PT Rewriting the Prequels...

Yes, that's what we're talking about. TELLING the audience versus SHOWING the audience.

Instead of seeing the first time that Palpatine really tries to pull Anakin under his wing, we're just forced to accept that it happened off screen.

 

I think it goes against his development, if you have the perception that Anakin's development is moving in a positive direction. I don't, personally. I'm of the opinion that, while I think Anakin feels guilty about the tuskens and tries to correct his situation by accepting the orders given by the jedi instead of go rescue Obi-Wan, I think Anakin's development is more of a direction of the situation being intense, jedi dying, and Padme being hurt, and Anakin outright runs into the situation by his emotions. I don't have the opinion that, necessarily, Anakin re-evaluating his relationship Obi-Wan, necessarily means he's gonna listen to his lessons. But I do think, in theory, maybe (I do think there could stand to be a scene developing this), it could be suggested that Anakin moreso appreciates what he has in Obi-Wan, though he may not listen to him.

Why would Owen be Obi-Wan's brother, when Luke calls him Uncle? Doesn't that more suggest a familial connection to Anakin?

And didn't Obi-Wan say that jedi were the guardians of peace and justice, before the dark times, before the empire?

 

It's a reference to the ROTJ novelization. Owen was Obi-Wan's brother in the book.

 

I think that explains why someone may apply it. But why would it be the case and how it would it apply with the prior info?

 

It doesn't need to. We're in here talking about how we'd personally rewrite the prequels.

I would make Owen and Anakin actual brothers, living with Shmi in the city, for EPISODE I. Establish a little later than the father, Deak Skywalker, went in debt, died from a heat stroke, and caused the family to lose the farm to Watto, who they'd taken a loan out from (Tatooine has no banks because the planet is shady). Then say that Shmi went back to her maiden name of LARS and that Owen picked up that name too because he was embarrassed about being Deak Skywalker's son.

Now the whole family is working their butts off trying to get out from under Watto, with Anakin actually working for Watto and Shmi and Owen having jobs elsewhere. Then, due to the podrace, the Jedi are able to pay back Watto and buy the farm back for the Lars'.

Also, I would make Anakin 19 in EPISODE I.

 

Yeah, but why do that, if it doesn't make sense with established information? I've been wondering about a potential, more maybe cleaner concept for the prequels:

Anakin being 13-14 years old at the start. With him connecting romantically more with the 15-16 year old Padme.

Obi-Wan being a little older than I think he is in the movies, not by much, more a few years, and him having graduated from being a padawan and more being a partner to Qui-Gon.

Having Maul be more spread out over the movies, being the one who was trying to assassinate Padme (not Jango, I think showing the backstory of Boba Fett isn't necessarily needed in the movie, and the clones can just be genetically crafted clones from dna samples of various members of the warrior race of mandalorians), now, all the hatred Anakin has for Dooku is turned onto Maul. Maul and Anakin duel and Anakin looses his hand to Maul. Obi-Wan can try to avoid letting his anger get the better of him against Maul by letting Anakin take him on, while he (Obi-Wan) fights Dooku. Anakin can kill Maul in the opening ROTS. Leaving Dooku and Obi-Wan to battle on Utapua or whatever, without Grevious existing as a character, like that.

 

If you don't mind my asking, what doesn't make sense about it to you?

I would also not include Grievous in my trilogy.

 

That Obi-Wan would have barely any reaction to his brother dying, that he'd be Luke's uncle when he's Obi-Wan's brother, that Owen would care that much about Luke in relation to what happened to his dad, that, according to Obi-Wan Owen would regard Anakin following Obi-Wan as he suggests, and then that Owen, again, according to Obi-Wan, that Owen would take issue with all this like I think is suggested if he was related Obi-Wan. Now, I think the movies could, in theory, explain these things. But I also question why do it?

At least with the movies, as is, kinda cops to, maybe, in theory, going, "Obi-Wan lied about everything, basically." While I think the criticism that can be had about it, I think it's odd melding to have a, to me, concept of entangling things like that.

I don't have an issue with the character really, like that. But, in the interest of a more direct story, I think it works for the character to not be in the movie, like that.

 

I thought this was in response to this...

My mistake.

 

my Prequels rewritten Obi Wan is a Republic Soldier the Soldiers are like the ones from KOTOR he use a helmet like Stormtroopers Obi Wan act more like Alec Guinness he is more serious he dont know he is a force sensitive he later meet Yoda and become his apprentice The Jedi are not involved in politics or with the Republic they are monks they are like the original Prequel Jedi but everyone force sensitive can join them like a Clan but when you join them you should never break the code Tatooine is Obi Wan home not Anakin or Vader Owen Lars is a friend of Obi Wan and he is a Republic Soldier too The Clones are the main enemy they are like the Vong ,the Yinchorri or like Durge species they are invencible no one knows where they came from later Obi Wan meet Anakin Starkiller on Ord Mantell Skywalker is a nickname Anakin save Obi Wan from the Clones then Obi Wan start to train Anakin in the ways of the Force Jedi and Mandalorians help the Republic to fight the Clones the leader of the Mandalorians is Jaster Mereel Boba Fett father or maybe he is young Boba no one knows the Jedi lightsaber colors are White, Blue and Black colors like Green Yellow Orange Red are very rare the new President of the Republic Palpatine prepare a plan to defeat the Clones he didn't create the Clones but he takes advantage of the situation to create an Empire from the shadows he is a Sith in secret an forgotten religion enemy of the Jedi the Sith are older than Jedi The Republic is located in a gigant space port there is not Coruscant is dangerous to go in planets thanks to the Clones not all Jedi are involved in the war but Yoda even he is againt war still participate in the Clone Wars, during the war Palpatine influences other politicians to join him and plot to destroy the Republic Anakin become more stronger but now he wear a robotic suit thanks to a dangerous mission that almost cost him his life in a duel against many Clones from here is unknow how the Clone Wars finish

 

What made any of you start rewriting the prequels? I feel like we never talk about that.

 

I think the Prequels could been very different if they were made in the 1980s or early 1990s

 

I don't see how it's "forced". The audience is shown at the end TPM that is what is going to happen and then in AOTC we are once again shown that is what has happened.

It's like saying the audience is only told about Luke starting on the Jedi path in ANH but never shown the training he did which he obviously did do (apparently without a teacher) or saying that the audience is only told about the price Jabba put on Han but we're never shown any actions coming from that (they even have to remind us because without the later added Jabba scene we probably forgot). With Vader were simply told in the crawl that he's looking for Luke even though the only reference in ANH is that he feels the Force is strong in this one (pilot). If one really wanted to get into it then the one crawl essentially says that destroying the Death Star will free the galaxy while the next says "Nah that didn't happen and things are just about as bad as ever."

In comparison to that Palpatine to Anakin from TPM to AOTC is like a singing, dancing showtune!

 

We see Luke train with Obi-Wan on the Falcon.

We see Han have to kill Greedo due to the issues arising from Jabba wanting Han.

We see both of those things.

Palpatine says he'll be watching his career in TPM and then in AOTC they have rapport with one another. In a trilogy where the three most necessary bonds are between Anakin and Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine, and Anakin and Padme, we only see one of those relationships actually blossom on screen. The other two, we're just told about. These movies are about Anakin and his relationships, but two of the most important relationships are just glossed over. "It happened off screen, just move past it."

Imagine watching the OT and you're just told that Luke is now friends with Han and Leia when TESB starts even though they barely had any interaction in ANH. Would you still care that Luke goes to rescue them on Cloud City?

I wouldn't. I'd be completed unengaged from the narrative because the thrust of the finale is Luke going to rescue Han and Leia, but the only relationship I've seen Luke form by this point are with Obi-Wan (who is dead) and Yoda.

 

Anakin's relationship with Palpatine wasn't "glossed over". The further one goes into the PT, the more one sees the relationship between the two revealed. And let's face it . . . their relationship had its deepest impact in ROTS. If you're going to complain about how Anakin's relationship with Palpatine was "glossed over" in AOTC, you might as well complain how TESB began with Leia and Han already deeply attracted to each other.

 

Pay off with no set up.

 

Is the PT improved by making the queen in TPM not Padme?

In this case TPM would introduce us to the Naboo monarch being a younger person (but 19 now, not 14). Padme is introduced as the current queen in AOTC, where she is the same age as Anakin (19). Anakin and Padme being the same age, as well as meeting for the first time at that age, would improve the storyline of two young prodigies (with likely limited romantic experience) sparking an instant connection, their love growing fast, and getting married by the end of the film. My opinion, at least.

 

I don't agree it had no set up. Not a lot of development, on screen, maybe, yeah, but I think there's a set up, of sorts, in both TPM and AOTC. I think the most on screen development is in ROTS, to me. I think Anakin has not much less, shown, on screen development with Palpatine than Luke with Obi-Wan before he dies.

 

I’m not really seeing what the change would accomplish.

 

The age gap (24 vs 19 in AOTC) and the fact that Padme starts with non-romantic feelings for Anakin make the way the relationship blossoms on-screen seem unlikely to me.

 

I've always felt like the whole PT had a rough go because there were no connections established between Anakin and any of the three people he gets into important relationships with; Palpatine, Obi-Wan, or Padme. Then we're told that Anakin's relationships with Palpatine and Obi-Wan happened off-screen and the one we do get to see blossom (him and Padme) is handled so poorly imho.

TPM spends the whole time establishing the bond between Anakin and Qui-Gon at the expense of everyone else and it's for seemingly no reason.

 

Interesting point of view.

Is it important that Obi-Wan and Anakin 'ignore' each other in TPM to create the tension between the two we later see?

What do you mean we are told the relationships develop more offscreen?

I sort of half agree with you. The relationships could have been handled better. I think Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship is fairly obvious in the movies. I think Anakin and Padme's relationship could have been made more believable, and I think Anakin's motivations for turning on the Jedi could have been much clearer (and those two are probably related).

 

I don't know what tension Lucas was trying to establish in the first place. It seems like the arc Lucas had in mind for the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship was an older brother who is forced to take in a younger brother. Which is fine, but if they're going to have a falling out anyway, then why have them be snipping at each other for almost all of AOTC?

I guess one has to ask, why not just have them be friends in the first two episodes, and then twist that relationship into what we finally see at the end of ROTS. I have a feeling Lucas was worried he couldn't do it in a believable way and so he just had them sort of hate each other already before the turn in ROTS.

None of this is an issue, per se, but it does seem lazy. If you've ever seen that movie CHRONICLE, you know within the first five minutes how the relationship is going to play out between the two cousins. Since AOTC shows the interactions between Anakin and Obi-Wan the way it does, Anakin's fall isn't even remotely a surprise. The way the PT is set up, it's like just watching six hours of something play out to it's logical conclusion.

Their relationship in AOTC is constant bickering, which has no beginning. They're not like at the end of TPM, so it comes out of nowhere. And then AOTC ends on that same note only for ROTS to begin with them being friends. So not only is their relationship all over the place, but we never get to see WHY it changes from one to another. It just changes because reasons.

 

I actually like the Anakin/Obi Wan relationship. In AOTC they were teacher and student. By ROTS Anakin had progressed to the point where they were nearly equals, and friends. But there is still tension, but that has more to do with Anakin being so tightly wound about everything.

 

@FightoftheForgotten would AOTC have been better if Anakin was portrayed as a dutify Jedi who is respectful of his master, who then slaughters a tribe of sand people and gets hitched? I dunno.