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I just came up with the perfect idea for GL for the ultra-super duper special edition of ROTS. With all the complaints about the lame excuse for a make up job on plapatine after the run in with Mace, why not just CGI the original face of the emporer over Ian Mcdiarmid. George has said himself that digital fake is no different than real life fake, so why not scrap that weak make up job for a computer-generated perfect replacement?

Ok, so I heard at some point that George Lucas was considering making another prequel set much further back with Yoda as the hero. Well I was thinking about a logical prequel to what we've already seen and come up with my own little story outline. This does not take place that far back in the SW history. I was hoping a little critique, and maybe some advice before I send it to GL for his approval. Here goes:

Star Wars: A New Beginning set approximately 20 years before TPM

Our hero, we shall call him Dak Sheehan is a former Jedi that left the order because he fell in love at a very youing age. He chose to leave the Jedi, feeling that he missed out on much of his childhood training as a padawan, he was always uncertain of the Jedi's dogmatic training. He now employs himself as a bounty hunter, using his powerful yet unrefined Jedi skills to negotiate deals between gangsters and bring criminals to justice. During his adventures, he is hired by a young, rather ambitious man that shows great natural force wielding abilities. He brefriends the young man, who we shall call gus. During their conversations, they both brood over the lack of options for those attuned to the force, with the Jedi order being the only so-called legitimate use for their talents. Dak shares with Gus a brief story about the ancient order called the Sith.

Act two: Dak travels with Gus to his home on Coruscant, naturally he met his wife there as he was a young Jedi in training. While there the two seperate and Dak, who has always had the force strong with him feels a strange tremor of the dark side while travelling through the city. It is almost as if he feels somewhat overcome by the darkside for a moment and then it passes. During this time, we also see Dak interact with Yoda, who at just over 800 years old is still a very imposing force amongst the Jedi counsil. He also meets a younger Mace Windu and has a rough encounter with his former master, Mag Shindoor. It is clear from these conversations that the pacing of this film is much slower and relaxed than previous star wars films. The meetings are not meant as gratuitous references to the other films, but to set up the idea that the Jedi respect Dak despite his choices. We see in Dak a true human quality of his desire to be greater than he is but remain with his family. We fast forward about 5 years. At the end of act 2, Dak is called out on another job that takes him to the planet of Kessel. He meets up with the gangster Miser DeNooth, whom he is supposed to capture. During the ensuing battle, Dak is wounded and left unconsious as DeNooth escapes in his space cruiser. It should be noted that while Miser DeNooth is an alien character, he is not CGI, and is not that outlandishly alien. All of the characters are much more subdued in their appearance.

Act Three: Dak is able to stow aboard a smuggler ship carrying spices from kessel to the planet Alderaan. There he is able to find medical treatment for his wounds. He quickly returns home to Coruscant to find his home in ruins, and his wife and children murdered. It is obviously the work of DeNooth. His first thoughts are revenge, but he knows that the dark side lurks in this thought. As he has lost all he loved and cared for he goes to Mag Shindoor to plead for the chance to return to the Jedi order. He feels that he has finally found the humility needed to give himself to the Jedi fully. Shindoor reacts coldly and denies his plea. He shows little sympathy for his former padawan. When Shindoor reports his encounter to Yoda, he is informed that there is a rougue space cruiser that has taken hostages of a medical freighter near Sullist. He dispatches Shindoor to investigate and free the hostages.
Meanwhile Dak is hovering closer and closer to the dark side. His thoughts of revenge are only fueled by the rejection of the Jedi. He packs his personal shuttle in preparation to begin a search for Miser DeNooth, and as he is ready to leave, he receives a visit from Yoda. Yoda has come to tell him that his former master has lost contact with the Jedi during his investigation on Sullist. He was aware of his desire to rejoin the Jedi, and convinces him that by going to find and safeguard his master would be a great step in coming back into the fold. Dak travels to Sullist where he finds the freighter orbiting the planet and he sees his old master's personal craft docked there. He enters to find his old friend Gus standing over the dead body of Shindoor. It is now that Gus reveals that he is no longer Augustus Palpatine, but rather, he has become Darth Sidious, a dark lord of the sith. He set up the hostage situation to lure in Dak. He had been the apprentice of a dark lord Darth Plagueis, but his master lacked the ambition to overthrow the Jedi. He knew Dak's history with the Jedi and hoped he would join him to defeat them. As a token of his good will he has captured Miser DeNooth and prepared him for Dak's disposal. Dak is torn by the darkside of the force, Sidious tells him that if the Jedi truly protected the galaxy they would have saved his family. Only by the fear of the Sith, could the galaxy be safe. There is a short violent duel as Dak refuses to kill DeNooth and join the dark side. DeNooth seizes the opportunity to escape, and driven by revenge, Dak turns away from Sidious to kill DeNooth. Dak relents and decides to join Sidious.
As they travel together to Coruscant to lay the foundation for their plot to overthrow the Jedi, Dak is charged by Sidious that he must kill his master, Darth Plagueis to ensure his place as his apprentice. As Dak enters Plagueis' home, he is again overpowered by the dark side and temporarily he is contacted by Darth Plagueis, it is the same power he felt years ago. When this is realized, he refuses to kill him, as he has whispered to his mind much about the dark side. He leaves having not accomplished his mission. Sidious, angered rushes in upon Plagueis and kills him. As he turns around, Dak is there, with lightsaber drawn. He attacks Sidious and there is an insuing light saber battle, Dak is mortally wounded, and as he lies on his back, legless, the brief encounter with Plageuis allows him to stretch out with the force and influences the force to create a soul. As he dies he says "It's not over"

End with Sidious returning to Naboo to re-think his plot.

I know it sounds a little cheesy and scattershot, but I was inspired by Batman Begins. I think it would be a way to retool and rethink the star wars genre. There would be way less CGI and a whole the dialogue would be casual, conversational. Not driven to forward a storyline. Just my little idea. Tell me what you think.


"Not This Crude Matter"

OK, so since there are plenty of nitpickers out there, here's one I thought was quite a bit on the ridiculous side. I think it's something that started with ROTJ though, not just TPM.
That is, the length of the lightsaber hilt. In ANH and ESB Luke and Vader, (and Obi-Wan's) lightsabers were roughly the length of their two-fisted grip. With maybe an inch or so to keep from singing the fingers. Then, with Luke's NEW lightsaber we have about an inch and a half or more extending beyond his grip, but it's not too distracting.
By the time TPM arrives, Qui-Gonn and Obi have like three or four inches of excess handle to show off the size of the sabers. Besides that the look of the saber handles is a dull almost platic with so much grip it's almost like they tried to make them look fake. And of course, who could forget the infamous red button? Why the button. We never see a button on any of Luke's Sabers. Why do they even need a button, shouldn't they be able to activate it by the force?
By the time we get to AOTC and ROTS at least the hilts have returned to the polished metal look they have in the Original Trilogy. But they still have some definite size issues.