Re-Working the Prequels!
I always felt the Prequels missed the mark. I know some of you grew up on the Prequel Series but I'm an old timer. I grew up with the OT. I'm still reworking these but for the record since the sequels came out the Prequels look a lot better.
I'm gonna re-post Obi-Wan because I shoved Jaxxon in the middle of this stint. I want to get this concept together and whole. Here are the BIG three first.
All of the old timers here know what I'm talking about. When you watched Star Wars in the theater for the first time back in 77' and that mystical music played as old Ben Kenobi told young Luke about his father and the Jedi Knights. For the first time we heard mention of the Clone Wars and as we see Luke ignite a lightsaber with wide eyes and listen intently as Ben educates him on the elegance of the weapon from a more civilized time our young minds briefly glimpsed into the golden era of the Jedi.
A young Obi-Wan Kenobi awaits audience with Queen Amidala of Naboo. He wears his formal Jedi dress uniform as he stands in the Royal Palace in the city of Theed. The Jedi is there with a group from Coruscant by order of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan and the Jedi and pilots with him are there because of recent threats by outside forces to blockade the planet and there is fear of an assassination attempt on the Queen. Obi-Wan is happy to be back on his home world and excited to see his old and dear friend Padme Amidala. Before she became Queen they grew up together as young children. Naboo is very busy preparing for the Boonta Eve Festivities and Obi-Wan is to be Padme's escort to the Ball and then the Boonta Eve race.
Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anakin Skywalker is not as easy as you'd think. Anakin should be brash and competitive. Heroic and tragic. Oh, and a great pilot. He should be so many things that he's hard to pin down. We know that Anakin and Padme fall in love, get married, and have children. We know that Anakin is a Jedi Knight and a hero of the clone wars. We also know something terrible happens and Anakin turns to the Dark Side of the Force.
I've changed a few things about Anakin in my mind since the last write up of him. With the impending trouble for Naboo by nearby systems who are not under the territorial rule of the Republic. The small planet has little to no defense against the growing dissidence of the Trade Federation. Jedi Knights have been dispatched to assess the problem and attempt to find a solution. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker along with several other Jedi Knights quietly slipped on to the planet and dispersed on different missions. Anakin, under cover of a Boonta Eve racer, digs into the seedy underbelly of Naboo to find out what he can about the threat of terrorist attacks and rumors of assassination of the Queen to try and pin point Trade Federation cells on the planet.
Jeffery Hunter as Anakin Skywalker
For you purists, here's one with Sebastian Shaw
I knew the direction I wanted to take Padme was very much the opposite of the original character. With Anakin I had a short laundry list to adhere to. Number one was dark hair color. I wanted to contrast him from Luke who was in the lighter tones. As with Anakin I wanted Padme to contrast him and Leia in the opposite direction. A fairer woman was the ticket here. Blonde females seem to be a rarity in the Star Wars universe, so of coarse that's where I wanted to go. The fair Queen of Naboo.
I also felt that in "The Phantom Menace", people had trouble identifying to the character because of her elaborate gowns and make-up. It was interesting, don't get me wrong, but she is a main character so it's important for the audience to understand her. In the OT, Leia was not so elaborate and in keeping with that tradition her gown should be simple but also elegant. I do understand why Queen Amidala was made up so elaborately. The shroud created around her was part tradition and part security. I feel that was an excellent idea so I found another way to achieve this same device. Bear with me here.
Droids..... as you all saw above somewhere, Anakin is the owner of R2. This makes a helluva lot more sense than him owning 3PO. C-3PO is shiny gold, prissy and snooty and seems too long for more creature comforts judging from his complaints about everything from environment issues to rough space travel. His programming suggests that he was intended to function more as a liaison than a farming droid. What better fit than to Queen Amidala. She is the owner of C-3PO. 3PO serves as an interpreter and servant to the Queen of Naboo. His regal appearance fits right in with the Royal court of Naboo.
Handmaidens... Queen Amidala still has her group of handmaidens, and they still serve the same purpose as they did in the PT. The difference here is that their faces are the ones that are always covered. Only the eyes are visible and their gowns remain the same and do not change with the Queen's ensemble. Historical data states that the Royal Handmaidens are not only the Queens servants but also her protectors. They are chosen and trained at a young age and their identities are hidden to protect their families from harm. This data, however, may not be totally accurate and there is probably more here than 'meets the eye'.
When Padme Amidala moved into her teen years it was recognized that she was a special young woman, set apart from her peers. She was chosen to be groomed as the next Queen of Naboo. Her leadership skills, political prowess, and strength in the Force propelled her career in the Naboo senate and made her a popular leader with her people and eased her into the position of Queen as the old Queen retired. She is protected by her mysterious body guards, the Elit Vedok, who are fierce fighters and protect the Queen at all costs.
Grace Kelly as Padme Amidala
