How to make a no-spoiler version of the Prequel Trilogy

Imagine how awesome it would be to watch the entire Star Wars saga in chronological order and still be surprised by all the original trilogy’s twists and reveals. It would be hard to accomplish, but I want to know if it’s possible. So, I’ve started writing a rough outline of how I think a no-spoiler version of the Phantom Menace should go.

In Part 1, I outlined my alternative opening.

Part 2 will discuss Naboo and outline the call to adventure.

Alderaan and Naboo

I’ve heard people suggest that the Phantom Menace should be about Alderaan instead of Naboo. That it should be Alderaan that gets invaded by the Trade Federation. I get why people say that. The destruction of Alderaan in episode 4 is an essential moment, and the planet should, therefore, get more attention in episodes 1-3. It will make episode 4 more impactful during a chronological viewing. That said, I still think that the focus of episode 1 should be on Naboo. I have a few reasons for this.

In my previously outlined rules, I said the prequel remakes should conform to the George Lucas version as closely as possible. I also said that I wanted to retain and respect the established canon of other Star Wars projects, the Clone Wars included (because I want to make this project more difficult). That means I’ve got to stick with Naboo. On a franchise level, I want to avoid ‘shrinking the universe.’ Having everything revolve around Alderaan, when there are so many options, would make the Galaxy seem very small. It’s similar to how the constant reuse of Tatooine (and identical deserts) has become stale and boring.

From a narrative perspective, fixating on Alderaan would invalidate the film’s outcome. Why does it matter that the heroes saved Alderaan from the Trade Federation if, a few films later, the planet gets blown up? It would, in a chronological viewing, be a very impactful moment, I don’t doubt. But not in a way that the audience would like. It would be similar to how the sequel trilogy invalidated everything that happened in the original films (destroying the New Republic and having another Jedi purge).

Alderaan will feature more heavily in my version of the prequel trilogy (as will Bail Organa). The prequels should enhance the original trilogy, and making Alderaan’s destruction more impactful will make the Empire seem more dangerous and evil. But focusing too heavily on Alderaan will undermine the originals. It would substitute actual impact for worthless shock value. The Phantom Menace will still revolve around Naboo.

The Call to Adventure

As discussed in Part 1, my version of the Phantom Menace will start in the final hours of the Hyper Stark War. This battle is meant to introduce the main characters, establish the state of the Galaxy, and be visually exciting. But the film’s central conflict is still the Trade Federation-Naboo trade dispute/war.

I don’t want to waste screen time with extensive meetings and negotiations that explain and chronicle the trade disputes’ progress from blockade to occupation to war.  I think it kills the pacing. It almost inevitably involves a lot of exposition-heavy scenes. Political disputes, with lots of meetings, can make for an entertaining film, but Star Wars is not that kind of movie. Some politics is essential, and the original trilogy does include politics, but it needs to be woven into the action.

The actual film is comprised predominantly of long meetings and politics-heavy dialogue. The action is reserved, almost exclusively, for the final act. In my version, I’d rather skip ahead to the exciting bit (which is the same reason George Lucas started the saga with episode 4). Instead of a long set-up, there will be a fairytale-esc call to adventure. This also happens in episode 4 (it rhymes!).

After the opening battle, a trio of politicians should arrive at the victorious Republic’s military field base to recruit Qui Gon Jin for a secret mission. The trio will include Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine, Alderaan Senator Bail Organa, and Jedi Master Count Dooku. These characters are essential to the story and should be introduced in the first film. As it currently stands, Count Dooku doesn’t appear until halfway through episode 2, whilst Bail Organa randomly shows up in episode 3.

The meeting between the trio and Qui Gon will occur immediately after the battle. I imagine their ship will land at the Republic’s field base just as the battle concludes, or while Qui Gon and Obi-Wan are having a heart-to-heart about a Jedi’s purpose (see part 1). The meeting will be held on their ship, and Obi-Wan, as a Padawan, will be banned from attending. He’ll sneak in any way (because his arc is about impatience). This could involve a fun vent-crawling scene.

During the ‘call to adventure’ meeting, the trio will inform Qui Gon (and Obi-Wan, who’s secretly listening) that the Trade Federation has invaded Naboo due to a trade dispute. With the Republic Senate distracted by the Hyper Stark War, Naboo received no support and was quickly conquered by the Federation’s droid army. Some comments should be made about the Republic fighting for core world issues (hyperspace lanes) and ignoring peripheral issues (exploitation by mega-corporations). This will help establish the later Separatist Crisis and should also be mentioned in the opening crawl.

To make the scene more visually interesting, the trio should play some recordings of the invasion. It will only be a few brief snippets of the invasion, nothing too long. The footage will show the droid army’s march on Theed (Naboo’s capital), the subjugation of the Naboo people and a brief field battle between the Droids and the Gungans. The last point (the Droid-Gungan battle) will be adapted from the actual movie’s final confrontation. It was a visually cool scene, but there was too much happening in the closing act. So, I’m repurposing it here.

The trio will then explain (succinctly) that the Trade Federation needs the Naboo Queen to sign a confession of guilt. This will legitimise the invasion and prevent the Republic from acting. The Queen escaped before signing and is now missing. If the Republic does nothing about the invasion, the periphery will see it as Republic indifference and the galaxy will be torn in half. Therefore, the Queen must be found and brought before the Republic Senate to testify.

The Queen’s ship, they’ll report, was last seen over Tatooine. In the actual film, Tatooine is a neglected Republic world. But I think the Republic should be smaller than the Empire, and I need a reason for the rescue mission to be legally difficult (my reasons are below). So, Hutt Space will, in this version, be independent. I think this is compatible with the established Clone Wars canon (in which the Republic seeks out the Hutts as allies). So, Tatooine is not Republic territory, and the Jedi have no jurisdiction there. Republic law is stopping them from saving the Queen.

Count Dooku, still a Jedi master, wants to disregard the law and go anyway. However, as a long-time critic of the Jedi Council’s stagnation and its bureaucratic deviation from the force, there are too many eyes on him. He can’t go and is hopeful that his former apprentice and fellow critic, Qui Gon Jinn, will go to Tatooine in his place. Qui Gon agrees. He’ll probably say that, even though it requires him to break the law and go against the Jedi Council, he can’t ignore the suffering of Naboo.

Obi-Wan, listening from the vents, will also decide to go to Tatooine. In theory, Obi-Wan wants to save Naboo and stop the Republic from tearing itself apart, but he’s actually just adventure-hungry. After the meeting, Qui Gon (who probably sensed Obi-Wan eavesdropping) will ban him from going. It’s illegal and could result in Obi-Wan’s dismissal from the order. This is why I want the Tatooine situation to be legally tricky. It creates a legitimate reason for Qui Gon to say that Obi-Wan can’t come along. But Obi-Wan will sneak along anyway by stowing away on Qui Gon’s ship.

End of Part 2

This is getting a bit too long, so I’m going to stop there.

Part 3 will involve their first encounter with the Trade Federation, their arrival on Tatooine, and the introduction of C3PO and R2-D2.

See y’all then.

-Dexter