[Despondent]

Maybe it's a freudian slip.

("I am so in the dark on where this is going...) Hey! Do you have the new stormtrooper outfits yet? You! What about Ewan's hair? You know what we're going for, Right?"

[Helena]

I don't see why Naboo even had to exist in the first place. Wasn't Leia supposed to come from Alderaan? I concocted a scenario like this for the romance:

Padme is the daughter of the king of Alderaan, who has little political power but nevertheless represents the planet in the Senate, along with Palpatine. When all the trouble with the Separatists or whatever breaks out, he is threatened with assassination and Obi-Wan and Anakin are assigned to guard him. Padme falls in love with Anakin, and though it's forbidden for both of them (he's a Jedi, she's a princess, blah blah) they secretly promise to be faithful to each other.

Then the Clone Wars break out and Anakin goes off to fight. A few years later, with the war still raging, Padme's father dies suddenly and mysteriously (engineered by Palpatine, who thinks Padme will be easier to manipulate) and she is thrust into the role of Queen. She considers abdicating, but is persuaded not to on the grounds that it would cause a constitutional crisis. She is also pressured into an arranged marriage with Bail Organa, the son of another noble family with a competing claim to Alderaan's throne.

Believing that she will probably never see Anakin again, she eventually agrees to the marriage. Anakin gets to hear of this and rushes back from the war, managing to visit her in secret a few days before the wedding is due to take place. They argue, and she evenutally breaks down and confesses that she still loves him. They spend the night together, and afterwards he begs her to come away with him - but she refuses, insisting that she must do what she considers to be her duty. Angry and bitter, Anakin returns to the war (Padme will later blame herself for starting him down the path to the Dark Side).

Soon afterwards, Padme realises that she is pregnant and that the child is Anakin's. She manages to contact Obi-Wan, who she became friends with before the war, and confesses all; he advises her to let her husband believe the child is his own. However, she gives birth (to twins, unexpectedly) at a time when her husband is absent from the planet. Since Anakin is already well on the way to the Dark Side at this point, Obi-Wan advises her that the twins should be separated in case Anakin ever finds out that they are his. She reluctantly agrees; Leia remains on Alderaan, while Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine and then leaves to pursue Anakin. Leia grows up believing herself to be Bail Organa's daughter; Padme dies a few years later, after the formation of the Empire.


OK, so it's cheesy and sounds like a bad romance novel, but I respectfully submit that it's at least better than what Lucas came up with. Coming up with a plausible explanation for the Clone Wars and Palpatine's rise to power, however, is another matter altogether - not to mention the question of how Anakin becomes involved with his schemes. Any takers?

[Mike Mac from NYU]

I don't see why Naboo even had to exist in the first place. Wasn't Leia supposed to come from Alderaan? I concocted a scenario like this for the romance:

Naboo is an example of a plot device gone awry. Lucas is trying to capitalize on that 'mystery' aspects of the OT. Problem is that there was no mystery and Naboo just became a an unnecessary and confusing.

You could have streamlined the whole plot by turning Naboo into Alderaan.

Padme is the daughter of the king of Alderaan, who has little political power but nevertheless represents the planet in the Senate, along with Palpatine. When all the trouble with the Separatists or whatever breaks out, he is threatened with assassination and Obi-Wan and Anakin are assigned to guard him. Padme falls in love with Anakin, and though it's forbidden for both of them (he's a Jedi, she's a princess, blah blah) they secretly promise to be faithful to each other."

Nice plot idea. But It include that stupid "Jedi chastity" rule which I can't stand in the prequels. I mean what makes more sense, to keep looking around the universe for potential jedi or to make them on your own by procreation. These are jedis, not catholic priests. [Although, you have to wonder about Yoda and those littel kids.....................oops forgive me, lord!!! }

OK, so it's cheesy and sounds like a bad romance novel, but I respectfully submit that it's at least better than what Lucas came up with. Coming up with a plausible explanation for the Clone Wars and Palpatine's rise to power, however, is another matter altogether - not to mention the question of how Anakin becomes involved with his schemes. Any takers?"

Your idea is not that bad. It certainly is better than what Lucas did and more watcheable. Some critique

The good

1. You actually are the only person on this site that understands the 'fantasy" and 'romance' elements of Star Wars and how vital they are. Most of the movie concepts seen on this sight are done with just the sci-fi, political intrigue and 'mystery' elements of Star Wars. Kudos to you for discovering that

2. You are also the only person who share my idea that Bail Organa and "Padme" had some type of arranged marriage. That concept is the crux of my redux of the Pt films. In that redux, Bail and Padme marry because only royalty marries royalty, not commoners or peasants like Anakin. To me that is prime ground for some darkside development in Anakin. Second Kudos.

3. All your really missing are some actions scenes, development of Obi-Wan, political intrigue, Jedi mythology and you've got a trilogy.

4. Palpatine's vendeta against Alderaan royal family. Great! Another one of my devices. Have you been hacking into my computer? I find the idea of Palpatine wanting rto destroy the Alderannian royal family, to be a great touch. And good motivation to palpatines character.


The Bad

1. You're right. You blew the romance stuff out of proportion. We really only need a couple of scenes of romance. like with the Leia and Han romance.

[Helena]

Nice plot idea. But It include that  stupid "Jedi chastity" rule which I can't stand in the prequels. I mean what makes more sense, to keep looking around the universe for potential jedi or to make them on your own by procreation. These are jedis, not catholic priests. [Although, you have to wonder about Yoda and those littel kids.....................oops forgive me, lord!!! }

I actually don't mind that one too much. I think the idea is that love is such a powerful emotion, it can easily cause people to lose their self-control (which is particularly dangerous for a Jedi). As to Jedi having children, presumably if there were more Force-sensitive people around you'd probably end up with a lot more Sith than Jedi. And heck, it's a useful plot device...

1. You actually are the only person on this site that understands the 'fantasy" and 'romance' elements of Star Wars and how vital they are. Most of the movie concepts seen on this sight are done with just the sci-fi, political intrigue and 'mystery' elements of Star Wars. Kudos to you for discovering that

I was actually really disappointed by the way Lucas handled the political aspects of the prequel trilogy, as well. As a Politics student, I'm one of the few people in the world who might have found the 'seperatists' plot reasonably interesting - if only Lucas had bothered to develop it properly and make it vaguely plausible. But we're never told why the seperatists want to secede from the Republic, or why all these special interest groups like the Trade Federation have so much clout in the Senate, or why the 'political idealist' Dooku is supporting them, or exactly how Sidious is involved in all of this. And as for all the stuff about child politicians and elected monarchs and two-term limits, that just made me cringe.

3. All your really missing are some actions scenes, development of Obi-Wan, political intrigue, Jedi mythology and you've got a trilogy.

My idea was really just about the romance aspect. I could probably come up with ideas for all the other stuff as well, but it would take a lot longer. Just for the main plot, you've got to explain how Anakin became a Jedi (and how he falls to the Dark Side), the background to the Clone Wars, the internal tensions within the Republic that lead to its collapse, the reason why Palpatine/Sidious manages to escape the notice of the Jedi... and make it all fit in with what we're told in the OT. (Lucas seems to have simply given up on that last one...)

The Bad

1. You're right. You blew the romance stuff out of proportion. We really only need a couple of scenes of romance. like with the Leia and Han romance.

It sounds like a lot, but remember that it would be spread over 3 movies. You'd only need 1 or 2 romance scenes in each one.

[Private Zod]

I like your idea overall Helena. However, I have liked the majority of different ideas board members have posted for their version of how these movies should have played out. Is everyone that creative, or has Lucas just laid a colossal egg? Me thinks it is the latter.

[barend]

1. It makes the liberation of Naboo into too much of a storyline in the overall trilogy. I think Naboo's importance is already overblown in this damn trilogy.

who says it would be liberated?
at least in the first film...

queen in exile, protected by Jedi makes a better love story... that way they are more familiar with each other and he would have a more realistic chance of getting together with her, by having been there for her for a few years.. rather than by showing up and saying scary stalker-grade pick up lines.

2. It sort of creates an 'unhappy" ending for the first movie of the trilogy. You know the bad guys win concept that Empire Strikes Back developed. I don't think it is wise to do this, especially when the 2nd and third movies will have 'unhappy endings'. Hence you would have three movies that end with the bad guys winning in the end. Don;t know if this is good for the trilogy ona  whole

Palpatine could launch an assult on the trade federation (betraying them) and recapturing all the planets they take, and creating a debt and trust in the people of many planets thus building his footing for his rise to power...

3. It would kind of make the whole plot structure of Episode 1 pointless. I mean Episode 1 is about the liberation of Naboo. You would probably have to restructure the whole theme of Episode 1. [Which might not be a bad thing}

The plot structure of Episode 1 IS pointless!!!!

think of the victory pattern
ep1 bad guys, e2 good guys, 3 bad, 4 good, 5 bad, 6 good!!!!!!!!!!

they're war films... ep3 could still have a happy ending.
Theoden dies in ROTK, Frodo injuries claim him and he and bilbo leave middle earth forever... Many orcs survive. but it's a happy ending....

the Empire winning would seem like a happy ending... most of the galaxy is probably quite content with them to start of with, and are benifited by them initially... Ep3. could have ended with the empire being this great new system that brings security and protection to the galaxy. and the coruptive nature of it would not seem obvious until sometime between ep3 and ep4, and even by then, only to the rebel alliance, who probably do not represent all planets and systems. many areas under imperial rule are probably in agreeance, ignorance, or just plain neutral.

there has to be more than the two sides represented by the main characters.

[barend]

I responded after reading only the first page... oops.

but still read what i wrote...

but, Helena!!! damn girl! that's some compelling stuff there!!!
I quite like that idea... that's one of the best alternatives i've heard.

and interwoven with some rich but simple polotics, and heart pounding action... that'd be quite a groovy film.

but, then... that's one of the real probs so far...
without the human side of the story, Sci-Fi doesn't work... and as i've said before... scf-fi prequels to a fantasy trilogy REALLY screws it up!!!

[CowboyCurtis]

I've got to say, Helena, that what you presented as a romance, and feels more like a romance more than what was presented in AOTC!!

I think the romance should've been true romance, to make the relationship more tragic, to make Anakin more tragic and sad rather than pathetic and apathetic.

If I saw a relationship like Anakin's and Padme's back in high school and they broke up, I'd say, "so what." or "Good." I don't care for these two. To make the PT's work, and to make the OT's work, we must have a solid, real romance. Just like there should be a solid, real friendship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. In order for there to be tragedy, the stakes must be high!!

Bravo, Helena.

This post has been edited by CowboyCurtis: 02 June 2004 - 11:34 PM

[Just your average movie goer]

Didn't I only check this thread last night? Damn, there's been a lot of replies since then.

Okay, first things first -

Mike, you said this about the suggestion of Naboo being annexed -

2. It sort of creates an 'unhappy" ending for the first movie of the trilogy.

Nonsense! It creates a very happy ending. The annoying people of Naboo will never travel to other planets again and the gungans will be most likely enslaved or all killed, maybe even with Jar Jar among the dead ( ) !!!!

Maybe the whole planet could be later used for Star Destroyer planetary bombardment practice.



Okay, that said... onto Helena's work.

I really like your ideas Helena. And OF COURSE they're better than anything George Lucas could come up with.



And Mike.... you said this to Helena....

1. You actually are the only person on this site that understands the 'fantasy" and 'romance' elements of Star Wars and how vital they are.

It's funny you should mention 'fantasy' and 'romance', as you are always rushing to the defence of Return of the Jedi, the one movie from the original trilogy that had neither.

[barend]

mike, you didn't respond to my LOONG post...
what do think, eh?

just curious...
+ spent ages typing!!!