What would you have done differently?

[Young Superman]

I would have made Anakin a teen in episode 1.

 

[Great Mind(s)]

Needed an "every man" protagonist. The Force was barely touched upon, someone viewing episodes 1-6 wouldn't know what the Force is until the OT. The Jedi including Yoda were lame and boring. I'm re-writing TPM for myself, and I'm making Padme a real handmaiden and not the Queen in disguise. I'm going to give her more of a Luke in ANH type role. Then when they crash on *not* Tatooine and find late teen Anakin, the real Queen will die and they'll have to make Padme into the Queen to fool the Trade Federation.

Obviously lots of other stuff like Gungans need to go as well.

 

[Hellion]

Needed an "every man" protagonist. The Force was barely touched upon, someone viewing episodes 1-6 wouldn't know what the Force is until the OT. The Jedi including Yoda were lame and boring. I'm re-writing TPM for myself, and I'm making Padme a real handmaiden and not the Queen in disguise. I'm going to give her more of a Luke in ANH type role. Then when they crash on *not* Tatooine and find late teen Anakin, the real Queen will die and they'll have to make Padme into the Queen to fool the Trade Federation.

Obviously lots of other stuff like Gungans need to go as well.

Sounds good, good luck and keep us posted. I'm already saying, those few changes already make an instantly superior story...

 

[DarKush]

Episode I
-Made Anakin older and already a Jedi Padawan to Obi Wan
-Made Obi Wan older and already Anakin's master
-Made Padme a Jedi Padawan; her master is killed early by Darth Maul
-Anakin and Padme have to rescue Bail Organa, the heir to the Alderaanian throne, while Obi Wan stays on Alderaan to figure out what's really going on. They have to get him to Coruscant. Anakin shows off some flying skills helping them escape.
-Darth Maul is the central villain of the story. He's on the Trade Republic/Confederate ship giving orders and he hunts down the Jedi. Darth Sidious is very much in the background.
-Change Naboo to Alderaan
-No Jar Jar Binks; no midichlorians
-Count Dooku is an Alderaanian noble who is in league with Darth Maul.
-The Senate has no army to send to Alderaan and the Jedi are reluctant to get involved. Anakin and Padme, along with Bail, and a ragtag group go back to save Obi Wan and to try to rescue the planet. They encounter Maul. Obi Wan is injured and Anakin shows some lightsaber skills against a superior Maul, injuring him and forcing him to retreat.
-Alderaan falls to the rebels. The civil war begins.

Episode II
-Takes place several years later. System after system is falling to the rebels. The Senate is struggling over the idea of whether to create a Galactic Army.
-Bail is a proponent of creating the Army. There are assassins out to stop him and Anakin and Obi Wan are added to his security. Padme, his personal bodyguard takes it as an insult, but she is happy to see Anakin again. There's a love triangle between Anakin-Padme-Bail.
-The rebels are using Mandalorian clones. The Senate is debating whether purchasing their own clone army.
-The Jedi are staying out of the debate. Can sense the growing dark side. Anakin wants to get involved in the war. Padme does as well. Obi Wan urges restraint, though he is more pro-involvement than not.

Haven't thought the rest out.

 

[Lord]

The suggestion of the Republic being at war with an empire of clones or something like that always sounded interesting, possibly with Clones having been used before this as tools for war, which leads to everymen having to join in the war against the clones. As years and years of war have become such a natural thing, the stuff we see in the original trilogy is now more accepted as the status quo. It would truly center around a "Star Wars".

Darth Maul would be involved in giving strong support to the clones, and i would take most of the general plot line of the original Star Wars script for Episode I, with Anakin's family having been destroyed, Maul could even be the one who killed his young brother at the beginning of the story. Anakin is then brought to Obi-Wan, in order to be properly trained mid-war. The Jedis are much weaker than they previously were, anyone can become a force wielder, and not everyone is a fighter, or even uses a lightsaber.

A lightsaber is called a "Jedi Weapon" in Episode VI, so Maul would need to have some ties to the Jedi. We see much of the stuff from Anakin, and he's explained what's going on, as well as what this universe is like. Episode I would need to be even more of an Introductory chapter than the original film, so it needed to not get overcomplicated and stay with a simple story, even Cameron knew this when he was making Avatar, with Phantom Menace, Lucas acted as if everyone knew all that was going on.

The Republic slowly turns into an Empire during the Trilogy, the Emperor himself is just a realy old mysterious guy whose tactics helped wipe out the clones, however, he kept the Empire militaristic, and racism against races that aren't human is spawned due to other aliens having been the catalyst of the Clone Wars.

Vader would probably be a code name Skywalker could use in black-ops missions of his oun during Episode II or III, the Emperor corrupts him during Episode II, while III is the absolute fallout leading into the original trilogy. Maul would most likely die in Episode II. Dooku could be a noble with Jedi ancestry and a bit of force powers, but he would be more of a secondary villain in line with Jaba.

Could be interesting if they made use of the original idea of Palpatine's palace in a volcano, this way, Obi-Wan and Anakin would at first go on to confront him there, but midway the confrontation, Palpatine is able to manipulate Anakin into turning to the dark side.

I guess that was my pitch.

 

[redfirebird2008]

The key is Anakin. Make him a likable character at the beginning and maybe people would not be so harsh in their criticisms of this trilogy. Problem is that the Anakin character is not likable at all. He is an immature jerk with a very short fuse. DiCaprio's performance in Titanic or Luke in A New Hope is exactly the kind of "nice guy" performance and characterization that Anakin should have had in the beginning.

Instead we end up with a character that is so unlikable from the very beginning that you don't buy into the notion of Padme falling in love with him and you don't buy into the idea that Obi-Wan could ever consider him a "good friend" as described in A New Hope. You feel zero sympathy for him when he joins Palpatine and ends up burned half to death with a dead spouse (since who cares about their marriage when the marriage itself feels contrived). If he was a genuinely nice guy at the beginning, then everything else would have worked a lot better.

 

[Unbreakable Lex]

I think the story is fine.

1. I'd have hired a better dialog guy.
2. I'd have the actors not rely so much on empty green screen sets to act off of, tech was too new and you can tell the actor's didn't "get it" like you'd have them with practical sets.
3. Hire Leonardo DiCaprio to play Anakin.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

A lot. But the structure could've been similar. My version:

Ep I
Act I - The Jedi Order is dying. Several outlying factions (not "separatists") are getting violent attempting to gain a foothold while the Republic is in turmoil. There are only a few dozen Jedi left in the galaxy. People are losing hope/faith in the dying "religion." Palpatine is one of the dissenting voices in the senate, and everyone knows he is strong in the force. He vocally blames the Jedi for what is happening in the Galaxy. And they aren't completely innocent, their inaction and desperation for "peaceful" conflict resolution is an issue in these dangerous days. Obi Wan and Qui Gon are sent on a mission to take on Darth Maul, the leader of a band of marauders hell bent on taking over a system in the outer rim (not Tattooine).

Act II - Qui Gon and Darth Maul each take on some of the characteristics of Count Dooku (who isn't a character). Qui Gon is a grey jedi and the council won't let him become a master because of it. He can't decide whether to take the light or dark path. While on this planet searching for clues and taking out some of the marauders, Qui Gon explains his views to Obi Wan. Confusing his padawan. Then they encounter Anakin, who is a similar age as Obi Wan. He's strong in the force and is protecting nearby villages from the increasingly dangerous marauder attacks. But all he has is his blaster and a militia of villagers with their blasters and speeders. Maul sabotages the Jedi cruiser, escapes the planet. Anakin offers to help them track him down in a shipping freighter they "borrow" the shipping freighter belongs to Lars Owen who delivers goods to and from Tattooine.

Act III - On Alderaan Maul and his crew have kidnapped the young Queen Amidala. Qui Gon, Obi Wan and Anakin save her from the miscreants. Maul kills Qui Gon lets slip his plans to pick off the jedi one by one for his master and that the battle hasn't even begun. Obi Wan cuts him in half and he falls down a hole, leaving his death ambiguous. Qui Gon asks Obi Wan to see that Anakin is trained. The four men are praised for their valor.

Ep II
Act I - On Coruscant, The Jedi are coerced by the Palpatine to consider a clone army. Bounty Hunter Jango Fett and young adult son Boba attempt to take out a large group of Senators. Their employers are a mystery.

Act II - Obi Wan, Anakin and Padme and Lars (their pilot) head to Kamino to negotiate with the Kaminoans. Obi Wan is avidly against it, but Anakin and Padme see it as a necessity. Seeing this as a strategic advantage for his ever growing band of power-hungry marauders, A cyborg, robotic legged Darth Maul strikes. Wanting to sabotage the Clone Army and desiring revenge on Obi Wan, he lets loose an all out assault on the planet. Warned that the Clones aren't ready for deployment, Anakin insists that they have to (to save themselves and the republic). The inexperienced, partially ready clones are sent into battle against the relentless assault upon the planet.

Act III - In the midst of a dog fight with Maul, Anakin is heavily wounded, losing at least one arm. Obi Wan and Maul both crash land igniting their lightsabers and clashing once again. Rage filling both their hearts. Maul once again has the last word as he tells Obi Wan that Palpatine is the puppet master behind all of this. Giving him the resources to attack Kamino and ordering him to assassinate Qui Gon. Maul is "defeated" once again, but Obi Wan refuses to believe it and almost jumps into the water to find him. Padme stops him and, thinking Anakin is dead, the two share a not-particularly romantic embrace and kiss. Anakin arrives to see it, thus fueling a jealousy in Anakin and confusion as to why his master acts with so much passion toward Darth Maul. The story ends with them disoriented and deciding to confront Palpatine. (ESB style ending)

Ep III
Act I - The separatists begin to band together causing galactic conflict on a far more massive scale. The Clones are erratic and hard to control, but the only option the republic has against the rising forces of the outlying systems. Maul returns one final time, having "kidnapped" the emperor. Maul is now something of an abomination of robotics and twisted by the dark side. "More machine now, than man..." Obi Wan is the only one who realizes what Palpatine really is. Anakin refuses to believe him. Padme is torn. The Jedi are all but wiped out so Obi Wan and Anakin are all that's left to stop him. Obi Wan kills Maul once and for all. Executes him. And Anakin stops him from turning his saber on Palpatine.

Act II - Obi Wan has to go into hiding so goes and seeks out the mythical Yoda on Dagobah. Stories of Yoda were told to him by Qui Gon. Yoda insists that he confront his old friend to stop something much larger from transpiring. Obi Wan begins by returning and trying to convince Lars and Padme who are seemingly under the dominating influence of the sith and refuse to believe Anakin could be wrong.

Act III - Obi Wan then confronts Anakin, who has begun calling himself Darth Vader. They battle, Obi Wan soundly beats Vader, who's body is destroyed in the ensuing battle. Obi Wan's triumph frees Padme and Lars from Vader's grip and they finally believe Obi Wan who sends them both into hiding. Padme gives birth to the twins and takes one to Alderaan, and the other is sent with Ben and Lars to his home planet of Tatooine.

 

[dax]

-Change Qui-Gon's last name to Skywalker and have him be Anakin's father (I don't buy that Shmi got pregnant with Anakin without having sex).
-Make Darth Maul the primary villain of the prequels (like Vader was with the original trilogy) and keep him alive till Episode 3.
-No Count Dooku.
-No General Grievous.
-Have multiple Sith lords (It's unrealistic that only 2 Sith could kill off a football stadium full of Jedi).
-Make Padme the same age as Anakin to make their romance less creepy.
-Combine Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones into 1 movie and apply the "episode 1" title to that movie.
-Make episode 2 a live-action version of the Clone Wars cartoon.
-Write better dialogue (mostly for the Anakin & Padme romance)
-Build practical sets instead of relying on blue/green screens.
-Give Grand Moff Tarkin an actual role instead of a cameo appearance in Revenge of the Sith.
-Show more of Alderran.
-Put the deleted scene of Yoda going to Dagobah back into ROTS.
-Show some hints of the formation of the rebel alliance.
And
-Keep Padme alive past the ending of ROTS so that Leia could have her memories of her mom. Also, give Padme a terminal disease that leaves her with 5 years to live.

 

[Batsfan1]

-Keep Padme alive past the ending of ROTS so that Leia could have her memories of her mom. Also, give Padme a terminal disease that leaves her with 5 years to live.

If Padme was alive Vader wouldn't be surprised that he had children. Padme dying and Leia being raised by Bail Organa and his wife was the only way the story made sense. That was George Lucas fixing a mistake from the original trilogy.

God bless you! God bless everyone!

 

[Batsfan1]

The key is Anakin. Make him a likable character at the beginning and maybe people would not be so harsh in their criticisms of this trilogy. Problem is that the Anakin character is not likable at all. He is an immature jerk with a very short fuse. DiCaprio's performance in Titanic or Luke in A New Hope is exactly the kind of "nice guy" performance and characterization that Anakin should have had in the beginning.

Instead we end up with a character that is so unlikable from the very beginning that you don't buy into the notion of Padme falling in love with him and you don't buy into the idea that Obi-Wan could ever consider him a "good friend" as described in A New Hope. You feel zero sympathy for him when he joins Palpatine and ends up burned half to death with a dead spouse (since who cares about their marriage when the marriage itself feels contrived). If he was a genuinely nice guy at the beginning, then everything else would have worked a lot better.

He wouldn't have turned to the dark side if he was a genuinely nice guy. He can't be like Luke at all for that reason. He was a good friend to Obi-Wan, whether he was likable or not. And you shouldn't buy into the notion of Padme falling in love with him because then it would have to be depicted as healthy and true, which would mean it couldn't result in the conclusion that it did.

God bless you! God bless everyone!

 

[Brother Jack]

He wouldn't have turned to the dark side if he was a genuinely nice guy. He can't be like Luke at all for that reason. He was a good friend to Obi-Wan, whether he was likable or not. And you shouldn't buy into the notion of Padme falling in love with him because then it would have to be depicted as healthy and true, which would mean it couldn't result in the conclusion that it did.

God bless you! God bless everyone!

He certainly could have been likable and still had an arc that took him to the darkside. There's been plenty of character arcs in various stories with similar trajectories, like Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. That was a guy who was likable and genuinely decent and still believably went bad. Something similar cold have been done with Anakin, had it been written well.

As for the Luke comparison, he almost went to the darkside in Return of the Jedi. He literally came right up to the precipice of where his father went. The darkside can seduce even the greatest heroes.

 

[Batsfan1]

He certainly could have been likable and still had an arc that took him to the darkside. There's been plenty of character arcs in various stories with similar trajectories, like Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. That was a guy who was likable and genuinely decent and still believably went bad. Something similar cold have been done with Anakin, had it been written well.

As for the Luke comparison, he almost went to the darkside in Return of the Jedi. He literally came right up to the precipice of where his father went. The darkside can seduce even the greatest heroes.

But Luke didn't go there. Likable is subjective, but that still wouldn't make him a genuinely nice guy. Harvey didn't go bad. He went insane. But there are people who feel that that wasn't done believably.

God bless you! God bless everyone!

 

[henzINNIT]

I would change it quite a lot actually. Anakin is given too much importance in the story, and poorly written. I'd probably focus more on Padme too as she is the one core character no-one knew when going in to the story.

1.) War is brewing in the republic. Padme is a passionate diplomat trying to maintain peace in the galaxy, and an easy target for dark forces. She is escorted by Jedi (including Obi-Wan) to an important meeting when her ship is shot down. She meets Anakin on the planet she crashes on, where he steps in to help during the ambush and flies the survivors to safety. The pair bond over their mutual bravery and share their first kiss in the 3rd act.

2.) Film 2 opens with Padme becoming unsure about her place in a changing Republic. Anakin is deep into his Jedi training and becoming very powerful. The couple are close, however the course of the film will damage and strain their relationship. While Padme is travelling the galaxy she sees the toll the war is having on both sides, Anakin is becoming more ruthless and narrow-sighted in his quests to restore peace. He is desparate to end the war, to keep his loved ones safe. He pledges to become a Republic enforcer. This role will maintain order by any means necessary. Padme believes he has crossed a line. She discovers she has fallen pregnant, and the film ends with her looking out to the galaxy, questioning her and her family's future.

3.) The Republic is deep into its transformation into the Empire. Padme still tries to function inside the senate, but fearing wide-spread corruption, she has taken matters into her own hands and forged a diplomatic rebellion. She had given birth to twins, but she has kept their birth secret from Anakin (who is away for months at a time). The film opens with Padme visting the remote planet of Tatooine. There, she meets with Owen and Beru, loyal companions who accepted the mission to recede from their lives in order to keep 3 year old Luke Skywalker secret and separated from his father. Young Leia is still in Padme's care, under the guise of an apprentice handmaiden.

Anakin is mentally and physically scarred from his many missions across the galaxy. Padme can no longer stomach his presence, but he is too deep in his ways and doubles down on his increasingly brutal missions under the belief that eventually he will be done. Padme hears of a particularly horrifying task Anakin has instigated (The Empire has set up a blockade around a resisting planet, shooting down any fleeing ships and forcing the inhabitants to starve until they submit) and decides to launch the first act of force on behalf of the Rebellion. She rallies a fleet of ships carrying food and aid to intervene. Recognising the danger, Padme says an emotional goodbye to Leia, who is taken off the ship for her safety. Anakin hears of the rebelious act, and shows no mercy. Every ship is destroyed. Obi-Wan later confronts Anakin, and as they duel, Anakin discovers Pamde's fate.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Okay... I would like to voice my own thoughts and opinions of the Prequels and what I thought could have better if George hadn't been the one to direct them.

For the most part, I liked them but after a while, after all the bashing and all that, I started to resent the Prequels because, really, the only person to blame is the man himself. What's the problem in that? Well, it's his directing and it shows. As a big movie fan in general, there comes a line when seeing two sides of the same coin. Now it all depends on the movie itself and who's involved. George, isn't a very good director and he even said so himself which makes sense that ESB and ROTJ were not directed by him. But what does he do? He goes ahead and directs the PT because no one else wanted to. I still think that he shouldn't have directed them or maybe it was better off that the PT never happened. Period.

I don't blame the actors for their acting, its all on George. The comments that are aimed mostly at Hayden Christensen ( love the guy still) are just so awful and distasteful. Its not his fault. Like Ewan and Natalie and among others, Hayden has been a few movies that were quite good, hence life as a house before he landed the role as Anakin. When will people wake up and realize that its not always the Actor's fault? Its sad that Hayden gets as much of the bad rep from fans who hated his performance even though he tried his best. Clearly, George isn't director material and it showed.

Anyway, I think that Anakin should have been introduced as a teen or a little older. There's a lot from Ep1 I would have done away, like not having Qui Gon, no mention of Midclorians or whatever how its spelt. I'd still keep the senate scenes as they were important to explaining the Fall of the Republic and the rising power of Palpatine. Looking back on it now, i'd say that Palpatine was the main star of the PT in all of its entirely. The senate scenes in a way was interesting to watch again and it made all the more sense now than it did to me back then.

None of that "There was no father" crap. There were so many inconsistencies that hardly made any sense in which the OT laid out... hmm... You know what would have been kinda interesting? What if Padme's fate was left unknown?? Cause with that, it could lead to different paths for Luke and/or Leia to find clues of their mother. Who knows really.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Okay... I would like to voice my own thoughts and opinions of the Prequels and what I thought could have better if George hadn't been the one to direct them.

For the most part, I liked them but after a while, after all the bashing and all that, I started to resent the Prequels because, really, the only person to blame is the man himself. What's the problem in that? Well, it's his directing and it shows. As a big movie fan in general, there comes a line when seeing two sides of the same coin. Now it all depends on the movie itself and who's involved. George, isn't a very good director and he even said so himself which makes sense that ESB and ROTJ were not directed by him. But what does he do? He goes ahead and directs the PT because no one else wanted to. I still think that he shouldn't have directed them or maybe it was better off that the PT never happened. Period.

I don't blame the actors for their acting, its all on George. The comments that are aimed mostly at Hayden Christensen ( love the guy still) are just so awful and distasteful. Its not his fault. Like Ewan and Natalie and among others, Hayden has been a few movies that were quite good, hence life as a house before he landed the role as Anakin. When will people wake up and realize that its not always the Actor's fault? Its sad that Hayden gets as much of the bad rep from fans who hated his performance even though he tried his best. Clearly, George isn't director material and it showed.

Anyway, I think that Anakin should have been introduced as a teen or a little older. There's a lot from Ep1 I would have done away, like not having Qui Gon, no mention of Midclorians or whatever how its spelt. I'd still keep the senate scenes as they were important to explaining the Fall of the Republic and the rising power of Palpatine. Looking back on it now, i'd say that Palpatine was the main star of the PT in all of its entirely. The senate scenes in a way was interesting to watch again and it made all the more sense now than it did to me back then.

None of that "There was no father" crap. There were so many inconsistencies that hardly made any sense in which the OT laid out... hmm... You know what would have been kinda interesting? What if Padme's fate was left unknown?? Cause with that, it could lead to different paths for Luke and/or Leia to find clues of their mother. Who knows really.

 

[Unbreakable Lex]

I think there was some bad editing too. Too many scenes where the characters walk out of a room with no score in the background gives them an awkward feel. Many scenes simply were 2 or 3 seconds too long. That brings out the cringes.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Well that too, but most important and for a lot of fans, the acting in general was not as good compared to the OT, especially in ESB and ROTJ, which were not directed by George himself. All he ever cared about regarding the PT was CGI. CGI this CGI that. Thats all he did in making the PT. That's whats also wrong about the movies...I wish Lucas went back to the good ol days when the OT was made. With the new SW movie coming out next week, I'm glad that they went back to the roots of film making- of what made the OT so good and special that it is today.

 

[Zatanna]

Casted Charlie Hunnam instead of Hayden

Damn, why did I not ever think of this?!

 

[Victarion]

Show the politics being played out on the battlefield from the perspectives of Obi-Wan and Anakin. Throughout the trilogy. Then, in Episode III, shorten the dogfight around Greivous's fleet. Use the time to show Separatists forces launching a massive ground attack on Coruscant in addition to the aerial fight. Imply that it is retribution for something the Republic did in Episode II.

Then, get rid of visions of Padme dying in childbirth. Instead have Anakin worried that the Jedi and the Senate are unable to protect the citizens of the Republic from the Separatists. Give him concerns that Padme and his unborn child could be swept up in a future Separatist attack on the Republic. Throw in some concerns that the Separatists might generate sympathizers among the disillusioned citizens of Coruscant.

 

[hellified]

what would I have done differently...funny you should ask..

Check out my re imagining of the Star Wars prequels...
Sketch art by Nicholas Garza
Poster art by Gabriel Victor
written by Nic Rellek
http://madconceptz.blogspot.com/2014/07/if-star-wars-prequels-were-done.html


YAIRN - WE PAN DOWN FROM THE OPENING CRAWL AND FOLLOW A BEAT UP CARGO TRANSPORTER AS IT DESCENDS INTO THE PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE. The crew of five, including a tall blonde lanky seventeen year old young man, are joking among themselves about his chances of passing his machinist apprenticeship test. Something he's failed to do earlier even though his father passed the test on the first try and younger than the kid is. They talk reverently about his father who is a high ranking member of the Guild that controls the ore mining and processing business in the sector and contrast it with how the son is not like his father. Though he forces a smile, the kid doesn't find the teasing funny. The vessel docks and as they are unloading its cargo, a supervisor tells the kid that his father and the Guild leaders took a vote to reject the Separatists offer to join them in leaving the Republic. The teen's reply is almost indifferent to the galactic schism although he believes that a show of strength by the Senate would be a better response than endless debates and empty threats. They are almost done unloading the cargo when they hear a loud explosion in the distance and see a large plume of smoke rising from the buildings in the next town. The kid reacts instantly and jumps onto a parked speeder bike and heads for the town.

Its mayhem as people are running and screaming from a large ore processing plant that's half destroyed (think 911). Arriving to the scene, the young man jumps off the bike and runs against the fleeing crowd to ground zero. Searching through the smoking wreckage he screams "Ma! Pa!" A trembling hand reaches out from under a pile of rubble and he frantically digs out the bloodied body of his mother. She weakly says his name.."Anny"..then says his father was killed in the explosion. She says she and his father love him and then she dies in his arms. He screams in anguish. WIPE TO...

QUI-GON JINN AND OBI-WAN KENOBI ARRIVE TO INVESTIGATE THE TERRORIST ATTACK. They suspect its by the Separatists and while questioning people, they run into that young man who introduces himself as Anakin Skywalker. He says that his father was a leader of the guild that was being harassed about joining the Separatists movement. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan sense a strong force vibe from him (no midi-chlorian bs). Anakin asks what it takes to become a Jedi so that he can prevent attacks like the one that took his parents and after some back and forth they agree to take him to the Jedi Temple for testing and training. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan continue their investigation and discover light saber burns on a murdered security team. Only a Jedi can handle that kind of weapon so expertly but no Jedi would do this. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are puzzled by this development. WIPE TO...

CORUSCANT - ANAKIN AT THE JEDI TEMPLE. When they arrive at the Temple, Anakin is super eager to get started and goes straight to the top and asks Grand Master Yoda himself to teach him the ways of the Jedi Knights and the Jedi elder tells him ready he is not. Yoda and Jedi Council speak with Qui-Gon in private and they confer. Things pretty much go the same way they did in the original where Yoda senses fear, anger and frustration in the young man plus he's too old but Qui-Gon says he has great potential and if properly trained could be a great asset to the Jedi Order. There is no "chosen one" legend. Qui-Gon says that Obi-Wan is ready for the trials and he'll take on Anakin as his Padawan. The Council reluctantly agrees and young Anakin starts his training...from the beginning.

These scenes play out much like the kung fu movie The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and we see him grow and excel as a Padawan. Anakin, being a Force Sensitive, has always had visions but the images were fleeting and he didn't interpret that they were actual premonitions but rather some recurring dream like nonsense. As he grows in the Force and is able to control his abilities the visions become more distinct to him. There's a scene where he is sitting on the floor in the lotus position and meditating and seeing flashes of a pretty girl smiling/hearing a voice scream ANAKIN NO!/someone falling into an abyss/a demon attacking him. He talks about his dreams/visions to Qui-Gon who gives him cryptic responses about guarding against the Dark Side of the Force and destiny. Interspersed through out the training period are some light comedy moments of him fumbling and floundering trying to control different aspects of Force powers and some scenes of him dealing with his out bursts of emotion at times. Its in those moments that Obi-Wan helps him out and the two become fast friends. Through the dialog its indicated that Anakin's been training only half the time it normally takes and its clear that he is gifted, more so than every other Padawan there. Most of the elder Jedi are impressed with his progress but some are concerned about his control over his emotions.WIPE TO...

READ MORE

 

[hellified]

PLANET KIIRON - WE PAN LEFT AWAY FROM THE OPENING CRAWL AND SEE A SMALL STAR SHIP APPROACHING A BROWNISH-YELLOW PLANET. We find Anakin looking at a hologram message from Padme, something like "thinking of you" notes. She says that she really enjoyed the last message he sent her and can't wait to see him again. She mentions that while the Senate drags their feet in dealing with the dispute, her planet is making an alliance with planet Ziaa that should protect them from any further aggression by the Trade Federation and the blockade has been dismantled. The correspondence proves to be a bit of a distraction for Skywalker and Obi-Wan tells his apprentice as much and to keep his mind on the job. He reminds him that the assignment is to back up a small team of Jedi who have infiltrated a Separatists group planning to blow up a sub committee meeting of Republic senators meeting on Kiiron.

Anakin's attitude is pretty confident as he reassures his master that he's prepared for this mission and recounts a few past successful missions including the Naboo affair where he performed well. Kenobi says be that as it may each job is different and he's expected to conduct himself in a professional manner at all times but especially near mission time. Then the Jedi master sits down, looks his apprentice in the eyes and says there's a chance this group may be in contact with a Sith. This may be their chance to track down the person who murdered Master Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan then reveals that there may have been a Sith presence the day of the bombing on Anakin's home planet Yairn. With this new information introduced, Anakin reassures his master that his head is in the game. After Obi-Wan walks away to another part of the ship, Anakin activates his holographic device again this time bringing up a computer image of the Sith as described by Obi-Wan's brief encounter with him. The image bears a resemblance to the demon in Anakin's visions. The young apprentice stares unblinking at the glowing image. WIPE TO...

PLANET ZIAA - WE FOLLOW A CARAVAN OF TRANSPORT SHIPS LANDING ON A TARMAC. Several official looking individuals disembark. These are diplomats from Naboo including the Queen and Princess Padme, all are dressed in formal royal make up. While Padme has seen pictures of the Prince of Ziaa, they've never met personally. They are happily greeted by Ziaan officials and invited to the royal palace where they meet the King and and Queen. Pleasantries are exchanged and the Ziaan Queen gushes over Padme, excited about the affair. Later, as the Princess and the Queen are finishing getting the last touches of the ceremonial make up done, Padme starts hinting at misgivings about the arrangement. Her mother pooh-poohs her trepidation as just nerves and tells her that the man she's betrothed to is a good man and once the wedding ceremony is over she will feel better about the whole thing. Padme looks at her reflection in the big make up mirror only half believing that. WIPE TO...

KIIRON - WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH A PAIR OF BINOCULARS AT A WAREHOUSE ON THE EDGE OF A BUSTLING METROPOLIS AT DUSK. Obi-Wan and two Kiironian officers are stationed not too far away from the front of the building watching people going in and out. Speaking into a small communicator he tells Anakin, with his small team of two Kiironians positioned at the rear, that the conspirators and the Jedi undercover agents should be arriving shortly. Anakin acknowledges and sits back relaxing a bit. He and the officer seated next to him strike up small talk about where Skywalker comes from. Anakin talks about his planet and how the sun would set in the evening beautifully just like this one. His gaze goes to the skyline of the nearby city with the big sun setting in a haze of watercolor red and orange. The scene recalls the city-scape on his home planet Yairn that fateful day and we watch Anakin's face go blank as he stares at the metropolis. The officer nudges him and asks if he's okay just as Obi-Wan calls in that the targets have arrived and Skywalker snaps out of his flashback, grins self consciously, and checks his earpiece. He can hear the conversation from the warehouse as the conspirators greet each other. Peering through the warehouse window with his binoculars Anakin sees the UC Jedi agents disguised as Kiironians sympathetic to the Separatist cause and standing across from them are three Aetnagians who are separatist sympathizers as well. Anakin calls over to Obi-Wan that he remembers the briefing state there were four Aetnagians, Kenobi confirms and tells him to hold his position. Over Anakin's earpiece we hear a sympathizer say that the fourth brother is bringing about destiny and the Republic will come tumbling down along with the Jedi dogs and then there's a flurry of laser fire.

Obi-Wan yells the Jedi's cover is blown and calls for back up to move in! Anakin and the Kiironioans scramble from their position just as a Aetnagian bursts out of a window at the back exit. Aetnagians have four arms and this one has blasters in two of them. Shooting his way out of the back, Anakin and the officers engage in a direct exchange with the suspect. The first officer is hit and killed and the suspect runs down an alley. Anakin goes to the officer sees he's dead and goes after the suspect. Further down the alley the second officer shoots at the Separatist and in that exchange he is wounded. Anakin catches up and provides cover fire while dragging the officer to safety. The Padawan checks his wound and the officer yells that he's okay and for Skywalker to go after the Separatist! The Aetnagian jumps out from behind cover shooting as Anakin returns fire. An incredible shot hits Skywalker's blaster and blows the weapon from his hand, instinctively Anakin quickly draws his light saber and deflects the other laser fire including ricocheting one shot back at the Aetnagian and knocking the blaster out of his hand. The suspect raises the other blaster but it malfunctions. Throwing the weapon away, he runs down the alley closely followed by the Jedi.

Aetnagian's are naturally very fleet of foot and the young padawan is quickly outpaced (there is no Jedi Super Speed). The separatist ducks down a side alley and a few seconds later Anakin arrives but there's no sign of the suspect. Obi-Wan calls out for Anakin's location and he replies where he is then hears something fall on the ground nearby. Igniting his light-saber again, he cuts through a metal fence and kicks in the hole to see the suspect crawling into the window of a building. The chase is on! The Aetnagian runs into a stairwell and bounds up the stairs like a Gazelle only touching the bottom, middle and top step on each floor. Skywalker has to use his Force Leaping ability to keep up. The suspect breaks through the door on the roof and runs to the ledge and jumps to the next roof top. On the ground Kenobi arrives on a speeder bike just in time to see the suspect and Skywalker leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Obi-Wan starts to ride in their direction but hears calls for assistance from the authorities about the other separatist suspects. Sighing in frustration, he turns the hover bike in the opposite direction. The buildings are getting further apart and Anakin has to use his Force Levitation ability to stay on the Aetnagian's tail.

Jumping to the last rooftop the suspect comes to a sliding halt as the next building is too far to leap even for him. Turning quickly to run for the exit door, Anakin blocks his path with his light saber drawn. Totally out of breath, the young apprentice tells the Separatist to submit to arrest. The Aetnagian raises his hands, all four of them, when we suddenly hear a concussive explosion in the distance and black smoke billows from the metropolis. Smiling triumphantly, the Separatist spits at Skywalker, the wad landing on his shoes. At that exact moment Anakin realizes they're alone on the roof. Obi-Wan is calling on the communicator for his Padawan to reply with his location and Anakin shuts it off. The Jedi apprentice raises his hand in the air and the suspect starts to levitate off the ground. "I know you're in contact with a Sith, tell me who it is?" The Aetnagian reaches for his throat with his second pair of hands as he feels his air cutting off. Gasping and struggling for a few seconds he croaks out "There is no Sith!" The Padawan's eyes narrow in concentration and the suspect floats over the building ledge. "Aetnagians have three hearts. I will burst all of them one by one for every lie you tell me." Anakin says calmly, "who is your contact to the Sith."

The separatist's eyes bulge out as he feels a heart muscle tighten. He looks at his interrogator and sees someone with no compunction about killing him in the most painful way possible. Blue blood starts to flow from his nose and mouth and just as unconsciousness creeps in, the tightness in his chest relents. "Give me the name of your contact to the Sith." the measured voice demands. Disorientation hits the suspect as his body is rotated horizontally in space. He can see the ground far below and the height of the pending fall brings panic. "The longer you hold out, the longer this will last. Now, the name?" The second heart muscle tightens along with the first and a shock of excruciating pain ripples through the Aetnagian's body. Unable to withstand the onslaught of agony he blurts out "Pash-Ghari! Her name is Pash-Ghari! Please, I beg you! STOP!"

At that moment Obi-Wan rises up behind them on his speeder bike, lands it and jumps onto the roof. Anakin still has the terror suspect in the air, blood dripping from his face when the master demands his apprentice to release him. Skywalker lowers the body to a foot above the floor of the roof then drops him like a stone. The Aetnagian curls into a fetal position and desperately gasps for air. "What the hell are you doing?!" Kenobi yells, looking at his apprentice in shock. "I got the name of their contact to the Sith, Master!" Anakin says with satisfaction. Grabbing his Padawan by the shoulders, Kenobi exclaims "Anakin, we do NOT do things like this!" Anakin, taken aback, repeats that he got pertinent information and Obi-Wan cuts him off and demands he hand over his light-saber. The order causes the Padawan to blink in stunned silence. Without another word he gives his weapon to his master. "We'll talk about this later." Kenobi says turning his attention to the trembling heap on the ground. Checking the pulse on the side of the suspects body, the Jedi pulls the suspect out of his curled position and lays him out straight. Obi-Wan says he's going into shock and calls on his communicator for medical assistance. Anakin watches his mentor administer first aid to the suspect as emergency vehicles approach. WIPE TO...

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PLANET ONARISS - WE MOVE DOWNWARD FROM THE CRAWL TO FOLLOW A TROOP TRANSPORT VESSEL LEADING A DOZEN OTHERS HEADING INTO THE ATMOSPHERE OF A BLUISH-GREEN PLANET. Larger war ships are battling in the space around the planet and we follow a troop transport ship as it descends into the atmosphere. Dressed in a field uniform and black hooded cloak, Major Anakin Skywalker looking a bit older from the stress of war, he has stubble on his scarred face, shouts last minute instructions to his clone troops as the ship navigates through anti aircraft flak on its way to the surface. Walking through the carrier, he sternly pats his troops on the shoulder while making his way to the rear of the ship. Seeing his Padawan standing alone and looking nervous, Skywalker approaches him, gives a stern look and tells him to remember his training, allow the Force to flow through him and to stay close when they reach the surface.

The ships land on the surface of the planet and the troops disembark in a rush. This is urban warfare and the fighting is intense as Republic soldiers clash with Confederacy of Independent Systems (Separatists) forces on the streets of capital city. The clone troopers methodically push the local militia, who is fighting with the droid army, back and take more territory moving toward the capital building. Major Skywalker watches from atop a tank and commands his troops from the rear. The clone troopers finally make they're way to the steps of the capital building and have it surrounded. Inside the building the militia fighters have the huge front doors barricaded. The men take cover in the building waiting for the final attack. Outside, Skywalker's tank rolls up and he and his apprentice step onto the ground. A clone trooper captain steps to him and says they have the area secure and are prepared to execute the final assault on his command. The Jedi surveys the scene and gives a nod.

From inside the building the militia men crouch behind shields prepared for the worst. The huge door explodes and three squads of 501st Legion pour into the breach firing at anything that moves. After an intense exchange of laser fire its over quickly and those not killed are rounded up and taken prisoner. As other clone troopers move to secure the building, Major Skywalker walks into the lobby, his black cloak flows out behind him as he steps over bodies that still litter the area. A squad leader comes to him and gives his report that the building is secure but there is no sign of the militia or Separatist military leaders of this region. The Jedi officer orders the squad leader to prepare a room. Looking over at the POWs, Anakin sees the three highest ranked men in the group, marches over to one and with both hands grabs a surviving militia soldier holding him up in the air by his neck, he demands to know where the Separatist leaders are. In the background we see a shocked look on his Padawan face. CUT TO...

STAR WARS: Rise of the Dark Lord

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

I'd start Anakin off around 18 years old.

I'd have cast Heath Ledger. He could pull off both dark and charming.

He would have had an English accent, like Vader does, not an American one.

 

[Batsfan1]

I'd start Anakin off around 18 years old.

I'd have cast Heath Ledger. He could pull off both dark and charming.

He would have had an English accent, like Vader does, not an American one.

I read that James Earl Jones was born in Mississippi.

God bless you! God bless everyone!

 

[Herofan]

I think the biggest thing would be to make Anakin a little older in TPM (somewhere between 11 and 14) and/or just portrayed him as not so different in AotC, it's a pretty big gap where he's 10 years older and really different and not very likeable in AotC.

Also probably have Obi-Wan in RotS more believing that Anakin could turn back (probably not have Vader kill children so early).