Erikstormtrooper

This thread won't display properly for me. (Yes. IE6).

Who broke the internets?

With a windowbox effect, don't you run the risk of things not looking right if a TV's overscan isn't properly set?

AxiaEuxine said:

ROFLMAO...ummmm I think my insides would seize up on me if I tried to write on a Star Wars poster.

Would that be a canon poster or an EU poster?

;)

I used to be a big advocate of PIF, but then I found torrents.

Torrents are easier, cheaper, more reliable, and (most of the time) faster too.

With PIF, I need to find the time to make the copies and go to the post office. The cost of the discs is negligble, but paying for padded envelopes and postage is a pain too. 

Here's something I've been wondering.

If someone were to take a video clip, produce a 3D effect for each frame (like you've done TMBTM), and then slap all the frames into a video editing program, would it create the illusion of a 3D video without the need for any 3D glasses?

Of course, to keep the same length, the final framerate would have to be double the starting framerate.

Does that make sense to anyone other than me?

One thing I forgot to mention:

I thought it was clever the way they managed to communicate the story in a non-visual way. In a movie, it's easy to cut from one locale to another and not lose the audience. In radio, that's not as easy.

Think about the Death Star battle in the movie. The movie cuts from one cockpit to another, then to the control room on Yavin, then back to cockpits and external views of the fighters.

In the radio drama, we hear most of the battle through the comm system in the Rebel control room, just as Leia hears it.

Every time Luke gets a hit in on Vader, he should cry "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

</sarcasm>

I recently got these, and I've had a chance to listen to all of ANH so far.

They are interesting, to say the least. During the parts with Hamill, I feel like I'm listening to some rare audio from the movie. All of the Luke and Biggs stuff is golden.

I thought the voice actor for Ben did a passable job, as well as Han Solo. Vader was just ... weird.

Leia grated on my nerves. When she launched into one of her whiny "Ohhhhhhh" tirades, I wanted to slap her.

I'm interested to see how ESB turns out.

adywan said:

3> (see below) fixed the bad composite job done by ILM for the SE where the gangs shadows are transparent as they run through cloud city in the new SE shot. I've also given the tiny rail a greater hight. health and safety. lol

First off, Sketchrob, you rule!

Secondly, Adywan, I'm glad you decided to raise the rail height in the above shot. Is there any way you would consider making it higher? It still looks way too short to me. I figure most railings are at least waist height. The corridor is just not wide enough for those to be normal rails.

About the issue of the Jedi being peacenicks or not, we may also want to consider that there could be a difference between a "Jedi" and a "Jedi Knight". The Jedi would be more like hippies (Yoda), whereas the Jedi Knights could be more militaristic (Obi Wan and Anakin).

Ripplin said:

^I'll PM you an invite.

 Thanks to you and Nanner Split!

I'd like to check out the torrent of the new dirty version, but I'm not a member of the 'noid. Can anyone help me out?

AxiaEuxine said:

Remove Jedi Rocks. Axia Euxines opinion : NO

Seriously? You like that song, and how Joh Yowza (or whatever) comes right up to the camera, sprays spittle on it, and shows off his uvula? That right there is the biggest reason the 2004 version of Jedi NEVER touches my DVD player.

Oooh, just thinking about that scene makes me mad.

I'd definitely be interested in this.

I like the idea of removing the Leia Skywalker angle. However, what whould cause Luke to turn on Vader in the lightsaber fight?

Any plans to make the Ewok battle more mature, maybe using additional footage from the Ewok films?

Blackhawk, your ideas for CW II are great. But I'm left wondering why the mandalorians are randomly planting clones in the populace. What is the point of that?

I'm not sure all that much attention should be paid to Palpatine, or politics for that matter. As a child, I never really wondered about the Emperor's backstory. And I'd be perfectly happy if we never see the inside of the senate. To be a good story, this needs to focus on characters, not a series of events. I'm not referring to anyone in particular here, I just don't want us to get so engrossed with plot points that we forget about the characters.

Astromech:

By the time Vader is in the life supporting armour, his ability to control the Force is already diminished to the point that all he can is Force choke and move objects. To the Emperor, he is already largely useless...

I'm not sure that there should be many force powers beyond what we see in the OT. In that sense, most of the light side powers seem to be mental or "attitudinal", whereas the dark side powers are physical. BTW, I see no need for PT Force powers like "Force speed" or "Force flip" by either side. Question: when Vader blocks Han's blasts with his hand in ESB, is that a Force power?  

For me, writing out my ideas has really helped me make sense of them. I recommend the same to anyone who thinks they may have an interesting take on things.

Again, I have to question the desire to keep the OT's secrets. People already know them. There's no unscrewing the pooch. I say we use these things (if they are relevant to the story). 

That's sad.

WheresBlackhawk, that was quite good. From my perspective, you definitely have the right vibe. The only thing I feel is lacking is a sense of Anakin's past. I feel his past neds to be marked with profound sadness in some way.

I look forward to your ideas for episode II.

About keepng the secrets (Vader=Anakin, Yoda's identity, Leia=Luke's sister) I wonder if it's worth botherwing with. After all, we can never replace the official prequels, and knowledge of these secrets is widespread outside of fan circles. So why not just use it to our advantage, or use it for some drama?

Yes. I was joking. I made that up.

But the franchise must be in a pretty sad state if y'all thought that might be true.

But then who is Vader before Anakin becomes him? Or are we dropping the Dread Pirate Roberts angle?

Akwat Kbrana said:

Will the real Jabba the Hutt please stand up? No two versions look the same. The closest match is probably '83 and '99. The ANH versions are particularly sad. The question will remain: is "Jabba the Hutt" actually a conspiracy comprising a number of different hutts all going by the name "Jabba," or has ILM just gotten painfully lazy?

 

Actually, "Jabba the Hutt" is a title, not a name. Jabba's baby from the Clone Wars movie is the "Jabba" in ANH, who eventually grows into the ROTJ version.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to throw myself under a bus. 

Here's my daily does of a whole lot of nonsense. Some of it feels right, other parts clunky. In my mind, I keep seeing this as more of a series of comic books than animated movies, but that's purely due to logistics.

Episode I - (25 Years Before the Battle of Yavin)

Anakin (20)
Obi Wan (35)
Bail (25)
Owen (25)

CRAWL:

A bitter conflict has erupted
throughout the Republic. After the
Galactic Senate's divisive decision
to abolish cloning, King Organa of
Alderaan has been assassinated by cloning
extremists, sparking the SECOND CLONE WAR.

In desperation, the Jedi Knight
Obi Wan Kenobi is on a mission to
locate the missing prince of Alderaan.

If the prince can be returned to
his home planet, there is hope that
reason and diplomacy can restore
peace to the galaxy.

Concept:

I see this as kind of like the American Civil War, but sparked by a WWI-type assassination. After the assassination of their King, the people of Alderaan get an extreme case of bloodlust and start a war with the advocates of cloning (i.e., terrorists). These Clone forces (whatever we want to call them, they may include Mandalorians and/or shocktroopers) shouldn't really be clones themselves, just people who believe in the right to make clones if they choose to. Anakin is the "everyman" in the movie, in that all the exposition for us is directed at him.

Synopsis - 1st HALF:

The story starts as a spice freighter (spice is a substance of questionable legality) exits hyperspace over a random planet, only to drop right into the thick of a battle. The ship is suddenly struck by random blaster fire, the captain killed, and the navicomputer damaged. But the navigator Anakin skywalker - with the help of the ship's astromech R2-D2 - begins repairs. While the battle rages, Anakin restores main engines and begins a slow getaway, when he receives a distress call from another nearby ship. He weighs whether he should get involved, risking being caught for his spice smuggling. After a moment, he decides to go back for the rescue.

As he docks with the damaged republic ship, a dazed Bail Organa and injured Obi Wan Kenobi come on board. Kenobi demands they immediately jump to hyperspace to Alderaan. But Anakin explains about the navicomputer. Just then, the Clone Forces begin to attack, and Anakin takes the pilot controls. He manages to artfully evade the attackers. Kenobi is impressed, but he has concerns about their ability to get out alive. In desperation, Anakin begins to manually enter coordinates into the navicomputer. Stunned, Obi Wan asks what he's doing. Anakin explains that he "knows the way home". As he throws the hyperdrive switch, they make the jump to hyperspace, on the way to Tatooine. Obi Wan passes out from exhaustion and his injuries.

When Obi Wan comes to, he's in a small room, being nursed by Beru, Anakin's sister. He wants to immediately leave to continue his mission, but he can't get up due to his injuries. Beru asks who he is, and he explains about the Jedi, his mission, being sent by Yoda (I'm beginning to like the idea of referring to Yoda but not seeing him). Bail Organa is cooling his heels in the background. We haven't really gotten to know him yet. 

After a few days, Obi Wan can amble around a bit with a walking stick, and he meets Owen Lars, a native of Tatooine. Owen was a friend of Anakin's who married Beru after father Skywalker died in the first Clone War. Owen and Beru now live on the Skywalker farm. Owen has little sympathy for Obi Wan, seeing what war has done to the skywalkers.

Bail comes in to talk to the recovering Obi Wan. We learn Bail's the reluctant heir who just wants to escape all this. He also thinks the war is justified and has no desire to stop it. Alderaan was ravaged by the first clone war, which was waged by an army of Clones known as shocktroopers. The shocktroopers were originally an experimental army for the Republic, but the cloning process was faulty, which caused the clones to go mad and mutiny. So in Bail's eyes, Alderaan is now doing what it must to protect itself. Obi Wan explains that the cycle of war will continue  - retaliation after retaliation, until someone can put the past aside.

A few days later, Obi Wan can walk around on his own, and he's beginning to grumble about leaving soon. He makes his way to the garage, where he sees Anakin tinkering. As a navigator who floats between jobs, Anakin is mostly away from the farm, but he spends most of his time in the garage when he's home. Obi Wan notices an old helmet displayed on the wall. Anakin explains that it was his father's fighter pilot helmet in the First Clone War. He gave it to Anakin on his deathbed, saying he "wanted him to to have it", knowing the young boy's enthusiasm for piloting. Obi Wan discusses Anakin's piloting skill and his trick with the navicomputer. Anakin says he's just always had a natural ability for piloting and a sense of direction in space. Obi Wan thinks for a while. He asks Anakin if he's heard of the Force. Anakin responds that he's not a religious guy. He mentions how his mother was killed by Tusken Raiders while father Skywalker was off at war.

Obi Wan takes a closer look at what Anakin is tinkering with: a holonet projector. Anakin notices and says "I figured you'd want some news of what's going on out there". After a minute, Anakin gets the thing to work. He fiddles with the dials and receives a transmission: Alderaan is under attack from the Clone Forces! Obi Wan calls to Bail, who watches with dread. Owen and Beru come in as well. After a few moments of silence, Bail says he's ready to return to Alderaan with Obi Wan.

But Obi Wan and Bail have no way off the planet. Obi Wan, sensing a moment of aligned opportunity, asks Anakin to pilot them back to Alderaan in the freighter. With the navicomputer unable to calculate coordinates, Obi wan pleads that Anakin can use his natural ability - with a little assistance from Obi Wan and the R2 unit - to manually enter the coordinates. Anakin could help save untold lives.

When Anakin doesn't immediately say no, Owen balks. He asks how Anakin could even consider this after all that's happened, how he could willingly put himself in harm's way. Anakin looks at his father's helmet on the wall, then grabs it and says "let's go". After Anakin leaves with the others, Owen says "I have a bad feeling about this". Beru replies that Anakin must follow his heart.

SYNOPSIS - 2nd Half:

Tune in next time as our heroes get in over their head. Anakin uses his piloting skills to disable a clone force dropship, Obi Wan faces off against the dreaded shocktroopers in hand-to-hand combat, and Bail Organa decides to join in the fight. Can they stop the invasion of Alderaan before it's too late?

Episode II (18 BBY)

Anakin (27)
Obi Wan (42)
Princess X (27)

A beautiful young princess (along with her golden protocol droid) is kidnapped by the dreaded sith pirates and their leader, Darth Vader. Anakin (now a Jedi Knight) and Obi Wan do battle with the sith and rescue the princess, with Anakin apparently killing Vader. Obi Wan explains that Darth Vader was once a student of his, but later turned to the dark side and joined the Sith, a band of masked marauders whose identity and species is unknown. Obi Wan uses the story of Darth Vader as a precautionary tale to Anakin on the appropriate use of the force. As Anakin and the princess fall in love, the Sith Pirates attack once again with a mysteriously revived Darth Vader. Anakin falsely believes Princess X to be dead, and he foolishly rushes off into battle. When he never returns, he is feared to be dead.

Episode III (15 BBY)

Vader/Anakin (30)
Obi Wan (45)
Princess X (30)
Luke (3)
Leia (3)

The repeated attacks by the Sith pirates have led to isolationism and xenophobia in the Republic. A charismatic senator has been named as emperor to provide a more centralized leadership in response to the sith pirates.

Because of their mutual affection for Anakin, Princess X and Obi Wan have become parents, in a way, for the Skywalker twins, but their relationship remains plutonic. Darth Vader, however, has spies that report otherwise to him.

Jedi have been mysteriously targeted by mercenaries known as the Mandalorians. The Jedi council (minus yoda) is convened, and they decide that they must make a stand against the Mandalorian threat. While the Jedi are slowly eliminated, Obi Wan does some sleuthing and discovers that the new Emperor has been manipulating the Sith and Mandalorians to his own ends. In a confrontation with Vader, Obi Wan asks what has happened to Anakin, and Vader responds that he is dead. During the battle, Vader falls into lava, and Obi Wan leaves him to die. Obi Wan has lost hope in everything he once fought for and believed in. The emperor announces a truce with the sith pirates, and as a sign of goodwill, makes Darth Vader his right hand man.

Both Obi Wan and Princess X, still clinging to their bittersweet memories of Anakin, are unclear about what to do with the children. They decide to seek the advice of master Yoda on Dagobah. Surely, he will know how best to protect the children. We see their ship approach Dagobah. The end.

ANH (0 BBY)

Vader (45)
Ben (60)
Luke (18)
Leia (18)

Episode I: A Planet in Peril

I'm gonna throw out a big net here and reply to a bunch of stuff at once. Beware, some of my ramblings will be all over the map!

Bingowings said:

ChainsawAsh said:

Exactly, that was my thought - they never say that Obi-Wan was the one that caused it.  It was in the ROTJ novelization IIRC, but never on screen in the OT.

I think we can safely forget everything that wasn't shown on-screen in ANH, ESB and ROTJ when planning for this (unless we are indeed going to keep some of Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy ideas, like the clones, which I think is a great idea).

Once again it's so entrenched in Star Wars lore that to change it would be like making Chewie an Ewok who fell into a chewing gum machine.

In the ROTJ novelization, it also stated that Owen was Ben's brother. We know how George handled that.

This project walks a fine line of acceptance. If it's too close to the official PT, but subtly different (e.g., Princess Jaina Amidala), it might cause some mental dissonance. I think a better approach (and a more interesting challenge) would be to make things as drastically different from the PT as possible, but still have them match up with the OT. That way, we minimize any competing mental images. Does that make any sense?

WheresBlackhawk said:

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?

This quote goes back a few pages, but I wanted to respond. If Beru is Anakin's sister, as mrbenja, suggests, this will solve the issue. Owen is therefore free to be from any planet. But I'm beginning to wonder if we're setting up a story where we'll be focusing too much on who is related to who and how. That's not what Star Wars is about. 

mrbenja0618 said:

Obi-wan Kenobi.. Of course.... But i'm tinkering with the idea of changing his clothes style... It dawned on me while watching A New Hope that Obi-Wan is wearing what would be called Jedi robes in the prequels... But then, what's this? So is Owen! I'm starting to think that what became jedi robes in the prequels were originally just standard attire for Tattooine residents. So, I'm liking the idea that they all wear a wide array of clothes. Anyway, Obi-Wan is not your typical Jedi. He's wreckless, and he takes unneccesary risks. After one of his missions ends in success; his assigned Master Yoda decides that even though the mission ended with the intended result, he accomplished in non Jedi manner.. Yoda assigns him a boring escort mission as punishment.

I think a change in clothes is a good idea. Do the Jedi even need a "uniform"? I envision the Jedi as a loose egalitarian collective, not as a formal hierarchy of council, masters, and apprentices (let's not call them padawans). They can occasionally meet in a coucil (like the pirates in Pirates of the Carribean 3), but there should be no permanent council. The idea of a Jedi Council strikes me as too bureaucratic for the Jedi. Maybe, just maybe, the Jedi could have one they consider the wisest, like the Dali Lama. That could be Yoda, but it doesn't have to be.

So I don't agree with the concept of Obi Wan being given assigments. The Force should lead him to his missions.

If the Jedi are not a military organization, how does Kenobi become a General? I think it would be interesting if he is in the military, but practicing his Jedi religion on the side. This could be an aspect of his wrecklessness. The other Jedi don't necessarily approve, but they have no power whatsoever to curtail or punish him. In this way, he is caught in the middle, not fully trusted by his military comrades, but looked on in a somewhat disapproving manner by his fellow Jedi.

And as long as he eventually becomes a General by the time of the OT, he doesn't need to be a General when he aids Bail Organa in the Clone Wars. 

In Episode I, Kenobi is a young officer of the Republic fighting in the Clone Wars. He rescues Yoda in some battle. Yoda senses that the Force is strong in Obi-Wan, and he offers to teach him the ways of the Force. Obi-Wan's instruction is not terribly long - maybe a month. (Remember, in the OT Luke doesn't get all that much training, but Yoda says his training is complete when he dies.) In fact, the instruction could take the form of Yoda accompanying Obi Wan as he fights the enemy throughout the movie. By the end of the episode, the first Clone War is won and Obi Wan has rescued/aided Bail.  

mrbenja0618 said:

Bail Organa - My version of this character will have much more substance. He will be the Han Solo of this film. It even explains where Leia got her personality.  He's a prince who left Alderraan for his personal adventurous reasons; but once a huge galactic event occurs, he must be found to fulfill his princely duties (Which he despises)... Obi-Wan has been dispatched to find the lost prince and bring him home.

I really like your ideas for Bail, except for the whole "dispatched" part for Kenobi. Maybe some renegade clones have assasinated King Organa, thus sparking the Clone Wars. Kenobi's (military) mission is to extract the prince and safely return him to his home planet.

Bingowings said:  

Darth Vader, Dark Lord Of The Sith is such an entrenched part of the Star Wars universe that not addressing it is utterly bonkers, it's like not doing the Clone Wars at all, everyone has heard the term and it deserves a better explanation than a couple of bad guys with red light sabres.

...

If he's Dark Lord of it we need to know who or what it is and why he's it's/their Dark Lord.

It doesn't make much sense having the Emperor also a Sith Lord as it turns the Empire into a rather small closed shop.

...

The idea of Sith Pirates comes from an earlier draught script : "Led by a young Padawan named Darklighter, who had succumbed to the temptations of the dark side, the evil Sith pirates became the Emperor's bodyguards and hunted down the remaining Jedi." (Star Wars.com) and the term was passed down through books and magazines released during the OT era.

I agree. I think the Sith should be a species, clan, or some organization that has nothing to do with the dark side. So Vader is a (honorary) lord of the Sith, but the Emperor is just a plain-old dark-sider.

Now, what to make the Sith? That's a good question. Thinking...

Maybe we should not see Anakin or the Sith until Episode II.

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.

TMBTM said:

I also think Obi-Wan need to be unsure and shaky as a master and constantly looking up to a person for guidance who is no longer with him. Qui-gon is the master Obi-Wan wants to be.

I don't know, I think it would be nice to see Qui-Gonn turning under the influence of Tyrannus during episode 2. After all he is a bit of of a rebel among the Jedi.

It would had a conflict for Obi-Wan between staying true to the Jedi code, on Yoda's side, and becoming a part of the separatists with Qui-Gonn (you know the deleted scene of AOTC where Dooku/Tyrannus tells him that the Republic is under the influence of Sidous). That way it could make sens that Obi tells Luke that Yoda was the master who trained him, because he was on Yoda's side during the Clone Wars and he don't forgive Qui-Gonn what he did.

Better yet, Qui Gon could have been the Seperatist leader in Episode II. This would have created a real tension for Obi Wan about what he should do. In the end, Obi Wan would have to kill him. And Anakin would never forgive him for it.

(How does someone go from being a Jedi to a Count anyway?)