PT Why were there not better non-force characters in the prequels?

We get some pretty good characters that don't use the force in the Original Trilogy, but I found that the supporting Prequel Trilogy characters just were not given enough detail to make me care about them.

A character that helped the heroes in all three films, like Han, or one that showed up a little bit later, like Lando, would have been good.

We had Jar Jar Binks, but they wrote the character as more of a fool. He did get a medal in the war, but they should really have cured his clumsyness and gave him some winning qualities by the end of the film.

Queen Amadala is a good character, but they faded her out in the third film. It would have been great to have seen her confront Palpatine and get killed by him. Instead she randomly dies from a broken heart. I was looking forward to Bail Organa, but he doesn't really seem to do much more than drive the getaway vehicle. The man could have had a lot more meat to him.

I don't think it is bad acting. I think it is the scrips and the editing not giving the characters a chance to shine. I even think that Count Dooku could have been played longer as a would-be good guy. That "What if I was to tell you that a Sith Lord was in control of the Senate?" line was a wasted opportunity. His bluff got called instantly and he threw in the towel. The people making the film could have had him "help" the heroes for part of the film, in order to help create the war he was ordered to make. Or he could have made more of an effort to mediate and pull the Jedi onto the other side.

If George Lucas could go back to "fix" the Original Trilogy, then I think that J.J. Abrams could go back to "fix" the Prequel Trilogy and tweak a few scenes to improve the supporting characters, so that they could be a bit more "cool" in the minds of the fans.

Does anyone know of any characters other than Jar Jar and Amadala that could be tweaked in a re-edit? What would you do to make me like those characters more?

 

I head this complaint a lot, but I think the best answer would be one that probably wouldn't make you happy.

The story of the Prequel era as George envisioned it in its rough stages and the story that it is now are not about characters who are more down to earth. Rather, they are movies about politicians and knights and queens, people who aren't really relatable to someone like you or me. But I don't think that's a mark against the prequel films as some may try to make it. George just wanted to tell a story about different kinds of characters, ones whose roles demand a certain sense of subtlety to the way they act and speak, which is why everyone seems so wooden. It's a stylistic choice that comes with the territory of telling a story about these types of characters.

 

Meh. I like the supporting characters in the PT more than the ones in the OT. I could give 99 problems and a Sith ain't one about the OT support. Controversial? Nah, I just don't give a ****.

 

Dex would have been fun to see more of.
Or Boss Nass.

 

C3po!

 

Sio Bibble really does need more love

 

Lucas is the creator of Star Wars, he had every right to fix the OT. JJ is a hired gun who wasn't envoled in the creation of the PT, therefore he or anybody other than Lucas has the right to alter the PT.

 

What about Shmi!?

She's the character I always feel the most empathy for, without fail.

 

Well I think the problem is that there just isnt a lot of time to focus on the characters in the PT for these reasons:

1. Lucas wanted to keep the running time of the PT movies in the same ball park of the running time of the OT movies (which I agree with), so there wasnt much running time.
2. The PT has more characters which makes it harder to focus on each one. The upside is that it gives the PT a more epic feeling.
3. There is more plotting in the PT movies, so more of the focus is on the plot rather than the characters. Lucas has said himself that the PT is more plot driven and the OT is more character driven.

Characters arent everything!! Im a plot and atmosphere guy. To me the plot and atmosphere make the characters. And the atmosphere in the PT is better than the atmosphere in the OT.

 

Some of that style looks great. There is much more of a Flash Gordon feel to things, which is pretty good at making you think these films are before the Original Star Wars.

One of the areas that would have helped a lot would have been getting Queen Amadala to talk a little bit more with her "stunt double". Obviously it is supposed to be a surprise, but once they do it, you kind of need to know who is who. Having politicians interact more with people around them would show that they remember names and command respect. But, what's done is done.

 

I agree with both of those.

 

Definitely. If they ever make a live-action PT TV spin-off, I'd like to see more of him.

 

Shmi is a great character. They kind of faded her out. It was a shame.

I actually would have preferred to have seen Anakin arrive at the Tusken Raider camp with Shmi in good health, only for her to get shot in the back during their escape. Or she could have jumped in front of a blaster shot aimed at her son. That would have given the woman some well-needed agency.

 

Great post.

Personally I think it's a bit simpler, Lucas had a very specific story to tell (the rise and fall of Anakin) and so anything tangential to that had to be somewhat related for it to make the cut, otherwise out.

 

I disagree. I think the scene where Shmi dies is one of the best in the entire saga and i dont think your suggestion would have improved it.

 

The Prequel Era is like the Greek Age of Heroes, where sons of gods tread the earth, performing amazing feats on a regular basis. The OT is an age where those heroes are almost extinct, so regular folks have to get things done.

 

the main characters were jedi. it was difficult to shoehorn even more characters into it for a significant amount

 

I'd say that, with the exception of those already featured in the OT, the non-force users were more compelling in the PT. Windu, Dooku, and Qui-
Gon were the only force users who had significant time in the PT (again, barring the OT force users), and even then it was minimal. Qui-Gon got killed at the end of TPM and Dooku showed up at the end of AOTC, only to die at the beginning of ROTS. Windu was, in my eyes, the Jedi that embodied the old Jedi Order's attitude. Besides them, every other Jedi seems faceless and just another body. TCW fixes this greatly, but I feel like the non force-users are stronger characters and more interesting. Mas Amedda? Jango Fett? Dex? I want more of them! What's their history like? Hell, even characters with just three lines like Zam and death-stick seller breathe life into this universe.

 

I really like the way you put this. Very apt.

Also, I think it's kind of fitting, isn't it? The PT is about the great leaders and Jedi Knights who were there during the last days of the mighty Republic and the grand old Jedi Order. The OT is about the people living after the "Golden Age" has ended.

 

Wow i never thought about this but this is so true! the non force characters are pretty weak in the prequels. This makes the energy and flow of the film goofy and watered down in places as well but i honestly enjoyed the prequels ROTS being my favorite star wars movie of all time.

 

Same argument can be made for the OT. I don't know about you, but I just didn't give a **** about any other rebels besides the 3 in the films. Jango was far more useful than Boba, so there is one. The Empire didn't have anyone of importance besides Vader, the Emperor and Tarkin. All 3 main villains. Dexter was cool, Grievous was dope, all the clones were 100% more competent and lethal then their imperial counterparts. Mace Windu was also sick.

 

I would have liked to have gotten more of Owen Lars as a foil for Anakin. The problem is that the backstory filled out to be more story than could really fit cleanly into 3 SW sized movies without having to give up these kinds of plotlines.

 

Simply speaking, I love the side characters in the PT even more than the OT, and they feel completely realized, unlike most OT side characters other than Jabba and Luke's adoptive parents. So I don't really have an answer I guess, as almost all of them speak to me, even the separatists.

 

Yeah i liked lando but thats it. the other non force charters are ok... i like boba and jango tho.. just wondering Is boba dead? He did seem to die in ROTJ when he fell to the sand plant/monster but i read some places that lucas says he did not die. Im re-watching all the movies looking for things i missed on first viewing