascinated by his stories of the Jedi order and wants to be taken to Coruscant trained. His mother also takes a liking to Obi-Wan and believes life as a Jedi may be the best think for Anakin, who is always looking for bigger and better things and does not fit in well with the Lars family. Obi-Wan does end up taking Anakin to be trained.
C3PO
This droid is unnamed at this point. He was obtained by Anakin from a junk pile and Anakin fixed him up. He has unfinished rusty body plating. C3PO isn't assigned his number name yet and when Obi-Wan asks about the droid the Lars's say he has no name. C3PO can speak no languages other than Galactic Basic and a few other odds and ends and is generally is of no use to the Lars family. "He can't even speak Bocce" and is the most complex and at the same time to most useless droid in the Lars household. He constantly whines and nags and is a general annoyance. Obi-Wan agrees to take the droid with him as well as Anakin. Later in Episode I he is assigned a number and given his gold finish, his memory is also wiped. What the Lars's didn't know is the C3PO has an incredible capacity for learning. He can pick up information very quickly and easily (all protocol droids can) and by Episode IV he is "fluent in over 6 million forms of communication" Obi-Wan sees his use where the Lars family cannot. 3PO, with his different finish, new number, and many new abilities, is unrecognizable to Owen in Episode IV.
R2D2
R2D2 is a personal Astromech and utility droid owned by the Jedi order. (The Jedi have no worldly attachments, everything they own is owned by the order and free to be shared between Jedi). He is currently in the possession of Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kenobi uses R2D2 to help pilot and repair his ship (most Jedi aren't terribly technologically adept) as well as to transmit and receive messages and other utilities. When on Tatooine, R2 quickly befriends C3PO.
MORE COMING SOON...
I think your ideas retain too many current prequel elements - Anakin, Owen and Obi-Wan should NOT live on Tattooine, Anakin should NOT have anything to do with Threepio's "origin," though your ideas are indeed better than those in TPM (I do like your Artoo idea, though), and the whole Lars family thing just feels too clunky. I think Owen is the only member of the Lars family that should be seen in the prequels.
Erikstormtrooper's ideas I like. I don't know about the last name thing, but it's interesting - I just think you're taking the "no longer has any meaning to me" thing a little too literally. And I don't think Luke/Leia's mother should die. In fact, it might be a good idea for her to be an Organa, or at least a member of Alderaan's royal family. And Alderaan should be a major location in the trilogy, NOT TATTOOINE. There's already plenty of time spent on that planet in the OT.
ChainsawAsh said:I think your ideas retain too many current prequel elements - Anakin, Owen and Obi-Wan should NOT live on Tattooine, Anakin should NOT have anything to do with Threepio's "origin," though your ideas are indeed better than those in TPM (I do like your Artoo idea, though), and the whole Lars family thing just feels too clunky. I think Owen is the only member of the Lars family that should be seen in the prequels.
Erikstormtrooper's ideas I like. I don't know about the last name thing, but it's interesting - I just think you're taking the "no longer has any meaning to me" thing a little too literally. And I don't think Luke/Leia's mother should die. In fact, it might be a good idea for her to be an Organa, or at least a member of Alderaan's royal family. And Alderaan should be a major location in the trilogy, NOT TATTOOINE. There's already plenty of time spent on that planet in the OT.
Well I could eliminate Anakin's mother by making Anakin an adopted child. Then Owen, Anakin and Owen's father (who would die at some point in the trilogy) would be the only members of the Lars family. Again, I don't think George's ideas are all bad and have far less issue with the prequels "coincidences" than most people do. I think making 3PO start out with the Lars family and eventually be brought there again by the will of force (or at least I consider it that) is an interesting story arc. I might revise and simplify my ideas for the purpose of story clarity. I also see no problem with more time on Tatooine in the PT. I like the idea of things coming around full circle and the PT and the OT paralleling each other. We would still see other planets, Aldeeran, Coruscant and more. In fact, there could be tons of planet hopping in Episodes 2 and 3 with the wars going on.
Why have Owen Anakin's stepbrother?
If you really want to start from scratch have him Ben's brother.
Ben is already a proven fibber and it made sense in the ROTJ novelisation for Obi-Wan to place Luke with his brother than Anakin's.
All the resentment about damn fool idealistic crusades could be Obi-Wan talking about his relationship with his own sibling and Anakin could have been this Han style great pilot that Owen and Beru used to drink with down the Cantina when he was a hot headed slacker kid (the type of boy he keeps telling Luke off for being). Anakin could have been type of cool brother Owen always wished he had instead of some weirdo hippy mystic ninja.
Owen could be just as mad at Ben for taking away and corrupting his idealised brother as well as not being it himself.
That adds depth to four characters in one swoop.
Bingowings said:Why have Owen Anakin's stepbrother?
If you really want to start from scratch have him Ben's brother.
Ben is already a proven fibber and it made sense in the ROTJ novelisation for Obi-Wan to place Luke with his brother than Anakin's.
All the resentment about damn fool idealistic crusades could be Obi-Wan talking about his relationship with his own sibling and Anakin could have been this Han style great pilot that Owen and Beru used to drink with down the Cantina when he was a hot headed slacker kid (the type of boy he keeps telling Luke off for being). Anakin could have been type of cool brother Owen always wished he had instead of some weirdo hippy mystic ninja.
Owen could be just as mad at Ben for taking away and corrupting his idealised brother as well as not being it himself.
That adds depth to four characters in one swoop.
meh...you can add depth to the characters in other ways. I don't like the idea because it is established that Owen is Luke's uncle and nowhere is it established that he is related to Ben. That just muddles up and confuses things even more IMO.
I also thoroughly dislike the idea of Anakin being a Han like character. Han represents the type of person who thrives in the days of the Empire, when the more civilized and refined days of the republic are over. The characters of the PT shouldn't be as "modern" as the OT characters in that way. It also doesn't fit with Vader's very formal and regal sensibilities and pattern of speech.
Erikstormtrooper your post made me think of something. What about if Aunt Beru was a Skywalker and Owen was Anakins brother-in-law? The OT never says they were brothers, just that Owen is Luke's uncle.
I also love the idea of getting off Tatooine. We spend way to much time on a planet that is described as the fartherst planet from the bright center of the universe (4 out of 6 movies). Anakin and Obiwan could meet up with the Lars' at any point in the trilogy(maybe even to lay low). As Erik said Owen could move to Tatooine to avoid the conflict (i LOVE that irony). It gives some believabilty to the idea of Obiwan taking Luke there. He will be raised by family but removed from the civilized part of the galaxy. The PT seemed silly to HIDE Luke on his father's home planet.
Octorox said:Bingowings said:Why have Owen Anakin's stepbrother?
If you really want to start from scratch have him Ben's brother.
Ben is already a proven fibber and it made sense in the ROTJ novelisation for Obi-Wan to place Luke with his brother than Anakin's.
All the resentment about damn fool idealistic crusades could be Obi-Wan talking about his relationship with his own sibling and Anakin could have been this Han style great pilot that Owen and Beru used to drink with down the Cantina when he was a hot headed slacker kid (the type of boy he keeps telling Luke off for being). Anakin could have been type of cool brother Owen always wished he had instead of some weirdo hippy mystic ninja.
Owen could be just as mad at Ben for taking away and corrupting his idealised brother as well as not being it himself.
That adds depth to four characters in one swoop.
meh...you can add depth to the characters in other ways. I don't like the idea because it is established that Owen is Luke's uncle and nowhere is it established that he is related to Ben. That just muddles up and confuses things even more IMO.
I also thoroughly dislike the idea of Anakin being a Han like character. Han represents the type of person who thrives in the days of the Empire, when the more civilized and refined days of the republic are over. The characters of the PT shouldn't be as "modern" as the OT characters in that way. It also doesn't fit with Vader's very formal and regal sensibilities and pattern of speech.
The lack of a lovable rogue is one of the many things that hamstrung Lucas' prequels.
Besides a prequel trilogy has to read both ways to really be of any worth (something else Lucas forgot).
It should work both when seen from I-VI and when seen from I-III after the OT.
The audience needs some surprises in a series where the outcome is already known to 99.99% of the target audience.
It fits in with Obi-Wan's point of view philosophy (something already established in the OT), it's not as daft as Anakin building Threepio and Owen living with him for months (maybe years) and then forgetting about it or Obi-Wan not showing even the slightest recognition of knowing Artoo despite the crucial role he played in his many years as a Jedi (that's a lot of points of view that old fossil is keeping under his hood).
I don't think thre's a problem with Owen being Obi-Wan's brother, but I don't know about the Anakin being Han-like, either. I think Anakin should be his own character, not a copy of another character from the OT. He needs to be a compliment to Obi-Wan, the kind of person that really WOULD be a good friend to him. He also needs to be an incredibly gifted pilot and fighter with a very strong aptitude for the Force, but just a little bit reckless, to the point where he'd rather fight his way through a problem than be patient and figure out a peaceful solution, which is Obi-Wan's forte.
ChainsawAsh said:I don't think thre's a problem with Owen being Obi-Wan's brother, but I don't know about the Anakin being Han-like, either. I think Anakin should be his own character, not a copy of another character from the OT. He needs to be a compliment to Obi-Wan, the kind of person that really WOULD be a good friend to him. He also needs to be an incredibly gifted pilot and fighter with a very strong aptitude for the Force, but just a little bit reckless, to the point where he'd rather fight his way through a problem than be patient and figure out a peaceful solution, which is Obi-Wan's forte.
I wasn't suggesting he should be a copy but in a similar vein, alpha male, likes a good drink, good with the blue ladies but deep down he knows there is more to life (like Luke) something that would click when Obi-Wan picks him out.
Han's a pirate, a gun and ship for hire, Anakin could just be a pilot on a spice freighter but a good drinking buddy who meets this mystical knight and takes a genuine interest in what he's saying.
Anakin in TPM is a toddler version of Luke.
He's stuck on a planet in the middle of nowhere but wants to see the stars.
It would make more sense if Anakin had already seen the stars and though he could tell some good stories about what he saw there he never really found anything within until he meets that Jedi bloke that his drinking pal keeps moaning about.
It would also address the Tatooine problem, Luke isn't hidden on Anakin's homeworld but on a place he used to stop off at when he was between jobs.
Just one truck stop on the galactic high road.
Bingowings said:Octorox said:Bingowings said:Why have Owen Anakin's stepbrother?
If you really want to start from scratch have him Ben's brother.
Ben is already a proven fibber and it made sense in the ROTJ novelisation for Obi-Wan to place Luke with his brother than Anakin's.
All the resentment about damn fool idealistic crusades could be Obi-Wan talking about his relationship with his own sibling and Anakin could have been this Han style great pilot that Owen and Beru used to drink with down the Cantina when he was a hot headed slacker kid (the type of boy he keeps telling Luke off for being). Anakin could have been type of cool brother Owen always wished he had instead of some weirdo hippy mystic ninja.
Owen could be just as mad at Ben for taking away and corrupting his idealised brother as well as not being it himself.
That adds depth to four characters in one swoop.
meh...you can add depth to the characters in other ways. I don't like the idea because it is established that Owen is Luke's uncle and nowhere is it established that he is related to Ben. That just muddles up and confuses things even more IMO.
I also thoroughly dislike the idea of Anakin being a Han like character. Han represents the type of person who thrives in the days of the Empire, when the more civilized and refined days of the republic are over. The characters of the PT shouldn't be as "modern" as the OT characters in that way. It also doesn't fit with Vader's very formal and regal sensibilities and pattern of speech.
The lack of a lovable rogue is one of the many things that hamstrung Lucas' prequels.
Besides a prequel trilogy has to read both ways to really be of any worth (something else Lucas forgot).
It should work both when seen from I-VI and when seen from I-III after the OT.
The audience needs some surprises in a series where the outcome is already known to 99.99% of the target audience.
It fits in with Obi-Wan's point of view philosophy (something already established in the OT), it's not as daft as Anakin building Threepio and Owen living with him for months (maybe years) and then forgetting about it or Obi-Wan not showing even the slightest recognition of knowing Artoo despite the crucial role he played in his many years as a Jedi (that's a lot of points of view that old fossil is keeping under his hood).
well maybe there could be a big falling out between Owen and Anakin and Anakin swears never to return again? Perhaps Anakin doesn't even get to know that his wife was pregnant.
Bingowings said:ChainsawAsh said:I don't think thre's a problem with Owen being Obi-Wan's brother, but I don't know about the Anakin being Han-like, either. I think Anakin should be his own character, not a copy of another character from the OT. He needs to be a compliment to Obi-Wan, the kind of person that really WOULD be a good friend to him. He also needs to be an incredibly gifted pilot and fighter with a very strong aptitude for the Force, but just a little bit reckless, to the point where he'd rather fight his way through a problem than be patient and figure out a peaceful solution, which is Obi-Wan's forte.
I wasn't suggesting he should be a copy but in a similar vein, alpha male, likes a good drink, good with the blue ladies but deep down he knows there is more to life (like Luke) something that would click when Obi-Wan picks him out.
Han's a pirate, a gun and ship for hire, Anakin could just be a pilot on a spice freighter but a good drinking buddy who meets this mystical knight and takes a genuine interest in what he's saying.
Anakin in TPM is a toddler version of Luke.
He's stuck on a planet in the middle of nowhere but wants to see the stars.
It would make more sense if Anakin had already seen the stars and though he could tell some good stories about what he saw there he never really found anything within until he meets that Jedi bloke that his drinking pal keeps moaning about.
It would also address the Tatooine problem, Luke isn't hidden on Anakin's homeworld but on a place he used to stop off at when he was between jobs.
Just one truck stop on the galactic high road.
I just don't like the idea. Anakin should be a naive kid who want's to see the stars. And besides how would Anakin go from saying phrases like "cut the crap" to "you may dispense with the pleasantries". I don't see how lovable rouge is any better than "Yipeeee!". The answer is not to turn the PT into the OT. It doesn't need a lovable rouge and a sassy princess and a reliable furry friend. It's different, it's grander, it's more opulent, it's more serious and operatic. I really think all the PT characters should be a little formal and stiff compared to the OT characters. It's a different time. And don't you guys like the ideas of parallelism? symbolism? the cycle of life? all things George was trying to achieve with the prequels but failed? seriously, It starts on Tatooine and then everything comes full circle and there is a "new hope" again on Tatooine.
How do you go from a naive kid who wants to see the stars to someone who speaks like James Earl Jones? I don't think the manner of speaking should be a major concern from the get-go, that's a dialogue issue to be worked out in the script stage. I personally feel that the way he speaks in the OT should be learned from Obi-Wan as a diplomacy tool.
In retrospect, I guess I answered my own question there.
But anyway, I still think you're too attached to the Lucas prequels - there's nothing wrong with parallelism or symbolism, but you have to be careful that it doesn't border on rehash or lazy storytelling.
I think people are taking the HanSolo-like statement too literally. Anakin can't be a refined character, because he needs to be reckless and have some anger management issues. He certainly should not be a rogue or scoundrel either. My comparison stems from Anakin being the kind of guy who would chase down an entire squad of troops by himself to save his friends or ride out to almost certain doom on a frozen wasteland to save his friend. I don't see him as a thief or pirate, but someone who jump into the fray to save someone from being hurt. Not for glory or payment, but because it is the right thing to do.
oh and CRAP i was really starting to dig the idea of getting away from Tatooine except for one silly Obiwan line from ANH...Owen thought Anakin should have stayed HERE and not gotten involved. As I said...CRAP. Erik I really liked your relocating idea...can you make this line not a lie?
WheresBlackhawk said:I think people are taking the HanSolo-like statement too literally. Anakin can't be a refined character, because he needs to be reckless and have some anger management issues. He certainly should not be a rogue or scoundrel either. My comparison stems from Anakin being the kind of guy who would chase down an entire squad of troops by himself to save his friends or ride out to almost certain doom on a frozen wasteland to save his friend. I don't see him as a thief or pirate, but someone who jump into the fray to save someone from being hurt. Not for glory or payment, but because it is the right thing to do.
oh and CRAP i was really starting to dig the idea of getting away from Tatooine except for one silly Obiwan line from ANH...Owen thought Anakin should have stayed HERE and not gotten involved. As I said...CRAP. Erik I really liked your relocating idea...can you make this line not a lie?
Well I was responding to Bingowings not you. I don't think Anakin should be totally refined and proper.
I just think he should be believably Vader at some later point in life. I couldn't see Vader instantly expanding his vocabulary and changing his patterns of speech as soon as he gets in the suit, can you?
As for your idea of Anakin, I agree with it. It' important to expose Anakin's flaws early on though IMO. What The Phantom Editor did with Ep II is very much in line with your view of Anakin BTW. You should check out the commentary on his disc.
Too many ideas bouncing around in my head now...and they all seem to have dead ends.
Making use of some American history here. Let's say that Anakin is Beru's brother and therefore Owen is the brother-in-law. Just like would sometimes occur in the old west, Owen has been setting up a life on some outter-rim planet and has been traveling back and forth preparing to move the rest of his family out there (including Anakin). Meanwhile Anakin has been doing the"navigator on a spice freighter" thing to learn about transportation and distribution for the soon to be family farm. This family plan get blown to pieces when Anakin decides to go off to the noble cause of war (as many young men felt about WWI). Since his family is falling apart, what if Owen tries to betray Obiwan to the enemy if he and his family can get out. In the end Beru would ask Obiwan for forgiveness (Owen was only trying to protect his family) and since we are playing up the Jedi as monks, he would surely do so. Anakin would be so angry he would not talk to Owen or Beru so maybe only Obiwan knows where the Lars farm actually is. yes? no? too Lando?
OK...big jump ahead here... what about Anakin's wife.
I was thinking about the Emperor trying to kill her when she is pregnant and maybe framing the Jedi for it. Could this be the reason for his turn against the Jedi? Would his anguish overwhelm him. What if he never knew that the Jedi were actually able to save her? That's why the children were hidden.
Lastly...for tonite... Anakin's demise.
It was mentioned earlier about Obiwan mentoring a second Jedi. I kinda like this idea but I haven't got it worked out yet. There was also the statement about the rumors of Vader. I like this too, but what if we just call it "a Dark Jedi" instead...maybe simply one who kills, if we want to establish that Jedi don't kill because it would harm the force. Then we can have a big confrontation between the students that ends with anakin needing the Vader armor. The fun part is showing basically both fall to their deaths (lava, boiling oil, at this point whatever) and we glimpse the hand of one surivor. This (i know its still vague) idea would help hide Vader's identity. When we finally get the Vader vs Kenobi battle, the scripting can help cememnt the twist. Obiwan would sense who Vader is and Vader's response helps to seal the deal: Obi asks," YOU are Lord Vader?" Vader should attack him ferociously. Obi starts,"...Anakin..." Vader finally speaks, cutting him off, "is no more." The audience whould be convinced the other student survived.
Just doing some brainstorming. I don't know if any of it will be any help.
Octorox said:Bingowings said:ChainsawAsh said:I don't think thre's a problem with Owen being Obi-Wan's brother, but I don't know about the Anakin being Han-like, either. I think Anakin should be his own character, not a copy of another character from the OT. He needs to be a compliment to Obi-Wan, the kind of person that really WOULD be a good friend to him. He also needs to be an incredibly gifted pilot and fighter with a very strong aptitude for the Force, but just a little bit reckless, to the point where he'd rather fight his way through a problem than be patient and figure out a peaceful solution, which is Obi-Wan's forte.
I wasn't suggesting he should be a copy but in a similar vein, alpha male, likes a good drink, good with the blue ladies but deep down he knows there is more to life (like Luke) something that would click when Obi-Wan picks him out.
Han's a pirate, a gun and ship for hire, Anakin could just be a pilot on a spice freighter but a good drinking buddy who meets this mystical knight and takes a genuine interest in what he's saying.
Anakin in TPM is a toddler version of Luke.
He's stuck on a planet in the middle of nowhere but wants to see the stars.
It would make more sense if Anakin had already seen the stars and though he could tell some good stories about what he saw there he never really found anything within until he meets that Jedi bloke that his drinking pal keeps moaning about.
It would also address the Tatooine problem, Luke isn't hidden on Anakin's homeworld but on a place he used to stop off at when he was between jobs.
Just one truck stop on the galactic high road.
I just don't like the idea. Anakin should be a naive kid who want's to see the stars. And besides how would Anakin go from saying phrases like "cut the crap" to "you may dispense with the pleasantries". I don't see how lovable rouge is any better than "Yipeeee!". The answer is not to turn the PT into the OT. It doesn't need a lovable rouge and a sassy princess and a reliable furry friend. It's different, it's grander, it's more opulent, it's more serious and operatic. I really think all the PT characters should be a little formal and stiff compared to the OT characters. It's a different time. And don't you guys like the ideas of parallelism? symbolism? the cycle of life? all things George was trying to achieve with the prequels but failed? seriously, It starts on Tatooine and then everything comes full circle and there is a "new hope" again on Tatooine.
How does Leia go from “The more you tighten your grip Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.” to “will somebody get this walking carpet out of my way?” (almost within the same reel) How does Luke go from being the sort of kid who whines "It just isn't fair. Oh, Biggs is right, I'm never gonna get out of here" to telling the Empire's ruler "Your over-confidence is your weakness"?
It’s a matter of context isn’t it?
Things we might say to a drinking buddy at Sixth Form/High School aren’t necessarily the same as things we might say to our underlings when we are one or two promotions away from becoming the CEO of a huge multinational (and wearing a cape with gask mask accessories).
As for the parallelism it depends on whether you favour a nurture or nature explanation to character building (I like a bit of both).
Luke’s desire to see the stars largely stems from being stuck where he is by an over-protective (and possibly jealous) stepfather figure while his friends (including a cape wearing man crush in the shape of Biggs) leaves him alone with the grump. This could be Owen, replicating himself in Luke (“That’s your uncle talking”).
The inner spiritual quest could be the genetic inheritance from his true father which Owen is going out of his way to hide from Luke (“That’s what I’m afraid of”).
WheresBlackhawk said:
I think people are taking the HanSolo-like statement too literally. Anakin can't be a refined character, because he needs to be reckless and have some anger management issues. He certainly should not be a rogue or scoundrel either. My comparison stems from Anakin being the kind of guy who would chase down an entire squad of troops by himself to save his friends or ride out to almost certain doom on a frozen wasteland to save his friend. I don't see him as a thief or pirate, but someone who jump into the fray to save someone from being hurt. Not for glory or payment, but because it is the right thing to do.
oh and CRAP i was really starting to dig the idea of getting away from Tatooine except for one silly Obiwan line from ANH...Owen thought Anakin should have stayed HERE and not gotten involved. As I said...CRAP. Erik I really liked your relocating idea...can you make this line not a lie?
Too many ideas bouncing around in my head now...and they all seem to have dead ends.
Making use of some American history here. Let's say that Anakin is Beru's brother and therefore Owen is the brother-in-law. Just like would sometimes occur in the old west, Owen has been setting up a life on some outter-rim planet and has been traveling back and forth preparing to move the rest of his family out there (including Anakin). Meanwhile Anakin has been doing the"navigator on a spice freighter" thing to learn about transportation and distribution for the soon to be family farm. This family plan get blown to pieces when Anakin decides to go off to the noble cause of war (as many young men felt about WWI). Since his family is falling apart, what if Owen tries to betray Obiwan to the enemy if he and his family can get out. In the end Beru would ask Obiwan for forgiveness (Owen was only trying to protect his family) and since we are playing up the Jedi as monks, he would surely do so. Anakin would be so angry he would not talk to Owen or Beru so maybe only Obiwan knows where the Lars farm actually is. yes? no? too Lando?
OK...big jump ahead here... what about Anakin's wife.
I was thinking about the Emperor trying to kill her when she is pregnant and maybe framing the Jedi for it. Could this be the reason for his turn against the Jedi? Would his anguish overwhelm him. What if he never knew that the Jedi were actually able to save her? That's why the children were hidden.
Lastly...for tonite... Anakin's demise.
It was mentioned earlier about Obiwan mentoring a second Jedi. I kinda like this idea but I haven't got it worked out yet. There was also the statement about the rumors of Vader. I like this too, but what if we just call it "a Dark Jedi" instead...maybe simply one who kills, if we want to establish that Jedi don't kill because it would harm the force. Then we can have a big confrontation between the students that ends with anakin needing the Vader armor. The fun part is showing basically both fall to their deaths (lava, boiling oil, at this point whatever) and we glimpse the hand of one surivor. This (i know its still vague) idea would help hide Vader's identity. When we finally get the Vader vs Kenobi battle, the scripting can help cememnt the twist. Obiwan would sense who Vader is and Vader's response helps to seal the deal: Obi asks," YOU are Lord Vader?" Vader should attack him ferociously. Obi starts,"...Anakin..." Vader finally speaks, cutting him off, "is no more." The audience whould be convinced the other student survived.
Just doing some brainstorming. I don't know if any of it will be any help.
Now there are two really good ideas here.
One making Anakin Beru's brother (still allowing for Ben to be Owen's).
That way Owen is Luke's uncle (not half Uncle or pretend Uncle) but it explains why Owen is Owen Lars and not Skywalker.
If you took the heroic charmer side of Han and mixed in a bit of Biggs you'd get closer to what I see Anakin as being.
Those characters are really fleshing out now, Owen and Ben are like the brothers in the prodigal son parable or Cain and Abel.
Owen works hard on his daddy's farm and drinks and dreams, while Ben is the bookish spiritual one who goes off to be a Jedi.
Owen would really like to do the same but he's too rooted in responsibility which is why he spends his time listening to pilot's tales down the cantina.
His best friend is a navigator on a spice freighter who is a sand of the desert/salt of the earth sort of guy, so much so Owen marries his sister in the hope he can hang out with him more because he's a much better brother than stupid hippy wizard he grew up with.
And then the nerd comes home and runs off taking his dream brother with him, when he should have stayed with him and not gotten involved.
It's a man crush gone bad and Ben is Yoko.
Beru has had to put up with this sort of thing before because her dad was just like Owen but her mother was the Tarot, Tea leaf reading type which is why Anakin likes to listen to Ben's talk of mystical energy, it reminds him of his mother. Beru really needs fleshing out too. There aren't that many female characters in the Star Wars universe and of those that are there only Leia really gets to fully fleshed out. In ANH she does seem to be holding a whole lot back, even more than Owen so it would make sense if she is in possession of more of the bigger picture than he is. Owen is more worried about Luke running off, perhaps Beru knows from Ben the full danger of Luke being discovered too soon.
On the subject of strong female characters it would be nice if Luke/Leia's mum starts out as a very fragile,willowy character (the complete opposite of Leia) and then grows in strength and depth as the prequels progress.
Padme in the official prequels is largely a one note character and becomes weaker towards the end (she hardly gets a look-in in ROTS).
I'd like to see that turned on it's head so by the end of the trilogy she is strong enough to try (but fail) to stand up to her husband and start the Rebellion.
Her arc should be one of going from being a timid instrument of the political intrigue of others to being a stoic (but holding a lot of pain) defender of everything her husband once held dear but lost to madness and ambition.
The other great idea is the second pupil/ mysterious masked warrior.
In George's prequels the nearest thing would be Grevious with a bit of Dooku on the side.
I remember reading way back yonder that Vader was saved by the Sith Pirates who made him their leader.
If you had a guy who looked like and sounded like James Earl Jones but wore a big black helmet (just because it put the fear in people) you could keep the identity of Vader secret.
Darth Vader could be a title that was passed down as the name of the Sith Pirates leaders like this guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dread_Pirate_Roberts
That way we could have Palpatine have various henchmen with the title Darth Vader Dark Lord Of The Sith, but Anakin is only the final version and his reputation is built upon all of them but we only find this out for sure in ROTJ.
WheresBlackhawk said:Obiwan would sense who Vader is and Vader's response helps to seal the deal: Obi asks," YOU are Lord Vader?" Vader should attack him ferociously. Obi starts,"...Anakin..." Vader finally speaks, cutting him off, "is no more." The audience whould be convinced the other student survived.
Love this idea!!
I'm doing some brainstorming myself. More later.
Bingowings and Blackhawk, you guys both have very, very good ideas here. I'm really liking the way this seems to be shaping up.
I've changed my mind in regards to how I wanted to plan these out in the beginning. Instead of planning all three films out in one fell swoop before writing them, we should get Episode I taken care of, first, before the other two, as a standalone film, much the way 'Star Wars' was done. Then afterwards, when I is written and ready to be produced, we can start working on the story for II and III, at once, the way V and VI were. (I'm fully aware that the outline for VI written in '78 was thrown out after Gary Kurtz left, and we were left with Oola and Ewoks and such, but hey, wouldn't it have been fantastic if that hadn't happened?)
starwarsfan8376 said:WheresBlackhawk said:Obiwan would sense who Vader is and Vader's response helps to seal the deal: Obi asks," YOU are Lord Vader?" Vader should attack him ferociously. Obi starts,"...Anakin..." Vader finally speaks, cutting him off, "is no more." The audience whould be convinced the other student survived.
Love this idea!!
I'm doing some brainstorming myself. More later.
Yeah that I like. nice idea