WheresBlackhawk

oops, sorry TMBTM, I hope I didnt say too much.

As a little aside for today...

Did anyone catch the Cone Wars episode Trespass?

This was a great episode that ALMOST fits between my Ep1 and 2 outlines.

The chairman is extremely paranoid and requests aid from the senate.  This is what I was talking about with worlds looking out for themselves and not the good of the whole republic.

The Jedi are a peaceful influence who will NOT go to war, but are looking for truth and justice.

Obiwan guides the young senator but doesn't solve her problem with his lightsaber.

And since we never see a clone face, the republic troops could just be troops.

Even C3p0 is almost dignified.

All around GREAT episode!

Only two things don't fit in with the NPT...

The trashed droid ship should be a Mandalorian clone ship and there should be no mention of the jedi council.

Boost-

If you read my questions to be answered by Ep2 & 3 you will see that other "Darths" doesn't belittle Vader.  In the end, with their task of destroying the Jedi complete, Vader will destroy all of the Sith, thus becoming their DARK LORD (bringer of death).  Also don't worry about too many red herrings, as of the end of Ep2 they are done.  As I've posted earlier, I feel that Ep2 is the most dificult of the three scripts.  It deals with MOST of the secrets in a way that will be exciting for new and old fans.  I figure by the time we get to the Obiwan lightsaber fight, fans will figure that the dark figure is Anakin, and newbies will figure it's Obi's student.  It gives both parties a nice twist and ups the ante for Ep3.  I think we can handle mystery without being confusing to the audience.

If everyone WANTS space pirates, I think we should save them for when we start Ep7.  =-o

A crumbling empire and a new republic stumbling to find its footing would be a great setting in which pirates could take advantage.

HAHA...

STU was just short for stuDENT (as written in act1)

and

Luke's mom wont be named NotPadme.

aaaand

the first sith we meet wont actually be named BlaBla

They are all just place-fillers.

Act Three:

Bail saves NotPadme and gets her safely off Coruscant and takes her back to Alderaan. Obiwan rushes to the tell Anakin what has happened. During this time, Anakin is leading an assault on a, now revealed, Mandalorian Carrier that was the base for the attacks in republic space. After they have achieved victory, Anakin receives the WRONG news that NotPadme was killed in the attempt. The friends miss each other as Anakin rushes back to Coruscant in a rage. There is a confrontation between Stu and Anakin. This should be an entertaining fight, because only one of them is actually armed with a lightsaber. During this battle we learn that Stu is not a jedi, he was expelled by Obiwan back in Act One. All of this is revenge on Obiwan and his prize student. Stu taught’s him about being the “Great Anakin Skywalker.” The Battle ends with Stu losing his lightsaber and Anakin holding Stu where it appears they will die together. He tells Stu that he is too weak to be a jedi, “Are you afraid to die? Jedi don’t give into fear. I have NO fear of death… now. You are just pathetic.” He pulls Stu with him to their apparent mutual demise. As the scene ends, we see a hand grasping to life, but we don’t show to whom it belongs.

Obiwan arrives on Coruscant and goes to Anakin’s quarter, which are deserted. There he finds a holo-message from Stu. “By the time you see this, your prize student will be no more.” Obiwan closes his eyes in sadness and suddenly feels a disturbance in the force. He alerts all of his sense and runs what appears to be aimlessly until he finds himself at another murder scene with the cloak and masked individual. Obiwan lights his saber and the cloaked figure ignites his RED saber. Obiwan will be on the losing side of this battle because he is a true Jedi (knowledge and defense) and he is not accustomed to being attacked by a force wielder. Finally, the mask is removed and the killer is revealed to be… one of the Jedi from EP1 and Anakin’s Student from EP2. Obiwan says his name. The dark jedi spit the name from his mouth. “That was my Jedi name. A sign of my own weakness. Call me Darth BlaBla.” Obiwan distraught cries, “How could you commit all of those murders?” Darth responds, “You think I accomplished all this alone? There are more of us than you realize. Your own student is one of us. Your time is passed, Jedi. You could never do what was needed to be done. All the hopes of the republic lie not with your pathetic order, but with us… THE SITH!” The Battle ends like ESB, Obiwan BARELY survives (Maybe a little lightening to show OFFENSIVE use of the force and really surprise Obiwan).

The falling action shows NotPadme crying over Anakin’s “death” and Bail consoling her. Tarkin (Palpatine’s right hand man) arrives on Alderaan and requests Bail’s support. The senate is still untrusting of each other and they need a single voice to get behind in these uncertain times. Bail is reluctant to give ANY person THAT MUCH power. Tarkin convinces him, because Palpatine is not only trusted by many, but as an aging gentleman, he has no agenda of political aspiration (those are a young man’s games), so what harm could giving him this temporary power cause? We end on Palpatine accepting the responsibility and promising to bring an end to the Mandalorian threat once and for all.

Story wise, two things are important:

1) Stu is a red herring. We need to make it look like he is the killer, but me must also make sure that Anakin could be it (on a lesser scale),too. When the Darth tells Obiwan about his student being a Sith, HE MEANS ANAKIN, but we want Obiwan and the audience to think he means Stu. Stu is never actually a Sith, he is a fail jedi masquerading as a real one, thus he should still have a blue lightsaber. Conveniently, some of the murders should be people opposed to things that Palpatine is trying to achieve (which will still be explained as clones).

2) Palpatine must NEVER come across as sinister. He should seem to be desperately trying to save the republic, but show what could this poor, weak, elderly man actually do. That’s how he gets these Jedi that feel confined by the jedi code to become sith (it will be explained in EP3).

Act Two:

The second act is basically a murder mystery.  Several murders occur and it is implied that the victims are all clones ranging from citizens, all the way up to senators.  NotPadme wants to look into the murders so Anakin assists her.  As the act progresses, we see Anakin’s frustration grow.  He is trying to help NotPadme, but this mystery person is doing good, right?  His frustration begins taking a physical toll.  He appears tired with dark circles on the eyes.  During all of this, NotPadme is the calming influence, until one night (after NotPadme hits her own despair at the murder of Alderaan’s senator) they are drawn together and cross that line they never thought they would.

On Alderaan, Obiwan and Anakin believe they have solved the Mandalorian cloak problem.  Obiwan feels that something terrible is happening on Coruscant and he can feel Anakin’s conflict.  After they are notified that Alderaan’s senator is killed, Bail and Anakin head for Coruscant.  Anakin’s outlook changes when he can feel the new life beginning in NotPadme.  He meets with Palpatine and tells him that he is going to be a father.  Palpatine congratulates him and speaks of the powerful child that would surely be born of this union.  Bail and Obiwan arrive on Coruscant. 

Anakin meets with Obiwan to tell him about the pregnancy and that he is leaving the Jedi order.  They argue for a bit, but ultimately Anakin is right, “Obiwan, I’m not like Owen.  He ran.  I came with you, because I could not leave when others needed my help.  Now, I am going to be a father.  How can I just sit HERE while so many others suffer and die?  What kind of father would that make me?”  Obiwan begrudgingly understands.  Anakin asks Obiwan to watch over NotPadme while he is gone.  When they depart, Anakin gives Obiwan his Lightsaber saying, “If I don’t comeback, tell my child… I was a good man.” This is the last time Obiwan sees “Anakin.”  Palpatine receives word of Anakin leaving the jedi and his intention to leave Coruscant.  He calls on Stu to replace Anakin as his protector, but makes sure to tell about NotPadme and where she is.  This act ends with Stu attempting to kill NotPadme.  At this point all suspicion should be on Stu as the killer.

Well... here's my outline for Ep2.  It will need filling out, but this hits on the important parts we need to get all the charcters where they need to be.

Act One:

Obiwan and Stu(dent) are apprehending a clone. The sequence ends with Stu killing the Clone.  Obiwan confronts him about this and feels he compares poorly to Anakin.  Anakin is on Alderaan with Bail and NotPadme.  Bail is sending NotPadme to Coruscant to make sure his wishes are represented in the senate during these uncertain times.  Bail wants Anakin to protect her, even though she doesn’t need or want protection.  During their trip they come to the aid of a ship that is being attacked by Mandalorians.  They assist and chase the attackers off.  NotPadme collects data and readings that she hopes will help break this cloaking technology.  Meanwhile, Obiwan has a falling out with Stu.  They speak of the force and Stu talks of power and refuses to be compared to this Anakin Skywalker.   As Stu gets frustrated and angry, Obiwan remains calm, “We have MUCH to discuss.”

Upon their arrival on Coruscant, Anakin and NotPadme are met by Palpatine who wants to congratulate them for assisting the set-upon space craft. Anakin immediately identifies one of Palplatine’s entourage as a a clone and he is quickly apprehended.  Palpatine asks Anakin to join him for dinner and NotPadme goes off to meet with Alderaan’s senator.  Palpatine tells Anakin how impressed he is and asks him to work with the other Jedi on Coruscant to help them “feel” the clones easier.  Anakin accepts, because he wants to make a difference.  NotPadme shares her info on the Mandalorian attack with the senator.

Meanwhile, Obiwan arrives on Alderaan without Stu.  He tells Bail that they needed to follow separate paths (this is a vague statement because jedi business should stay private and only between jedi).  On Coruscant, Anakin is working with Jedi that we met in Ep1.  They tell him they admire him for taking action even when Yoda wanted them to not be actively involved in the last Clone War.  His only response, “I did what was necessary… and right.” As the Jedi training session breaks up, Stu is seen talking to some of the jedi and Palpatine arrives to ask Anakin to join him again.  Palpatine’s discussions with Anakin should NEVER sound sinister.  They should stroke his ego and fill him with pride in what he is capable of achieving.  They should also help him feel that his rising frustration with only working on defense and not going after the threats is understandable and correct.  The first act ends at night with a dark cloaked and masked figure killing a member of the senate.

Hey Chainsaw, believe it or not, it appears we are still on the same page.  There are alot of similarities between your post and my outline. I'm trying to get all my ideas down, but its been tricky.  As i've said before, I think Ep2 is going to be the most difficult script of the NPT. It has the most slight of hand going on.  You can't lie to the audience, but you still gotta keep the secrets too (and in my story's case some mysteries too).  Some scenes I can see crystal clear in my mind, but some of the spaces between scenes are still pretty wide open.  Just to give you an idea of where I'm going, here is the first two paragraphs of my EP2 outline:

EPISODE 2: The Phantom Menace (I know we can’t use it, but I was using it to focus my ideas)

The crawl should contain information that even though the Mandalorian Invasion was defeated, peace and security have given way to fear and paranoia.  The Mandalorians have changed their tactics.  They are using hit and run attacks on the shipping lanes in an effort to disrupt trade and travel throughout the republic.  They are using new technology that makes their ships difficult read on scanners and impossible to track.  The Mandalorians are also infiltrating the republic with clones.  The Jedi are trying to increase their ranks to help reveal these hidden threats, but how can so few stop an enemy who could be anywhere or anyone…

Ok no definite setting for this opening (any time I say “no definite” that means please throw some ideas my way), but I wanted to try one of those Indy/Bond openings where stuff is going on but we don’t show the main character’s face until the dramatic reveal.  The idea is that this is a clone capture sequence.  We see Obiwan (face shown subtly) and another Jedi (face not shown).  Chase ensues. It ends with the faceless Jedi killing the clone.  This makes Obiwan quite unhappy, and the audience freaks, until it is revealed that this isn’t Anakin, but a new student Obiwan has taken on (as the crawl stated) to fill the Jedi ranks.  He is NOT happy with his new student.

Bingowings - We all try to justify the things that we say and do.  Obiwan says that what he told Luke "was true from a certain point of view."  If we make Obiwan's last conversation with Anakin and his first confrontation with Vader dramatically different enough,  he can JUSTIFY to himself that Anakin is Dead because of this Vader. Especially if we use that Vader confrontation I posted a few pages back, then Obiwan is telling Luke his father's own words.

Bingowings, one of my goals is to make Obiwan not "the biggest fibber in the galaxy."

TheBoost - Sorry, Dude...

Obiwan in ANH, "I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father."

TMBTM - I think you got the right idea there.

Octorox - I don't mind the Genndy animation CONCEPT, but I think we would need our own STYLE to differentiate our story from the official stuff.

TMBTM-In my Ep2, Palpatine does appear to be the right man to lead the republic (I'm not sure if his true agenda should be revealed in which movie, but leading toward Ep3) and Anakin doesn't exactly "choose" the dark side, but he does reject the Jedi and leaves the order (the twist is its an amiable separation).

Food for thought for tonight:

What if the Jedi were destined to fall?  The same for the Emperor?  Why did Luke survive?

"Balance to the Force" - maybe Lucas had something here.

I'm noticing this idea creeping into my thoughts for the NPT.  Yoda always said, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."  BUT that's not really true.  Luke had several dark moments in ROTJ to be at least considered STARTING down that path.  He nearly killed his own father in anger, but was able to pull himself back.  Not exactly FOREVER DOMINATING.

So what I'm saying is... What if the Jedi were wrong?  What if the Emperor was wrong too?  All people have good and bad sides.  The really messed up ones are the ones who completely surpress or ignore the EXISTENCE of either side.  If you go through life NEVER getting angry, you will probably just explode one day (its in there whether you acknowledge it or not).  If you go through life ALWAYS angry, you will probably end up creating MORE reasons to be angry and self-destruct.  This idea was even coming out in my outlines.  Yoda had basically banished himself to Dagobah to hold back the darkness.

Maybe Luke is what the Force needed.  Someone who could recognize the darkness within himself, not deny it and still make the right decisions.  He would be whole and stronger for it.  MAYBE that even explains the lightsabers.  Jedi had blue and Vader had red.  Both are primary colors and can indicate a singular focus.  Luke's lightsaber was green, a mixed color, a blended focus.  Maybe if Luke had done as Yoda said he would have been just as doomed as if he had become the Emperor's new servant. 

HAHA...thanks.

Now if only I was still using that same checking account number.....hmmmm.

;-)

mrbenja0618, if you read my synopsis a few pages back, Beru does play a part, not MAJOR, but I would still say she is important.

Bingowings - Yes, I've been thinking about moving up the introduction of not-padme.  I'm not sure we need more royalty, but I was kind of fond of her being Bail's woman.  Way back someone mentioned that Bail wasn't on Alderaan when his father is killed, because he has no intrest in being king.  How about this as part of my synopsis?

Obiwan and Anakin track down Bail's entourage.  A woman cuts them off from entering the room and questions why they need to see Bail.  Anakin tries to be smooth and ease his way past her.  She clocks him and he hits the ground HARD.  She repeats, " I asked...nicely...What's your business here?"   Obiwan explains that it has to do with Bail's father and then helps Anakin to his feet, "Didn't see that one coming?"  Anakin replies, "You show me any man who can read a woman." Obiwan smile, "Come on." As they are led into the room, Anakin rubs his pain and whispers to Obiwan, "I think I'm in love."

When they speak to Bail, Obiwan tells him calmly about the invasion of Alderaan.  Bail is shocked and doesn't know what to do.  Obiwan says that he should come with them to Coruscant. His droid, c3p0, tells him that it is his responsibility as the new king to survive and should NOT put himself into harm's way.  Anakin makes an impassioned speech about how it is his responsibility to help his people.  They should be placed before even his own life.  Bail doesn't seem to be interested in putting ANYTHING before HIS life.  When the woman from the entrance sides with Obiwan and Anakin and Bail notice a glance shared between her and Anakin, hehanges his tune and decides to go with them (only to impress her).

This way we can have an interesting arc for Bail.  He can start as a reluctant leader who doesn't really care for his people (not a jerk, just someone who would rather be free of ANY responsibility) and grow into that man who would kneel before the emperor for the good of his people and still be part of the rebellion behind the emperor's back for the good of ALL. 

Hey ChainsawAsh,

Quick little idea with the EP1 outline.  I feel that the NPT is feeling a little like a "Boys Club."  Let's bring in Anakin's future wife sooner.  How about as part of Bail's entourage?  She can be a "friend" (could explain why he would raise one of Anakin's children) or family (but no more siblings please).  The idea is that maybe she is the one that talks Bail into getting involved (about his responsibilities to his father and people) while 3p0 tries to talk him out of it (about being reasonable and his responsibility as the heir to stay ALIVE).  Anakin would be attacted to this "go do" attitude.  Keep it playful.

Oh and we need to find out how to get Anakin a lightsaber (I don't think Obiwan just happens to carry a spare).  Should he even HAVE one in Ep1, or should his training be more mental that physical?  If he doesn't need one here, he can just start Ep2 with one and we are cool.

ChainsawAsh, after the scene you posted earlier, I expect you to help me sell #9 in a script.

I liked your sense of dialogue.

Ok, here are my answers to those last three questions I posed.  7 & 9 are important to the stories of Ep2 and 3, while question 8 is more getting my head settled into the universe:

7.  Why did Obiwan tell Luke, "I was ONCE a Jedi knight, the same as your father"?

Ok, people were looking for things to be unexpected, someone DID mention this and I really like the idea.  Take the above statement literally. Before this story is complete, Obiwan will leave the Jedi order.  It is really the only way that THIS interpretation of the Jedi Knights and Leia calling him GENERAL Kenobi can co-exist.  Part of my current story places this fact as one of the reasons that Obiwan survives the killing of the Jedi.

8.  After Alderaan is destroyed in ANH, why isn't Leia a queen?  Wouldn't she be the last living royalty of that world?

During my first post, I stated that Leia was adopted and that she knew it.  I still feel this is true.  I don’t think we really need to get into it in any way in the NPT, I just wanted to explain the reasoning so we understand where all the chess pieces are.  If a kingdom falls and the ruler flees to another land, that man is still referred to as the King, correct?  So, after Alderaan is destroyed.  I assume the royal family (except for Leia) is gone.  Wouldn’t that make her Queen? UNLESS she was not blood.  As an adopted member of the family, she could be a princess, but NOT in line of succession.  Is my logic correct here?

9.  Why does Leia remember her "real mother," while Luke finds Dagobah familiar?

Ok, this one really needs work in my mind.  We need to know Anakin’s wife was pregnant.  We need to show the idea of at least ONE child being born (we don’t need a naming ceremony).  And we need to see at least one child being hidden (probably Luke).  I think keeping Leia’s secret will be extremely difficult but I hope you folks can help me figure a way out.  I have some slight-of-hand ideas, but nothing solid YET.  NOW the cooler part, Luke and Dagobah – What if it WAS “out of a dream?”  During one of our Obiwan/Anakin discussions about the force or Yoda, Obiwan describes the “Heart of the Force” (not naming Dagobah) with its uncontrollable life and power and Anakin says that it sounds familiar.  Obiwan replies, “Yes.”  Anakin looks at him questioningly, “It was…”  Obiwan completes the thought, “a dream in your youth.”  Anakin still looks confused.  Obiwan continues, “The force calls out but we can only hear it when we are at peace.  As children, that is when we are asleep, so we see it as dreams.  Some forget them, some dismiss them, and a very few take them to heart and answer the call.”  Answering the call implies being guided to a Jedi and then leading the Jedi to Dagobah.  (Yes I wrote that correctly.  If the child cannot guide the Jedi to Yoda, then they are not ready to be trained.) Anakin could have refused the call, because he felt responsible for his sister (he can leave in EP1 because she has Owen to take care of her).  Luke could have refused the call because Owen would have told him it was just a dream and to forget it.

Well, what do you think?

I've been working on the Ep2 outline and I can tell you that this needs to be a REALLY intricate script to pull off all character moments effectively.  It uses alot of ideas that have been presented here, but is firmly planted in the galaxy I set up in my EP1.  Either it will blow your minds, or you will banish me forever (well maybe not BANISH).

Here you go...

The second set of questions:

4.  How does the emperor rise to power and how do we make him NOT seem evil?

I don’t want Palpatine to appear as a politian.  To me that inherently makes the audience expect him to be a liar.  I see him more as the ultimate diplomat.  He is able to sway people to his way of thinking (maybe some of it is the force…but without the hand waving).  Think of him as the kindly elder statesman that people listen to because they like AND respect him.  I am sticking with the idea that the dark side of the force slowly eats away at your living body.  You give up physical strength for the dark power.  He is given the total control in the senate, because he is the one man everyone trusts to get the republic out of this mess.  AND what could possible go wrong, since he is an elder man who is obviously getting weaker in twilight of his life (winkwink).  I am looking to Obiwan to finally discover that Palpatine actually instigated Clone War II through the use of the Sith and some of the clones that have crept into the republic are HIS (leading to the Jedi pulling their support from the entire conflict). 

5.  If the emperor is willing to kill Anakin's children because they would be a threat to him, why does he keep Vader?

This may just be too simple.  The Emperor is not threatened by Vader, because he can turn him off at any time.  Vader only lives at the Emperors good graces.  THAT is why Vader needs Luke to help him overthrow the emperor.

6.  Who are the Sith and why aren't they in the OT?

Ok, The Sith.  I was trying to avoid using them, but since many people thought they were necessary, here ya go.  From my last post you probably figured that the Sith, for lack of a better term, are rogue Jedi.  They have taken the quicker path, because they want results and want to bring an end to the conflict NOW.  The Jedi way is not proactive enough.  They are willing to kill.  The reason there are none in the OT, is because when their usefulness is over (they’ve hunted and destroyed the Jedi) Vader kills them.  The Emperor would never let these powerful dark jedi live.  They could eventually be a threat to him.  So, Like Captain Flint killing his crew to protect his treasure in Treasure Island (there, that’s all for pirates), Vader destroys the other Sith.  That is why he is THE DARK LORD of the Sith.  He brought death to his own kind.  These guys have actually become pivotal to Ep2 and 3 so I am starting to dig them.

OK let me explain the Dagobah thing a little more.  The planet does need to be known, or Luke never would have found it.  People can know its there, but why should they care?  Its a planet covered in uncontrolable jungle.  It may be where LIFE began, but I didn't say inelligent life or civilization. To most beings its just a slimy mudhole.  Only the Jedi can "feel" its true importance.  AND while there tap into the force in the PUREST sense.

This idea came about because of the "3yr old" thing i told you about.  Dagobah should be unusually "in tune" with the force.  GREAT...Why? Well, because it's the center of all things jedi. GREAT!!...Why?  I know that gets annoying pretty quick, but imagine what it's like when I keep doing it to myself. YEESH!

Actually, to make this easier to digest (and this was always my intent), I don't think Dagobah should ever be named in the NPT.  There are certain characters here who should never know the name of a planet with such importance.  Obiwan can always refer to it as "the heart of the force and the soul of all life" or something equally vague and mystic to describe it being the birthplace of life and the force.  Imagine Obiwan speaking of things like uncontroled life and the heart of the force and then seeing Dagobah for the first time,  the audience may actually be even MORE wierded out than Luke.

OK.

Here's what I have been working on with the above questions (only the first 3 tonight):

1.  What is Clone War II?

Clone War II is a war of fear and paranoia.  The Madalorians are no longer trying to invade the republic.  They are using hit and run attacks on the shipping lanes in an effort to disrupt trade and travel throughout the republic.  They are using new technology that makes their ships difficult read on scanners and are impossible to track (I am going for a WWII U-boat vibe here).  With the senate unable to handle the situation, for the first time, worlds are starting to look out for their own self-interests before the safety of the republic as a whole.  The Mandalorians are also infiltrating the republic with clones.  Anyone you ever knew or trusted could have been replaced by a clone.  Your mother, your neighbor, that quiet guy on the transport, or even your senator (yes, I am going for some of that post 9/11 paranoia).  Most of this would be in the Ep2 crawl.

2.  Why do we never see Yoda in this trilogy and why is he on Dagobah?

It can’t be to just preserve the surprise, we need a reason for Yoda to be elsewhere.  Dagobah is the center of the universe (or galaxy).  It is where life began (the first world with life, if you will).  It is the CENTER of the force.  It is a jungle, because a jungle is uncontrolled life, where life and death (light and dark) are in constant battle with each other.  That is why there are caves filled with the Dark-Side there.  Yoda is there to be at the center, to be almost one with the force.  That is why he can feel all of the disturbances and can direct the Jedi to where they are needed most.  As the story progresses and the republic begins its fall into darkness, it is Yoda who fights to keep the balance on Dagobah.  By the end, he cannot even leave because he is solely holding back the dark side from enveloping the galaxy.  THAT is why Luke must face Vader again in ROTJ (I always thought it was silly that in ESB facing Vader was bad and he wasn’t ready, but when Luke visits Yoda in ROTJ he’s doesn’t need any more training, but to be a Jedi he must face Vader. WHAT?  Been there, done that, Dude!).  With Yoda dead, there will be no one to hold back the darkness, so Luke must end the reign of the emperor to restore the balance.

3.  What sets Anakin apart from other Jedi that Palpatine is interested in him?

Anakin has a unique perspective and it came to him quite naturally.  The Jedi (and the republic) do not approve of clones, because they are artificially created life.  This taints the force, because it is unnatural.  It also makes clones difficult for Jedi to sense or feel (as I showed in Ep1).  What Anakin can do (and its quite simple) and he teaches other Jedi, is to feel the ABSENCE of the force as a way of detecting the clone.  Since he was the first to be able to do this (and so naturally), he is requested to stay on Coruscant to protect the senate.  Palpatine’s interest in him is the same as his interest in anyone else: How can I use HIM to further my agenda?

I'm not sure of the best way to get into my ideas for Ep2 and 3.  When I gave my bare outline for Ep1, it was shot down pretty quick.  I have a lot of ideas going for the next two, but its not as complete or solid as my recent Ep1 outline.  Would you folks rather the bare bones outline of both episodes (I'm not even sure where the transition between movies should occur yet) or just lay out some of the concepts I'm working on?

For example, questions I'm trying to answer are:

1.  What is Clone War II?

2.  Why do we never see Yoda in this trilogy and why is he on Dagobah?

3.  What sets Anakin apart from other Jedi that Palpatine is interested in him?

4.  How does the emperor rise to power and how do we make him NOT seem evil?

5.  If the emperor is willing to kill Anakin's children because they would be a threat to him, why does he keep Vader?

6.  Who are the Sith and why aren't they in the OT?

7.  Why did Obiwan tell Luke, "I was ONCE a Jedi knight, the same as your father"?

8.  After Alderaan is destroyed in ANH, why isn't Leia a queen?  Wouldn't she be the last living royalty of that world?

9.  Why does Leia remember her "real mother," while Luke finds Dagobah familiar?

Let me know how you would like me to present my ideas (outline or concepts).

ChainsawAsh, sometimes I think we are the only two people here on the same page.

ErikStormtrooper, you are correct in noting that there is no "profound sadness" in Anakin.  I do not want to turn him into Bruce Wayne.  Look at the OT, Luke was not an angry person, but his anger came out of frustration for his lot in life, his training taking to long, and not being able to do something when he knew his friends were in danger.  I am intending to use frustration as part of the "seduction" to the dark-side (remember the easiest solution is not always the best and that the dark side is easier and quicker, something a reckless soul can be attracted to). It could make the dark side even a bit attractive to the audience (How impossible is it for us to stay at peace when you see life kicking you around?).  The other reason I am not focusing on Anakin's past is because I really like ChainsawAsh's bait and switch idea from way back in the thread:  All of the important Anakin info should be in this trilogy, BUT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS OBIWAN.  We see him do EVERYTHING he needs to do to protect the Republic ( more on this in Ep2 and 3) and still fails.  That's why years later Obiwan brings A NEW HOPE into the story.

ChainsawAsh...I was joking about the titles.  I know they would need to be changed. It was just amazing that they worked with the ideas that were falling into place.

3p0 could definitely be bail's.  A protocol droid would be more useful in a time when the people would negotiate more. During the Empire, droids like 3p0 would not be as much in demand because the Empire would not negotiate, it would dictate it's will.  Wouldn't it be cool to see a more confident 3p0 here?  We could watch his life slowly chip away at his nerve-circuits, until he becomes that "perhaps we were made to suffer" droid we know and love.  If we go with fact that Bail is offworld during the invasion because he has no aspiration to rule, 3p0 could be having a pretty good and stable life.  He could be very vocal to Bail about not going back, even moreso about leading the attack to take back Alderaan. 

R2...hmmm...Obiwan doesn't seem to remember ever owning a droid.  I don't think owning such things really works with this almost monastic interpretation of the Jedi.  How about R2 belonging to Anakin's captain?  We can see that R2 is a different kind of droid, because he would be devastated by his master's death.  Maybe he follows Anakin and becomes his droid out of a sense of loyalty (Anakin DID step up when his master was killed after all).  Here's an introduction idea:

When Obiwan gets on the freighter, he goes to the bridge with the captain. There we see the captain go through his preflight asking questions of the pilot, anakin, anyone else you think is important and R2 who would be entrusted with engines, lifesupport, anything else that seems like R2's bag.  There could be a nice exchange where something isn't ready and the captain says something "Its your job to hold this bucket together. Why do you think I keep you around?"  R2 beeps a bit.  The captain chuckles, "Yes, you WERE the cutest R2 unit in Ardmobar."  The captain pats his dome. 

This kind of exchange would show that there is something different and special about R2.  Luke never saw such devotion in a droid.  We should make use of that character trait.

Just so people know where I was planning to go next -- Most of my ideas for the sequels stem from one line by Obiwan, "I was ONCE a Jedi knight, the same as your father."