Reimagining The Phantom Menace

[jamesq]

shunn writes:

I was disappointed that Anakin as a child showed no sign of any of the dark character traits—cruelty, rage, craftiness, whatever—that would later turn him into Darth Vader. That, for me, meant I felt no tension in his interactions with the other characters, and it made his eventual seduction by the Dark Side seem kind of arbitrary.

This led me to thinking about what might-have-been. What kind of story would we have if Anakin Skywalker was a sociopath from the start.



Episode 1 - Phantom Menaces

1. Senator Palpatine tricks a bunch of dumb aliens (hereafter referred to as the Evil Alien Kleptomaniacs - EAK) into attacking Naboo.
   
   
2. Young Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi is sent on his first mission to investigate what's going on at Naboo. He arrives in time to see most of the Royal Family slaughtered by Darth Maul, who's working with the EAK. Obi-wan fights with Darth Maul and manages to escape (by design) with the sole-surviving member of the Royal Family, shell-shocked Princess Amidala (who's younger in this version - about 12) so that they can report back to the Senate.
   
   
3. Darth Maul sabotages the escape vessel so that the hyper-drive will break down near Tatooine. He's doing what he's told and doesn't initially understand why.
   
   
4. Landing on Tatooine they go to the only place around with hyper-drive parts - the junk yard run by a Mommy-dearest-like Shmi Skywalker. It's clear that she abuses Anakin and just as clear to Obi-wan that the kid is off-the-scale with the force. Obi-wan, out of a desire to help the poor kid (and raise his cache among the Jedi with a powerful apprentice) decides to get Anakin out of there.
   
   
5. We establish that Anakin is well on his way to becoming a little sociopath - he terrorizes anyone around him weaker then him, but looks like a little angel around everyone else. Obi-wan, stars in his eyes, misses this. It also helps if Anakin is older - specifically the same age as Amidala - 12-ish.
   
   
6. Darth Maul also sees that Anakin is great with the force and puts two-and-two together. His master is looking at trading up apprentices. He sees the writing on the wall and decides to kill Anakin.
   
   
7. Maul attacks and Obi-wan defends. Darth Maul is better with the force and beats Obi-wan like a red-headed stepchild, but doesn't kill him. He's still pissed that Palpatine wants to replace him with this kid and he rants about it. Along the way he alludes to "his powerful Sith Master in the Senate" but doesn't name names yet - he wants Obi-wan's help, going so far as to offer him all kinds of things that a Sith would want (power, sex, drugs, money, more power). He's got Obi-wan on the ropes and they both know it.
   
   
8. That's when Anakin kills him from behind. A close up on Anakin shows him enjoying it a little too much.
   
   
9. Back on Coruscant, Palpatine manipulates the naive new queen of Naboo into accusing the current Chancellor of being ineffective. Palpatine uses Naboo's new victim status to become Chancellor. He puts the force whammy on people when needed to swing votes and influence people.
   
   
10. The Jedi are informed of the return of the Sith. They're also presented with Anakin. They correctly decide he's a loose cannon with emotional problems and want nothing to do with him.
    
    
11. Obi-wan says "Screw you, this kid saved my life, I'm training him whether you like it or not". Thus establish that Jedi Knights have a level of autonomy from the Council. Also that Obi-wan hasn't figured out that the kid killed Maul because it was that or die (plus it was fun).
    
    
12. Chancellor Palpatine takes the young Anakin under his wing. There are two phantoms in parallel: Palpatine tricks the galaxy and Anakin tricks Obi-wan. Roll end credits with ominous music.

A few points: We haven't really had the climactic space-battle ending and we haven't rescued the Naboo people from the EAK. Amidala is stuck on Coruscant, the head of Naboo's government-in-exile. She's grieving and thrust into a position of responsibility she's not ready for yet. Anakin is the only person around who is close to her age that she can relate to at all. He turns on the charm.

Episode 2 - Defence of the Clones

Several years have passed and the EAK has been grabbing other planets. The Galactic Republic is in turmoil and doesn't have an effective military force because it's basically like the United Nations writ large.

Anakin has been training under Obi-wan, and also under Palpatine (Who told him all about his being a Sith Master right off the bat). Anakin has learned to be a charmer all the time and he's got a hate on for the Jedi because, aside from Obi-wan, they don't like him. Palpatine's training allows him to hide his true nature even when he's in a room full of Jedi Masters.

Obi-wan, not being a complete dunce, has noticed that Anakin is a bit off. His training is a little too fast. His answers always a little too right. He's like someone reading a script of how to be perfect-little-Jedi-apprentice. But how do you call someone on being too correct? It's only when Anakin loses his temper that we see what he really is. Mostly he can keep it under wraps when Obi-wan is around, but heaven help you if you're alone with Anakin once Obi-wan leaves.

Amidala has grown into her public role as leader of the Naboo government-in-exile, but in private she's still overwhelmed. She's been taken under the wing of the Alderaan-faction of the Senate, giving her a support network and training that she didn't have sheltered as a child on Naboo. Bail Organa and Mon Mothma especially help her out, giving personal advice and the Star Wars equivalent of a liberal arts education with blaster training thrown in.

During these character-development scenes, we can also establish that the Alderaan-faction is the voice of responsible government. Also, that Anakin has designs on Amidala, but she's a) not interested in a romantic relationship, and b) just too damn busy. Anakin doesn't like that one bit.

All of this can be wound into the plot:

1. Palpatine is using the de-facto state of war to increase his political power and the power of the state. Lots of people don't like this, because the Republic is so de-centralized, but it's happening anyway.
   
   
2. Palpatine announces the creation of a clone army to fight the EAK. The Kaminoans are tasked with this (their planet is not hidden in this version). In addition, they are hired on to build the fleet the clone army is going to use. The Kaminoans, realizing that this makes them a prime target, ask the Jedi Council to help.
   
   
3. Obi-wan and a bunch of minor Jedi characters are sent to Kamino. Anakin (still a lowly Padawan, despite his obvious skill with the force) gets left behind. The council still doesn't trust him. He blows his stack, thus proving the council right and also giving Obi-wan his first real evidence that Anakin is evil. Obi-wan still has his doubts, but he has to put off talking to Anakin until after he helps defends Kamino.
   
   
4. Palpatine tells the EAK about Kamino, but fails to inform them of the Jedi garrison on the planet. He wants them to attack Kamino and be destroyed in a close fight.
   
   
5. The EAK send more troops then Palpatine suggests, making the close fight not so close anymore. They send the bulk of their fleet to Kamino in an effort to destroy the newly decanted Republic clone army.
   
   
6. Amidala's private intelligence informs her that much of the occupying force on Naboo has left. She enlists her friend Anakin to help her and her personal troops liberate Naboo.
   
   
7. Obi-wan battles the EAK around Kamino. It looks like they're going to lose, but the first groups of clones show up to save the day and pull the Jedi's ass out of the fire. There are heavy losses, but the good guys prevail against the EAK fleet.
   
   
8. On Naboo, Amidala lands with her troops. They are still vastly outnumbered by the EAK and their droids.
   
   
9. In orbit around Naboo, Anakin fights the droid fighters, using his superior piloting skills and the force to eventually blow up the droid control ship single-handed.
   
   
10. On Naboo, the odds are suddenly reversed - the living officers and independent droids are now surrounded by the angry populous of Naboo who have just noticed that all the infantry droids have dropped dead.
    
    
11. The occupation leader (let's make it General Grievous just for shits and giggles) seeing that all is lost decides to at least take Amidala with him. Her body guards defend her as long as they can.
    
    
12. Anakin shows up in the nick of time and wins a hard-fought duel against Grievous. Only by calling on the dark side does he managed to win.
    
    
13. Anakin and Amidala stand surrounded by death and destruction. Anakin, all his mental filters laid bare from calling on the dark side of the force for so long, wants more - specifically he wants Amidala, and he takes her (cut scene to preserve our PG-13 rating).
    
    
14. Everyone returns to Coruscant to cheers and parades, but Amidala can't remember the attack - Anakin put the whammy on her after assaulting her.

The big problem with this narrative is that it ends on a big downer - the rape of a (hopefully beloved) character. All I can say is that Empire ended on a downer too.

Episode 3 - Revelation of the Sith

Months have passed and Palpatine is assuming more powers. The Clone army is not just chasing the remnants of the EAK around the galaxy, it's also becoming an internal police force silencing dissent.

A reluctant Jedi Council is having second thoughts about serving alongside the clone army. They've been witness to too many atrocities. The Clone Army and the Jedi are at loggerheads over every action. The clones obey the Jedi. Mostly. When there's one in eye-shot.

Anakin is newly minted as a full Jedi Knight - his heroism on Naboo is well known and his violation of Amidala unknown by everyone (including his victim). Plus, they lost a lot of Jedi in the Battle of Kamino.

Amidala is visibly pregnant and also concerned about her memory loss. She can't quite piece together the evidence though - something prevents her from drawing the final conclusion. It's Anakin, repeatedly putting the whammy on her - she's growing too strong willed for Sith mind tricks to work on her for very long. For his part, Anakin is irritated by the constant effort (and need) for it - if only people would just do as they're told none of this would be necessary!

However, he is super enthused about Amidala's pregnancy. We need to establish that he wants to raise the children or his turning on the Emperor in Return of the Jedi becomes unbelievable.

No one else questions her pregnancy because she initially keeps her memory loss secret.

1. Opening action sequence: The clones and the EAK are battling it out and Obi-wan and Anakin save the day.
   
   
2. The clones wipe out surrendering EAK soldiers. Obi-wan tries to prevent this but is stopped by Anakin. They argue about this when it's all over. Anakin has a callous who cares - they're the enemy attitude and Obi-wan talks about right and wrong. Anakin cuts him off with "I don't have to listen to you anymore, I'm a Jedi Knight too". It's clear they're not getting along and this isn't new.
   
   
3. The Alderaan-faction is trying to solve the rising corruption diplomatically and not getting too far with it. They start to lay the ground-work for plan B - what will eventually become the rebellion. Amidala takes an active roll in this, no longer the student of Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, but their political and moral equal.
   
   
4. Anakin and Obi-wan return to Coruscant to report what's going on. They're at their last straw as far as working with the Clone army is concerned, but they need to dither over it a little longer.
   
   
5. Anakin tells Palpatine that the Jedi are likely to quit. He deconstructs the factions on the council and correctly predicts how they're going to argue. Palpatine concurs and thanks "his young apprentice", showing that Anakin is fully dark side now.
   
   
6. Obi-wan has been summoned by Amidala who confesses her memory problems and the Anakin-related nightmares she's been having. Obi-wan, reluctantly at first because he doesn't want to believe it himself, helps Amidala to realize the truth of what happened on Naboo. She's devastated that her friend would do this to her. He instructs her to get far away and he will meet her later.
   
   
7. Obi-wan tells the Council, who summon Anakin.
   
   
8. Anakin is interrogated by the Council and Obi-wan. The council is accusatory, Obi-wan feels betrayed and Anakin bald-face denies it all. He want's to see his accuser. Obi-wan tells Anakin he sent Amidala away from him so he'd never see her or his children again.
   
   
9. Anakin flips out.
   
   
10. After taking out some of the lesser Jedi, Mace and Obi-wan eventually stop Anakin. He's shackled up and sent to a holding cell. Anakin is defeated but not out. He gloats that "his master Palpatine" will set him free.
    
    
11. The Jedi Council collectively says "oh shit - Palpatine is the Sith lord".
    
    
12. Mace and a bunch of lesser Jedi show up to arrest Palpatine, who rightly points out there's no rule against Sith Lords being Chancellor. Mace decides to arrest him anyway and we basically get the Mace/Sidious duel from the original movie, except Palpatine wins and Anakin doesn't interfere.
    
    
13. Palpatine issues order 66. Clone troopers around the galaxy sneak attack the Jedi.
    
    
14. The Jedi try to defend themselves, but are overwhelmed. Jedi knights left to guard Anakin get peeled off to reinforce other areas of the temple, leaving too few to really watch him. He escapes.
    
    
15. Palpatine knows where Amidala is (spies or Force powers as appropriate) and tells Anakin to kill all the Younglings in return for this information.
    
    
16. Anakin wipes out the Younglings and rushes off to find Amidala. The dark side now in full control.
    
    
17. Yoda returns and meets with Obi-wan. They discover that Anakin is slaughtering kiddies now and is going after Amidala. Yoda sends Obi-wan to defend her.
    
    
18. Yoda duels Palpatine and loses. Goes into exile on Dagobah.
    
    
19. Anakin finds Amidala, who want's nothing to do with him, enraging him further. Obi-wan shows up and they get into it. Obi-wan eventually defeats Anakin by disarming (and dislegging) him, but not before Anakin mortally wounds Amidala in his rage.
    
    
20. Obi-wan tries to save Amidala but cannot, she's dying too fast. She tells him to save her babies and Obi-wan reluctantly performs a light-saber Caesarian.

We're now at the same point as the original movie - Darth Vader disfigured and convinced that he killed his "true love" and her children. Obi-wan in hiding and the two Skywalker children being raised on Alderaan and Tatooine.

Comments

[garething.livejournal.com]

I like this better than the movies that were made. In fact I'd like to read this as a novel.

[jamesq]

You and me both brother. Sadly, George Lucas is Batshit fucking loco.

I was amazed at how easy it was to come up with this. You just take the existing elements and force them to make sense.

[missymorgan1.livejournal.com]

Change the names and write it as a completely independant trilogy. Then - on the massively successful book tour - You Reveal All!

[jamesq]

Ah yes, the adventures of Peecee-two Zenobi, Kedi knight and his evil apprentice Badican Skyrunner!

[snooness2]

Write the books, hide them somewhere, and once Lucas kicks the bucket cash in on the obvious fan mourning stage with your new trilogy.
;)

(I know this doesn't exactly work with today's copywrite laws. Alas.)

[oblivions.livejournal.com]

seconded, now that I've has a chance to read it.