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Main topic: Prequels re-imagined
Need more Star Wars in your life? I know it is kind of a slower time right now as everything is ramping up. So to contend with the void in all our lives, here is a reimagined concept for the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. Full disclosure, there is A LOT missing, I don’t even have titles for C3P0s sake! These are really just the major points I would have wanted to see had I made these movies. Were these ever to be made, there are a lot of dots to connect. But I feel like the structure is there, and I feel like this is a strong foundation new “certain point of view.” ALSO! I for sure want to throw it out there that I try my absolute best not to be one of the toxic Star Wars fans that are trying to sign petitions or erase any episode of this franchise that we all love so much. This was just an idea of what could have been. Enjoy! May the force be with you.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
Episode I
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi are Jedi Knights of the republic. They are keepers of the peace, but also play a ‘detective’ type role. The Jedi Order is investigating a series of disappearances/murders. Several senators have gone missing or have been found dead. Anakin tracks a suspect, a dark hooded figure, from a far off planet on their way to Corruscant. He loses the subject in the busy “city” planet and another senator is murdered. Most notably, this senator didn’t die by blaster. This senator died by a lightsaber.
Anakin is in a secret relationship with Senator and ex-queen of Naboo, Padme Amidala. Anakin worries about her and tries to get her to leave the senate, which she refuses. Padme spends a lot of her time on diplomatic missions to offer aide and relief to the people of war torn planets from the ongoing clone wars. Anakin worries about her while she is gone. On these missions, Padme slowly realizes that all the senators that have gone missing or found murdered have a common thread, they all have spoken out against the supreme chancellor of the republic, Shiv Palpetine.
Anakin and Obi-wan have several close calls with the dark figure as they track them across Corruscant. They clash lightsabers briefly until the shadowy figure escapes several times.
In an epic final showdown, The dark figure Anakin and Obi-wan are chasing is revealed to be Darth Maul, who says that his master Darth Sidious is coming out of the shadows and will bring and end to the republic and the Jedi Order. Badly wounded during the encounter, Darth Maul manages to escape.
Padme reveals to Anakin she is pregnant.
Episode II
Anakin and Obi-wan are widening their search for Darth Maul and their newly discovered enemy Darth Sidious.
A very pregnant Padme still embarks on diplomatic missions, despite Anakins numerous requests for her to stop “for her safety and the safety of the baby.” She refuses saying “the people need to know we haven’t abandoned them.” She eventually agrees to take a hiatus, after one last mission Palpetine planned for her to the planet Geonosis.
In the ongoing struggle to find Darth Maul and his master Darth Sidious, Anakin finds himself being tempted more and more by the dark side of the force. While Obi-wan remains composed and patient, Anakin grows more angry they aren’t finding the Sith Lords faster. He grows more afraid for Padme and their child and he suffers with the idea of losing them. Eventually, when interrogating someone that can lead them to the Sith Lords, Anakin begins to force choke them to get them to talk. Obi-wan berates him scolding that “it’s not the Jedi way.” The suspect finally says the planet Darth Maul is hiding on, Geonosis. Anakin remarks that Padme left for that planet this morning and runs to his ship, leaving Obi-wan behind.
Anakin reaches Geonosis and finds the droid army headquarters. Obi-wan is well behind him with a battalion of clone troopers and the battle of Geonosis begins. Obi-wan begs Anakin to focus and use patience, but Anakin doesn’t care about anything except finding Padme. He finally finds her and as she is running to him she is hit by stray blaster fire from the battle and falls in his arms. Anakin screams (cinematically there is no sound) and a massive force pulse explodes around them (caused by Anakin acting on pure emotion and raw power) He ignites his lightsaber And in his blind enraged state he begins to hack at everything and anything moving (including enemy battle droids, his own clone trooper comrades, equipment consoles, and anything else that gets in his way.) Anakin charges through the battle looking for the Sith Lords. He reaches out his hand to force push his enemies left and right, and eventually lightning shoots from his hand and fries a number of them to a crisp. Obi-wan watches horrified and heartbroken as his partner and friend unleashes hell, leaving only a trail of devastation. Anakin eventually finds himself before Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. He quickly kills Darth Maul in a rage-fueled attack. He moves to kill Sidious as well but he requests one thing from Anakin first and he shows him a security hologram of Obi-wan tending to Padme. She was very badly injured, but alive. Anakin watches the footage and sees his friend/mentor carrying her off the battlefield. Darth Sidious vows to help Anakin to get revenge on Obi-wan and the Jedi if he joins him. After Anakin agrees, Sidious reveals himself to Anakin as chancellor Palpetine and enacts order 66.
After giving birth to twins, Luke and Leia, Padme succumbs to her injuries.
Episode III
Anakin now known as Darth Vader, hunts down the remaining Jedi not killed in the order 66 purge. His main target is his old friend and mentor Obi-wan. Vader seeks to avenge Padme’s death, having been convinced by Sidious that Obi-wan is the reason she is gone. His search brings him and a platoon of Stormtroopers to a swampy-marsh planet. He finds another old friend, Jedi Master Shaak-Ti waiting for him. He asks her where Obi-wan is. She doesn’t tell him. She speaks to him in a calm reassuring tone, she already knows he is going to kill her but she is unafraid. Anakin cuts her down mercilessly without a fight. As he is walking back to his ship, he sees little sets of footprints and a couple toys in the mud.
Obi-wan has the skywalker twins and is desperately trying to find a safe place to hide them. This proves difficult as he is on the run having been labeled an enemy of the republic by Chancellor Palpetine who has created a galactic Empire to unify the galaxy against the Jedi order.
Obi-Wan suspects that the children are better off separate, because if they are caught they will undoubtedly be killed. He decides to split them up in the case one is discovered, there will still be hope for the other. He gives Leia to an old friend and ally Bail Organa. However, on his way to find a home for Luke, Darth Vader catches up with him.
Obi-Wan and Vader have an epic duel which leaves Vader gravely injured. So much so that he will need to wear a suit with a breathing apparatus for the rest of his life. Obi-wan takes Luke to Tatooine where an old acquaintance (that knew both Obi-wan and Anakin) offers to raise Luke.
The final scene(s) shows baby Luke on Tatooine with Owen and Beru Lars. The two look at the baby, then at each other. They smile softly but behind their smiles lingers the uneasy feeling of dread. Leia is seen with the Organas as they fly aboard their personal shuttle. Bail cradles Leia in his arms, all three stare longingly out the front viewport at the slowly approaching planet Alderaan.
Finally, Darth Vader sits alone in his personal chamber aboard his super star destroyer. Though you can’t see his face, you can feel his bewilderment as he reaches out with the force and slowly rotates one of the toys he found on the swampy marsh planet in mid air in front of him.