I just found that someone had PM’d me this a while back. I’ll keep them anonymous, since it was a direct message, but it’s an interesting idea:
"Thanks a bunch! With a little work this should prove to be a more optimal viewing experience And once Season 3 rolls in I should be able to go foward without having to jump around again.
On a somewhat unrelated note I noticed you were also active in in Phantom Menace improvement thread. And it was either you or someone else who had suggested that Qui-Gon guide Anakin via the force.
But there was an aspect of that change that stuck out to me, particularly the idea of him while meditating as opposed to when he’s dying to do it. If you could take a moment to read through this I think this change specific change could add a lot more weight the story.
On the outside it may seem like such a minor change. However, something like this can explain what happens right after. What if this force telepathy of sorts drains him of his stamina significantly? And it’s this act that causes mold in the upper hand and finish him off. Now it may seem foolish for quae gone to potentially risk his life to help Anakin. But remember Jinn truly believes Anakin is the chosen one, the hope of the galaxy. It would be completely in his character to lay his life down not only because he’s compassionate for Anakin, but so the galaxy may prosper. And as we see early in the movie, he’s no stranger to making huge gambits. Something like this that only parallels ANH with Obi’s sacrifice but also Luke in TLJ with the force weakening him. As George Lucas would say it would be “poetry”.
But we can also take it even further with the implications and set ups this has for the future. Obi-Wan’s harsh treatment of Aniken in AOTC could be stem from repressed resentment that he has towards Anakin for being an indirect catalyst in his Master’s death. But he would never want to admit it, considering he truly does love Anakin as a brother. You could even say that Obi seeing Qui-Gon’s defiance within Anakin is the first trait that causes him to feel a familiarity with boy and leads to their initial bond. As such, another reason he’s so strict with him is because he doesn’t want Ani doing anything reckless that would cause him to sacrifice himself, the way his master once did.
Seems minor on the surface initially, but it brings huge narrative pay off in terms of the overall story. Would probably help if some highlighted how much this is sacrifice for Qui-Gon with facial close-ups of him straining himself. Maybe with some sweat, and the reddening of his face. Not sure how possible this is in terms the visual edits. Another option would be to have Qui Gon’s voice fade in and out while also sounding rushed with Anakin picking up on it. Some edited voice clips from when the two of them are running away from Maul back on Tatooine could facilitate this idea. Something along the lines of “Qui-Gon slow down” Or “Qui-Gon you sound tired”.
If Anakin was made aware of Qui-Gon’s sacrifice, it’s only natural that you’d want to aspire to be more like him by being a risk taker in the future.
In any case, these are the kind of things that insomnia can do to a guy. I’m no editor myself, so this is an exactly something I’d be able to do. I just really wanted to get this idea out there for feedback and consideration."
