<div>The Setting</div>
<div> The War</div>
<div> Are you focusing on the Clone Wars?</div>
<div> YES:</div>
<div> Who are the Clones?</div>
They are a stop-gap measure to fill serious manpower shortages in the Republic armed forces. The ulterior motive is to militarize the Republic for the purposes of abolishing its democracy.
<div> How does the War pertain to them?</div>
They become the very convenient tool suddenly available to the Republic when it comes under the attack from the Separatists.
<div> What about the Clone Wars would cause Obi-Wan to refer to them as an "idealistic crusade"? What were the ideals? How was it a crusade?</div>
It's not Obi-Wan who makes that reference, it's Owen. And he does it because he considers them politics in its most destructive form. In some ways, he's right.
<div> How does Cloning become irrelevant by the start of Episode 4?</div>
The personnel issues have been solved through conscription and seriously increased volunteer recruitment, fuelled by the Chancellor's very effective propaganda.
<div> How is cloning limited to the point that the whole story doesn't get consumed by the idea of clones replacing major players?</div>
Well, since it's a stop gap measure, the Clones are used as just that- a disposable tool. Major players are established before the Clones come onto the stage.
<div> If Symmetrical:</div>
<div> How does War work exactly? How does hyperspace affect a galaxy wide war?</div>
This war will be very WWI-like. Hyperspace affects movements of troops, for sure, but since trade moves along established hyperspace lanes and planets are the resource base, there is still something to be said for frontlines and supply lines, which will dictate how troop movements can be made to achieve war objectives.
<div> Does your story feature "soldiers"? Who are they? Are the main characters soldiers in the War? Leia's and Ben's comments seem to indicate that they were.</div>
Yes, they will become involved in the war. Also, we'll meet the fighter squadron Anakin serves with, as well as a band of Mandalorians that act as good foils for the heroes.
<div> Who are the armies? Does the Republic have its own army, or do each of the independent planets have their own armies?</div>
The Republic does have its own army, but it starts out desperately underfunded and badly organized.
Who is the enemy large enough that this is a full scale war?</div>
This is the Separatists, a Confederation of systems that leave the Republic because of their belief in system independence. They have enough resources to field some considerable forces, but like the Republic, they supplement regular troops with some disposable troops, in their case droids.
<div> When did/does the War start?</div>
It stats when Anakin is about 25, old enough to have had some Jedi training and also some training as a fighter pilot.
<div> How does the War end?</div>
Roughly, with the end of Republic democracy and the defeat of the Separatists.
<div>Continiuity to the OT:</div>
<div> Do you show Obi-Wan receiving training from Yoda?</div>
No. He's much to old to still be an apprentice at the start of the story, particularly since the story starts with Obi-Wan becoming Anakin's mentor, indicating that he is old enough to be a Jedi Master in his own right.
<div> Do you show Anakin receiving training from Obi-Wan?</div>
Yes, some.
<div> Are Obi-Wan and Anakin friends? When do they have the chance to establish this friendship</div>
Absolutely. They are repeatedly bonding and showing their loyalty to each other, to the point of interfering with their proper roles as Mentor and apprentice.
<div> How many years before Episode 4 does your story take place and how old are the main characters?</div>
About 30-20 years before. Anakin goes from age about 20 to about 30. Obi-Wan from about 35-45. Etc.
<div> Will you show Yoda?</div>
As my story currently stands, yes. I've been thinking about this, and I'm still thinking about it, but at this point, it would be strange to not have Yoda be at least an actor of some significance. If the Clone Wars is the biggest conflict the galaxy has seen in 1000 generations, the greatest living Jedi is not likely to sit on the sidelines or meditate in a swamp.
<div> Will you show that Luke has a twin sister? Named Leia?</div>
My current plan is yes.
<div> Will you reveal that Anakin becomes Darth Vader? </div>
Yes. I can't see how it would be possible to not show this, unless the story ends before the Anakin-Obi-Wan duel, and Anakin actually goes off screen before he turns to the Dark side. Since Anakin is my main character, that is not going to work very well.
<div> Will you have surprises in your new PT? Will it affect anything that we thought we already knew in the OT? Be careful, you will most likely just tick people off, unless it is done EXTREMELY well.</div>
I don't know if anything I bring to the table will be considered such a surprise.
<div> How does the Jedi/Dark Jedi/Sith conflict play into the back story of the War, if at all?</div>
It's important. The Jedi are convinced the Sith are extinct, and end up on a wild bantha chase because of this assumption. Little do they suspect...and when they finally realize, they are already at a disadvantage.
<div> If it does, then how does the Galaxy allow for a Dark Jedi/Sith/Palpatine to be left in charge of the Empire when all is said and done?</div>
Because he holds power as the Executive of the government of the Republic turned into the Empire. I doubt many people in government realize that he is a Sith lord, or even that he is a Force user, and those who do are too concerned with saving their own hides to challenge him.
<div> How many Jedi are we talking about here? A handful like the OT? Two-three handfuls like the GPT? Or a lot a lot?</div>
The Jedi order is, at start, big. Likely several hundred or even thousand. Of course, the Clone Wars will cull their numbers quite considerably.
<div> How many Dark Jedi/Sith? Please say not 2 per movie.</div>
2 in total over the trilogy.
<div> What kind of powers do the Jedi/Dark Jedi/Sith have beyond those seen in the OT? </div>
I can't see that I'm giving them any new ones, though I have been thinking about battle meditation. The thing is that in theory a Jedi could become extremely powerful. Many feel that The Force Unleashed-style is way OTT, but in principle, it's the consequence of Yoda's words "only in your mind it is different". So, a good story needs to manage that principle without delivering something that looks just ridiculously godlike.
<div> What is the Galaxy's general response to Jedi? Are they all assumed to be heroes? Or are people more like Han where they think that it's all religious nonsense?</div>
Actually, none of the above. I think most take them seriously as wielders of great power, but I also think that most are incredibly suspicious of them. They wield powers that no non-force user can understand, and no one can really control them, certainly not the Republic government. So, they're really creepy wizards, who go where they please and do things based on "a hunch" or something like that, and can't be held accountable. Palpatine will be able to exploit this distrust extensively.
<div> How do your Jedi dress? (Please say it's not in "I'm disguised as a hermit" robes.)</div>
It's the Obi-Wan robes. Sorry. They're just iconic and fit the manifestation of a Shaolin-monk-in-space very well.
<div> How organized are the Jedi? Are they like a police force in space (like the Green Lantern Corps?) or are they more like wizards that are off doing their own thing and maybe have some form or correspondance or a council every now and then? Or something less than that?</div>
They are kind of like the Knights Templar meets the Shaolin monks, except there's only the one temple (with hyperspace travel, there little need for more than one).
<div>Where does the Empire come from? From within the crumbling Republic or without? If from within, are the forces that cause the crumbling also responsible for the War and are they manipulating to create an Empire as in George's PT?</div>
Yup. It's a false flag operation, all right. Palpatine=Hitler/Napoleon/Augustus...
<div>How do the droids fit in to your new story, if at all?</div>
<div> Probably shouldn't have strong connections to Anakin or Obi-Wan (i.e. The "main characters")</div>
What droids? No, really, I couldn't find a way to fit them in, even though I know Lucas wants them to be the "Greek Choir" of his epic saga. I'm not going to squeeze them in shoe-horn style just to have them there. That said, if I can find a way to incorporate them without creating some serious continuity problems, I will.
<div>How is Anakin seduced by the Dark Side? What convinces him to serve the Emperor, the Empire and the Dark Side for 20+ years before allowing Luke to show him the error of his ways.</div>
Anakin is set on it through the path of good intentions. But once you get a taste of it, you're stuck. I treat the Dark side like a drug, Anakin like an addict, and the Emperor like his dealer.
<div>Who is the main protagonist in your films? Luke is clearly the main protagonist in the OT. In my opinion, the gPT has problems because the protagonist changed with the movie billing: E1 - QuiGonn Jinn, E2 - Obi-Wan Kenobi, E3 - Anakin.</div>
<div>- I clearly think that Anakin should be the main protagonist as a point of comparison that Luke is the protagonist of the OT. However, I am running into trouble, probably the same way George did, because I have Obi-Wan finding Anakin. In the OT, Luke finds Obi-Wan. This right off the bat seems to set up Obi-Wan as the character making choices, making things happen, driving the story... AKA the Protagonist.</div>
My protagonist at this stage is Anakin, though I also wrestle with the dilemma of Obi-Wan as the finder of Anakin in Ep 1.