Should Count Dooku have been in The Phantom Menace?

This may just be rumor, but I heard Dooku is to be inserted on TPM DVD. Two short scenes, both after the death of Qui-Gon. One with Yoda, the other with Palpatine.

 

A rumor, definitely, but not definitely untrue.

Hudnall: Forget the kids argument. I can't speak for myself, since I knew before having seen AOTC that Dooku had the alias Darth Tyranus, but I don't think that you'd necessarily believe that this Dooku of whom we know almost nothing is a bad guy.
Since he is just briefly discussed in the beginning and after that, noone even mentions his name for a long time, I think we are meant to think that he might not be a big character.
In the beginning of the film, noone knows who is behind the assassination attempts. All we know is that a bounty hunter has been hired to perform them. Jango Fett is the new main villian until Obi-Wan discovers the Separatists on Geonosis.

Anyway, I think that if Dooku was added to TPM in a way that lets the audience know who he is, "the mysterious Count Dooku" would feel rather strange in the opening scroll for AOTC. It could be changed, of course.

 

Good point about the scroll. True. Very true. Even the use of the word "mysterious" is a sign what Lucas's intentions were - effective or not.


My own little fanboy idea: Even more than the funeral scene, I think it would be interesting if he had sat on the Jedi Council.

And even more intriguing, had he been present for the whole Anakin discussions and review. And even more interesting if Dooku went against Mace and Yoda openly about training the boy.

And then we learn later that the reason he left the Jedi was because the whole Qui-Gon/Naboo mess was the last straw.

 

I think the Dooku thing works fine as is, but... Hmmm, I'm not sure whether or not I'd have wanted him in TPM. That idea of Hudnall's is intriguing....

 

Oh, definitely. It would've been quite a different experience to have Dooku in TPM as part of the council. We would probably have gotten a scene with him and Qui-Gon exchanging views on where the Jedi order was going.

 

I admit - it is a silly fanboy theory. So if anyone feels the need to get in a potshot at me, for whatever reason , here's your golden opportunity.

Outside Lee's solid performance in AOTC and his status as Qui-Gon's teacher, part of my interest in Dooku is he represents a way to tie these two movies closer together.

I just don't get the sense of continuity from TPM to AOTC as a I do from ANH to ESB to ROTJ. Not so much for TPM's sake, but AOTC could use whatever character and story development you can throw it. Perhaps III will solve that..... we'll see.

 

We should of saw some fighting from my dog Yoda im telling u no one can beat that guy in a LightSaber Dual.

 

>>>>I just don't get the sense of continuity from TPM to AOTC as a I do from ANH to ESB to ROTJ.

I don't think you're supposed to. The way I see it is that TPM stands on it's own as Act 1 of the saga. Then AOTC and Episode III will tie together as Act 2, and the OT will be Act 3. It's a pretty common structure to have the third act as long as the first two acts put together- it's got a name and everything (it's just that it temporarily escapes me...)

(Oddly, the OT used to be on track for fitting into the same structure, where ANH formed a stand alone act on it's own, wheras ESB and ROTJ needed one another to exist, and formed a second act twice as long as the first. Now, in the context of the 6 part saga, the long time gaps between 1&2 and 3&4 kind of push all three into a single act.)

 

He should have been at the funeral. Furthermore he should have said something to Mace like "His death is your fault."

Perhaps not, though. Just a cameo in the funeral scene would be good.

 

dooku should have been in the council and at the funeral. only seen, unless he conflicts with yoda discussing the sith or anakin's training, then we find out who he is in aotc.

 

It wasn't exactly imperative to have placed Count Dooku in The Phantom Menace, but it may have been a nice touch to the framework of the whole Prequel Trilogy.

He wasn't a member of the Jedi Council. I'm assuming that Count Dooku was away from the Jedi Tempple when the events of the Naboo blockade transpired; otherwise, he probably would have consulted with Qui-Gon Jinn.

More than likely (being that they're both mavericks), he probably would have agreed with the decision to defy the wishes of the Council and train Anakin Skywalker.

<[-]> Saber

 

Dooku doesn't belong in TPM. There's enough going on in that episode already!

It's clear that the AOTC script tries to make Dooku like Harry Lime from The Third Man. The mysterious, charming, gray area-type bad guy that's introduced towards the end of the film. Problem is, GL and Jonathan Hales didn't build the character up enough.

I would be more satisfied if GL extended the Jedi library scene in AOTC rather than add anything to TPM.

 

I definitely agree that the extended portion of the library scene should have been left in AOTC. It could not have been too much longer, I don't think -- and would have taken care of a few questions from the average moviegoer.

 

Yeah, I think referring more to Dooku in the library would have been great. We could have gotten rid of Anakin and Padmé eating dinner for that scene.

Suppose this were to happen:
As Qui-Gon's body burns, none of the other characters can see or sense Dooku standing 30 feet away in the hallway of the building's entrance. Dooku is there merely to confirm that his former Padawan is dead. Inwardly, he is furious. He is already mad about something the council has done (we presume), and Qui-Gon's death is the last straw. As the camera zooms in for a close-up of Dooku's reaction, his face stiffens. He then turns around and walks out of the building, and out of the Jedi Order, having never spoken a word. The camera is on Dooku for no more than twenty seconds.

I'll add to that, and say that as Dooku is walking away, have Palpatine turn his head to watch him leave. Then cut to Yoda and Mace: "There's no doubt... blah blah blah... the Master, or the apprentice?" Cut to the shot that pans over to Palpatine, go to the parade. So that COULD work. But I love the pacing of that funeral scene as it is. To me, I always thought that Dooku was displeased with the Jedi, got more upset when he lost Qui-Gon, but was even MORE upset that he wasn't invited to the funeral OR the parade.

Also, I heard that the idea that he was Qui-Gon's master wasn't added until much later. It wasn't in the original shooting script, that they added that fact when they added that scene with Dooku and Obi-Wan, which was late into production. Is that true?

 

I believe so. In the original script, Dooku didn't aknowledge Obi-Wan till their duel in the hangar. Dooku said something along the lines of "Kenobi... isn't it?"

Maybe GL took out the library scene because it would have seemed odd that Jocasta Nu didn't mention to Obi-Wan that Dooku was Qui-Gon's master.

Someone should ask Pabs about that.

 

That's a bloody shame. It's better the way originally written...

 

>>>>>Maybe GL took out the library scene because it would have seemed odd that Jocasta Nu didn't mention to Obi-Wan that Dooku was Qui-Gon's master.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but in a copy of the script I downloaded a long time ago, this is in the library scene;

OBI-WAN
What happened?

JOCASTA NU
Well, one might say, he was always
a bit out of step with the
decisions of the Council... much
like your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

OBI-WAN
(surprised)
Really?

JOCASTA NU
Oh, yes. They were alike in many
ways. Very individual thinkers...
idealists...

 

...Which, I've just realised, says nothing about Dooku being Qui Gon's master...

Oops.

 

I've got a running theory that the script doctors worsened the Lucas's original drafts more than they improved it...

 

Dooku shouldn't be in Episode I because it adds more mystery to Episode II and except maybe at the funeral scene what point would his role have.

 

No.
Why should he? Should Lando and Boba Fett be in ANH? Should Mon Mothma and Jabba be in ESB? Although having seen OT SE I can imagine GL reinserting Dooku in TPM as he exactly did with Jabba and Fett in Ep4.

 

Dooku should have been in episode 1 he should have died.
It would be quite amazing though i Know he would put up a good fight.

 

I would have liked if Dooku was just mentioned in TPM, just like Jabba was (originally) just mentioned in ANH.

 

ok, mentioned - makes sense

 

No I don't think so because there was Darth Maul there.