Backstories

The main reason for the PT is to show where some of the characters in the OT originated. Characters like Yoda and OB1 have interesting pasts, Yoda being the wise leader of the Jedi Council and OB1 being a Jedi Knight who first trains Anakin Skywalker. You can see why studios wanted to know where some of these characters came from and why they asked GL to write a little about them.

However, some characters need no backstory, such as Chewbacca and Boba Fett. I dont' like the fact that Chewie will be in Epi III. He is a great character that we can take at fave value because he is so cool. The same goes for Boba Fett, I love Jango but I don't need to see little Boba. We can take in cool characters like Boba, Chewie and Maul because they give an edge to the saga that any teenager could like. It lets our imagination run wild.

Dooku is an example of the opposite. We want to know more about him because he has an established past(he was a Jedi once and we would like to know more about why he turned to the dark side). GL leaves us wanting hanging here.

Maybe the PT is giving us a little more than we would like and not enough surprises. We already know what is going to happen but surprising us with characters like Maul and Jango could still spark our imagination a little like the OT.

 

The question remains, though, how much of Chewie are we going to see in Episode III? It could be that we are given a new view of him as we watch him heroically sound the alarm when the forces of the deranged Chancellor attack Kashyyyk to wipe out the hairy ones... or it could be that he just appears as a ship's copilot in a scene or two as a cameo to make the fans clap in the theater. Personally, I would prefer the latter.

Certainly, since Han won't be in it, we won't see Chewie acquiring his life debt, so there's still plenty of mystery about his past, no?

 

That is true.

My main point was that the sight of Boba Fett and Darth Maul made them complete characters. It is true that they are somewhat flat characters but that makes them cool, uncompromising characters are always cool. We don't need their history. I don't need to see their beginnings. However, characters who we are given some information about such as Dooku, make us want to know more about them. Same goes for Darth Vader and Obi-Wan when they confront each other in ANH(the beginnings of a backstory are given, which is why the PT was even considered in the first instance).


Maybe the PT is giving us a little more than we would like and not enough surprises. We already know what is going to happen but surprising us with characters like Maul and Jango could still spark our imagination a little like the OT.

 

Well, it doesn't really matter. The PT establishes the backstories... if you don't like them, then don't buy the DVD.

 

Yeah really.

 

I love the PT

 

Force bless the PT!

 

Long live the PT.

 

Probably going completely off topic here because I'm a bit confused by the intial post, but I like the fact that we're seeing things that happen before the OT. I like seeing Boba Fett's story because it adds depth to his character. It is showing how he went from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on and so on. Jango was a nice added addition too, but only because he added something to Boba. If Jango had not been Boba's father and had just been stuck in because he was "cool", it would have made no sense. I see the Star Wars movies as mainly character-driven. The galaxy is in chaos because Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side, he turned to the dark side because Palpatine planted his mind with dark seeds, and Palpatine did it because etc... You get the picture.

Seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi's backstory is a HUGE bonus, although I suppose that's what the PT was meant to do: give background on the characters.

Dooku was an awesome addition, and he is not unnesscesary. He played a pivitol role in the Clone Wars and such. He is such a huge character to work with and has done so excellently. GL really created something special with him, and he'll be one of the characters to remember.

I'm not exactly sure Chewie is going to be in the next movie (and I don't want to know!), but I think it would add a nice touch. A little Han Solo would be killer for that matter. I would enjoy seeing background on those people in the movies and not just the EU.

-Krystal

 

I would hate it if they put Han in Ep3

 

I didn't mean to bash the PT, just to find a reason why other have fallen in love with bashing. Many have complained about the loss of mystery around Boba. I can understand it.

Another of my main points is that Dooku is a pretty important character who the audience would like to know more about. I'm not sure why but it seems more like unfinished business with Dooku than with Boba.

 

The unknown backstory of Dooku, was intended to spark your curiosity and get your imagination going, thinking about how he became the character we see in the movie.
It's a technique I really admire in George as a writer where he shows us the character at one stage of their personal journey and tells us just enough information to get the audience to fill in the gaps with speculation.

 

other examples?

 

Well the best examples would be the OT's Boba Fett, Tarkin, and Lando.

More of a stretch is Chewie, Owen and Beru Lars, and most of the secondary characters George uses.


Of course this is all highly debatable because it depends so heavily on the viewer's ability to speculate in the first place, and that's obviously not going to be the same for everyone.

 

That is a good point