spynet315

Stuff happens

TV's Frink said:

spynet315 said:

Oh no, now the machines are able to think logically about the prequels...Judgment Day is here!

 

;-)

Lol.... wait, I don't get it.

In case you can't tell from the long post that follows, I have thought a lot about how I would have done the prequels to make them better. I don't blame you if you decide to skip my post because there is a lot to take in:

• I don't know about anyone else, but I really hated many of the names Lucas came up with for the people and places of the PT. Padme, Naboo, Jar Jar Binks, Panaka, all those names make me cringe when I hear them out loud. Qui Gon Jinn was ok, and I kind of like the name Mace Windu, but other than that I would replace many of the names with something a bit more pleasing to the ear.
• Obi-Wan would be the main character of the trilogy. Ep I should really be his "coming of age" story. Ep V mentions that Obi-Wan was brash and reckless, so we should see some of that. He could be somewhat humbled by the events of Ep I and come out a much more mature and level headed Jedi, but some of his faults would still carry over to his training of Anakin.
• As many others have said, Anakin would be a lot older than 9 when we first meet him. I'm thinking he should be closer to 15 at the youngest. We need to see his skills as a pilot. I want to see a progression in his attitude, going from a humble "farm boy" to a war hero. The experience changes him, and eventually causes his fall.
• I want Uncle Owen to fit into the relationship of Anakin and Obi-Wan somewhere. As Obi-Wan said "He didn't hold with your father's ideals, he thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved." I can see Owen being very good friends with Anakin before he becomes a Jedi and goes off to fight in the Clone Wars.
• The Clone wars would have already started before the beginning of Ep I and would continue through at least the beginning of EP III. My version of the Clone wars would be slightly different. I think it would be much more interesting if the clones were the enemy. I envision a group of Mandalorian warriors trying to relive the glory days of their past by artificially expanding their numbers. The Sith would be behind their actions in some way, goading them on to war with the Republic.
• Darth Maul had the most potential of any character developed specifically for the prequels. In my version he would be the main enemy in the series. Maul would be the face of the Sith with Palpatine in the background pulling all the strings. Anakin would develop a deep hatred for Maul that would be one of the driving forces to bringing Anakin to the Dark Side. I also had an idea of adding Assaj Ventress in here because she is such a cool character. I saw her as either being Maul's twin sister (this would be a nice contrast to Luke and Leia later on) or maybe the two were lovers. Either way, they would be a deadly combo.
• Like Chainsaw, I wanted to make Darth Vader's identity a bit of a mystery. The surprise reveal in ESB that Vader might be Luke's father is one of the great moments in cinematic history, and I would want to preserve that somehow. Adding in another potential candidate for who Vader might be would solve that problem. Maybe Anakin was finished with his formal Jedi training and Obi-Wan had taken up another apprentice who turns bad.  After Obi Wan and Anakin's epic duel in EP III, it would be suggested that Anakin is physically dead at this point. Then, a new black laden Sith Lord would appear and systematically erradicate the Jedi. Following this same topic, Leia's existence should be kept a secret from the viewer too, or else the reveal in RotJ isn't surprising or moving at all.
• Anakin's fall to the Dark Side was actually explained in a little more detail in the script for RotJ: Obi-Wan's spirit is talking to Luke on Dagobah, "To be a Jedi, Luke, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side - the side your father couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door - for you, like your father. Only, your father was seduced by what he found on the other side of the door, and you have held firm." Because Obi-Wan did not prepare Anakin for his confrontation with the Dark Side, Anakin succumbed to it. It should be explained that the Dark Side is like a drug. When a Jedi wanders into that territory he/she is corrupted by it, and free will goes out the window. A prominent storyline in Star Wars EU stories deal with Jedi trying to destroy the Dark Side from within. Anakin could succumb to the Dark Side willingly as a way of defeating the Sith because he thinks that the Dark Side gives strength that the Light does not.
  
• I also want to give Anakin some reason for really hating the Jedi order, maybe through the use of a plot twist like that of ESB. Borrowing a bit from Dune (as Lucas did a lot for the OT) I had an idea that maybe Anakin was a part of a multi-generation breeding program developed by the Jedi to create a superior Force user. However, Anakin's parents, out of love for their child, fled the order with him. They were subsequently hunted and killed by the Jedi as traitors. Anakin could find out about it somehow and really start to hate all Jedi. It would also give a little explanation into Vader's hatred of his given name, "That name no longer has any meaning for me." His whole life had been a lie, so when it came time to renounce the Jedi, he picked his own identity.
  
• Alderaan would feature much more prominently and would be one of the main locations of my trilogy much the same as Tattooine was in the OT. Getting to know this planet a bit more and becoming familiar with its history would make it's destruction in Ep IV all that much more emotional.
• The entire 3 movie arc would show the decay of the Republic without showing all those unnecessary and downright boring scenes within the Senate chambers. I want to see the Clone Wars taking it's toll on the regular men and women of the Republic. After fighting in a series of Clone Wars, the people cry out for peace and order. In comes up-and-coming Senator Palpatine who offers those things... for a price. This part of my version of the story is heavily inspired by V for Vendetta, and the rise of Hitler. Palpatine will put together his own political party that will slowly dominate the Republic and eventually replace it.
• I'm still struggling with how I would want to present Anakin's relationship with Palpatine, but the two would have to be given plenty of screen time together starting in Ep II at the latest. I wanted to introduce a storyline where Anakin met and fell in love with Palpatine's Daughter or maybe Stepdaughter.
• No R2 or 3PO, except MAYBE in a small cameo appearance
• I don't have a problem with showing Yoda. I think that if the Audience is aware of who Yoda is in the Prequels, it adds a new dimension to his appearance in ESB. Since the Audience already knows who Yoda is, we can laugh along with him as he messes with Luke.

Believe me, I could go on, but I think I'll spare you the rest... for now.