Modifications to the Skywalker Saga (ep 1, 2, and 3)

 I started this essay over in my ideas for modifications blog post for episodes 4, 5, and 6.  So, that's where to start if you haven't read it already.  I'll also be writing one of these for the sequels and for the standalone movies (Solo and Rogue One).  This one is for the prequels though.  Episodes 1, 2, and 3.  I'm going to try to stick with presenting what I consider a good idea instead of re-hashing what I think are the bad aspects.  So, when you see that my version of the prequels has little to do with the version we got, just understand that I think the prequels did almost everything wrong.

Episode 1: The Clone Wars

For the opening imposing shot, we see a massive carrier space ship parked on the ground with entryways open and people going inside.  There are some people in uniforms guiding the crowd and handling any processing (like handing out temporary ID cards).  We start to realize that this huge crowd is composed of a small number of different looking people.  Everyone in the crowd looks like dozens of others in the crowd.  These are all clones being helped.

We're on Tatooine and Obi-Wan Kenobi is working with a relief organization that is trying to help enslaved clones gain some identity and the opportunity for freedom.  These clones were produced and used by the Hutts in control here and the Republic has used military force to stop the Hutts.  This is the effort to help the slave clones rebuild.  But the fighting isn't over.  Obi-Wan is there offering his help to the military forces protecting this evacuation.

A local shuttle pilot hired to help bring the clones to this big ship from different places on Tatooine turns out to be Anakin Skywalker.  He's taken a job as a "bus driver" essentially because it's the only way he can follow his passion for piloting.  His family are moisture farmers.  When Anakin delivers a group of the clones, and attack happens.  Anakin manages to maneuver his transport to avoid a nasty fate or something in a way that indicates he knew the attack was coming.  Obi-Wan notes this and moves on to helping the defense personnel deal with the attackers who are obviously not happy with the slave clones being taken away.  We get our first Star Wars battle and we see Obi-Wan in his prime doing really impressive things.

We also see Darth Maul who is hiding but observing Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan finds Anakin after the fight to find out if he was involved somehow since he knew to dodge the attack... but realizes Anakin is Force sensitive.  Obi-Wan offers to train him.  Darth Maul observes this too and seems unhappy about it.

Anakin is excited about the prospect of getting to do something other than moisture farming and bus driving, but he goes and talks to his family.  We get the scene that Obi-Wan described in Episode 4 where Anakin's brother tells him to not get involved for fear of following Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade.

Anakin of course chooses to go with Obi-Wan who has since consulted with Yoda, who has advised against training Anakin.

The climax of the movie is Darth Maul trying to convince Anakin that he can offer a better path.  Obi-Wan arrives and is shocked... he thought the Sith were gone or at least nowhere near here.  Maul and Obi-Wan fight, but Obi-Wan is calm and keeps asking questions... he's trying to interrogate the Maul while fighting.  Maul mistakes the fact Obi-Wan hasn't attacked in any convincing way for him not being much of a threat.  Obi-Wan eventually just cuts the staff-saber in half thinking it'll inform Maul that Obi-Wan has been holding back and that the fight is over, but Maul just keeps using his two swords.  Maul finally realizes that Obi-Wan IS a threat though, and starts trying to use other tricks since straight sword fighting hasn't been working.  We get the moments where it looks like Darth Maul has the advantage and Obi-Wan asks his questions one last time.  Maul mocks him, and Obi-Wan cuts off one of Maul's hands (a signature move).

The end of the movie is Anakin going with Obi-Wan to begin training in earnest.

Episode 2: Dilemma of Pride

This one has to contain a lot.  We need to see that Anakin is being trained by Obi-Wan, but also that his attention drifts elsewhere.  The two main paths are the Force training and Anakin meeting a Senator's pilot... Padme.  Padme is also strong in the Force but untrained, and it is how she has done well at protecting the senator from danger on multiple occasions.  He ability to react to danger before it's too late has helped quite a bit.  Anakin is smitten and he finds himself making excuses to spend time with her.  Obi-Wan is getting impatient and says that Anakin has too much training that needs attention since he wasn't trained from a young age.  And there's still the efforts fighting against clone slavery.  At the same time, Anakin is getting frustrated with training because it's not going fast enough.  Keeps asking when Obi-Wan is going to teach him the good stuff.

Anakin and Padme have something of a whirlwind romance that results in her being pregnant.  At first, Anakin is very happy for this.  Obi-Wan is upset by the distraction, but realizes that training Padme might be helpful too, and that if he can train both of them, Anakin might pay more attention.  But it back fires in two ways.  Padme picks up the lessons quicker because she actually listens and Anakin gets jealous.  He begins seeing Obi-Wan and Padme talking to each other without him there and Anakin starts to imagine something else going on.

Enter another one of Palpatine's students.  Possibly Dooku.  Dooku calls Maul a fool and says that he used to think like Obi-Wan until he realized how easy power came to him when he stopped restraining himself.  Where a Jedi keeps calm and exercises restraint, he had found that letting emotion fuel his efforts was much more effective.  Maybe Dooku even sets up a situation where Anakin is afraid to move forward in a combat because he doesn't trust his own abilities yet, and then with Dooku there as a guide, they wade into battle with Dooku shouting to let go of his control and just feel.  Anakin relishes this and demolishes the bad guys (slavers?).  He feels the power of using his anger.

He goes back to Obi-Wan and Padme and accuses Obi-Wan of keeping valuable information from him.  Accuses Obi-Wan of trying to hold Anakin back.  And accuses Obi-Wan of trying to steal Padme.  He then asks Padme to go with him... he found a better teacher that can help both of them.

Obi-Wan pleads with Anakin not to go and pleads with him to wait long enough to discuss it.  Obi-Wan looks hurt and confused at the accusations of trying to steal Padme.  But when Padme lays into Anakin about how she isn't a possession to be stolen and that Anakin should have talked to her... Anakin loses his temper and leaves... angry at both of the people he loved.

The end of the movie is Anakin going to be trained by the dark side.  Obi-Wan and Padme have a closing conversation that includes what to do next, intent to ask Yoda and the council for help, the fear that Anakin will attack them or come back for the unborn child... stuff to set us up for the next one.

Episode 3: Birth of the Empire

Palpatine is shown in conversation with other politicians in the Republic worlds that don't want to give up the worker clones that are genetically modified to happily accept slavery.  They talk about how their military strength is close to enough to overcome the liberal Republic worlds, but the Jedi keep foiling efforts.  Palpatine assures them that it will not be a problem much longer.

Dooku is still in charge of Anakin and we can see him with new scars and grim visage.  Dooku explains to Anakin that they need to begin hunting Jedi.  At first Anakin is resistant, but Dooku continues his explanation.  The Jedi claim to be fighting to protect the clones and give them freedom, but all they're doing is helping to kill the clone troopers they face.  If the Jedi are so powerful, why haven't they figured out how to help those clones instead of killing them.  Dooku suggests that Anakin begin traveling to the major ground battles to find the Jedi there and challenge them to do better.  If they refuse or try to excuse their actions, Anakin can decide how best to protect more clone lives.  And thus begins Anakin hunting down and wiping out Jedi.

At some point, some clue causes Anakin to realize Dooku isn't the top of the pyramid.  Dooku tries to deny it, and the two end up fighting, with Anakin demanding to know who it is.  Anakin ends up winning, and Dooku begs for his life.  Anakin is about to do something when Darth Sidious enters the room all hooded up.  He pulls his hood back and we see it IS Palpatine.  Palpatine says "I am the master.  You don't need him to tell you anymore.  You can kill him now."  Dooku looks shocked and terrified, and Anakin casually beheads Dooku.

Anakin tries to attack Palpatine too, thinking this might just be some other lackey.  But Palpatine draws his red sword and easily defends.  And when he gets bored, he just uses the Force to batter Anakin until he drops his lightsaber and then hits Anakin with lightning.  Anakin realizes he's not a match and this guy is pretty powerful.  Palpatine tells him to continue hunting and killing Jedi.

Padme is working with the senator again and looking far enough along in the pregnancy that she's likely to take a break soon.

Obi-Wan is on some other world with good-guy military fighting against clone/storm troopers.  At some point in the battle, Obi-Wan gets a pensive look on his face and he turns to look into the distance.  A blue lightsaber is there.  I guess this has to be Mustafar.  Anakin walks toward Obi-Wan casually deflecting blaster bolts aimed at him.  Obi-Wan tries to talk to Anakin and ask him what he's doing.  Anakin challenges him with the idea that Jedi are the bad guys.  Obi-Wan tries to break through his confusion at Anakin's words, and tries to say he can still come back... that Padme misses him.  The mention of Padme makes Anakin more angry, and he lashes out at Obi-Wan.  The fight begins and Obi-Wan keeps trying to talk.  He begs Anakin to talk instead of fighting.  And we see the same sort of fight developing that Obi-Wan and Maul had in Episode 1.  Anakin doesn't understand just how good Obi-Wan really is.  Anakin press the attack and mocks Obi-Wan and spits vitriol at him for corrupting Padme.  Anakin says that when his child is old enough, he will take the boy away.

When Obi-Wan realizes Anakin is not himself anymore and that there is no helping him, Obi-Wan dismembers Anakin... and Obi-Wan cries as he tells Anakin that he was like a brother.  Obi-Wan picks up Anakin's lightsaber looking at it as though it somehow explains what's happening.  Seeing their Force-user cut down, the storm troopers rush in.  Obi-Wan backs off.  He asks his side to pull back, and the Storm Troopers drag Anakin to get medical treatment.  The two sides are moving away from each other and we get a very visceral shot with the two focal points.

The epilogue is of the birth of the kids and the montage of their early growth.  While still toddlers, Darth Vader comes after Padme unsuccessfully, and Luke is the stronger of the two kids with the Force... so he only senses him.  Obi-Wan suggests that he take Luke to a far away place.  Luke has an Uncle and Aunt that can raise him.  And Obi-Wan says he will stay with Luke to help him and even teach him when he is ready.  Padme wants nothing to do with splitting up the kids, or being separated from Luke.  Obi-Wan insists that it's only long enough to figure out what to do about Vader.  Padme has to keep up working for the senator who is one of the major anti-Empire politicians.

Maybe it's too much to include in the movie, but we should get the idea that Padme dies when the kids are about 5.  Obi-Wan lets Luke stay with his Aunt and Uncle and the Senator swears to raise Leia as his own and protect her.  Maybe it's even that Anakin finally comes for Padme saying he wants his son.  They fight and there's some kind of precarious situation where both of them might die.  When Padme tells Vader that Luke is with Obi-Wan in hiding, Vader snaps.  He saves himself and walks away.  Padme is unable to save herself from whatever situation it was and she dies because Vader didn't saver her.

The Empire is born as Palpatine announces his huge clone army and fleet of star destroyers.  They position themselves near the major republic worlds that oppose clone slavery and begin taking over.

Other Star Wars Movies

Already linked near the top...

• Episodes 4, 5, and 6
• Episodes 7, 8, and 9
• Standalone movies

Modifications to the Skywalker Saga (ep 4, 5, and 6)

 I love the Original Trilogy; I greatly enjoy some of the Extended Universe; I like some of the video games (though I specifically dislike Revan); and I like some of the Star Wars series (animated and live-action).  The Prequels are bad.  The Sequels are bad (especially episode 8).  That's a kind of foundation for you to understand my point of view as I write this blog essay.  Instead of just writing about the mistakes I think were made in the movies, I'm going to try to just write my ideas for how things could have gone that I would have been happier with.  And since this is one essay trying to address 11 movies (I'm including Solo and Rogue One), it'll be a framework rather than a treatment.

I'm doing it in release order partly because that's how I experienced them, but also because there's some importance to the story being told that way in the form of the big reveal in Empire Strikes Back.  And seeing how long this is getting, I think I'm going to break it up into 3 posts for the original trilogy, the prequels, and the sequels.

Episode 4: Star Wars, A New Hope

The only thing I'd change is some of the details.  When Han delivers the lines: "The engines are at full power. I'm going to have to shut down.  They're not going to get me without a fight", it sounds like those things are connected and somehow shutting down IS the beginning of fighting back.  It just sounds weird to me, but the fix is easy.  The tractor beam is overpowering the engines so Han says the first part about the engines being at full power and needing to shut down, possibly adding something about preventing them from burning out or breaking.  Then Han pauses and starts looking around like he's desperately thinking.  He turns to the other people in the ship and flatly states that they're not going to get him without a fight.  The pause and body language tell us that the engines are no longer the focus and we get the clearer idea that Han is intent on not giving up.  It also makes the following line from Obi-Wan, "You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting", make more sense.

I would also adjust the Death Star wait-time reason when it is trying to destroy the rebel base.  Instead of being blocked by a planet and orbiting until you can see the moon you want to destroy, why not put in the detail that the hyperspace jump took all the power from the capacitors and they need to charge again before they can fire?  Hyperspace jumping a moon-sized station from the Alderaan system to the Yavin system has to take a lot of power.  It would make sense that the station couldn't jump and shoot a beam powerful enough to destroy a planet-sized moon in rapid succession.  Instead of the line that explains they need to orbit the gas giant to shoot at the moon, have a line that says something like, "15 minutes to charge capacitors for firing the main cannon", and move on.

The trench run is one of the best scenes in all of Star Wars.  Great story telling for getting the viewer on the edge of their seats.  I've seen it at least 50 times and it works on me every time.  But logic underlying it needs to be fixed.  Since an exhaust port implies releasing a gas like an exhaust on a car, and losing resources out an exhaust port into space doesn't make sense (what kind of power plant can handle a small moon sized ship that has exhaust?  Is that thing burning fuel?), I'd change that to a maintenance tunnel.  For a huge power plant you might need to fly maintenance ships into the moon base for (carrying large machines and supplies), you just have a ship sized tunnel.  It's no longer a flaw in the design... just a weakness the rebels figured out to exploit.

The weakness isn't perfect for the rebels.  It is covered by massive doors when not in use and because it is a known entry point to the station, it is surrounding by a ridiculous number of turrets.  There's no trench, just that the closer you get, the harder it is to not get shot down.  And missiles fired from too far away get shot down before they can be helpful.  So, you have to get people close enough to fire the missiles.  The first run is a bunch of Y-Wings with the sole purpose of blowing a big hole in the door (possible secondary of blowing up shield generators around the door).  The second run is to take the shot if the path is clear, or to at least clear more of a path.  The third run is only needed if the second run didn't blow up the power plant.  Everyone has a computer lock for the guided missiles to use long in advance, and the obstacle is getting close enough to fire such that the turrets can't take out the missiles.  Luke's use of the Force to save the day isn't about "timing" a shot for a guided missile (that makes no sense).  It's about flying evasively enough to not get shot down by enemy fighters or the surface turrets on his way close enough to get the shot off.

(Quick side note: Greedo never shoots)

Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back

The Battle of Hoth just needs to explain better why Star Destroyers that can level cities can't just break down the rebel base shield, but for some reason, AT-ATs can walk up to the generator and shoot it.  And do the Ion Cannons ignore shields?  Or did the Star Destroyer not have its shields up despite the situation?  If Ion Cannons ignore shields, why don't Star Destroyers have them too?  Couldn't they have shot the shield generator from space and then just pummel the base?  Or if Vader's purpose includes capturing Luke, why not just bounty hunters in the first place?  Or if not bounty hunters, why do the military leaders think it's important that the shield can withstand bombardment?  Why aren't they immediately talking about sending down resources to capture people?

I think to maintain the desired ground battle, we let the imperial military leaders think it's about wiping out the rebels while Vader has his own plans, and it's just convenient the rebels have what is described as an umbrella shield that protects them from bombardment from space, but appears to have been put up in a hurry because there's a lot of space at the ground level where the shield wasn't lined up.  The AT-ATs go down to blow up the shield generator still because they can walk under the umbrella.  Vader is shown realizing Luke is on the ground and takes the chance to say something like, "someone at this rebel base is to be brought in alive.  There will be no bombardment.  I will be joining the ground assault.  Capture any ships that attempt to flee."

When the rebel ships are ready to flee, they say something about redirecting the power for the shields to the ion cannons to give some indication of how powerful it is.  They then say they need to hit the Star Destroyers multiple times to make sure shields are knocked out and then to knock out enough systems to cripple them temporarily.

The second thing I'd like for ESB is more clarity around the lesson Luke is supposed to have learned at the cave.  If Luke had listened to Yoda and not brought weapons with him, what was supposed to happen that Luke would have learned from?  What would have been the ideal way it would have transpired?  Luke is faced with Darth Vader and then what?  Or was it always known Luke would bring his weapons anyway, and part of the lesson is that using weapons was the wrong choice?  Was Luke's face inside the helmet a foreshadowing of familial relation, or a warning of some kind that he could end up on the dark side like Vader?  Was it a more blunt message that if he chooses violence, he'll be the one that gets hurt?  And then Yoda describes it as a "failure at the cave".  How was it a failure?  Just that Luke didn't listen to the suggestion to leave his weapons behind?  That Luke drew his lightsaber first and struck down Vader?

So, I looked it up to see what other people came up with and the answer that clicked with me the most was that Fear was Luke's failure.  His fear of what he might find made him take his weapons with him; his fear of Vader made him draw his lightsaber first; and he was confronted with his fear of falling to the dark side in seeing his own face behind the mask.  I found an answer on starwars.com that seems like it might be accurate and includes mention of the fear bits, but is WAY TOO INVOLVED for what an average movie-goer (including me) would be familiar enough with to recognize it the way the movie presents it.  Then again, I can really only speak for myself, so maybe this whole segment of clarification I'm yearning for would only be useful to me.  Anyway, the succumbing to fear explanation works for me, especially since fear of Vader dragging Leia to the dark side is what makes Luke lose control in Return of the Jedi.  He almost fails again, but seeing his father's stump wrist jolts him out of it... the connection between the movies is really good this way.

If I were adjusting the cave scene for clarity without making it blunt to the point of losing impressiveness, I think I might have added a scene prior to the cave where Yoda addresses it.  Something maybe with Luke growing impatient because he feels like he needs to get back out there and Yoda digs a little to make Luke say the words that he's afraid of what will happen to his friends if he's not helping them.  It leads nicely to the point where Luke has a vision of his friends being hurt that sets him off to go help them.  I might need to think this one through a bit more, but as it stands, the cave scene feels a little to obscure to me.

Episode 6: Return of the Jedi

This is my favorite of the Star Wars movies, though the original trilogy movies are all very close.  This one edges the others out because it has the duel between father and son that the whole story is built around... I mean... it's the story of Anakin Skywalker.  It's his hero's journey.  Luke gets a kind of mini one, but Lucas's original intent for Star Wars was 9 episodes that focused on Anakin.  When he got to make a movie, he started in the middle thinking it was the most exciting part and not knowing if he'd get to make any more movies.  He crammed his episodes 4 and 5 into the one movie that he labeled as episode 4.  Anakin story episodes 6 and 7 became movie episode 5, and 8 and 9 became movie episode 6.  Lucas finished telling his story with Return of the Jedi and the scene where Anakin faces his son and is saved from the dark side by his son... it's the best scene in all of Star Wars.

That said, there are two things I'd like to change about Return of the Jedi.  First is that the plan to rescue Han from Jabba is much too convoluted.  Implant Lando as a guard; get the droids there so the lightsaber would be there; get Chewy captured which maybe implants Leia (but why wouldn't Lando just be the one to unfreeze Han?); try to bargain with Jabba (including using the Force) and if that worked, try to extricate Chewy and the droids (and Leia since she got captured); and then finally just fight your way out with the lightsaber?

I think I would have rather seen them get Lando in there to do the unfreezing at the most opportune moment and he'd have a way to signal that he needs the cavalry.  Lando unfreezes Han, but another guard happens upon them trying to leave.  Lando sends the signal, and the Millennium Falcon comes in hot and blows open the front door.  They land and fight their way part way into the building, but stop when the bad guys show Lando and Han on their knees with blasters to their heads.  They get captured.  Jabba keeps Leia because he's into that sort of thing.  But then he plans a grand party on his barge where he is going to execute Han and the friends who tried to rescue him.  The good guys are told that they are being thrown into the Pit of Carkoon and that they will be immobilized and digested slowly as they die of dehydration unable to escape.  Jabba keeps Luke's lightsaber because it's a super rare item and he can say he captured and executed a Jedi.  When Luke takes his lightsaber back, it's not because R2 had it.  It's because Luke just takes it back from Jabba in a way Jabba wasn't expecting... didn't have enough experience with Jedi.

The second thing I'd change is to put back Lucas's original intention for Endor with a modification.  His original intent was to use wookiees as the primitive species that the rebels get help from.  He decided to change that because Chewbacca was already technologically advanced and for some reason Lucas couldn't get past the idea of the species on Endor being primitive.  Unfortunately, ewoks are not believable as a fighting force that could defeat storm troopers, and the fact that it worked out that way just hamstrings storm troopers even more and ruins any tension they might bring.  So, I want to put wookiees back in.

Wookiees in the lore and known to be a species that the Empire enslaved and Chewbacca befriended and promised a life debt to Han based on Han having rescued Chewy from slavery to the Empire.  It would have been so easy to say that the Empire just put a huge slave force of wookiees on Endor to do work to build the second Death Star.  Ewoks can even still be native to the planet and help the rebels to free the wookiees... and then the wookiees start fighting back and taking weapons and we have a believable fighting force that can take on storm troopers.  No stupid traps that the ewoks set up.  No storm troopers panicking as arrows bounced off their armor.  Just big terrifying wookiees freed from restraints and pulling apart storm troopers.  Way better.  I'm sad that that's not what we got.

Other Star Wars Movies

Already linked near the top...

• Episodes 1, 2, and 3
• Episodes 7, 8, and 9
• Standalone movies