Star Wars Episode III Shroud of the Darkside (My speculation of Episode III) Updated 10/22/02

STAR WARS
Episode III

Shroud of the Darkside


TWO YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE BATTLE OF GEONOSIS. THE SENATE HAS ENTRUSTED THE INCREDIBLE CLONE ARMY TO THE JEDI COUNCIL TO BE USED IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE SEPARATIST.

THE CLONE WAR HAS GREATLY REDUCED THE DROID ARMY OF THE SEPARATIST, LEAVING THEM WITH ONLY THE PLANET OF ERROL AS A LAST DEFENSE.

JEDI KNIGHTS, ALONG WITH A LEAGUE OF CLONE WARRIORS, HAVE DISCOVERED THIS AND HAVE GIVEN THE INFORMATION TO THE WAR COUNCIL ON CORUSCANT. BAIL ORGANA, SENATOR OF ALDERAAN, HAS DISPATCHED GENERAL OBI-WAN KENOBI, TO DESTROY THE REMAINING DROID ARMY AND RESTORE PEACE TO THE GALAXY....



PAN DOWN to reveal the massive bulk of an arrowhead Star Destroyer heading away from camera. PAN with it and center on the planet Errol which is protected by the remaining battle ship of separatist fleet.

INT. STAR DESTROYER -- BRIDGE

In the bridge, GENERAL OBI-WAN KENOBI standsin front of a holographic BAIL ORGANA.

OBI-WAN: Bail we have exited hyperspace and the Separatist army is here.

BAIL: General I have received word from Chancellor Palpatine, we are to level the city in which the army sits.

OBI-WAN pales noticably.

OBI-WAN: I was under the impression that the War Council had turned down that line of attack.

BAIL, uneasy, nods.

BAIL: Both me and Senator Amidala fought against it and won but the Chancellor does hold emergency powers, he usurped our vote and we cannot even take it to the rest of the Senate.

OBI-WAN: Errol was taken in occupation, Bail. I will not knowingly destroy lives to get rid of an army in such a tactic.

BAIL: Obi-Wan, you are talking treason.

OBI-WAN: I have done many things in this war that I would have not normally, but I will not condone this. Taking the lives of innocent beings in needless decimation of a planet is where I will draw the line.

BAIL: The Chancellor has become a powerful man, Obi-Wan. More powerful then any Replublic Leader has ever become. You are signing your death warrant.

OBI-WAN'S head hung in a flash of defeat before he straightenes and fixes BAIL with a noble gaze.

OBI-WAN: Better me then them.

BAIL: If you do survive my friend, Alderaan will always be open to you.

OBI-WAN: Thank you, Bail, but I think it best that you errase this conversation from your logs. I will not be a good man to know.

BAIL: Good luck, General.

BAIL'S image evaporates.

OBI-WAN: Comm officer give me Squadron Leaders Skywalker, Muln, and Fisto.

COMM OFFICER: Yes, sir.

OBI-WAN: Anakin, Garen, Kit, take your squadrons to the offensive. We need to clear these droid ships before we make our landing on Errol.

ANAKIN (O.S.): But Master, our orders were delivered directly to our computer mainframes. It says to decimate the city.

OBI-WAN: Anakin, you will take the first wave, followed by Garen, and then Kit. As soon as you make your pass head directly toa landing area of Errol.

OBI-WAN pauses for a moment and seems to collect himsef.

OBI-WAN: Whoever wishes not to participate in this open subversion may leave now.

GAREN (O.S.): Absolutely not.

KIT (O.S.): We're with you.


ANAKIN doesn't respond but nor does he leave and OBI-WAN takes this as his agreement.

OBI-WAN: Alright, head out. And May the Force be with you.

 

An interesting beginning, ZaraValinor . I rarely read scripts, so I think I will try this one. (The wider the horizons of a reader, the wider the horizons of the author. )

Also, I have a small suggestion: When people are talking, show that by putting a colon ) next to their name so that there is no confusion.

Aunecah

 

Thanks Aunecah, I'm still trying to figure out how to Center on the boards. The Names were supposed to be centered. Thanks.

 

I see. Just to let you know, I don't think you can center words in your posts.

Aunecah

 

EXT: Launching wave of Jedi Starfighters.

INT: ANAKIN'S JEDI FIGHTER

ANAKIN: Pair up and angle your deflector shields to full front. We're going in and we're going in fast.

He gets affirmative responses and then the starfighters aline with their wing mates.

ANAKIN: Break off and engage the federation ships.

EXT: The Paired Jedi Starfighters, that now house some of the remaining clone troopers engage in dog battles with the droid ships. Anakin displays his superior flying skills as he destroys five droid ships in the initial wave. His squadron has picked off quite a few as well.

INT: ANAKIN'S cockpit.

ANAKIN: Form up on me and follow my lead.

EXT: ANAKIN'S squadron.

ANAKIN'S fighter loops around to go in on the second wave that OBI-WAN ordered.

INT: ANAKIN'S cockpit.

OBI-WAN (O.S.): Commander Skywalker diverge from your present course and make for Errol.
Padawan, you are disobeying your orders.

Anakin switches off his commspeaker and OBI-WAN'S rantings go mute. He then continues his path to the second wave.

ANAKIN: I'm not the only one.

To the side of him Artoo whistles a question.

ANAKIN: Because I don't feel like listening to him mentioning following orders when he just disobeyed Chancellor Palpatine.

Artoo whistles forlornly.

EXT: Space.

ANAKIN joins the second group along with his squadron and they make the pass along with GAREN'S starships. But as GAREN'S pass makes for Errol ANAKIN once again loops to follow KIT'S pass. Only this time their is a price. One of his squadron collides with one of the trade federation ships and the both ignite in a burst of flames. ANAKIN has little time to morn the loss of one of his own and continues to follow KIT throw the final pass and clean up the remaining droids.

Only then does ANAKIN lead the rest of his squadron down to the planet of Errol.

EXT: ERROL MOUNTAINS

Large assault troop carriers land on the surface where a bunch of fighters are already cordoned. A landing ramp lowers and GENERAL OBI-WAN KENOBI exists. He takes in the area and then walks of to the group of STARFIGHTER PILOTS.

He motions his Padawan to him.

OBI-WAN is barely restraining his anger.

OBI-WAN: You willfully disobeyed me.

ANAKIN's face is screwed up into stubborness.

ANAKIN: We want to win this war quickly Master.

OBI-WAN: Not at the expense of lives, Anakin. We may be fighting machinery but we are not machinery.

The fire in ANAKIN's eyes does not dim.

ANAKIN: Yes, Master.

OBI-WAN eyes him for awhile before continuing.

OBI-WAN: I don't want this to happen again. I need to trust you when we are at war Anakin. But lately you have been making it very hard.

Without waiting for ANAKIN to reply, OBI-WAN walks back to the center of STARFIGHTER PILOTS and the GROUNDTROOPS his transport also carried.

OBI-WAN: The droid foundery is just on the other side of this outcroping. We will go in with the intent of destroying not only the battle droids, but the droids that produce the battle droids. We do not want to leave them with an easy way to rebuiled their army. But be careful. There are living sentients who have been forced into following the Separatist. We also wish to bring them freedom. We make this ground assault in the hope to spare as much of their lives as possible.

OBI-WAN pauses and looks at ANAKIN who is frowning greatly.

OBI-WAN: We do this against the wishes of the Supreme Chancellor. I will give you the same conditions that I did before. Any who wish to leave may do so now.

There is not a response from any of the men, they all stand ready to listen to their leader. The assault group consists of Jedi and Clonetroopers.

OBI-WAN: May the Force be with us.

OBI-WAN then begins to lead them over the final hill and into the crevice that stores the droid foundary. The last pocket of resistance to the Republic that stands.

They reach the foundary and a battalion of battle droids awaits them. A battle not unlike the inital one on

 

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OBI-WAN, ANAKIN, and the JEDI have their lightsabers out in a flash as they block the CLONETROOERS blaster fire. But the JEDI are out numbered in a worse way then they had been on Geonosis. JEDI are falling as their swinging blades are not able to keep up with the barrage of CLONETROOPER blaster fire. ANAKIN is shot, but instead of a killing blow it is only to his leg and he crumbles to the ground. Before he can continue his struggle to join the melee, CLONETROOPERS' engulf him and carry him off.

OBI-WAN sees this and becomes a force to be reckoned with, slicing a path to his Padawan.

OBI-WAN: ANAKIN!

ANAKIN: Master, help me.

But ANAKIN is carried off and OBI-WAN becomes powerless to stop it as the throng of CLONETROOPERS become thicker in front of him.

OBI-WAN is loosing his contorl and he throws himself in the throng despite the unliklihood of him coming out.

OBI-WAN: No!

ANAKIN is taken to a transport and the TROOPCARRIER takes off.

The ground is now littered with both JEDI and CLONETROOPERS but the JEDI have obviously more deaths then those of the CLONETROOPERS.

OBI-WAN: Get to the starfighters. It's our only hope.

The JEDI who can start to make their way towards the group of fighters. And it becomes saddly evident to OBI-WAN that there isn't enough starfighters for all of them to escape, even with their numbers greatly reduced.

That's when OBI-WAN is thrown off his feet and the droid foundary explodes in a shower of droid parts and flames. OBI-WAN who had been away from the greater part of the JEDI watches in horror as his comrades are engulfed in flame.

Some part of OBI-WAN manages to keep sane in the midst of all this chaos.

OBI-WAN: Get to the ships!

It is an order made only to four of once was 50 JEDI. 2 of them made it, 2 didn't, and OBI-WAN left behind 48 dead colleagues that he thought as family.

INT: Cockpit -- Space

JEDI KNIGHT RAWL (O.S.): General Kenobi what are your orders.

OBI-WAN: Make for Coruscant and try to make contact with the Jedi Council. Tell them what has happened....Tell them that we have been betrayed.

JEDI KNIGHT VALS (O.S.): What about you, General?

OBI-WAN: I'm going after ANAKIN.

 

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Upping

 

EXT: Senate Building

Beings from all over the galaxy walking right outside the stadium like building, speeders pass it overhead.

INT: Senate chamber

Chancellor PALPATINE stands at the center of box.

PALPATINE: My fellow represenatives of the the Senate, we have been betrayed. Betrayed by the very organization that has pledged their lives to support us.

Murmurs grow throughout the chamber echoing ominously.

PALPATINE: For generations the Jedi Knights have been keepers of the peace in this galaxy. But this once noble order, has now fallen to greedy contrivances and schemeing plots to secure their hold on the Republic.

Shouts of assent and denial rage throughout the chamber.

PALPATINE: I too, was surprised by this information when the leaders of the TRADE FEDERATION came to me with the evidence.

PADME AMIDALA, Senator of Naboo, keys her box to hover closer to the CHANCELLOR.

PADME: Chancellor, I mean no disrespect but have you forgotten that the JEDI were key in freeing our planet from machinations of the TRADE FEDERATION. And that it is now the JEDI who risk their lives in this terrible war.

PALPATINE: M'lady it was the very JEDI who saved us who condemned us. They spout some horror story about an ancient cult bent on destroying them, but the SITH are dead M'lady.

PADME: I was there, Chancellor. I saw this mystical SITH.

PALPATINE: Are you sure M'lady?

PADME's resolve does not falter.

PADME: I am sure, CHANCELLOR. Jedi Master Jinn was struck down in that battle. Are you to tell me that he gave up his life for some power play?

PALPATINE now scrutinizes PADME like a serpent to a bird.

PALPATINE: And what of the war, Senator Amidala? Two years of ripping apart the galaxy and all for what? To further the Jedi's position in the galaxy. The cloners on Kamino have all verified that they received their orders for the clone army from the JEDI COUNCIL. What other use is their for an army other then war, M'lady?

PADME: CHANCELLOR it seems unlikely that the JEDI would produce a war in which more and more of their colleagues die to secure their place in the Republic. A place, I might add, that was already secure.

PADME's box begins to float back into its sloat on its own accord and when PADME tries to voice her protest she finds that her audio box has been shut off.

PALPATINE: I'm afraid that Senator Amidala has been swayed by the manipulations of the JEDI. It's very possible that some of our fellow Senators have fallen prey to their evil. We are a galaxy torn by war and manipulated by a religious sect that has plotted against the government. To bring unity to the galaxy and our consituents, I pronounce Imperial Law An Empire that will rebuild what war has crumbled. And my first order as Emperor, I call upon the JEDI for trial and eradication from the galaxy.

INT: Senate Hallway.

Two STORMTROOPERS flank a binded PADME AMIDALA.

PADME: Where are you taking me? The Senate will not sit still for this, I have done nothing wrong.

STORMTROOPER 1: Once the EMPEROR is through with you, the Senate will have nothing to sit still for.

PADME blanches but manages to hold her head high. Unbeknowest to those around her,PADME is three months pregnant with twins.

PADME: I will not be so easily gotten rid of.

In a show of her inborn bravery, PADME rams her shoulder into one of the TROOPERS while her leg lifts up to strike the other. The TROOPERS momentarily imbalance was all PADME needs to make a break away, but she is not as spry on her feet as she might have been and she knows that it's possible that she will not be able to find cover before they can pull their blasters. But even as this thought enters her mind a dark blur flashes out of the cornor of her eye, with a shock of blazing purple.

MACE WINDU now stands in the corridor between her and the TROOPERS.

MACE: Are you alright M'lady?

With several quick jabs of his lightsaber, MACE disarms the TROOPERS and knocks them out with a hand to their helmeted forhead.

PAD

 

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