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Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith

Created by dave. Last edited by dave, 18 years and 273 days ago. Viewed 5,028 times. #2
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Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge Of The Sith

All the problems with Episode Three stem from the fact that it makes one think that the reason why Star Wars were presented out of order (Episodes 4,5,6 then 1,2,3) is because Lucas knew in advance that he couldn't write. So he had to reveal the secrets ahead of time, that way it avoided all the clever writing required to keep the secrets.

Sith should have been different in the following ways:

  • In the confrontation between Windu, Palpetine, and Skywalker, Windu should have ordered Skywalker back to the temple to await further instruction.
  • Later, you should see the Emperor and a hooded Darth Vader standing over Windu's body, where the Emperor instructs Vader (who we never see directly) to go to the Jedi Temple and dispose of those he found there.
  • After a cut scene somewhere else, we could have a shot of Skywalker sitting in the temple looking concerned -- perhaps wearing a robe, but with the hood folded back.
You'd have to fiddle the logic and story which got Padme and Kenobi to chase him down (perhaps not having Padme follow Skywalker), and the whole sabre duel would have to avoid showing Skywalker's face. But you could avoid telling the audience directly that Vader was Skywalker, perhaps by having more significance to the choice the Sith seem to make for red lightsabres. Kenobi would pick up Skywalker's blue sabre at the Temple, although you'd have to fiddle the story again to make sure the audience knew exactly who's sabre was being picked up.

The sabre duel ends with Vader being dumped in the lava pits; cut to Padme's birthing room, where the last sound we hear is a newborn baby's cry… cut to credits.

Perhaps you would insert some scenes with Kenobi and Yoda discussing how Skywalker's child was important and shoudl be concealed, plus the Emperor recovering and rebuilding Darth Vader. But I think I've shown that with some clever writing and only a bit of story fiddling you could preserve the integrity of the future movies (the payoff of Anakin being Darth Vader, and therefore Luke's father in Episode 5; and the revelation that Leia was a Skywalker from Episode 6).

Lucas may have wanted to humanize Anakin more, by explaining exactly how and why he fell to the Dark Side. But it diminishes the entire work to have a significant plot point stated, then ignored, and then re-stated as if it was going to be a surprise.

Quibbles about Episode 3:

  • Oh, by the way, Chewbacca knew Yoda. Quite how an important warrior and hero of the clone wars (you wouldn't assign Joe Wookie to protect a Jedi Master, would you?) falls in stature to being first mate on a smuggler's ship would probably make for an interesting tale.
  • Aparrently it takes 16 years to build the first Death Star and they do so in perfect secrecy, but the Empire can knock the second one out in a couple of years with everyone knowing about it.
  • The whole thing with the clones makes one wonder if Stormtroopers are clones through episodes 4, 5 and 6. Perhaps this is Lucas' way of saying it is OK for our heros in 4, 5, and 6 to mow Stormtroopers down since they are only clones.
  • General Grievious and Lord Dooku sieze the chancellor from Corresant; however they then hang out in orbit for the amount of time required to summon two Jedi (Kenobi and Skywalker) from the outer rim sieges. This is only plausible if you assume that they could hang out in orbit without being seriously challenged (and why would they do that?); ie if you presume there was no significant opposition to their presence over Corresant, and the Jedi's return is more significant for the cruiser group they bring with them. This would have to be a significant cruiser group, as it later gets split into two: Yoda takes some elements of it to support the Wookies, and Kenobi takes the rest of it after Grievious. The two data points (the capital world, including the senate and all the mechanics of government being fundamentally undefended; and the evidence we see of where the group gets split later) make this scenario unlikely.
  • There is also a similar timing handwave when Grievious sends the rest of the separatists away to the lava moon; Kenobi is present when Grievious orders their departure, and he engages Grievious practically immediately, with clone troop support; yet the separatists aparrently escape from right under the nose of Kenobi's cruiser group.
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