Star Wars How would you do the prequels?

[Captain X]

I know there are plenty of people on here who genuinely like the prequels, but I sure don't. The Plinkett reviews on them more than covers the issues I have with them - I'm not quite as nitpicky as them, but I am entirely too lazy to list all the problems I have with them. And besides, this is about how you would have done the prequels, not how bad the actual prequels were.

Myself, I don't have nearly as much of an idea for this as I do for the sequels, unfortunately. The main things I would change are that Anakin would be already an adult when the movie starts, and already a "great pilot" as Obi-wan told Luke, even if he isn't much older than Luke was when we met him. Hell, he could be an actual fighter pilot for the Republic. I'd also have him not realize he is strong with the Force until he meets Obi-wan, and this is why the older man takes him under his wing. The other major thing I would change is that the Clone Wars referred to in ANH would be referring to the clones as an enemy, and that the conflict(s) would be based more on what was hinted at in the Thrawn Trilogy than what we actually got in the prequels. I would also not try the quasi Star Trek stuff of the Republic not having a military. It would have one, and many of the people in it would end up splitting between the Empire and the Alliance later.

I would make a point of actually showing the friendship between Anakin and Obi-wan, which would make the eventual corruption and turn feel that much worse rather than just something that was inevitable. I'd also make more of a point of this corruption starting out of a desire to do good rather than the Trudeau-ish line we got about how awesome dictatorship would be.

No Jar-Jar or his people, or probably even Naboo. Tatooine would not be Anakin's place of origin. I'm not sure how I'd handle Padme, but her connection to Organa would not be so obvious. I'd be tempted to make Beru her sister and thus Owen would be Anakin's BIL and the two actually would know him (or maybe just of him), but would not be people really on his radar until the business with ANH.

It's kind of tough to make stuff from the original movies fit because of how things were in the first movie because things like Luke keeping his actual family name makes no sense, but considering Obi-wan kept his and just changed his name to Ben... Well, I'd try to make things fit a little better. Such as Kenobi not actually knowing about Leia actually being a Skywalker as he wasn't there when the children were born, and this fact was kept from him, since he didn't seem to know in ESB.

I'm actually kind of tempted do have Padme kept in stasis somehow, secreted away and kept alive, but eventually they are unable to keep her going or save her and the children are thus born significantly later, and make some of the dialog from ANH make a little more sense, and maybe help explain why Luke and Leia weren't really noticed.

 

[Terthna]

I'd overhaul the entire plot. Ditch the entire romance plot, make it about the horrors of war, and have that be what slowly corrupts Anakin. Have Palpatine worm his way into the young Jedi's confidence by lending a sympathetic ear to his complaints about how the Jedi order place too many restrictions on his conduct (no Anakin, you can't torture that prisoner for information; no Anakin, you can't glass that planet to deny the enemy a foothold; et cetera, et cetera), and in turn feeding him the idea that their teachings make Jedi inherently incapable of doing what needs to be done in order to destroy one's enemies.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

I'd overhaul the entire plot. Ditch the entire romance plot, make it about the horrors of war, and have that be what slowly corrupts Anakin. Have Palpatine worm his way into the young Jedi's confidence by lending a sympathetic ear to his complaints about how the Jedi order place too many restrictions on his conduct (no Anakin, you can't torture that prisoner for information; no Anakin, you can't glass that planet to deny the enemy a foothold; et cetera, et cetera), and in turn feeding him the idea that their teachings make Jedi inherently incapable of doing what needs to be done in order to destroy one's enemies.

You really do need the romantic side of things. I mean...unless you want to explain Luke and Leia away as unwanted bastards not just kids Anakin didn't know about.

 

[Captain X]

Honestly the romantic aspect would help to add to the tragedy of the fall.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I'd base it more on the inklings of EU nonsense we got on the Clone Wars from the Thrawn trilogy and partly on what Lucas did with the Prequels already. Firstly, everyone assumed the Clone Wars and any Prequel would take place farther into the past then it actually did (more then the twenty or so years between the founding of the Empire and the events of Episode IV: A New Hope).

Shooting from the hip here so to speak and scribbled this up over the past two days.

Episode One: The Phantom Menace

For a thousand years, the Jedi have ushered in an era of peace for the Republic, ever since they vanquished the Sith in the Battle of Ruusan.

Padme Amidala is a Republican Consular Official being escorted to Tatooine, part of a "Commission" to investigate the claims of a 'Droid Army' threatening the Outer Rim. Part of her escort are two Jedi Knights, Qui Gonn Jinn and his padawan Obi Wan Kenobi. Also along with them is a Republic Military official... his name is uhhh... Panaka. He's Mandalorian. Since the Republic is gay and doesn't have a formal military but instead just local defense fleets/forces, they employ mercenaries sometimes and Mandalorians are some of the best and most reliable.

They arrive on Tatooine to meet the Planetary Governor who blames the Hutts for Droid sponsored Raids that are devastating the countryside or whatever and he wanted troops to defend the settlements, not a Senatorial delegation. The Jedi don't trust the Governor and neither does Padme but they decide to go meet the Hutt in charge after Padme contacts Senator Palpatine, her Boss who approved the Commission. The Hutt in cahrge can be found, of course, at a Swoop Bike race at the Boonta Eve Classic and the Mos Espa Stadium.

There, as official guests of the Hutts, they meet the Hutt who says that the purpose of the Swoop Race is to celebrate how the Hutts defended all of Civilization from the Droid Armies of Xim the Despot and that the Hutts don't have any interest in Droid armies and certainly wouldn't be employing them. As they watch the race, Padme Amidala is smitten (and vice versa) by a young Swoop Rider named Anakin Skywalker. At the end of the thrilling and super cool race, an Army of Droids suddenly attacks, attempting to Kill the Republican delegation and the Hutts. Anakin Skywalker (and his hulking Reptilian mechanic friend named Justin-don't laugh) rescue the Republican Delegation from the Droids and they escape Mos Espa.

They have to escape Tatooine, make their way back to the Republic, and figure out the Governor must've betrayed them for some reason. They confront the Governor but he escapes when a new sort of Droid, armed with a Red Lightsaber of the Sith, intercepts them. The Droid is designed in a manner of a Samurai (or ancient Sith Warrior) and is all black armored, looking very Vader-esque. They manage to defeat the Sith Droid and attempt to pursue the Governor when they are intercepted and apprehended by Mandalorian forces under Mandalorian General Jaster Mareel working on behalf of the Republic. It turns out the Chancellor of the Republic sent them.

The Jedi are shocked the Republic is working against them and sending mercenaries to do their bidding instead and the Mandalorians point out that while they are Mercenaries, they are honor bound to serve their Employers. Who do the Jedi truly serve? They also don't trust the Jedi since despite their powers, they were unable to discern the Governors true intentions and his deception. They also failed to save the Hutts. And with the Sith involved, the Republic doesn't want the Jedi involved any deeper then they already are. It might've been a millenia ago but they plunged the galaxy into enough Civil Wars. This is the Chancellors reasoning.

With the help of their Mandalorian Companion Panaka, the Jedi break out of their confines and find the Mandalorians are good bounty hunters... they tracked the Governor to Ruusan.

Ruusan, the sight of the last Battle between Sith and Jedi.

They arrive and find the Mandalorians attack them and soon discover they are possessed/corrupted by the Sith spirits and dark side energy that permeates this place. There's a momentary scare as the non-Force Sensitives among them are almost corrupted, but they all resist and Anakin Skywalker's further potential in the force is recognized. They head to the battlefield, the so-called Valley of the Jedi and then realize the Governor has been meat puppeted by a thousand year old Sith Lord who was slain by the Jedi in the Battle of Ruusan a thousand years ago. When the Republic arrives with reinforcements minus any Jedi, the Sith will corrupt them, sentients and powerful enough droids alike.

The Jedi and friends manage to defeat them. Qui Gonn Jinn is slain. Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker battle the Reborn Sith, when Anakin's Lizard friend Justin is slain and enraged, Anakin manages to strike down the Sith Master, channeling his latent force ability to do so and put an end to the madness before the Republic forces arrive. Obi Wan is disturbed, but also recognizes the potential. Leaving such potential unguided would be dangerous. He wants to train Anakin. Senator Palpatine congratulates them all, Anakin specifically, for their heroism and bravery. And as the Jedi Liaison to the Chancellor Master Dooku and Masters Yoda and Mace Windu discuss things, Senator Palpatine gazes at the Sith battlefield... his face stoic in the darkness.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Chancellor Valorum has been removed from office, voted out and now Chancellor Palpatine, with the support of the Jedi, is the new Chancellor of the Republic. Padme Amidala is a Senator of the Republic now and a powerful ally. Anakin Skywalker is training to be a powerful Jedi. There's a schism in the Republic. The Mandalorians and Jedi are still at odds and Master Mace Windu doesn't trust Anakin after hearing about the Duel in the Valley.

There's a schism in the galaxy. Despite being voted out of office, Senator Valorum is now a leader of the "Imperialist" faction, a group of Republic Governors and the Mandalorians who are distrustful of the Jedi and want to expand the Republic military, centralizing it under control of the Regional Governors and not on the whims of a Coruscant bound Senate. The Mandalorians support this. They also want to expand Republic authority to the Outer Rim, bring civilization there and end things like smuggling, the spice trade, slavery etc. Many Governors agree because it will increase their own power and domains and the influx or expansion of Senators would actually weaken the Senate ironically enough and stretch Jedi resources. There's brushfire wars all along the Outer Rim as the Governors dispatch their Local Fleets and Forces to "battle bandits and slavers" but actually are resource grabs. One of the most eager Governors is that of the Corporate Sector Authority.

A terrorist attack on Coruscant threatens Senator Amidala and the 'Peace' Faction and is believed to be fomented by the Imperials. For safety, they should leave Coruscant. Master Dooku suggests Naboo but Master Windu says it should be somewhere less known and open to Republic control and observation. So Master Windu, Mando Captain Panaka, Padawan Anakin and Senator Amidala head to Tatooine.

On Tatooine, Anakin and Padme bond as Anakin takes Padme to all of his old stomping grounds, meets his Mother, and Mace Windu learns from his Mother that he was conceived by the Force potentially and not to tell him. They also meet Owen and Beru, his normal Cousins or whatever. As they're hanging out there, suddenly SITH ATTACK! That's right, a small group of Sith suddenly strike at the ol' Lars Homestead and they have to defend themselves. Master Windu notices that the Sith don't seem to be trying to kill Anakin Skywalker for some reason. Then one of the Sith slays Anakin's Mother and Anakin dark side rages, pwning the Sith and making Master Windu truly disturbed. For Sith Knights, they were actually easy to kill, Master Windu then states. Panaka and Amidala then realize these Sith are clones.

Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Dooku meanwhile head to some cool lush Outer Rim planet known as Wayland. There they find the terrorists were dispatched by one of the Imperialist Factions. A Governor of the Corporate Sector Authority. They do some investigating, and some battling and then discover the massive cloning facility the Corporate Sector Authority has secretly created. They defeat the CSA, capturing one of its leaders who they attempt to use 'aggressive negotiations' with but the Man kills himself with a grenade before he can say anything more then that "Sidious will do worse than kill him."

They then have a debate over destroying the Cloning Facility with Obi Wan arguing they are sentient lives and Master Dooku arguing they will be used for Evil and against the Republic. Obi Wan wants to inform the Republic and do this right. He manages to send a message out to Anakin who is to send a message to the Jedi Council. A group of Corporate Sector Mercenaries (make them Echani or something), training in anti-Jedi tactics, capture them both before they can destroy the Clones as Obi Wan instead states they should've.

Anakin and company get the message and send it to the Council, and then evade and trick Master Windu, leaving him behind to set off on a rescue mission. They arrive on Wayland but the CSA's Echani mercenaries ambush them and the heroes realize that Master Dooku is the traitor, the one who told the Imperials that they were on Tatooine. He also made the CSA leader blow himself up with a force triggered grenade before he could reveal his Master. He must be a Sith. They attempt to capture Master Dooku but Dooku defeats them both and takes Senator Amidala hostage when Master Windu, Yoda and the Republic Military loyal to the Senate arrive and start kicking ass.

UNTIL the SITH Clones are released. We get an awesome battle with the Senatorial Republic fighting Corporate Sector Authority ships. On the ground we see Jedi and Republic forces fighting Echani, Sith Clones and Clone Troopers. Master Dooku is bested by Yoda and Master Dooku threatens to kill Senator Amidala, using her as a hostage again. Anakin arrives, holds a saber to Dooku and tells him to let her go. Dooku asks for Amnesty. If he's promised amnesty, he'll let her go. The Jedi agree. He lets Amidala go and Anakin promptly executes him.

The Battle overall is looking bad though. There are a LOT of clones when suddenly Senator Valorum and his new Star Destroyers and Stormtroopers arrive and save the day. It turns out they are loyal to the Republic after all and blast the Clone forces to bits. Chancellor Valorum is hailed as a Hero of the Republic.

Palpatine's days are seemingly numbered. Anakin and Palpatine vow to support each other. Master Windu meanwhile... is very concerned.

Episode III: The New Order

The Clone Wars are tapering down. Now Grand Admiral Valorum and his new Imperial Army and Navy are battling the Clone Forces under their new Commander, General Grievous, a heinous General trained in the Lightsaber arts by the traitorous Master Dooku himself. Chancellor Valorum and his Armies are chasing the Clone Forces down in the Outer Rim. With them are the veteran Master Obi Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda. It's been years of War now and as they fight on some Outer Rim Planet, taking out a Trade Federation Governate or something when they discover that the Clone forces are no longer in the Outer Rim defending their most important sites. It's a feint and the Republic Army and Navy have been pulled away from the Core Worlds.

Serving as Chancellor Jedi Liaison, Anakin Skywalker, now a Knight, suddenly notices as does the entire planet, that the Clone's Main Armada has arrived over Coruscant itself and begins bombarding the planet in preparation for invasion. At the Chancellory, Palpatine urges Anakin to do what is right. Anakin contacts Senator Amidala, ordering her to evacuate the Senate chambers before he goes to help Captain Panaka, the new leader of the Chancellors Guards (in cool red cloaks) re-activate the planetary shields which they do. Only then do they find that the Clone forces have already landed and are striking both the Jedi Temple and the Senatorial Chambers (which has been evacuated).

That is until he receives a message that his Wife is still in the Senatorial Chambers. Apparently Grand Admiral Valorum is ordering forces to defend the Senatorial Chambers from the Invaders and let the Jedi stand and fight on their own. Master Windu orders Anakin to go to Jedi Temple and defend the Younglings and shit.

His wife is pregnant. He goes to rescue his wife in the Senatorial Chambers, cutting through the Clone Forces and then fins Grand Admiral Valorum is basically holding Senator Amidala hostage. He will not yield her to the Jedi. Anakin needs to do his duty and defend the Chambers and the Republic, and be a good soldier and follow orders. Anakin force blasts the good Admiral and rescues his pregnant Wife, getting her on a Speeder out of there when he notices from the speeder pad the Jedi Temple is destroyed by the Clone forces. At this very moment, Admiral Valorum says he's putting Anakin under arrest.

Anakin frags the Good Admiral and a few dozen of his accompanying bodyguards and stormtroopers when one of the Chancellors Guards reveals Chancellor Palpatine has been captured by the Clone forces and brough back to Grievous' flagship.

Master Mace Windu meets up with Anakin Skywalker and while he doesn't trust him he says they'll deal with his tardiness later. Along with Captain Panaka they all take to space to take on General Grievous and put an end to the Clone threat once and for all, fighting his way aboard Grievous' flagship. Captain Panaka goes to rescue the Chancellor while the Jedi confront General Grievous and after a prolonged and cool Battle, Grievous begs for amnesty. Mace Windu stops Anakin from executing him, having heard that before. Why would Grievous ask for that?

Grievous replies it was what he was told he would be given by Darth Sidious while cackling. Before he can say more, Chancellor Palpatine arrives and crushes Grievous heart. Mace Windu realizes that Palpatine is Sidious and Sidious replies everything he has done is for the good of the Republic. There's a bit of banter, then Mace Windu strikes at Sidious and they duel. Long story short, Master Windu is winning when Anakin says that he must be taken alive. Master Windu refuses, throwing Anakin's hypocrisy in his face and is about to strike him down when Anakin intercedes nonlethally. Momentarily distracted, Mace Windu is then lighting blasted by Chancellor Palpatine who fries Master Windu. Anakin is horrified.

They then see on a nearby console a broadcast is issued revealing Master Skywalker "assassinating" Grand Admiral Valorum. The stormtroopers accompanying Master Yoda and Obi Wan attempt to apprehend them but they evade the authorities. General Jaster Mareel, the same Mandalorian from Episode I, states he's taking over Republic military forces and all Jedi are to be apprehended on sight... and if they resist, executed for attempting to overthrow the Republic military.

Chancellor Palpatine says that they must put an end to these Warmongers once and for all and how everything he's done was for the good of the Republic. Anakin refuses, saying he must arrest the Chancellor. If he's Sidious, he's the one who told Dooku to foment the Clone Wars in the first place. before he can make a choice it's then revealed a force of Mandalorian Death Troopers are approaching Senator Amidala's residence, presumably to look for Anakin. Anakin races to rescue her, leaving the Chancellor behind. On the way out, he meets up with Captain Panaka and he comes along.

They confront General Mareel and his elite Mandalorians. The General says that Anakin is under arrest for the Murder of the Grand Admiral. Anakin doesn't talk and defeats the Mandalorians and their General in full view of his wife. His Wife asks what's happening and Anakin says that the Admiral Valorum and General Mareel betrayed the Republic and... and.. Chancellor Palpatine is trying to save it and tells her to stay here, where she's safe.

Anakin realizes, or believes, Sith Lord or not, this is the best for the Republic.

Obi Wan and Yoda head back to the Core Worlds, hunted by bounty hunters, Republic Imperial forces and Clone forces as well. Arriving on Coruscant they then realize Jedi are still being hunted and then make contact with Captain Panaka who tells them everything. About Anakin and Admiral Valorum, Master Windu and his death and Palpatine being a Sith Lord. When asked why he betrayed the Chancellor, Captain Panaka replies he's loyal to the Republic, not the Chancellor. They decide to approach Senator Amidala and tell her what's happening.

They decide to smuggle her out of Coruscant while Yoda will confront the Chancellor and Captain Panaka and Obi Wan protect the Senator. They'll use the underground tunnels over the incinerators. Republic forces detect them however, the Senator is being tracked and they get split up. Senator Amidala flees with Captain Panaka as Obi Wan fends off a group of bounty hunters. Captain Panaka and Senator Amidala suddenly come face to face with Anakin Skywalker and Anakin accuses Panaka of stealing his pregnant wife away from him. And how could he ever trust a Mandalorian.

Panaka tries to talk down his friend before finally giving in and stating that Anakin is just swallowing the Sith spit if he thinks anything he is babbling about is true. Padme tries to talk down Anakin but instead Anakin attempts to strike down Panaka. But the Mandalorian makes a fight of it. Using gas and flamers and other weapons, he puts up a spirited struggle before Anakin uses dark side powers, blasting Panaka with force lightning. Panaka dies as Padme is shocked when Obi Wan Kenobi comes upon them.

Obi Wan Kenobi tells Anakin he's fallen to the dark side and betrayed the Republic without even realizing it. Anakin says that the Jedi are weak. He learned from Darth Sidious, his new master, how Obi Wan refused to destroy the Cloning facilities and could've prevented this war. How the Republic and Jedi refused to deal with Chancellor Valorum earlier on and could've put an end to this before it began. It was the weakness of the Republic he grew up with on Tatooine... and that original traitorous Governor. And so on and so forth. The Sith were the boogey man for the Jedi for too long. Padme tells him he is wrong. The Republic and the Jedi maybe flawed but- Anakin lashes out at Padme with the Force, seriously injuring her, cursing her for choosing Obi Wan and the Mandalorian over him.

The duel begins, fighting over the Coruscant furnaces. It ends as expected with Anakin burning up and Obi Wan whisking Padme Amidala away. She's still alive... and even though he calls for her, she's too mortified at what he's become. What he believes in. For killing Captain Panaka, their friend. And letting their other friends die. And almost killing Obi Wan. And striking at her... in anger. He calls for her even as she is helped away from the area by Obi Wan. They abandon him to his fate.

The Yoda-Palpatine fight occur with Palpatine recreating the 'Valley of the Jedi' in his new Chancellory, using the captured Jedi as batteries and drawing off of their Force Powers so he can become a Dark Force God. Yoda destroys the horrific complex, releasing all of the Jedis spirits so that Palpatine can't use it but fails to kill Palpatine himself. It's a success, but only partial. Palpatine will not become a Force God, but he will rule the Republic.

Padme Amidala survives... but the wound is mortal... in that combined with the pregnancy of the twins... she has a terminal condition. She won't live for but a few years in seclusion and sadness but safety. Her Twins will be split up of course.

Anakin Skywalker recovers... and hunts down the Jedi... looking for his Wife. His children. He doesn't know if they are alive or dead, but with the forces of the new Imperial Republic behind him, he is a most useful instrument for Chancellor Palpatine. Over the coming years and decades... he endures more injuries, more wounds, battling Jedi and more and eventually becomes Darth Vader, placed in a suit of armor like that of the Ancient Sith from Episode I.

No Mandalorians were harmed in the development of this prequel trilogy.

TLDR
> Amidala is an actual Consular Official with skills. Obi Wan meets Anakin Skywalker after he's established himself as a skilled pilot and the like.
> Episode I deals with an Ancient Sith who uses Sith Corruption to possess ancient Sith Vaderdroids and regular droids to lure the Republic onto the Planet of Ruusan where an ancient battle took place a thousand years ago. Anakin, thanks to his force heritage and potential, helps defeat them.
> Chancellor Valorum is replaced by Chancellor Palpatine who backs the Jedi and Padme Amidala. He also learns of the Valley of the Jedi.
> Episode II establishes the characters a few years later. Schism with the Republic between Senatorials and Imperialists (under ex-Chancellor Grand Admiral Valorum).
> Master Dooku, Liaison to Chancellor Palpatine, and Master Kenobi investigate the Imperialist backed Corporate Sector Authority and their cloning ops. They disagree over destroying it when Echani Mercs capture them both.
> Imperialists attempt to kill Senator Amidala. She is taken to Tatooine for safety but alongside Windu and Anakin but is threatened by the Imperialists again. Anakin Dark Side PWNS these Imperialist Sith clones in front of Amidala again and Mace Windu for the first time.
> They then try to rescue Obi Wan (minus Mace Windu) only when they find them, Dooku betrays them, revealing himself as 'Darth Sidious?' The Republic and Jedi Order then show up, both Imperialist and Senatorial forces. Anakin executes Dooku.
> Episode III has the Clone Wars are going on. Master Yoda and Kenobi are on the Outer Rim to finish the War when Clone Masters leader General Grievous attacks Coruscant why the Republic is away. The Jedi Temple is destroyed, Chancellor Palpatine captured. Admiral Valorum attempts to arrest Anakin Skywalker for attacking him to rescue his pregnant wife. Anakin kills him instead.
> Master Windu and Anakin head up to Grievous' flagship, defeat General Grievous and rescue Palpatine. Palpatine reveals he is a Sith Lord and kills Master Windu. Anakin is conflicted.
> Imperialist Republic Forces confront Padme Amidala in an effort to find Anakin. Anakin kills them all. He then agrees Palpatine has it right.
> Imperialist Faction Hunts Jedi to "arrest" them and Obi Wan and Yoda sneak back to Coruscant. Obi Wan attempts to smuggle Padme Amidala away when Anakin confronts them. Anakin in a rage injures his wife before getting fried. Obi Wan and Padme escape.
> Yoda confronts Palpatine, sees he's using the captured Jedi to become a Dark Force God Valley of the Jedi style. Yoda ends that plot but is defeated and escapes.

>> I managed to insert a Mandalorian good guy and bad guy for all three Episodes, go me!

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

@Husky_Khan A decent alternative to the original story. The trio having a friend outside of the Jedi (Panaka) is a nice addition to the story. I suppose in the original there was Jar Jar but he was sidelined after episode 1 (as well as not being presented seriously). I liked how the original final battle of episode 3 between Yoda and Palpatine took place in the senate chamber (an iconic location across the three films), but here the spectacle of the magic and the despair of captive Jedi being used as batteries could also be pretty great.

I'm not very sure about the location changes, though. A lot of my investment in the story of episode 1 was in Naboo. It's a pretty serene, likeable place and you're invested in a good outcome for it. The story starts and ends there and there is tension, stakes, in the final battle for Naboo. Another reason why I liked the prequels is the sense of discovery. You're constantly seeing new locations. Episode 1 would have been a lot less interesting if it started on Tatooine, a planet that two prior Star Wars movies already started on. The final battle on Ruusan could be spectacular but I'd be concerned it would lack the audience investment like the battle of Naboo. And then you have movies 2 and 3, where it seems you only really see Coruscant, Tatooine, and the lush planet. Only one new original location. In the original prequel trilogy you got to see Kamino, Geonosis, Utapau, and the lava planet.

Also, aesthetically I thought that the Droid army as the main enemy forces of the prequel trilogy was pretty cool. The OT already had humans vs humans so having humans vs robots with a lot of variation in visual design was pretty cool. Here it seems like episodes 2 and 3 turn into humans vs humans/humanoids again, which to me sounds less visually interesting.

 

[Husky_Khan]

I moved away from the Droid thing because the Clone Wars... at least according to the Thrawn trilogy, kind of implied it was Clones against the Republic. But I wanted Droids... and I wanted them on Tatooine not only because of Anakin's origin and familiarity with droids... but because I wanted an anti-droid bias to be present on Tatooine for an established reason.

But yeah while writing this up... one of things that bothered me was the lack of locations honestly. It's just I couldn't think of a way to include it without it overcomplicating the story or finding a contrived way to draw it in and one of the things that bothers me is bloat in movies. But it is a valid concern.

In Episode I its basically two locations, Tatooine and Wayland and I was like... I should add more stuff here. But when and how? Maybe the Governor could flee Tatooine and they confront him on a third planet and he escapes when the Sith Vader Droid is unleashed on the party.

The other thing is I'd want the foreshadowing of Ruusan in Episode I. The Thousand Years of Peace was due to the Battle of Ruusan that took place in the Valley of the Jedi but I skimmed over that with a quote. It'd require some sort of preliminary scene... perhaps on Coruscant or Yavin/Ossus where there's Jedi stuff or Naboo where the Jedi meet Senator Palpatine and Consular Official Padme Amidala.

Episode II I was debating going to Naboo but as you can see, ended up back on Tatooine lol. I originally wanted Mace Windu and Captain Panaka (who I kinda feel is a Nabooian who turned Mandalorian) to go to Naboo themselves and kind of search out the origins of Chancellor Palpatine because maybe they are suspicious of him and Dooku, but I didn't really establish Palpatine (or Dooku) in Episode I as being worth investigating so I had them accompany Anakin and Padme to Tatooine instead. If I add more setup in Episode I alluding to Palpatine I could have a visit to Naboo and snooping around but finding nothing conclusive... just hints of things... followed by maybe Windu and Panaka heading to Tatooine to meet up and fend off the Sith Clones and meeting Anakins Mother etc. A Naboo visit might reinforce suspicions for later confrontations/revelations made by Windu/Panaka in Episode III.

I could probably add more locales by having the Corporate Sector Authority Clone Plant on one planet... then the prisoners are moved to another one after the Echani Mercs capture them. Thus the Republic shows up and engages the Clone forces on a planet other then the one with their giant Cloning base (which would actually make more sense considering the Clone Wars follows afterwards).

Episode III might have more things going on since Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda have to return to Coruscant after whatever Outer Rim campaigns. I skimmed over it because they'd be going on a journey whose destination is never in doubt. There's a lot of important things happening on Coruscant. It's implied there's planets the Jedi and Republic forces are campaigning on and so there'd be at least ONE planet featuring Obi Wan and Yoda. And probably a few more for their journey back. Maybe they visit Alderaan on the way back perhaps to establish things etc.

I had the duel between Obi Wan and Anakin take place on the furnaces of Coruscant because him getting burned crispy is a thing that was established before the Prequels AFAIK. BUTT... I could see it where Anakin confronts Panaka and kills him and Amidala perhaps shoots Anakin in turn (stun setting perhaps) and he's shocked by this "betrayal" and she flees and escapes with Obi Wan.

Then there can be some manner of pursuit... say to Mustafar or what have you and the duel can take place there... along with Padme being wounded by Anakin.

Along with the lack of planets, another thing I wanted was... MORE ALIENS. But I killed off Lizard Mechanic Justin (basing him off of the original concept of Han Solo who was to be a lizard, and an abandoned character named Justin Valor in early Lucas scripts) in Episode I.

What I would like to do for Episode II and III is point out the diversity of the Republic Military actually. I'm looking back and I didn't mention it but at the End of Episode II I was thinking the Clone Wars was a "Civil War" between the Imperials and Senate but then decided having the Imperials join up with the Senate made more thematic potential and political machinations. I wanted the Republic to be diverse and the same with the Republic Military. I wanted to see aliens and alien ships and forces and vehicles that represent the Senate contrasting sharply with the "Imperialist" Stormtrooper forces and uniform Star Destroyers and the like. And same with the Clones.

I imagined the Clones wouldn't be "Humans." I was thinking of like Trandoshan clones or Wookiee clones or Yinchorr and Echani clones etc. They're cloning all sorts of "warrior aliens" and that would contrast sharply with the Humancentric nature of the Imperial Republic Forces. One of the themes is how Chancellor/Senator/Admiral Valorum was manipulated into creating the Imperial movement and Chancellor Palpatine was able to use it to subvert the Republic. Through purging Valorum and his coterie... and removing all of those problematic Governors who supported Valorum and/or the Clone Masters... Palpatine wins over the Senate... and can replace all of those Governors with more reliable Moffs or whatever after the end of Episode III and before Episode IV.

So I was definitely wanting more aliens. I wouldn't see a problem replacing Master Dooku or Windu with Aliens, or any number of "unnamed" secondary characters to be honest. And the way the story is laid out, folks like RD-D2 could be there every step of the way... but since they aren't "key" to the story itself they wouldn't be covered in a summary. But the lack of locations, and lack of star billing alien characters were two things that were forefront in my mind after scribbling it all up.

 

[prinCZess]

Alright, so, spitballing here and mostly making it up as I go along...

Episode I: The Phantom Menace (The Ancient Dread?)

The GALACTIC REPUBLIC is in turmoil. Whether systems in the Outer Rims may become full members of the galactic community or remain territories is in dispute.

Hopeful to resolve the matter at minimum cost, the Supreme Chancellor has quietly requested the Jedi, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to act as neutral arbitrators and negotiators on the worlds in question.

Unbeknownst to the Chancellor, the endlessly-deliberating Senate, or the Jedi Knights, in the case of the CRISIS ON SERENNO, the Jedi face a familiar foe.

Basically, rope Count Dooku into the prequels earlier than the real ones did by replacing Naboo with his home-planet and making the film center about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon making with the space-detective stuff going after the shadowy figure of Dooku who is manipulating events on the planet to his own benefit (while running into numerous other events on the planet, and by implication others, that are being manipulated/played by members of the Senate or of corporations or such to their own benefit---blah, blah, blah, land and corporations being controlled by Senate families, lots of corruption peeking out the edges, obvious that the Republic doesn't WANT the worlds to become full members because that would upset the sweet gig they've got going...situation very much 'villain has a point' in Count Dooku).

Anyhow, in the process of investigating goings-on on Serenno, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are aided by the young, hotheaded, Harry Callahan-like Republican envoy (chosen by a corrupt Senate in the hopes she'd screw things up) Padme Amidala--who is not above using her limited authority to get into shootouts with pirates and the like. They also run into, aid, and are aided by a slave and his mother who were in the service of a pirate-gang and/or one of the planet's warring factions: the reserved and mysterious Shmi and her hotheaded teenage son Anakin Skywalker--originally of Tattoine, but they've been space-slaves so long under the loose allowances the Republic has for such things in 'territories' that aren't fully part of the Republic (YAY! More corruption!) neither have much connection to the place any longer. They don't even remember if they have any family there or not...

Film ends with Dooku revealed as the mastermind of the anti-Republic goings-ons (to the viewer), the implication of a droid and clone army being created to wage war against the Republic on behalf of the outer systems that Obi-Wan knows of but cannot prove, and Dooku defeating Obi-Wan and killing Qui-Gon in a duel (Rhyming opportunity! Dooku can offer Qui-Gon power/etc. 'Join me, and we can make the Galaxy great again!' or what-have-you ). Obi-Wan escaped because of the intervention of Padme & Anakin, and they race off-planet into hyperspace to warn the corrupt Republic, and perhaps more importantly the Jedi Order that one of their own has fallen...But is he a sith? Or just a fallen jedi who has taken up the ideology of the Jedi Lords of old and is determined to rule 'for the good of others' in defiance of the Ruusan Reformation?

More importantly, what is the Senate going to think of this? Do they even TELL the Senate about it? Yoda & company have to either exhibit big hero moment of admitting Dooku was a jedi or establishing-downfall moment of hiding Dooku's former jedi-dom from the Senate. Either way, it spurs suspicion and doubt of the jedi and their place in the Republic...
---------------------------------
Episode 2: Attack of the Clones!

The Galactic Senate faces the largest challenge to its authority in centuries. Thousands of systems have declared they intend to leave the Republic! This separatist movement, under the leadership of the mysterious Count Dooku, has threatened open rebellion if they are not allowed to leave in peace and the Jedi Council has yet to respond to the Senate's demands for assistance.

Newly-elected Senator Amidala is on her way to the Galactic Senate to vote on the critical matter of recreating the fearsome ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC to keep the outer systems in line...

Politics, politics, politics! Because everybody knows nobody complained about those in the actual prequel trilogy, I figure'd I'd double-down on them for mine!
Use this as the film to even more properly setup how buggered the Republic and the Senate have become. Corrupt bureaucrats, corrupt senators, deathsticks being sold to all and sundry, etc. etc. Senator Amidala gets numerous comments about how her naivety and crusading nature will wear off and she'll learn how to play the game...to her increasing aggravation. As one of few senators standing against the creation of the army (peacenik Naboo-ism on full display) she's targeted for assassination...But is it by nefarious forces of Sith/Dooku/Evil, or just run-of-the-mill corrupt military industry in the Republic behind it?

The Jedi intercept a secret message sent to the outer systems and themselves debate what the best course of action is (spoiler: do nothing is settled upon).
Politics, politics, politics! Because everybody knows nobody complained about those in the actual prequel trilogy, I figure'd I'd double-down on them for mine!

After sufficient ~2 hours of political establishment, the message they Jedi intercepted is finally decrypted, and is found to contain forged reporting and announcements that the Senate has voted in favor of building the Grand Army--before any such vote has been held! What scandal...And a scandal discovered too late, as in orbit a short time later over Coruscant a massive fleet of starships comes out of hyperspace. At their head is Count Dooku--broadcasting his message of castigation against the Senate and the Jedi Council both--and making up the bulk of the forces surprise-attacking are clones that have been quietly getting produced in the outer rim for the last years. They are not the greatest fighters, and their equipment is a bit ragtag and assorted since the outer worlds are lacking in Military-Industrial Complex, but they are great in number and occasionally supported by deadly (and more intelligent-seeming) battle-droids...

Film closes with the surprise attack on Coruscant relatively successful in killing or capturing many senators and Jedi both. What remains of the Jedi Council decide that, Sith or not, Dooku must be removed from power. What remains of the Senate unanimously--but for one vote in opposition--vote for the Army of the Republic and war against this Confederacy of Independent Systems Dooku leads. A new Chancellor must be elected and Palpatine--the seemingly non-corrupt senator long advocating the creation of such a military force also from Naboo, attains the position unanimously--with even Amidala begrudgingly admitting that if anyone is to wield such power, it should be a man such as him. Such trust do both Amidala and Anakin have in the man he is the one non-robotic witness to their secret wedding...

The close-call(s) Amidala had during the battle of Coruscant where her life was in danger have clearly left an impact on young Anakin Skywalker, however...
--------------------------------
Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (Restoration of the Sith?)

War! Endless, unrelenting War. For years the Army of the Republic has fought and died valiantly against the clones in service of the CIS and their leader, Count Dooku. Heroes rise and fall with little recognition but from their immediate comrades and their families back home. Evil is everywhere. To clones and families in the Republic both, there is NOTHING BUT WAR.

Working closely with each other, the remaining Jedi Knights and the best military minds of the Republic have organized a daring move: they will return the surprise Count Dooku sprung on them so many years before at Coruscant, and stage a commando raid on Dooku's fortress-world of Geonosis with the aim of capturing the separatist leader and other CIS leaders. Two Jedi Knights in particular are at the forefront of the operation...

As with the Coruscant battle...mostly moving bits and pieces about in time to fit the new styled narrative. Obi-Wan and Anakin heading the fight, with many more Jedi dying around them and Anakin clearly being more inured to violence and death than others...Revelation that the clones do feel and fear like 'real' people but can be individually terminated at-will by their droid commanders if they're believed to be showing signs of cowardice--inviting universal disgust from the Jedi and Republic troopers except Anakin who can only dully note how pragmatic it is.

Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Amidala is chasing loose threads of military spending, bookkeeping, and conspiracy through all kinds of shell corporations, cut-outs, senatorial corruption, and the like trying to work-out what some black box things in the budget are that aren't supposed to be there. Stumbles into a REAL messy conspiracy that seems to imply a massive amount of Republic credits not only went to the outer rim planets in the years leading up to the war...but have been making their way there during the war itself. There are traitors in the Senate! Not knowing who else to turn to, she goes to the ever-trustworthy Palpatine.

Back on Geonosis, the commando-raid culminates in another confrontation between Obi-Wan and Dooku (and Anakin!) where Dooku criticizes them and the rest of the Council for not being observant enough to notice they're being manipulated and his basic schtick from the real prequels. He is defeated and...surrenders. Anakin wants to execute him on the spot, and questions why Obi-Wan is hesitant/unwilling to do so--this is the man who killed his master! If anyone killed Obi-Wan, Anakin says offhand, he'd have 'no mercy' against them...Remaining jedi finally show up to take Dooku into custody. Cue retreat to ships and hyperspace back to Coruscant. Mission accomplished!

Don't have any solidly writable idears for the culmination of things on Coruscant, but seems like there's enough there to do something with. Only really original inkling I had was Dooku potentially surviving/escaping in similar manner to Obi-Wan or Yoda and having this oppressive weight of guilt on his shoulders for being one of the instigators of things...Even as he let his own arrogance think he wasn't. That's a character archetype I have a soft spot for, and that whole general aspect of Dooku and the CIS appeal to me a lot more as fitting more into the 'misguided' or 'sympathetic extremist' category than the full-on dark apprentice to Sidious and patsies they got slotted into.

 

[Bassoe]

I rather like Mumby's proposed take over on alternatehistory forum.

Vader

The Galactic Republic is torn by conflict. For centuries, the Republic has been defended by the Ancient Order of Jedi Knights, spiritual soldiers whose careful intercession into events has managed to prevent either a major interstellar war, or even the need for a Galactic standing army. Unfortunately, times have changed.

The Jedi Knights have carefully maintained their order through a de facto state enforced monopoly on force sensitive children. The half forgotten wars which saw the birth of the Republic was partially caused by a multiplicity of other Knightly Orders trained in the use of the Force. Those Orders were either stamped out or absorbed into the structure of the Jedi. Jedi agents scour the galaxy, seeking out the next generation of Knights and eventual Masters. The emergence of challenging doctrines has become a prime concern to the Order - Force sensitive children they cannot control can become powerful warriors, who can upset the balance of power on a world, a system, an entire sector. Thus, the Jedi have worked hand in glove with the Republic's expansion to the frontiers of the Galaxy.

As the Republic had expanded, so have its virtuous origins been left on the horizon. Powerful merchant guilds have emerged, entire sectors held in fief, planetary governors have become feudatory lords in all but name, criminal gangs rule worlds on the fringes. Corruption here feeds into the heart of the Core Worlds, which have become reliant on expansion to maintain their unsustainable standard of living. Once verdant worlds have become foundries, reliant on the export of their goods and the import of the means to survive.

The very fabric of Galactic democracy has grown frayed as the wealth of barons and guildsmen makes its presence felt in the hallowed halls of power. Bureaucrats and petty cliques are deep in the pockets of industries built on expansion - and with the Outer Rim no longer quite the unmapped expanse it once was, the scope for such continuous growth is increasingly limited.

Despite it all, the interlocking components of the Republic - guilds, Senate, crime lords, baronies, the planetary/sector militaries, the Jedi Order - offer a certain stability. That is until the balance is tipped and the entire house of cards falls apart. Which brings us to the present conflict - The Clone Wars.

War has long been directed outwards - be it traders expanding their portfolio, barons seeking to broaden the legacy they'll leave to their successors, or the Jedi prosecuting a crusade against an errant chapter of Force-users. Internal conflict was generally smoothed over by the diplomatic auspices of the Jedi, and failing that rarely extended beyond one system. The advent of reliable cloning technology allowed the numerous players of the Galaxy to suddenly acquire Force users of their own, duplicated from Jedi gene stock.

The domino of the Jedi's monopoly on the power of the Force has fallen and with it, peace in the Galaxy. The Order's own internal contradictions have frothed to the surface, as has the Republic's. It is into this world, that Anakin Skywalker was born.

If he had been born twenty years earlier, his talents may have been noticed by a Jedi scout by the time he could walk. As it was, he was almost a man before the Jedi stumbled across him - a starfighter pilot indentured to the Hutts. Even then, the Jedi were loathe to admit such a man, a soldier since childhood, a cyborg who had to have a restraining bolt removed before he could leave the service of the Hutts. But Benjamin Kenobi saw much promise in him, and in honesty the Jedi could hardly turn down such talent, not when the clone manufactories across the galaxy could churn out legions of their own - and in certain laboratories were experimenting with more than mere duplication.

So it was that Kenobi began Skywalker's training as a Jedi Knight - a process itself as unconventional as his recruitment. Skywalker found himself pitched from spice convoys and pirate raids, to lightsabre duels and leading the ramshackle (but ever increasingly organised) Stormtrooper Legions of the Republic. All the while the Jedi were fighting with their backs against the wall. They barely had time to notice what was going on behind the wall.

The rump Republic, shorn of the most powerful cliques, was composed of the world's most reliant on imports - life became increasingly utilitarian. Rationing became commonplace as imported agrifoods were replaced by hydroponic gunk grown in slums of Corellia and a dozen other manufactory planets. A better life was possible it was promised, if only you served. Billions signed on, either to the Legions or into the multiple other War Services which emerged, cutting across the traditional and familiar boundaries of worlds, demesne, guilds. Emergency powers centralised authority into an executive which hobbled the already corrupt legislature and agreements were made with the remaining loyal guilds to ensure a stream of military contracts whilst establishing a series of corporatist monopolies based on loyalty to the office of the Supreme Chancellor. And most crucially of all, the Jedi were bound to positions of military authority in the Legion, their traditional diplomatic roles displaced by an emergent class of figures loyal to the emergent New Order. The Jedi could also no longer effectively pursue investigations into the hidden threat of the 'Dark Orders' which has passed almost into mythology.

Palpatine began the War as a junior minister in the Supreme Chancellery - but his initially uninspiring role at Interbureaucratic Affairs took on outsized importance, as he became the single most important figure in reshaping the Republic's bureaucracy to wage an existential war. Before long he was appointed to the Treasury Department and put in charge of Economic Planning. It was here that Palpatine forged his alliances with the guilds, became a key proponent of the foundation of the Legions, and became the Supreme Chancellor's single most significant aide. Nobody knew of his allegiance, one of a handful of heirs to the Ancient Order of The Sith.

Palpatine took a particular interest in Skywalker, singling him out as a war hero, a man who stood in the overlap of Jedi Knight, Stormtrooper and a liberated commoner from the petty tyrannies of the Old Republic. Under Kenobi's nose, he undermined Jedi teachings, using Anakin's existing vulnerabilities to push him toward the Dark Side.

The most significant of these vulnerabilities was his relationship with Kenobi - one far from the traditionally detached Knight-Apprentice dynamic. They were closer to brothers, which carried its own complications as the two were tasked with performing as bodyguards to Padme Organa, Crown Princess of Alderaan. Which is where we begin our story as Skywalker's head goes one way, and his heart another, in a galaxy gone mad...

 

[Typhonis]

Vader was reportedly a good commander in the field. Could that have been shown in the PT? As in Anakin sees through enemy feints and bluffs. He discerns where the enemy is weakest and exploits it. All stuff he would later do as Vader. He is not Thrawn level but...Vader showing up means the kid gloves have come off.

 

[stephen the barbarian]

kick of the clones wars in ep1. an army of clones have attacked the republic from beyond the outer rim, and have pushed towards the planet of Naboo. as the Republic is marshaling it's forces they have no way of relieving the peaceful world att. a small group of Jedi, including Obi Wan Kenobi, are sent to organize Naboo's defense. during the planning session an unpopular option is floated, hiring mercenaries. the catch, there's only one group powerful enough to make a difference, but close enough to make it in time: Jango Fett and the Mandalorians. they're on the near by planet of Tatooine, conducting anti-piracy patrols. obi wan is sent to meet with them and try to arrange a deal, as he's the only Jedi who can be spared atm. accompanying him is a representative of the Naboo, a young noblewoman named Padme Amidala.

Obi Wan and Padme meet with Jango, who is amicable to the idea as his people are between contracts and he's been looking for a new one. after a bit of back and forth to establish the history between the Jedi and the Mando's the offer is made and accepted with a problem: the Mando's are currently stranded. their old ship was wrecked, and now Jango needs a ship big enough to move everyone in a timely manner. luckily, he knows of a ship that fits the bill. it's owned by the Skywalker brothers, Owen and Anakin. of course, it's not that simple. Jango been trying to either hire the brothers or by their ship for some time, and Owen is suspicious of this new story. Ani and Padme are able to talk him around.
during the trip to Naboo Obi Wan catches Ani flirting with Padme, and discovers a secret, Ani used to be a Jedi youngling.
he left the order at the age of 13 and went home.
act 3 will focus on the "relief forces'' arriving at Naboo, and the battle that follows. highlights include the Mandos kicking ass, Ani and Obi Wan fighting side by side, etc. (this is very visual, so i'm not going to spend much time describing it. i'd rather leave it up to the imagination right now)
it ends with the Republic finally sending a fleet to drive of the clones. Owen goes home to marry the "lars girl" while Ani stays with the Jedi.

 

[Agent23]

1.Call Timothy Zanh into my office.
2. Give him all materials Lukas left regarding the prequels.
3.Tell him to use them as rough guidelines but that he should not go out of his way to accommodate them.Oh, and I want Thrawn and Mara Jade involved somehow, maybe somethi g about Mara's parents and Thrawn's first run in with the Empire.