So this now seems like a p common geek discussion: how would you have done the Star Wars prequels to make them not terrible, and what made them terrible? Where do the sequels go from here?
A lot more nudity
The idea of the prequels is fine. Conceptually there's little wrong with them. And they generally hired some pretty good actors, so they're well acted IMO. I know Christiansen has not exactly gone on to fame and fortune since, but it's hard to say whether it's because he's not a very good actor, or he became type-cast as Anakin.
What they are though is badly written! The dialogue is so wooden you could use it to build a house out of. The romance between Anakin and Padme felt forced, and Anakin's turn to the dark side seemed nonsensical.
So, I hire a writer not named George Lucas to assist in telling the story of how Anakin Skywalker fell from grace and turned evil...
I probably wouldn't include the tired racist stereotypes in the prequels.
Quote from: Barrister on January 19, 2016, 12:44:20 PM
The idea of the prequels is fine. Conceptually there's little wrong with them. And they generally hired some pretty good actors, so they're well acted IMO. I know Christiansen has not exactly gone on to fame and fortune since, but it's hard to say whether it's because he's not a very good actor, or he became type-cast as Anakin.
What they are though is badly written! The dialogue is so wooden you could use it to build a house out of. The romance between Anakin and Padme felt forced, and Anakin's turn to the dark side seemed nonsensical.
So, I hire a writer not named George Lucas to assist in telling the story of how Anakin Skywalker fell from grace and turned evil...
The writing sucked, but so did a lot of the acting. Not because they were poor actors but they had a poor director. There was also poor dull camera work as well. I honestly got bored during many of the fight scenes because there was so much crap flying around it was hard to tell what was going on or why I should care.
Barrister has the gist of it pretty right imho. The idea was fine, the execution was awful. Lucas was wise enough to surround himself with very talented writers/advisers back when he did the first trilogy; while he probably had yes men all around when he did the prequels.
As for the details, I usually get paid for that :lol:
I disagree the dialogue was wooden.
Here is a pretty good example of great dialogue in the movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi5jjXTPtyY
It draws on the characters experiences and he uses it to forge a bond with another character.
If I was to do the prequels though --
I think I wouldn't have started with Anakin is a lost child. Its a good backstory but its really hard to take someone from a child to an adult in 3 movies and gracefully show his downfall. His transition from being a Jedi to a Sith was too abrupt in my opinion. You have the opening battle on the spaceship where Anakin refuses to leave Obi Wan behind but by the end of the movie he decides he has to kill him. There really is no transition inbetween. Just an impulse decision and then "Okay. I'll go along with this path then."
There were too many attempts to tie the prequels to the original trilogy. R2D2 and C3PO didn't need to be there. It would be okay to have different droids.
They didn't need to have the Fetts there. Anakin didn't have to be from Tatooine. Lucas could have used new settings, expanded the known SW universe a bit more, and introduced new characters.
I don't mind Jar Jar Binks so much but I think it lowers the tension of the movie if you have this character who is acting comical in tense situations. That wasn't a first in Star Wars - the Ewoks did silly stuff in ROTJ but it'd be like having Luke fumble a thermal detonator on Hoth and after nearly dropping it 6 times it bounces off his fingertip and ends up flying through a view port on a AT-AT. "Oops. Did I do that?"
Anakin kind of did have to come from Tatooine. Remember Luke lived there with his aunt and uncle - so they're relatives of Anakin.
Quote from: Barrister on January 19, 2016, 01:22:09 PM
Anakin kind of did have to come from Tatooine. Remember Luke lived there with his aunt and uncle - so they're relatives of Anakin.
Are you seriously suggesting that families have to live on the same planet?
That was another stupid thing. Why on Earth would they put the kids into the witness protection program and drop one with Anakin's relatives? If Anakin ever figured out he had kids that would be an obvious place to look. Unless they thought it was so obvious Anakin wouldn't bother checking. They should have just Death Star'd Tatooine. Could have taken out Luke and Obi Wan in one beautiful blow. And they'd have destroyed the Death Star plans in the process.
Padme should have been another Jedi. She and Anakin should have had a strong mutual attraction that they both struggled against. They could both have struggled with the dark side, and fighting against their passions would be part of it.
Dooku should have had a better name and should have been a dark Jedi with his own agenda independent of Palpatine's. Maybe he could have created an army of force-sensitive clones, and their atrocities could play into public support for the suppression of force-wielders later on.
The writing in the first movies was exactly stellar, but they made do.
Movie 1: They could have done a movie with Kid Han Solo, Young Chewbacca, Kid Anakin and Padme as a crew of space faring kid pirates who scour the galaxy for treasure. On some planet Anakin can find a lightsaber and teach himself to be a Jedi.
Movie 2: After a nearly successful attempt to steal the Statue of Liberty from Coruscant, the kids are captured and the Jedi Order refuse to train Anakin. Instead, Palpinitus trains him in secret.
Movie 3: Palpatino is found out. The Jedi Order moves against him but just before they can wipe out the future emperor, the kid heroes rescue him and accidentally press the wrong button on their ship and blow up the Jedi temple with a proton torpedo.
Roll credits.
Quote from: Queequeg on January 19, 2016, 12:15:52 PM
So this now seems like a p common geek discussion: how would you have done the Star Wars prequels to make them not terrible, and what made them terrible? Where do the sequels go from here?
Sounds too much like flogging a dead horse, so wouldn't bother.
Quote from: Jaron on January 19, 2016, 01:26:14 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 19, 2016, 01:22:09 PM
Anakin kind of did have to come from Tatooine. Remember Luke lived there with his aunt and uncle - so they're relatives of Anakin.
Are you seriously suggesting that families have to live on the same planet?
That was another stupid thing. Why on Earth would they put the kids into the witness protection program and drop one with Anakin's relatives? If Anakin ever figured out he had kids that would be an obvious place to look. Unless they thought it was so obvious Anakin wouldn't bother checking. They should have just Death Star'd Tatooine. Could have taken out Luke and Obi Wan in one beautiful blow. And they'd have destroyed the Death Star plans in the process.
It's a story about a long lost father ripped straight out of a soap opera. You have to just roll with some of these kinds of issues.
To be frank up until the prequels I always assumed that Owen and Beru weren't Luke's actual uncles, just some friends of Kenobi who had taken care of the kid at his bequest.
Quote from: Queequeg on January 19, 2016, 12:15:52 PM
So this now seems like a p common geek discussion: how would you have done the Star Wars prequels to make them not terrible, and what made them terrible? Where do the sequels go from here?
les CGI for video game action sequences. The pod race in #1 disapears. The fight in the droid factory in #2 disapears. The fight on platforms floating over laval in #3 is gone.
Start with Anakin as early teenager, just before the clone wars. Make him 12-13, a boy. His first crush, Padme. At 8 years old, it's doubtful you'd fall in love with a 17 year old girl so much that you'll think of her constantly for 8 years. Make him lose his mother right there, so that the fear of losing someone he cares for deeply is constantly there.
End the first movie with a first strike by the Seperatists (or even better: make it the Revan scenario, fight a very strong ennemy who lives only for war) that leaves the Republic scarred. Don't kill the bad guy in #1 yet. Make #2 similar to what it was, with the Republic being manipulated into finding an army of clones but don't end on this, make it happen mid-way through the movie. By #3, Anakin is more dedicated than ever to preserving peace at any costs. Sliding into the dark side should be gradual, not instantenous.
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2016, 02:21:12 PM
To be frank up until the prequels I always assumed that Owen and Beru weren't Luke's actual uncles, just some friends of Kenobi who had taken care of the kid at his bequest.
Beru was his aunt. The viewing public wasn't ready for gay marriage in 1977. ;)
Quote from: celedhring on January 19, 2016, 02:21:12 PM
To be frank up until the prequels I always assumed that Owen and Beru weren't Luke's actual uncles, just some friends of Kenobi who had taken care of the kid at his bequest.
Except Episode 4 is pretty clear that Owen doesn't like Obi-wan.
It just doesn't make a iota of sense that they would "hide" Anakin's son by giving him to his step-brothers. The whole plan is just a Vader nostalgia trip away from failing miserably.
A lot of the unnecessary scenes in the prequels were likely put there specifically to mirror scenes from the OT at that point in the films and to echo things like C3PO being dismembered. It was a "poetic choice" for Lucas.
This really isn't much of a discussion.
The way to do 1/2/3 right is pretty obvious. The core of the story is compelling, the characters are fascinating, and this should have been a slam dunk.
Just execute it properly, with good writing from actual good writers, not Lucas thinking he is a writer.
I enjoy the prequels. Maybe a little rough around the edges. Maybe not as good as the original trilogy. Maybe they could have done something better. But they are good, enjoyable movies.
Quote from: Monoriu on January 19, 2016, 08:10:18 PM
I enjoy the prequels. Maybe a little rough around the edges. Maybe not as good as the original trilogy. Maybe they could have done something better. But they are good, enjoyable movies.
Okay so the Mono question is---Did you see the originals first as a kid? Did you see the originals first?
There does seem to be a divide between people who experienced the movies__as experiences in time__and people who only know CGI.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 19, 2016, 08:17:09 PM
Quote from: Monoriu on January 19, 2016, 08:10:18 PM
I enjoy the prequels. Maybe a little rough around the edges. Maybe not as good as the original trilogy. Maybe they could have done something better. But they are good, enjoyable movies.
Okay so the Mono question is---Did you see the originals first as a kid? Did you see the originals first?
There does seem to be a divide between people who experienced the movies__as experiences in time__and people who only know CGI.
I saw the originals as a kid. I saw Return of a Jedi in theatres when it was first released. Over the years, I probably saw the original 3 films over 5 times each. Including the special editions with enhanced effects.
Then I saw the prequels, liked them, and found out that everybody else hate them :lol:
I didn't find the prequels *that* bad, merely far worse than they could have been given the material.
In this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgICnbC2-_Y)) there's a guy explaining how he'd improve the prequels. That's the video for the 1st one, there are other videos for the other two movies.
He claims that the movie should have a lighter and more playful mood, be clearly centered around Obi Wan, making him the clear protagonist. He'd also remove Jar Jar (duh!) and mentions of midichlorians (double duh!), make Anakin older (not a child but at the very least a teenager), replace Naboo with Alderaan, remove C3PO and Yoda from the film to be introduced later in the trilogy, plant a seed of a love triangle between Padme, Anakin and Obi Wan, remove some of the pointless battles at the end (no wonderkid Anakin flying a fighter destroying the Trade Federation blockade) and focus on the Qui Gon Jin & Obi Wan Vs. Darth Maul, keeping the same ending but with Darh Maul surviving and staying as the Big Bad of the trilogy, like Vader in the original ones.
Video for Episode II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbug3AhYmw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbug3AhYmw)
Video for Episode III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKqH6vlGHU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKqH6vlGHU)
That was interesting.
My ding ding ding moment was when he talked about the lack of playfulness. The prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on January 19, 2016, 08:57:16 PM
That was interesting.
My ding ding ding moment was when he talked about the lack of playfulness. The prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious.
I think more playfulness (like in VII) may have helped, but I don't know that the problem was that the prequels were unrelentingly grim and serious. I think part of the problem was that there were so inconsistent - they would veer between Jar Jar stepping in poo and Anakin slaughtering children. The parts that were meant to be enjoyed by little kids couldn't be enjoyed by adults, and the parts meant for adults couldn't be enjoyed by kids.
I would deal with the prequels by punching them in utero and pushing them down the northeast emergency stairwell of the Chrysler Building.
Like The Godfather Part III, Billy Ray Cyrus and the 1991 Ford Taurus Police Package, the prequels were pure abominations, unforgivable affronts to both man and God that never should have seen a moment's breath of life. And the franchise would have been the better for it.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 19, 2016, 11:33:16 PM
I would deal with the prequels by punching them in utero and pushing them down the northeast emergency stairwell of the Chrysler Building.
Like The Godfather Part III, Billy Ray Cyrus and the 1991 Ford Taurus Police Package, the prequels were pure abominations, unforgivable affronts to both man and God that never should have seen a moment's breath of life. And the franchise would have been the better for it.
:weep:
Why Northeast emergency stairwell? :unsure:
The Godfather part III wasn't that bad. Sofia Coppola was bad but not Keanu Reeves-with-English-accent bad. Bridget Fonda was hot the few seconds we got to see her, we got Joe Mantegna as an expy for Joe Columbo, and they had a friggin' helicopter mob massacre through the roof of a hotel suite. That does give the movie a lot of redeeming value.
It's the worst of the Mario Puzo trilogy, but it is still lightyears better than any of the Star Wars prequels. Hell, it is lightyears better than the original Star Wars trilogy itself.
I was thinking about this today so:
Episode 1 begins with Palpatine recruiting Maul on Naboo. Maul is maybe 15, poor, lives on outskirts of the Vienna-Constantinopley splendor of the planet. He's an orphan.
Anakin raised on Tatooine. Father dead in raid by Neo-Mandilorians. He's about the same age. No love for the Republic.
Amidala is force sensitive heir to Naboo powerful enough to sense something wrong w Palpatine when no one else can.
Film ends with Anakin killing Maul.
2 Anakin is simultaneously trained as Jedi and something of a a Sith. No Dooku, but another Jedi has fallen and claims the mantle of the Sith and hijacks a rebellion Palpatine is behind. This is used to explore elements of Sith culture and teachings. Palpatine becomes Sith Yoda.
3 The Republic is collapsing even as victory occurs. The Clone Army allows almost unlimited power to the Chancellor and much of the Jedi have died in the rebellion. Anakin capable of drawing on both sides of force. The final break is the revelation of Padme's pregnancy and Palpatine explaining that only through the Sith teaching does he have a future as a family. Padme killed in Order 66 equivalent after giving birth. Anakin believes he has been abandoned. Fights Obi Wan, loses. Sith triumphant, peace achieved, parallel to the celebration montage in Return.
Not episodes, but rules:
1: No child actors. Anakin is not seen as quite so special as he is recruited. He's still there as a kid but not a major character.
2: Darth Maul is cool. Yet they kill him after a few scenes in 1. He kills Qui Gon and gets away. He survives Phantom Menace. Obi Wan and Anakin finally get him in episode 2. Perhaps even early into episode 3.
This can be tied into Anakin being groomed for the dark side. Palpatine recognises his potential. Sees Darth Maul getting a bit too out of his control. Indirectly sets up the fight where the jedi get him.
3: Push the story forward. Yes its a prequel. But we want revelations. Not just a story we already kind of know. Point out why more things in episode 4 are the way they are. Plant some seeds for episode 7.
4: Dialogue that sounds like something real people would say.
Quote from: Queequeg on January 20, 2016, 03:53:21 AM
I was thinking about this today so:
Episode 1 begins with Palpatine recruiting Maul on Naboo. Maul is maybe 15, poor, lives on outskirts of the Vienna-Constantinopley splendor of the planet. He's an orphan.
Anakin raised on Tatooine. Father dead in raid by Neo-Mandilorians. He's about the same age. No love for the Republic.
Amidala is force sensitive heir to Naboo powerful enough to sense something wrong w Palpatine when no one else can.
Film ends with Anakin killing Maul.
2 Anakin is simultaneously trained as Jedi and something of a a Sith. No Dooku, but another Jedi has fallen and claims the mantle of the Sith and hijacks a rebellion Palpatine is behind. This is used to explore elements of Sith culture and teachings. Palpatine becomes Sith Yoda.
3 The Republic is collapsing even as victory occurs. The Clone Army allows almost unlimited power to the Chancellor and much of the Jedi have died in the rebellion. Anakin capable of drawing on both sides of force. The final break is the revelation of Padme's pregnancy and Palpatine explaining that only through the Sith teaching does he have a future as a family. Padme killed in Order 66 equivalent after giving birth. Anakin believes he has been abandoned. Fights Obi Wan, loses. Sith triumphant, peace achieved, parallel to the celebration montage in Return.
Your summary doesn't sound any better or worse when put on paper (or computer screen) than what Lucas shot.
I still maintain it comes down to execution.
I would have the Clone Army be a mysterious force that is invading the galaxy and the resulting militarization of the Republic leads to its fall with Anakin having to fall to the Dark Side in order to defeat it. Or perhaps by the time Anakin comes along the Clones have already destroyed the Republic and chaos is reigning and he gets tempted to bring order to the Galaxy.
I would have Darth Maul cut George Lucas in half. Roll credits.
Quote from: Tyr on January 20, 2016, 04:18:55 PM
4: Dialogue that sounds like something real people would say.
Most movie dialogue doesn't sound like stuff real people would say. We are pretty boring.
I agree about Maul. Well, not necessarily about Maul itself, but the prequels set up and killed off antagonists too quickly (Maul, Dooku, Grievous), and none of them ended up being memorable villains as a result.
Quote from: Valmy on January 20, 2016, 04:50:05 PM
I would have the Clone Army be a mysterious force that is invading the galaxy and the resulting militarization of the Republic leads to its fall with Anakin having to fall to the Dark Side in order to defeat it. Or perhaps by the time Anakin comes along the Clones have already destroyed the Republic and chaos is reigning and he gets tempted to bring order to the Galaxy.
Make the space-trains run on space-time. :angry:
Quote from: celedhring on January 20, 2016, 04:57:50 PM
Quote from: Tyr on January 20, 2016, 04:18:55 PM
4: Dialogue that sounds like something real people would say.
Most movie dialogue doesn't sound like stuff real people would say. We are pretty boring.
I agree about Maul. Well, not necessarily about Maul itself, but the prequels set up and killed off antagonists too quickly (Maul, Dooku, Grievous), and none of them ended up being memorable villains as a result.
They bring back Darth Maul in the Clone Wars cartoon. I didn't find him to be very interesting or compelling even when given more screen time.
General Greivous, on the other hand, did have an interesting story to tell...
Quote from: Barrister on January 20, 2016, 05:23:03 PM
General Greivous, on the other hand, did have an interesting story to tell...
Except he was the most cartoonish and silly of the group. Not to mention the natural endpoint of extreme lightsaber inflation.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 20, 2016, 05:59:32 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 20, 2016, 05:23:03 PM
General Greivous, on the other hand, did have an interesting story to tell...
Except he was the most cartoonish and silly of the group. Not to mention the natural endpoint of extreme lightsaber inflation.
Agree about lightsabre inflation, but the story of a warrior why accepts more and more cybernetic enhancements, until he has little of his original body left (yet refuses to even question himself about whetehr it really was for the better) was more interesting than Darth Maul or Dooku.
Quote from: Barrister on January 20, 2016, 06:06:39 PM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on January 20, 2016, 05:59:32 PM
Quote from: Barrister on January 20, 2016, 05:23:03 PM
General Greivous, on the other hand, did have an interesting story to tell...
Except he was the most cartoonish and silly of the group. Not to mention the natural endpoint of extreme lightsaber inflation.
Agree about lightsabre inflation, but the story of a warrior why accepts more and more cybernetic enhancements, until he has little of his original body left (yet refuses to even question himself about whetehr it really was for the better) was more interesting than Darth Maul or Dooku.
Sort of like a cross between
Star Wars and
The Human Centipede. :P
Quote from: Tyr on January 20, 2016, 04:18:55 PM
3: Push the story forward. Yes its a prequel. But we want revelations. Not just a story we already kind of know. Point out why more things in episode 4 are the way they are. Plant some seeds for episode 7.
hmm, the strenght of Star Wars has always been that nothing is really explained. We don't know what is the Force, where it comes from really. We don't know (as of Ep IV) how was the Empire created, who is this rebel alliance striking against the Empire. How big was the defeat for the Empire? Who's Vader, how does he fit into in the chain of command? There's a lot of mystery, and that was fascinating.
Episode I: Knights of the Republic
The greedy Trade Federation is blockading the peaceful planet of Naboo in retaliation for interference in its spice monopoly or something. Queen Amidala refuses to yield to their demands, and Chancellor Valorum dispatches two Jedi Knights, Obi-wan Kenobi (at the request of Amidala, who'd worked with him before) and Illiater Pelora or something, and their apprentices Anakin Skywalker and Padme Nabierre, to mediate the dispute -- and to investigate whispered rumors that the rogue Jedi Curumo is behind it. They arrive just in time to witness the Federation's droid army and their Gungan allies storm the capital, Theed. They rescue Queen Amidala and flee into the wilderness. Anakin and Padme can sense each other's emotions and sometimes thoughts; they've kept this secret from their masters. Also, there are hints of romantic tension between Obi-wan and Illiater.
Amidala tells them that she knows where to find an ally and leads them to the lair of the exiled Gungan prince, Jarar Binks. Just as they arrive, they're attacked by war droids and a demonic warrior with a red lightsaber. Illiater takes a wound (but doesn't tell anyone), and, knowing that she'll slow the party down, stays behind to cover their escape. Jarar takes them to his ship, and they take off. Obi-wan watches from the cockpit as the sith tortures a disarmed Illater to death with force lightning. Jarar ignores his pleas to go back for her. They run the blockade and make it to Coruscant.
Cut to Maul, surrounded by a group of men who appear to be identical octuplets. He tells them that the Jedi will return. And when they do, they'll them all.
On Coruscant, Naboo's senator, Sheeev Palpatine, tell them that Theed is occupied by a joint droid-Gungan army, and that King Nast of the Gungans has thanked the Federation for restoring control of the planet to the indigenous population and, of course, restored the previous trade agreement. Jarar says that he's outraged by his father's aggression against the humans and willingness to become a client king... but at the same time, the Gungans are politically underrepresented. Palpatine, Amidala, and Jarar meet to plan their strategy and direct Obi-wan to inform the Jedi of what happened on Naboo and ask for their assistance in its liberation. The Jedi Council is greatly disturbed to learn of Illiater's death at the hands of an unknown dark Jedi... but they urge caution and tell Obi-wan that the best course is to wait and see if the Senate can find a political solution. Obi-wan is not happy. Meanwhile, amid the monuments of a republic a thousand generations old, Padme is mourning the death of her master. She never knew her real family, and Illiater was the closest thing she had. Anakin says that they need to strive to give up all attachment and find pea- Padme cuts him off telepathically and asks him is he really believes that. What's the point of a society--of life!--if not to connect to others, to see the world that exists within them, and to love them? He replies that he doesn't know.
Valorum refuses to take decisive action against the Federation, prompting Palpatine to call a vote of no-confidence, which succeeds. The Senate then starts the process of electing a new Chancellor. However, it won't be able to vote on military action until the new Chancellor is elected, which will take some weeks at least. Amidala is getting reports of massacres and Nabooian intellectuals and destruction of cultural sites and is out for blood. Palpatine tells her there may be another way: Prince Jarar has a plan.
Obi-wan seeks out his old master, Yoda, for guidance. He asks if he's right to want to go back to Naboo, or if emotion is clouding his judgment. Yoda tells him that the dark side is clouding everything, even the judgment of the Jedi Council. Yoda says that, strictly speaking, the Council didn't bar *him* from returning to Naboo--or from asking other Jedi to go--it only refrained from offering its official support. Obi-wan asks if this is why Yoda was kicked off the Council... and if he's volunteering.
Obi-wan, Yoda, Anakin, Padme, Amidala, and Jarar return to Naboo, secretly landing outside of the Gungan capital. Jarar tells them that he only needs to meet with his father--if he can, he can guarantee that the Gungans will switch sides. Obi-wan is incredulous, but Amidala assures him that Jarar knows what he's doing. Mind-tricks get them most of the way, but they have to fight their way into the palace itself. At last, Jarar confronts King Nast... and challenges him to a fight to the death. They fight, and Jarar wins, becoming the new king of the Gungans. He tells his people that his father brought them dishonor by allowing himself to be made a stooge of foreign merchants. But he was right about one thing: The Naboo have been lording over the Gungans for too long. If the Gungans expel the Federation from Naboo, Palpatine will turn over his seat, and Jarar will become the first Gungan senator.
Gungan land and air forces attack the droids. Amidala and the Jedi fly to Theed (the Jedi have fighters, so there's the obligatory dogfight) and storm the palace, hoping to capture the Federation leadership. Maul tells holographic-Curumo that all has transpired as he foresaw. Good, Curumo says. Capture the Jedi apprentices, kill everyone else, and lay waste to all of Naboo on your way out. Maul goes to his men, all of whom have red lightsabers, and asks them if they want to kill some Jedi.
Maul and the clones attack the Jedi. They succeed in separating the apprentices from the masters. Obi-wan and Yoda realize that the apprentices and Maul have disappeared, but it takes them a while to work through the 8 force-clones.
Padme and Anakin fight Maul alone. Padme gets trapped behind some crazy series of force fields and watches helplessly as Anakin tries to hold his own against Maul. Anakin gets his saber hand cut off; the saber goes flying. Maul tells him that his master told him to capture him... but that he personally doesn't feel like being discarded and replaced. He starts torturing Anakin with force lightning. Anakin psychically screams to Padme for help, and she plunges her lightsaber into the force field, destroying both her saber and the field, charges into the room with Maul, then jumps across the big chasm in the middle of the room. In mid-air, she force-pulls Anakin's saber to her, and, screaming, attacks Maul. She fights incredibly aggressively, hate in her eyes, but Maul still parries every thrust, and Maul eventually forces her to the edge of the chasm. Then, Anakin, using his one good hand, hits Maul in the back with force lighting. He screams in pain, his back smoking and cracking open as the energy strikes it. Padme, screaming, stabs Maul through the chest, and then the force of Anakin's lightning knocks him into the chasm.
They agree not to tell Obi-wan what happened.
With Naboo liberated, Amidala hits on Obi-wan, but he rebukes her. There's a dinotopian victory parade in Theed, and everyone's given a medal by Binks and Amidala. Anakin and Padme quietly step aside, and, overcome by the moment, kiss.
Back on Coruscant, Binks and Amidala jointly tell the Senate that, while they spent weeks debating the Chancellorship, Palpatine took it upon himself to enlist the Jedi, unite two warring peoples, and liberate his planet. This is the kind of decisive action that the Republic needs in a leader. The Senate is swayed, and elects him Chancellor. Palpatine appoints Binks as his replacement in the Senate.
Then, multiple Republic worlds come under attack by... Jedi? Curumo announces to the world that the Republic is under the sway of the Sith and that he and his clones will liberate them. Yoda suspects that Curumo himself has become a Sith, because always two there are. Also, begun this Clone War has.
That is a pretty kick ass story right there!
Quote from: Berkut on January 21, 2016, 12:08:17 AM
That is a pretty kick ass story right there!
Thanks! :)
Quote from: Berkut on January 21, 2016, 12:08:17 AM
That is a pretty kick ass story right there!
Agreed. I would keep the name "Jarjar" though. :jaron:
Quote from: viper37 on January 20, 2016, 06:19:30 PM
Quote from: Tyr on January 20, 2016, 04:18:55 PM
3: Push the story forward. Yes its a prequel. But we want revelations. Not just a story we already kind of know. Point out why more things in episode 4 are the way they are. Plant some seeds for episode 7.
hmm, the strenght of Star Wars has always been that nothing is really explained. We don't know what is the Force, where it comes from really. We don't know (as of Ep IV) how was the Empire created, who is this rebel alliance striking against the Empire. How big was the defeat for the Empire? Who's Vader, how does he fit into in the chain of command? There's a lot of mystery, and that was fascinating.
It's fine for this series where you're jumping in mid series.
By doing prequels though.....direct prequels that is...our entire purpose is explanation of what came after.
The prequels had to establish a few things:
- how did Anakin become Vader?
- who's Luke's and Leia's mother?
- how did the the Emperor come to power?
I think many elements of the prequels are fine (if poorly executed). Anakin turning to the dark side to save someone he loves? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Works for me. Palpatine orchestrating a huge conflict that serves to elevate him to power and provide him with a massive army of loyal clones? Fine by me.
Doesn't mean a fair few things could be changed. Episode I - I think it's a good idea to show what a relatively quiet place the galaxy is at this point (don't need trade disputes, though ... ). Jedi going about, dealing with small crises, negotiating, the occasional crime lord that needs putting down ... on one of those adventures (doesn't really matter what it is) they meet Anakin. He's strong with the force, but he has a bit of a temper. The Jedi, after much debate, decide to train him, because he's so strong that leaving him unguided would be a risk. Obi-Wan feels a bit reminded of his younger self and offers to be his master. That's the first half hour. Cut to ten years later. Anakin is a teenager. Anakin and Obi-Wan go through a fun adventure to build their relationship. There's banter and the casting requires great chemistry, but Anakin keeps challenging Obi-Wan - in a serious fashion, not in a whiny emo fashion. Obi-Wan is both impressed and troubled by this. They meet Padme (make her the restless daughter of someone they work with/against, but NOT a 14 year old elected queen), Anakin falls is smitten.
Episode II can proceed largely the same - Anakin and Padme fall in love and struggle with balancing their passion against their responsibility. Anakin and Obi-Wan are still getting along well, but Obi-Wan notices that Anakin keeps secrets from him (Padme) and when he finds out is torn but decides to cover for him, hoping that this can be worked out.
Episode III can be left largely as is. The emotional stakes are higher due to changes in the first two movies.
I do like CCs story but yes. I agree that keeping episode 1 as a peaceful place with small scale adventures is a good idea. Perhaps Obi Wan stops the hutts doing something
Quote from: Tyr on January 21, 2016, 04:06:22 AM
I do like CCs story but yes. I agree that keeping episode 1 as a peaceful place with small scale adventures is a good idea. Perhaps Obi Wan stops the hutts doing something
Yeah, I have this idea... where the Hutt Cartel use some pretext to invade a peaceful planet, and since the Republic hasn't been in a war for centuries they drag their feet about it. Obi Wan and his master end up stopping them.
IDK. The Hutts aren't particularly menacing.
I actually kind of wish something like the KOTOR/ToR plot had been available. I kind of like the idea of the Sith as, well, relatively sympathetic, or at least interesting. There's a real story there, almost Old Testament; an exiled people who find solace on a new world, are then destroyed and further exiled, then come back to their home in violent glory. Palpatine, or Darth Plageius, could be a kind of Sith Theodor Herzl.
I was just pointing out that the plot of Episode I already meets all of Tyr's criteria :D
It's just very badly executed, but overall, the basic story of the prequels is a good one.
Quote from: Syt on January 21, 2016, 03:43:13 AM
I think many elements of the prequels are fine (if poorly executed).
Well I completely disagree. I would be hard pressed for an element that works.
Quote from: celedhring on January 21, 2016, 06:11:26 AM
I was just pointing out that the plot of Episode I already meets all of Tyr's criteria :D
It's just very badly executed, but overall, the basic story of the prequels is a good one.
Disposable armies you do not care about battle to save a corrupt, contemptible, and ineffectual space bureaucracy? How is that a good story?
Quote from: Valmy on January 21, 2016, 08:58:30 AM
Quote from: celedhring on January 21, 2016, 06:11:26 AM
I was just pointing out that the plot of Episode I already meets all of Tyr's criteria :D
It's just very badly executed, but overall, the basic story of the prequels is a good one.
Disposable armies you do not care about battle to save a corrupt, contemptible, and ineffectual space bureaucracy? How is that a good story?
It's basically the fall of the Roman Republic in a sci-fi setting. It could've been a great story.
I think the basic premise of the story is the right one. Lucas just told it terribly.
And speaking of Kotor, I would have totally ripped off the background of KOTOR 1, with Darth Revan = Anakin.