Most people hate all of Yoda's flipping around with the lightsaber. It's cut out of a lot of edit, but I was wondering the other day if it would be possible to rotoscope out the lightsaber and keep the flipping as a purely defensive thing.
Obi-Wan should be dubbed over with Samurai Jack, then in Ep3, Grievous should be dubbed over with Aku, the Shapeshifting Master of Darkness.
Maybe this has been brought up before, but if Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin can push regular battle droids around with the Force, what prevents them from doing the same with the droidekas? Right... the Plot said so....
XyZ said:
Sorry, but I do not agree... Lucas already replaced the Ents with the Ewoks, Gandalf with Obi-wan, Aragorn with Han Solo, Frodo with Luke... Have you ever read the Lord Of The Rings, guys ?
... All the plan from the LOTR books is to be retrieved reworked and simplified in Star Wars. Joseph Campbell has certainly his part in that tho.
So, replacing the Ewoks with Ents would be some of the best ideas you could have, no ?
Taking your question literally, no, I haven't read LOTR. I hate Tolkien's style and after struggling through Fellowship, ground to a halt in Two Towers. Never read Return. When the movies came out, I gave it another shot and couldn't get anywhere in Fellowship. Thanks to Peter Jackson, I can finally experience this story.
Star Wars needs Gollum and a Precious.
obikal said:
Absolutely, I will agree that a Jedi having a red lightsaber is a very radical idea for a fanedit.
Personally, however, I am a fan of these visual cues, even such simplistic ones. It would solidify his character to the audience at the end of the movie and show that it's tragic the good guys are fighting "another good guy" without having to say it again. If he whipped out a red lightsaber, the average Star Wars audience member would think, "Oh, maybe he was bad this whole time..." Then their Star Wars guru friend (everyone has one) would have to explain that just because it's red it doesn't mean he's bad...
On that note, hypothetically, if you would keep the Episode 2 Geonosis arena with all of the Jedi, would you change some of their saber colors to red as well? Would it be a normal choice at that point for Jedi or would it be something rare in the films, to see a Jedi with a red lightsaber (during this period in the Republic)? I know the movies pretty well, but almost nothing of the EU so I don't know the details behind having red over the others - just curious.
Having said all that, fanedits aren't exactly for the average Star Wars audience member, are they, and this is the radical ideas thread... ;)
Your Rogue Jedi idea for Dooku; is it similar to what I remember reading before/wrote above or was it something different? I'd like to hear more about that if you have thought about it some more.
My ideas for Dooku aren't too different from what has been covered in the thread before, though I did come up with the concept independently. I would put back in his scene with Amidala where he tries to get her to join the Separatists, cut his duel with Yoda (Yoda should never be seen with a lightsaber. Wars not make one great.), and take out the scene between him and Sidious at the end of Ep2 (obviously). I'm definitely opposed to having them develop the Death Star (they're trying to secede, not conquer). This really isn't hard, per se, but just takes some smart editing. I'm uncertain if he should use Force lightning. I can see arguments for and against it.
Mostly, my ideas are aimed towards what can be accomplished without tons and tons of work. I'm not opposed to rotoscoping Dooku's saber a different color, but it's easier just to leave it as is. It's the same reason I call them the Trayd Federation. Simply changing the spelling in the crawl eliminates the need to redub anything. It's much smarter for the Trayd Federation to be talking with the Bann-Kin Union and the Kommers Guild. It would be easier to add a few red sabers when the Jedi take off their cloaks in the arena than it would be to change major fight scenes.
Regarding lightsabers, I'm not extensively versed in pre-OT, but from what I've read, it seems too regimented for my tastes. What the post-OT books talk about is that the construction of a lightsaber is one of the last tests before being declared a Knight, and the choice of the crystal is a deeply personal decision for the individual Jedi. Corran Horn's grandfather Nejaa Halcyon had one with a silver blade. Corran himself made one with multiple jewels that could double the length, and the blade itself was amethyst (I think). Leia's is red, though I'm not sure it counts because Luke made it for her.
One last note: Even if the average SW audience member might suspect Dooku as being bad, that's preferable to having it spelled out and would give a sense of intrigue to the character which provides depth. The viewer would wonder and think about the character and might even develop a viewpoint that he/she could defend passionately.
I agree that the book has its ridiculous points. King Solo is hysterical (Threepio makes up a song about him with an absurd number of verses), and Prince Fabio is utterly forgettable. Leia is a bystander for most of it, which is dumb considering the title.
I should note that Han's ancestor was only a pretender to the throne, which seems like something a scoundrel would do.
I've also seen numerous complaints here about how EVERY Dark Side user now HAS to be a Sith, and the witches of Dathomir break that convention. That's why I think the book is worth reading.
I heard through the grapevine that if people don't go see Phantom Menace 3D that he won't bother releasing the rest. WE CAN ONLY PRAY!!
George will continue to milk his cash cow until the public stops giving him their money.
I think having a Jedi with a red lightsaber IS a pretty radical idea. The audience is not so simplistic that is needs these visual cues. Best part of the EU is that Leia has a red lightsaber.
Greetings all. I've been reading EU since the Zahn books first came out, though it's been ages since I bought anything new. I absolutely refuse to get involved with anything that takes the PT into account. That said, some EU is definitely more stupid than others. My experience is entirely with novels plus Dark Empire; no video games.
Anchorhead, I'm really glad you've been enjoying Zahn. You're right: he fundamentally understands what makes Star Wars great. He's put parsecs more thought into each of his storylines than GL did for the whole.
The parts of the EU I like:
X-Wing series. Just reread this. Great characters, good humor, and tons of references to the REAL Clone Wars. The references to those who have died serving with Rogue Squadron really helps connect to SW1977.
The Courtship of Princess Leia. A very good one-off. The witches of Dathomir are GREAT characters. It's amazing to see Dark Side users who aren't Sith. That alone makes it worth the read.
Thrawn trilogy. No reasons needed; see Anchorhead's reviews.
Jedi Academy trilogy. The concept of the Maw Installation think-tank seems very realistic, even if some of the characters are silly. Blob-racing is infinitely more entertaining than the pod-racing.
I, Jedi. The first-person perspective is very interesting, and I like the story of Corran's journey. I also like his silver lightsaber.
Hand of Thrawn duology. Zahn is strong in the ways of the Force.
I know there's a lot of dislike of the NJO, and I understand why. At the same time, it introduces a real threat to the New Republic and hands them their first real defeats in years. I also like that they're not afraid to kill long-established characters. It sets a sense of worry, and you no longer know for certain that all the good guys will live to the end.
Best part of the EU by far: Leia has a red lightsaber.
Hello, everyone! This is my first post on OT.com, but you may have seen me on fanedit as Infamous TC. I'm a fanfiction author, best known in the Harry Potter fandom. I was actually drawn into the world of fanediting by ADigitalMan's Extended Editions of the HP movies. I feel I have a very strong grasp of storytelling, and the story is my chief complaint about the Prequel trilogy. I have seen the Red Letter Media reviews and was very grateful to finally have so much of what bothered me condensed to 60 minutes.
This thread is a very long slough, but I made it through all 239 pages. There's a lot of great ideas. Someone buy Angel a copy of Vegas so he can learn to fanedit. I would suggest (respectfully) that there are not enough truly radical and yet practical ideas. I would like to state for the record that the following idea was conceived before I read through this entire thread, though certain refinements have been made based on discussion here.
The problem with Ep1 is that there are too many interconnected plots. They need to be separated. I suggest cutting out all of the Naboo plot entirely and make the story the discovery of Anakin.
Qui-Gon senses a vergence in the Force. He heads off to Tattooine (either with the blessing of the Council, without the blessing of the Council, or without their knowledge at all) with his apprentice Obi-Wan.
At the same time, the Sith have also detected the vergence, and Sidious sends Maul to investigate.
Qui-Gon discovers Anakin, but he is unable to persuade Watto to sell the boy. Setup for the podrace and have the stakes be Anakin's freedom. This could also be one of the other ideas I've seen here where Qui-Gon sees the human boy podracing and figures out this is who he came to find.
Podrace. Anakin wins, and thus earns his own freedom.
Deleted probe droid sequence. Duel between Qui-Gon and Maul.
Return to Coruscant. Anakin before the Jedi Council. He will not be trained.
Maul returns to Coruscant and tries to steal Anakin, setting up the Duel of the Fates. It will not longer be incongruous to fight in this setting, as it will be on Coruscant now.
Maul kills Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan kills Maul, and nobody knows what's going on with the Sith.
Obi-Wan promoted to Jedi Knight, and he takes Anakin as his apprentice. I actually really like the idea I saw in the thread of this being without the approval of the council, thus making his fall more of Obi-Wan's fault.
Roll credits.
The problem with Ep2 is that the whole assassination plot is just plain dumb. I won't rehash why. My Muse has suggested the following:
(begin crawl)
The Galactic Republic is Crumbling. Former Jedi Count Dooku rails against the corruption, and more star systems join his Separatist movement every day. Both sides are beating the drums of war.
Queen Padme Amidala is a staunch supporter of the Republic, but her home planet of Naboo lies close to rebellious systems. The Trayd Federation has just severed all diplomatic ties, and their ships are on the move.
The Jedi Council is overwhelmed with trying to keep peace in the Republic. A mysterious message from the past contains coordinates that do not match any known system. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi has been assigned to investigate.
(end crawl)
Open with the ships of the Trayd Federation invading Naboo.
Communications disruption. Invasion.
Gungun battle.
Queen Amidala escapes. Use the palace scenes from the end to simulate getting to the ship. I can use "We've got to get to that hangar!" from Episode II here to non-stupid effect. Blast off and run the blockade.
Obi-Wan is instructed to get to the bottom of the message, which is from Master Sifa-Dias and contains the coordinates of Kamino. He determines that there's no such system, but he trusts in the Force and goes off anyway. No stupid kids with stupid lightsabers!
Obi-Wan lands on Kamino and discovers the army and reports back. Jango Fett plays no part in the plot now, so I will cut him entirely.
Coruscant. Palpatine's office. Dooku is a political idealist. Imply that he is behind the invasion of Naboo rather than the assassination attempt.
Amidala addresses the Senate and reports the fall of Naboo. I can use a mix of her address in Episodes I and II here. She calls for a vote of no confidence.
Anakin is ordered to guard Queen Amidala. Vacation!
Obi-Wan investigates the Separatists and discovers the droid army.
Anakin and Padme fall in love. Most of the dialogue will need to go, but some lines are okay. It is meant to seem quick, a passionate mistake. No more rejection, and no more whininess to deserve rejection.
Palpatine elected. Senator Jar-Jar Binks proposes Emergency Powers.
Obi-Wan reports. I was planning on cutting the visit to Tatooine entirely, but I sorta like the idea of just cutting the slaughter of the Sand People. A&P go to Geonosis to help Obi-Wan. No factory scene. Imply that they arrive at the same time as the Republic.
Clones attack, using heavily trimmed bits of the latter droid/clone battle, then some of the arena battle. Cut directly to the hangar bay and Dooku trying to escape.
Dooku duels Obi-Wan and Anakin and escapes. No Yoda-saber-flipping.
Anakin and Padme married in secret.
Anakin promoted to Jedi Knight.
I don't have specific ideas for Ep3 yet, but I would definitely have Dooku as a rogue Jedi. I would also keep Padme's pregnancy secret even from Anakin. I would cut the birth of Vader, the birth of the twins, the Yoda-Palpatine duel, and the Death Star fanservice.
Thoughts?