Topic: What I Would Have Done.

[ScreamingSamuraiStudio]

It gets hard to ignore the fact that a large portion of his audience was not pleased with the prequels. I am the first to defend the content creator's right to as he or she pleases with their material..it is difficult to ignore the fact that George lost focus with his core audience.
  So, this post is simply a what if scenario.. If I would have been able to take an eraser to that big yellow notebook on George's desk..This is what I would have done.

  Keep the Phantom Menace, but with these changes. Anakin is not 9 years old, he's 19. Still slightly younger than Obi-Wan, but not by much.
  The reason: This series needs its own Han Solo. Anakin's introduction into the movie can be the same, but the age difference will also introduce a latent rivalry between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Also..Anakin needs to be an excellent pilot already. Keep the pod race, and keep everything in the movie as it was with the only exception being Anakin's age.
  With Qui-Gon's death the council should also stand its ground and not train Anakin. Instead leaving a window of opportunity for Palpatine to step in and offer Anakin a job as his personal pilot. Also, at the end of the Phantom Menace, both Anakin and Obi-Wan get to indirectly save Amidala.
   Attack of the Clones would reunite the trio. Anakin would get swept up by the Jedi at the end for the Clone Wars. My thoughts being, Anakin still has to be a raw talent in the force and a little blind to the dogmatic ways of the Jedi. Having him being swept up at still such an early age and ignorant of these rules didn't make sense. I also think it would be a little more profound if the first time Anakin ever picks up a lightsaber, it's to duel Count Dooku. The outcome would be the same, but it would echo Luke's first duel a little more stronger. But at this point, Palpatine can not reveal himself to Anakin. Anakin isn't ready for it yet. He's still too good. Dooku is still a puppet to Sideous but I think he would it was a threat to his security if his prized little pawn suddenly got pressed into service for the Jedi.
  Then again, war tends to change one's perspective.

[Jedi Minstrel]

Very interesting.  I keep telling people that I like the basic premise but I agree more could have been done.

[Wardog]

One thing i'd also like to add into the mix is that the aliens should of spoken an alien dialect...The Niemodians, Watto, The alien Jedi, The alien senators etc etc etc....we all understood Greedo and Jabba just fine back in the 70's and 80's and we all got what the Ewoks were on about and they didn't speak English or have sub-titles.  To many aliens in the PT spoke English in my opinion.  Chewbacca was in the whole OT and didn't speak a word of English or have sub-titles, Nien Nunb didn't speak English, nor did Bib Fortuna, Garindan, Ugnaughts, Bossk, Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Weequay, Giran, Gamorrean Guards, Sy Snootles, Oola, Ponda Baba etc etc.  The only alien who spoke english was Admiral Ackbar yet in the PT 90% of the aliens spoke English....Gungans, Kaminoans, Niemodians, Shaak Ti, Ki-Adi Mundi, Watto, Elan Sleazebaggano, Grevious, Maul, Gran Senators in TPM, Mas Ameeda, Zam, alien younglings in AOTC, San Hill, Wat Tambor.....you get the idea.

[wheeljack]

Yes!!!! I totally agree with Anakin being to young, I always thought he should of been a rebelous teen and a great but wreakless pilot. Wardog you hit the nail on the head, I never realized why the aliens in the new films were not as cool as the old films, now you solved that riddle for me, the answer was always there but I was looking for it not listening for it

[ScreamingSamuraiStudio]

I agree...the aliens with the poor stereo-typical accents of the 40's didn't help.

  But you know, most of all, I think the character of Anakin/Darth Vader was handled poorly from the start. I think there should have been some elements to his character that made him more like a Han Solo character..which this series lacked severely. I think he should have been more of an outcast to the jedi.
  When Anakin finally turns, the reasons are too black and white to make sense even to a child..how can someone with the capability for THAT much good suddenly walk into a room full of children and slaughter them on a simple command? I think if he was excluded from the Jedi order completely and only pressed into service at the start of the Clone Wars, I can understand Anakin's motives for even turning. If the Jedi Council decided not to train Anakin..as Obi-Wan tells Luke, "You've taken your first steps into a larger world."
  Anakin isn't going to forget anything he's seen and if he becomes a self-taught force wielder, uses this knowledge and expands on it in the ten years between The Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones and never learns the importance of restraint...To Yoda and Mace, Anakin should represent a large threat. Pressed into service and forced to restrain himself and heed the Jedi Code after years of relying on his instincts for survival, I can understand his thoughts and paranoia building about the Jedi Council and their motives.
  Also, think of the rejection from the Order as a child.

    After being told that he can become the most powerful Jedi ever, instead he goes back to his mother on Tatooine. Think of the resentment that can build, even in the best of people. Despite this, he learns to build on his power. He doesn't have Luke's reluctance to believe in his own power..Anakin has already been told he can do these things..he knows he has power. He can cut a life for his mother and himself. It's possible he can use his victories in the pod races as collateral in gaining his mother's freedom. With his mother's guidance, he can position himself between the Hutts and a normal life on Tatooine.
  Another aspect that was missing was the chance for Anakin and Owen to get to know each other. In Attack of the Clones, they met each other once..and it wasn't a very pleasant meeting. There was a relationship that was never explored. Was Owen resentful or in awe of Anakin's abilities?

  Or what about Anakin's friend, Obi-Wan? The guy who believed he shouldn't be trained as a jedi, but shows up again one day with Padme on the run from Bounty Hunters.

  Anyway, what do I know?

  Thanks for reading, guys.

[Viper6]

i agree, that would have all made for a far better film, but all the BS aside....i still love the wars and im thankfull for every second of footage...except maybe jar jar.

[(SID)]

Fun read. Makes me think about all the odd choices made during that trilogy. I feel even the smallest alterations (aka "why? do that George") could have made it more authentic.

Like the Gungans / Neimoidians having languages with subtitles.

Give Jar Jar  a more laidback less in your face personality.

Create actual costumes for the clones... Atleast the in foreground .

Why change the voices/tone of the battle droids into morons?

Give Ani a realistic motivation to  turn bad... Not  have a bad dream  and go nuts...emo style. Aka use the filmed obi/padme/ani "love triangle" subplot.

NO ORDER 66 (!)... I mean wow... What a lazy cop-out

Christopher Lee was a cool actor... But I don't find grandpa threatening.

Oh and last but not least... Better dialogue... "wizard!" "are you an angel?" Etc. Etc. Etc.

It's just soo telling that many people have the same problems with the material.