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.
