In Episode II, Anakin mentions “aggressive negotiations” while telling a story to Padmé. When she inquires what that means, he replies, “Negotiations…with a lightsaber.”Many such negotiations took place in the film and many shots ended up trimmed or deleted from the final cut. Let’s take a look at some of them.
COUNT DOOKU VS. MACE WINDU
After seeing Obi-Wan’s distressing hologram, Mace Windu leads a team of Jedi to Geonosis and his first stop is Count Dooku’s private box in the execution arena. It’s one of the best entrances in the film, but there was originally a little more dialogue in the scene.
Here’s the excerpt from The Art of Attack of the Clones:
EXT. GEONOSIS, EXECUTION ARENA – DAY
In the archducal box, amid the uproar, Mace Windu ignites his lightsaber and holds it to Jango Fett’s neck. Count Dooku turns to see Mace Windu standing behind him. Count Dooku masks his surprise elegantly.COUNT DOOKU
Master Windu, how pleasant of you
to join us. You’re just in time for the
moment of truth. I would think these two
new boys of yours could use a
little more training.MACE WINDU
Sorry to disappoint you, Dooku.
This party’s over.Mace Windu signals, and at strategic places around the arena there are sudden flashes of light as about one hundred Jedi switch on their lightsabers. The crowd is suddenly silent. Count Dooku’s lips curl in slight amusement.
COUNT DOOKU (to Mace Windu)
Brave, but stupid, my old Jedi friend.
You’re impossibly outnumbered.MACE WINDU
I don’t think so. The Geonosians aren’t
warriors. One Jedi has to be worth
a hundred Geonosians.Count Dooku looks around the great theater. His smile grows.
COUNT DOOKU
It wasn’t the Geonosians I was thinking
about. How well do you think one Jedi will
hold up against a thousand battle droids?Super Battle Droids come down the corridor toward mace Windu, firing their weapons. Mace deflects the blasts.
Fast-forward to just before the Republic Gunships swoop down on the arena. Dooku is about to give the order to destroy the remaining Jedi. In the finished film, he simply says, “Then, I’m sorry, old friend…” and the droids prepare to finish the Jedi off. He was originally to have another line right after this.
Here’s the excerpt from The Art of Attack of the Clones:
COUNT DOOKU
Master Windu! You have fought gallantly.
Worthy of recognition in the history archives
of the Jedi Order. Now it is finished.
(pauses briefly) Surrender – and your
lives will be spared.MACE WINDU
We will not be hostages for
you to barter with, Dooku.COUNT DOOKU
Then, I’m sorry, old friend.
You will have to be destroyed.
MACE WINDU VS. JANGO FETT
Quite some time before the release of Episode II, some storyboards detailing two fight scenes leaked out the Internet. One set detailed the “rumble in the rain” with Jango and Obi-Wan on Kamino, while the other set depicted a more elaborate face-off between Mace Windu and Jango Fett in the Geonosian execution arena.
In the finished film, only some of this battle remains but it was originally more elaborate with the Reek playing a bigger part. Here’s a list of the events based on those storyboards starting from when Jango rockets down to the arena floor:
- Jango aims his cable weapon at Mace as he defends himself from the droids above.
- Jango fires the cable weapon.
- Mace whips round and uses the Force to deflect the cable away from him, straight into a destroyer droid.
- Mace turns away from Jango to deal with more droids.
- The destroyer droid turns to attack Jango but he releases the cable, setting himself and the droid free.
- Jango takes off to avoid the destroyer droid, rocketing low – as he passes Mace the Jedi lunges over his head and hits Jango’s jetpack. Jango goes into an uncontrolled dive. The destroyer tracks Jango’s path and begins firing on Mace who is in the way anyhow.
- Jango crashes and rolls to his feet while the destroyer droid still attacks Mace Windu.
- Jango jettisons his now damaged jetpack.
- Jango comes at Mace with both guns firing. Mace handles the fire from both sides while leaping straight up in the air to get out of the fray.
- Jango throws himself sideways and takes out the destroyer droid.
- Mace lands and deflects some bolts from another droid back at it, destroying it – all the while running towards Fett.
- As Mace comes at Fett, the Reek now chases Mace at the same time.
- Mace finally catches on and spins round as the Reek reaches him, chopping off one of its side tusks, but it catches Mace with its shoulder sending him sprawling as Mace loses his lightsaber.
- Mace rolls and Jango makes a run for the lightsaber but as he gets there, the Reek’s foot comes down on it.
- The Reek snarls at Mace as he gets to his feet, then at Jango as he backs away.
- Mace and Jango move around the Reek at opposite sides, Jango trying to get a clear shot and Mace trying to get closer to his lightsaber.
- Mace uses the Force to calm the snarling beast and gets a little closer to his lightsaber. He tries to free the saber with the Force as Jango moves around the backside of the Reek.
- As he’s moving around the Reek, Jango sees his discarded jetpack nearby and fires at it, causing an explosion.
- Mace flips out of the way and the Reek rears up, revealing the lightsaber.
- Jango makes a dive for the lightsaber but Mace grabs it with the Force first.
- The Reek tramples Jango and then charges at Mace, but Mace leaps up just in time and the Reek hits a wall. Mace lands in the stands and fights with more battle droids.
- The enraged Reek now goes after Jango, who sidesteps him as he charges and shoots him dead.
- Mace seizes the opportunity and leaps back down from the stands. He charges Jango, slices the barrels of his guns and beheads him. Jango’s body falls to the floor in a heap.
DOOKU’S DROID GUARDIANS
Count Dooku, while in the Geonosian hangar preparing for his hasty departure, originally had a whole squad of Super Battle Droids protecting him. The captain of the droids even had dialogue, according to the 2nd draft of the script. In the film, we only see Dooku’s pilot droid in the hangar bay.
Here’s the excerpt from the 2nd draft of Episode II:
INT. GEONOSIS, SECRET HANGER TOWER – LATE DAY
COUNT DOOKU throws switches on a control panel. His Interstellar Sail Ship is guarded by a SQUAD OF SUPER BATTLE DROIDS. The doors of the exit-port slide open.DROID CAPTAIN
Your Excellency!COUNT DOOKU turns as OBI-WAN and ANAKIN run in through the hanger doors. They draw their lightsabers. The DROIDS raise their weapons.
COUNT DOOKU
That won’t be necessary, Captain.
Stand down. And leave them to me.The DROIDS lower their weapons and back off to the walls. COUNT DOOKU looks at OBI-WAN and ANAKIN with slight amusement.
What happens to these droids, you ask? Well, for a little while they listen to Dooku and stand down. However, when Yoda makes his entrance, even the droids can tell that Dooku might need a little help and try to take out the little green Jedi.
Here’s the excerpt from the 2nd draft of Episode II:
Suddenly, the great doors slide open. The DROIDS turn fast, raising their weapons. Through the thick smoke, emerges the heroic figure of YODA. He stops on the smoke-filled threshold, FOUR DROIDS lined up on either side of him, guns pointed.
Before the DROIDS can get off a shot, YODA raises his hand, and the DROIDS are flung against the far walls and crash to the floor in heaps of smoking metal.
COUNT DOOKU VS. OBI-WAN KENOBI
In the 2nd draft of Episode II, Dooku taunted Obi-Wan much more than he did in the theatrical version and The Art of Attack of the Clones version of the script. I always found this kind of taunting to be the most entertaining part of a lightsaber duel, but in the finished film, only a few minor taunts remain.
Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd draft of Episode II that gives us a little taste of what could have been:
COUNT DOOKU
Kenobi, isn’t it? As you can see,
my Jedi powers are far beyond yours.
Now, back down.OBI-WAN
I don’t think so.OBI-WAN lifts his lightsaber. COUNT DOOKU smiles.
COUNT DOOKU
Ah, but if I must.COUNT DOOKU draws his lightsaber. He and OBI-WAN start to circle each other.
COUNT DOOKU (continuing)
I have spent the last ten years learning
to use the power of the Dark Side.
It gives me infinitely greater power.OBI-WAN
You will have to prove it.OBI-WAN comes in fast, swinging at COUNT DOOKU’S head. DOOKU parries the cut easily. As they fight, it quickly becomes clear that DOOKU is the complete swordsman – elegant, graceful, classical – a master of the old style.
COUNT DOOKU
Grand Master Kenobi, you disappoint me.
Yoda holds you in such high esteem.COUNT DOOKU parried another cut.
COUNT DOOKU (continuing)
Surely you can do better…? (parries)
No, I’m surprised. Has Jedi swordsmanship
degenerated so quickly, or are you
trying to make fun of me? (cuts)
Which is it?COUNT DOOKU thrusts. OBI-WAN steps back quickly, panting for breath.
COUNT DOOKU (continuing)
Come, come, Master Kenobi.
Put me out of my misery.OBI-WAN takes a deep breath, gets a fresh grip on his lightsaber and comes in again. For a moment, he drives COUNT DOOKU back. Then Dooku’s superior skill begins to tell again, and he forces OBI-WAN to retreat.
Something has always bothered me about one part of this scene in the theatrical version. In the film, Dooku tries to zap Obi-Wan with some lightning but Obi-Wan absorbs it with his lightsaber as if it’s no big deal. In fact, he hardly reacts, showing absolutely no resistance, and seems to be oblivious to what’s happening. When I first saw this, I immediately thought that the lightning was something Lucas added in during post-production but I had no concrete proof.
My friend Greg Rossiter attended a convention where many of the people who made the Star Wars films were guests. They showed some raw footage from Episode II as well as some of the other Star Wars films. At some time during the various presentations, it was made clear that this particular shot was in fact digitally altered in post production.
ILM took an alternate angle of Dooku’s raised, lightning throwing arm from his duel with Yoda and pasted it into this scene where they decided to have him blast Obi-Wan as well, but didn’t have the corresponding footage, since it was thought of after principal photography was completed.
Thanks to Greg for his many footnotes from this SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers) convention which you’ll see scattered around this site and his which you can see HERE.
COUNT DOOKU VS. ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Unlike the theatrical version, Anakin performs a little better against Dooku, nicking his arm with the lightsaber he’s using. Remember when Luke nicked Vader’s arm in The Empire Strikes Back? This could have been another cool (but small) connection between the two trilogies.
Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd draft of Episode II:
COUNT DOOKU (continuing)
That’s brave of you, boy – but foolish.
I would have thought you’d have
learned your lesson.ANAKIN
I’m a slow learner.And ANAKIN charges at COUNT DOOKU. The force of his attack catches the Count slightly off balance. Anakin’s lightsaber flashes. COUNT DOOKU draws back, putting a hand to his arm. He takes the hand away and looks at the smear of blood where Anakin has nicked him.
COUNT DOOKU
You have unusual powers, young Padawan.
But not enough to save you this time.ANAKIN
Don’t bet on it!OBI-WAN
Anakin!OBI-WAN uses the Force to catch his lightsaber and he tosses it to ANAKIN.
COUNT DOOKU VS. YODA
Obi-Wan and Anakin have been all but defeated by Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus and it looks like it’s all over, but in walks the little, green Jedi Master and all hell breaks loose.
Here are a few things to notice about this scene as it exists in the 2nd draft of the script. Yoda keeps his lightsaber in his cane. This is not as cool as the way it was revealed in the film, but it’s still pretty neat. There’s a line of dialogue from the Clone Captain at the end of the excerpt that isn’t in the film. Oh, and in a moment of coolness, Yoda leaps onto Dooku’s shoulders to try and deliver a fatal blow.Very nice!
There’s also a lot of photo evidence of Count Dooku wielding two lightsabers against Yoda which can be seen in some of the documentary footage as well.
Here’s the excerpt from the 2nd draft of Episode II:
Suddenly, the great doors slide open. The DROIDS turn fast, raising their weapons. Through the thick smoke, emerges the heroic figure of YODA. He stops on the smoke-filled threshold, FOUR DROIDS lined up on either side of him, guns pointed.
Before the DROIDS can get off a shot, YODA raises his hand, and the DROIDS are flung against the far walls and crash to the floor in heaps of smoking metal.
Silence. COUNT DOOKU steps away from ANAKIN to face the Jedi Grand Master. His lightsaber whirls in a formal salute.
COUNT DOOKU
Master Yoda. At last we shall
know who is the most powerful.YODA draws a miniature lightsaber out of his cane. He salutes formally.
YODA
Count Dooku. No interest in
contests, do I have.COUNT DOOKU charges across the space at YODA. He rains down blows upon the tiny figure. YODA doesn’t budge an inch. For the first part of the contest, he parries every cut and thrust that Dooku aims. Nothing the great swordsman tries gets through. His energy drains. His strokes become feebler, slower.
YODA attacks! He flies forward. COUNT DOOKU is forced to retreat. Words are insufficient to describe the range and skill of Yoda’s speed and swordplay. His lightsaber his a humming blur of light.
Count Dooku’s lightsaber is sent cart wheeling from his hand. He staggers back, gasping and spent, against the control panel. YODA jumps onto DOOKU’S shoulders, and is about to drive the lightsaber into the top of the Count’s head.
YODA (continuing)
The end for you,
Count, this is.COUNT DOOKU
…Not yet…COUNT DOOKU raises his arms and knocks YODA off his shoulders and then, with all his might, he uses the Force to pull on one of the cranes in the hanger. It comes crashing down on OBI-WAN and ANAKIN. But in the blink of and eye, YODA is under the crane, holding it up, using the Force. YODA closes his eyes and concentrates.
ANAKIN is unconscious, and OBI-WAN tries to get out from under the crane. The fallen crane trembles and starts to life. Behind it, the sound of the Sail Ship’s engines are heard starting up.
YODA concentrates harder. Slowly, the crane rises. The SOUND OF THE ENGINES increases. YODA exerts every scrap of his powers. The crane lifts clear of ANAKIN and is thrown to the ground. DOOKU’S Sail Ship takes off. OBI-WAN and ANAKIN struggle to the exhausted YODA, but it’s too late. The Sail Ship rises into the air and flies away. PADMÉ and a CLONE CAPTAIN with about TEN TROOPERS appear in the doorway.
PADMÉ
Anakin!PADMÉ runs too him and throws her arms around him. ANAKIN is barely able to stand up. The CLONE CAPTAIN marches up to YODA, stops, and salutes smartly.
CLONE CAPTAIN
Resistance is at an end,
General. What are
your orders ?YODA looks at him and sighs.
