PT Prequel Trilogy Re-Write - It's All About Anakin

One of the criticisms of the prequels by Red Letter Media was that there was no central character in the prequels. Luke was the central character of the original trilogy. The prequels should be all about Anakin's story. I also think we really didn't need the 'kid' Anakin. Let's discover Anakin at about the same age Luke was in ANH. I hate to say it but let's scrap Qui Gon's character with that being the case with Obi Wan taking Qui Gon's role and Anakin taking Obi Wan's role in Episode I. I'm also scrapping Count Dooku.

Each prequel movie got progressively darker between TPM, AOTC, and ROTS.

I think a better formula would be the opposite of the original triology (which was light dark light). I'd go dark, light, dark.

Episode I: The movie opens in the darkness with Anakin in chains after another brutal beating by his master, an 8 foot tall alien who's viciously cruel. He is discovered by Obi Wan who was sent on an assignment to Tatooine. Obi Wan happens to be watching the pod race when he can sense Anakin's force abilities as he piloted his pod. Obi Wan ends up fighting and killing Anakin's master and decides to train Anakin without consulting with the jedi council (this goes along with Obi Wan's story in the original trilogy when he said "I thought I could train him..."). In the middle of the movie Anakin picks up on Obi Wan's training a lot and by the end of the movie he's a fairly formidable padawan. They confront Darth Maul at the end of the movie and it ends similar to the Dooku fight in Episode II where Maul defeats Obi Wan leaving Anakin to go one on one vs Darth Maul. Maul slices off Anakin's arm. As he's about to finish off Anakin the jedi council shows up and Maul flees. Yoda reprimands Obi Wan for training Anakin without his knowledge but in the end they agree to complete his training. Anakin is a dark and quiet character after the horrible abuse he has suffered growing up. At the end of the movie you feel sorry for him but have hope that the jedi can 'fix' him.

Episode II: Anakin is now a powerful jedi. Padme and Anakin have met in Episode I but as Anakin has been assigned to protect Padme they get to know each other more. Padme sees the darkness and abuse that Anakin has suffered and feels sorry for him and begins to fall for him. The movie is mostly triumphant with Anakin being a hero of the Clone Wars. The audience starts to believe that maybe the jedi and Padme has succeeded in 'fixing' Anakin and that he can embrace the light side. Anakin is less dark, happier, and more peaceful in spirit. In the end Anakin confronts Darth Maul and in an epic battle defeats and kills Darth Maul. At the end of the movie the audience sees Anakin as a hero and one of the best jedi ever. The sky is the limit for him.

Episode III: Palpatine triggers some event that pushes Anakin back into darkness, a darkness even worse than we've ever seen in Episode I. Eventually he embraces the sith way and defeats a couple of jedi council jedi before finally facing Obi Wan on Mustafar. We've been following and rooting for Anakin for the first 2 movies so the audience gets taken on a ride into his darkness. We understand his pain, we understand how and why he could be pushed back into darkness by Palpatine. And the fight against Obi Wan is emotional and painful for the audience. At the end of the movie we again feel sorry for Anakin and what could have been. From then on we see Darth Vader as a tragic character who's had a very tough life. But especially in Episode II we see what Luke saw in ROTJ, "the good in him, the conflict".

Mustafar Duel: Instead of the dumb azz "I have the high ground" it goes something like this. Arguably in my version of Episode II, Anakin is as powerful as his master Obi Wan and as we see when he defeats Darth Maul even more powerful at the end of Episode II and in Episode III as a sith he's even more powerful. Anakin/Vader thoroughly defeats Obi Wan on Mustafar. But as he's about to go for the killing strike, Anakin has mercy on his former master (the good in him, the conflict) and stops his attack. Not realizing that Anakin was showing mercy, Obi Wan strikes and hacks off Anakin's limbs and he slides down the hill and burns (much like ROTS). It's only after the strike that Obi Wan realizes that Anakin was showing him mercy but as Anakin burns so does his hatred for Obi Wan and the jedi. Obi Wan walks away from Anakin/Vader in anguish and from that point, the darkness has thoroughly consumed Vader and his journey towards the dark side is complete.

 

Oh wow. I like this.

 

Episode I: Attack of the Clones (1999)
Mostly the same as it was, Anakin (Leonardo DiCaprio or at least a competent actor) is in mid-late 20s, has known and cared about his brother Owen since childhood.
Obi-Wan and Anakin are better friends in my version.
Dooku was Obi Wan's master before leaving Jedi Order
Padme is Queen, Anakin secretly becomes king at the end

Episode II: Revenge of the Sith (2002)
Mostly the same as it was, Anakin is in his late 20s-early 30s.
Darth Maul is in the role of General Grievous, survives duel with Obi-Wan
Twins are born before Anakin turns bad
Plagueis appears in a flashback, played by Andy Serkis (post 2019 re-release)
Padme does not die in childbirth, takes both twins to live on Alderaan
Yoda and Obi Wan still go into hiding


Episode III: The Phantom Menace (2005)

About five-six years after Revenge of the Sith

Darth Maul is leading the remaining Separatists, Palpatine orders Vader to kill him
Darth Vader senses that Emperor Palpatine was lying about Padme's death, is determined to find Padme and recruit her.
Darth Maul seeks to recruit the five year old Luke and Leia against Palpatine and Vader, tracks them to Alderaan
Vader is hunting Jedi across the galaxy
Padme confronts Vader on Coruscant and is killed by Vader.
Obi Wan only appears at the end
Yoda does not appear
Owen is involved with the main conflict