Different Prequels

Sorry in advance if there is already a topic similar to this?. When you originally heard about, or thought about the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, how did you envision it? Who did you think were going to be the key players, and did you think it would play out much different then it has? By the by, I think the new movies are flawless.

 

I honestly didn't think that the prequels would focus on the Republic. I thought it would start with Episode I showing the Republic's destruction, Episode II would show the birth of the Empire and Episode III would be the great Jedi Purge.

Darth Vader would appear in Episode II and that, like the Classic Trilogy, the stories would be smaller in scope (following a small rogue band of adventurers) across a large canvas.

I also imagined that the lived-in, technojunk art design would continue and that the movies would be very dark and moody in their depiction (like Empire Strikes Back).

I also thought that the stories would still be told from the droids perspective, that they would be together in the first scene of the movie.

I thought Yoda wouldn't make much of an appearance at all.

I didn't think they would use CGI for their spacecraft and matte work.

I HONESTLY didn't think that there would be so much lightsaber material. I thought the Jedi still used blasters and other weapons and only used lightsabers for fighting Dark Siders (fighting up close and personal).

I didn't think that Episode II or III would take place in Coruscant.

I definitely didn't think that the Rebellion would start out at being labelled as "the bad guys" by the heroes.

I didn't think that the Jedi were so predominant or would have temples or would even have any political control in the Republic.

I didn't think that the politics would play such a huge part (i.e. I honestly thought the Emperor would have taken the Republic by force).

Just a few thoughts...

 

The one thing I hate, hate, hate about the prequels is the way they've made the universe smaller.

I would never had introduced the droids the way GL did. I would have started the movie the same way SW ANH started, in the middle of the action... Give us a good opening scroll setting us up, and then I would have had Naboo being invaded at the start of the film, and introduced the droids there, in the same situation they were in in the beginning of ANH, under attack...

They could have belonged to the palace, to the queen, whatever, and parallel the beginning of TPM to ANH...

As far as he opening of TPM, I would have moved the timeline of the movie up a little bit, make the opening with QuiGon and Kenobi, part of the opening scroll... and start the film with the attack...
No tax cuts, trade routes nonsense... Naboo is under attack! Start it there, just like ANH started... Where the audience stumbles upon the action as it's happening....

Also, you want wookies George, fine. have your wookies, but why, why must we bump into wookies we've met before??? It is simply to say, oh cool, look who it is.... Makes the universe smaller.

In the novel, which was based off the original script, the little Rodian in Mos Espa is Greedo. Why? Why? Why? It is silly, and again, shrinks the universe...

The whole Jango, Boba thing to me feels tacked on, and again, repeating myself, shrinks the universe. In a galaxy with billions, billions, maybe trillions of inhabitants, the same cats keep crossing paths.

What's next, Lando's uncle is captain Panaka?

 

I thought the Clone Wars would cross all the prequels like the Galactic Civil War did. I also knew there would be a romance I just never really thought about it.

I thought Obi-Wan would be a Jedi Knight in Episode 1 and he'd meet an excellent Fighter Pilot named Anakin Skywalker. I thought he'd take it upon himself to train Skywalker, though I never imagined a Jedi Council.

For Episode 2 I imagined Anakin would be this great and Noble Jedi Knight who would fight along side with Obi-Wan. They'd go through various battles with the Empire but, over time Anakin would start to fall.

For Episode 3 I thought it would be when Anakin fell, the Republic got crushed by the Empire. Palpatine became Emperor of the Galaxy. The Jedi Knights would be destroyed and the rest of the Tragedies.

 

"The whole Jango, Boba thing to me feels tacked on, and again, repeating myself, shrinks the universe."

Don't forget the fact that Darth Vader created C3P0.

I have to say that most of the people's visions of the prequels seem much more impressive, at least to me, than what the prequels actually came out to be. Although they have a lot of things I didn't expect and surprised me pleasantly, like Darth Maul's character and Palpatines very subtle rise to power, I think they could have been...idunno more "Star Warsy", like all your ideas are, NZPoe and Master Starwalker.

Oh well...

 

In 90s I didn't have very clear idea about episodes to come, rather very vague, fuzzy concept.
Anyway, I'd say that PT is half/half as I had/hadn't expected.

I thought that it would be more epic with more characters than the OT, and that happened.
I also expected that it would take place during Republic times. It also worked.

I hoped for a big role for Obi1 (as it's in my signature). It's mostly true considering Ep.2,3, so I might say to some extent (let's say in 75%) it is as I wanted to be.

The main surprise for me was probably the fact, that the main "global" event - Clone Wars - was another civil, moreover- set up and manipulated. I used to think about it as a more "real" threat. What doesn't mean that I don't like the way it is now.

The main differences I can find on the level of the style. First of all, I expected the universe of PT to be more "ancient" and rough, but not that hi-tech. So - for example - I thought there would be more places (as I can say today) like Tatooine or Geonosis and less like Kamino or Coruscant.
I also thought that it would be not that bright and vivid (I refer especially to TPM and parts of AOTC).


But paradoxically, I'm not that surprised, cause I got used to the fact that SW usually tend to develop not as I expect it to be. For example I didn't expect ESB to be so dark, gloomy, aliens-free and then I didn't ROTJ to be so colourful, full of muppets and to end on the forest world. I also expected that Luke would finally beat Vader. And in fact it never happens.

It's even kind of strange (and quite innovative) that in SW duels good guys very rarely win and that most of the personal fights end in ambiguous way (in TPM both sides - Qui-Gonn and Maul - loose, in AOTC Dooku escapes, two Jedi are beaten but survive, Yoda is stronger but fails to catch Sith, in ESB Luke escapes from DV, in ROTJ in fact all characters - Luke, DV, Emp. - are beaten by someone, and it's not good winning bad, but bad turning into good; and ROTS... OK, I know ).

 

I couldn't have those fantasies, unfortuantely, as the first SW film I saw was TPM. I did have fantasies for AOTC, however, and I thought that Anakin and Padme would get married in a church, and than Sidious would jump down from the ceiling and kidnap Padme and make Anakin put on a giant mask and suit and change his name to Darth Vader and kill people to be his servant to get him back, but by the time he did, she was already dead, and he was stuck in the suit until Luke came along......

... I know, I'm warped. It was only second grade.

 

and then I would have had Naboo being invaded at the start of the film, and introduced the droids there, in the same situation they were in in the beginning of ANH, under attack...


1. Naboo is invaded at the start of the film. The Phantom Menace is told thru the eyes of the Jedi, not the droids. If you'll notice, the Jedi are in the same situation the droids were in, they are dropped into a battle and have to run to catch up.

This is why I'm glad GL choose not to repeat himself, if you want to watch ANH, watch ANH. IF the EXACT same thing happened to the droids you'd complain it shrunk the universe.

2. GL has always stated Boba Fett a clone, as were all the Storm Troopers. When was it tacked on?

3. Chewbacca was once a warrior who lived on Kashykkk(sp?). So does it really surprise you that he is in an army on Kashykkk for EPIII?


I guess you already figured I had expected the PT to copy the OT and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't.

 

Bacon164, don't feel so bad. When I first saw Anakin's starfigher crashland in the Trade Federation ship, I thought the Neimodians would hold him hostage and tranform him into Darth Vader.

 

Also, you want wookies George, fine. have your wookies, but why, why must we bump into wookies we've met before??? It is simply to say, oh cool, look who it is.... Makes the universe smaller.

The Chewie cameo is a peace offering to the fans, many of whom were highly pissed that Chewie snuffed it at the end of Vector Prime.

In the novel, which was based off the original script, the little Rodian in Mos Espa is Greedo. Why? Why? Why? It is silly, and again, shrinks the universe...

As for Greedo, *beats head against wall.*

Greedo

Explain to me where it says that Greedo grew up on Tattooine.

 

TPM is the first sw movie I saw, I was in the fourth grade.... good times
So I think the PT is awesome, no complaints

Good Stuff

 

"Explain to me where it says that Greedo grew up on Tattooine."

You obviously haven't seen the DVD version of TPM.

 

That's a deleted scene.

 

i thought they would be better than they have been i also thought it wouldve been grittier or more primitive looking like in tales of the jedi comic