Episode 2: Treachery of the Jedi

Skywalker Saga

Rise of the Sith Trilogy

Episode 2: Treachery of the Jedi (Never liked Attack of the Clones as a title)

                Movie opens with the following crawl:

                Ten years have passed since the Battle of Naboo, and the galaxy has begun spiraling out of control.  Due to internal conflicts within the Republic, many star systems have seceded from the once great government.  Banning together under the wise leadership of Jedi Master Count Dooku, these Separatists have formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the CIS.  Dooku has separated himself from the Jedi Council, believing that the Republic is no longer serving its people as it should.  A New Order is necessary to bring balance back to the Force.

                But the Sith continue to cast their deep shadow across the galaxy.  The Trade Federation has somehow escaped prosecution, and it has become one of the greatest leaders of the Separatist movement.  This has divided the galaxy.  Those who demand justice for the Trade Federation’s actions claim that the CIS is a greedy and treacherous government.  Those who support the Separatists only use the Republic’s inability to bring justice to the galaxy as fuel for their campaigns.

                Championing the cause of the Republic, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has developed a new plan to bring order to the galaxy; the creation of a Grand Army of the Republic.  On her way to vote on this critical issue, Senator Padme Amidala arrives on Coruscant.  Little does she know, she is about to become the pawn, again, in the Sith’s diabolical scheme that will shape the course of the galaxy forever…

                The typical star field remains.  The story continues as it does in the original movie.  I thought, overall story-wise, this one was pretty good.  Now, because I included Sifo-Dyas in the first movie, even briefly, it should make more sense when the Cloners are talking about him.  I, personally, was like, “Sifo-who?  Should I know this guy?”  It should also make individuals wonder a bit what Sifo-Dyas was doing and whether he was good or not, making Tyrannus’ reveal that HE had killed Sifo-Dyas and took his place to the Cloners a bit more of an “Oh my gosh!” moment.

                I’d also change Anakin’s character entirely in this movie.  I don’t know what they were thinking for his character when they created the original movie, but it didn’t work.  Anakin was too winey and too obsessive over Padme, in a creepy stalker way, and their romance was so NOT-clicking.  It also didn’t fit at all with the character in the first movie or the third.

                So instead, we should see more signs of Vader forming in his personality.  He follows Obi-Wan around and is a bit more silent and brooding, as if always calculating.  He has been through a lot in his life, and at some point while he and Padme are alone he could reveal to her that Obi-Wan has pretty much forbidden him to return to visit his mother because Jedi aren’t supposed to cling to anything.  He needs to learn to trust the Force and let his mother go.  He resents Obi-Wan for this, for he never even got to say goodbye.  He also has been having bad dreams about her, which leads him to want to go and save her.

                And instead of hitting on Padme, Anakin should simply watch her from afar, always being there for her, and maybe exchanging a glance here and there with her, but not actually doing a lot of senseless dialogue back and forth.  At some point during the story she would then be the one to be sharing with him her deepest thoughts while he just listens and is there for her, something that would draw her closer to him.  I’m not saying his dialogue should be cut completely, but it should have been tamed down considerably so that he is more like Vader, standing there and speaking only when necessary.  And when he talks…it is powerful.

                So he could be arrogant and rash.  He could be bitter towards Obi-Wan, but most of the time you only catch glimpses of this bitterness when Obi-Wan’s back is turned and Anakin just kind of looks at him with distaste.

                And there should have been, in that first scene where they meet up with Padme again after ten years, an exchange between Obi-Wan and Padme as if hinting that the two are attracted to one another, something that Anakin clearly sees and looks quite green with jealousy about…saying nothing, though, about it.

                There is also a lull in the middle of the movie that would have benefited from a bit more action sequences involving Padme and Anakin.  I think the entire sub-plot with them should have been a bit more exciting, with Anakin saving her and risking his life a lot more, thus adding to the tension between them and the romance.  Instead of them escaping safely to Naboo, it would have been awesome to bring in General Grievous.  A brief scene with Dooku hiring Grievous, who is not horribly mangled yet, to find Padme would have sufficed.  Then having Grievous and a team of his cronies hunt them across the swamps of Naboo while they narrowly escape time and again would have made the romance much more believable and the whole thing much more exciting.  Then they escape from Naboo and fly off to Tatooine in hopes of killing two birds with one stone; attempting to save Anakin’s mother and escaping Grievous but only after a terrible final battle where Anakin leaves Grievous for dead after a vat of molten durasteel catches him on fire. 

                By doing this, Grievous now has a back story so people in Episode 3 won’t be like, “Who is that now?”  It also foreshadows Anakin’s own transformation into Vader.  It shows that what goes around comes around.  Finally, it would show just how dark Anakin is getting.  The Dark Side is starting to take him over more and more.  Therefore, he just left Grievous there, mercilessly leaving him to die slowly.  However, the scene ends when a few of Grievous’ minions pick him up and carry him off, indicating he will be back.

                As for Jar Jar and the Senate, that scene could have still occurred, but now it would be a much more serious Jar Jar, who is ten years older and who has been a general now for ten years.  Feeling that military action may be the only true solution, Jar Jar is completely on board with the whole Grand Army of the Republic being formed.

                It also would have been good to take out corny lines and scenes with C-3P0.  It’s one thing to have him in it, but at least in the originals C-3P0 was useful a good number of times.  In the prequels he is just there, and he shouldn’t be.  It would have been nice to see C-3P0 at least do something to help the heroes escape the arena or something of that nature.  C-3P0 should have remained with Shmi on Tatooine as well, thus adding to Obi-Wan not really remembering him.

                When Anakin returns home to find the Lars family out on the moisture farm, a scene could have also occurred with more dialogue between Owen and Anakin.  Since it was established in Episode 1 that they are friends, it would have been good to have a reunion here and have Owen explain that his father and Shmi did actually wind up getting married.  However, Owen learned that Anakin was not immaculately conceived.  Shmi had confided in Beru one day that Anakin had a father, but his father was not a good man.  He was a Jedi.  He left her and Anakin on Tatooine, abandoning them.  She never knew why. 

                Thus, now a new mystery is thrown into the works.  Who is Anakin’s father?  Why did he abandon them on Tatooine?  To add to this, when Anakin races to find his mother at the Tuskan camp, she dies in his arms as she tries to tell him that his “father is…Pl…Plagueis…”

                Owen tries one more time to convince Anakin to stay, but this time Anakin tells him that it is too late for such things.  The galaxy needs him, and his master Obi-Wan is in trouble (for the conversation takes place after they find out about Obi-Wan’s distress call).

                One final small scene I would add is a conversation between Obi-Wan, Yoda and Mace just to wrap up the whole mystery within the movie.  Obi-Wan explains Sifo-Dyas’ story; how he had visions, created the Clone Army with Valorum’s help, Tyrannus took over and continued the project, and so on.  However, now a new mystery has come to light.  Why would Dooku have done this?  Why is he working with the Separatists as their leader only to have him build an army for the Republic?  Is he truly good or evil? 

                Either way, Yoda states that because of Dooku’s choice to aid the Separatists, now the galaxy has begun to view the Jedi with intense suspicion.  Many are even blaming the Jedi for the entire war.  To have one of their own turn against them, it has crippled the Jedi’s reputation, and the damage may be irreversible.

                But then, to confirm that he is evil, the final scene shows Dooku bringing the Death Star plans to Sidious and kneeling before him and calling him master.  Sidious then reveals that Dooku is his newest apprentice to replace Darth Maul.  Soon, the galaxy will be in utter chaos, and it will be when chaos reaches its peak that they will deliver their final blow.

                And of course, there is the Anakin and Padme getting married scene and the Grand Army of the Republic going off to war as the final music plays and the credits finally begin.

                And the Treachery of the Jedi comes to an end.