Meanwhile, Back on Coruscant…

Episode III turned out to be one of the most galaxy-spanning films of the series, mostly due to the fact that the Clone Wars were still happening. It became necessary to show Jedi and other characters at war all over. Our main characters also traveled heavily. Meanwhile, the puppet master and phantom menace himself – the soon to be Emperor Palpatine – was cementing his place of power on Coruscant, the heart of the galaxy. Here are a few more scenes we didn’t get to see concerning Coruscant.

ORGANA AND ANTILLES

The Organa and Antilles families are quite well known on Alderaan and to a point, we should assume, Coruscant as well. Before the film was out, a source told me that Bail Organa’s wife, Queen Breha Organa (formerly Breha Antilles), is actually related to Captain Antilles, though we weren’t sure how. Perhaps he was a brother or cousin to her. To complicate matters, the name Antilles seems to be a popular name in the Star Wars galaxy which leads me to my next point.

Wedge Antilles is one of the most loved of the minor characters from the original films, so of course when the name Antilles started flying around in regards to the prequels, people started to wonder if anyone was related to Wedge. Thus far, nothing has turned up to confirm that anyone was indeed related to the rebel pilot, but in one issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine that featured some Episode III concept art, there was an illustration labeled “Wedge Antilles’ Father.” There’s nothing more to it and no relevant caption.

So the question is this: Was the character of Raymus Antilles, Captain of the Tantive IV, in Episode III originally supposed to be the father of Wedge? Was he supposed to be the father of the guy who got choked at the beginning of Episode IV (also named Antilles)? Was it just a Lucasfilm artist having some creative fun with perhaps a touch of wishful thinking?

Moving on, Bail Organa’s role was initially expanded in Episode III, only to have many of his scenes dropped. Even so, he was still in the film more than he was in Episode II.

Here’s one of the few smaller scenes from the published script featuring Bail Organa and his near death experience fleeing some clone troopers:

149 EXT. CORUSCANT-CITYSCAPE-PRE-DAWN
BAIL ORGANA struggles to pull himself into the Speeder as it races along through the cityscape. Finally, he climbs in, just as the Speeder is about to hit a building. BAIL steers clear of the building and races away.

The only real difference from the finished film is the fact that he almost hits a building.

The next scene we’re going to look at is a little meatier. In the finished film, this was trimmed down to one shot in the hallway of the Tantive IV but in the published screenplay, there was another shot right before it. This shot is one of two where Bail Organa is asked for his ID for clearance.

Captain Antilles was also supposed to have some extra dialogue here. In fact, rumor has it that the original line below where he says they encountered no opposition was changed to say they encountered “some” opposition because Rohan Nichol, the actor who played Antilles, had a shaving mishap that left a cut on his face. Instead of removing/covering it up with makeup, they just worked it into the scene.

This was later confirmed by Starwars.com in their newsletter called The Homing Beacon. It read:

One of Nichol’s favorite memories of his role was turning an accidental shaving incident into a detail that built character. “I came on to the set and I had a bit of a nick on my chin from shaving,” Nichol recalls. “The nick was being very troublesome and it wouldn’t stop bleeding, so it had formed an annoying mark. So when I met George Lucas on the set, I apologized for the nick and he said jokingly that I must have gotten it in the Clone Wars! I said, ‘That’s right, I did!'”

Here’s the original dialogue:

154 EXT. CORUSCANT-SENATE OFFICE BUILDING-UNDERGROUND STARSHIP LANDING PLATFORM-DAY
BAIL ORGANA walks out of a tunnel onto a huge underground platform with two of his AIDES. He is stopped by TWO ROYAL GUARDS.

ROYAL GUARD
Identification…

BAIL ORGANA
Senator Bail Organa
of Alderaan.

BAIL and his AIDES hand them their ID cards. The ROYAL GUARDS check them over and give them back, then BAIL and his CREW walk on board his Starship.

155 EXT. CORUSCANT-SENATE OFFICE BUILDING-UNDERGROUND LANDING PLATFORM-DAY
The platform rises to the surface of the Office Building. The ALDERAAN STARCRUISER takes off and disappears into the crisp morning sky.

156 INT ALDERAAN-STARCRUISER-HALLWAY-DAY
BAIL ORGANA is greeted by CAPTAIN ANTILLES and TWO ALDERAAN TROOPERS.

BAIL ORGANA
Were you able to get hold
of a Jedi homing beacon?

CAPTAIN ANTILLES
Yes, sir. We’ve encountered
no opposition. The clones are still
a bit confused. It appears no
one is in command.

BAIL ORGANA
That will change soon. Hopefully
we will be able to intercept a
few Jedi before they walk into
this catastrophe.

Another scene that was dropped entirely, perhaps for redundancy’s sake, was one where Bail, Yoda, and Obi-Wan land on Coruscant after all hell breaks loose. All Jedi are supposed to be arrested or killed at this point so Obi-Wan and Yoda are taking quite a risk returning to recalibrate the homing signal telling all Jedi to return home to the city planet because the war is over.  Obi-Wan even gets to use one of his famous mind tricks on a weak-minded Senate guard.

Here’s the scene from the published script and I’m including an image of a revised version of the dialogue as well:

168 EXT. CORUSCANT-SENATE LANDING PLATFORM-LATE DAY
OBI-WAN, BAIL, and YODA land on Coruscant. The elevator door opens, and they step out.

GUARD
Welcome back, Senator.
May I see your clearance?

BAIL ORGANA
Certainly.

GUARD
Thank you, you may proceed.
We will take custody of the Jedi.

OBI-WAN
It would be better if we stayed
with the Senator.

GUARD
It would be better if they
stayed with you.

BAIL and his AIDES go into the Senate. YODA and OBI-WAN head for the Jedi Temple.

CLONE WARS AND AFTERMATH

Way back before the film was even close to being released, a friend who was privy to some footage told me that he remembered seeing some unfinished material with clone troopers dressed as Jedi at the Jedi Temple. Other fans that I spoke to really enjoyed that imagery, as did I.

Here’s a passage from the published screenplay that mentions clones dressed as Jedi:

173 EXT. CORUSCANT-JEDI TEMPLE-LATE DAY
Smoke from the smoldering shell of the Jedi Temple fills the air with a brown haze.

174 INT. CORUSCANT-JEDI TEMPLE-MAIN ENTRANCE-LATE DAY
A DOZEN CLONE TROOPERS stand guard at the entrance of the Jedi Temple. Suddenly there is a flash of a lightsaber, a flurry of confusion, and all of the Clone Troopers are dead on the floor. YODA and OBI-WAN stand in the middle of the carnage.

OBI-WAN
There are several battalions of
Clone Troopers on every level.
Many are dressed as Jedi.

YODA
Dismantle the coded signal
quickly. That group back there,
soon discovered will be.

Of course, the scene itself (the attack at the Temple entrance) is in the finished film, but there’s no dialogue and it’s very short. The Blu-ray set includes this scene. Many clones approach Yoda and Obi-Wan, pretending to be Jedi. They give a status update, claiming to have recaptured the Temple. Yoda and Obi-Wan know what’s up and take care of business. Obi-Wan states, “You clones make terrible Jedi,” before they open fire.

While we’re talking about the Clone Wars, let’s discuss some of the starships that didn’t make it into the film, or perhaps were barely visible, off in the distance.

Two of these ships made their way into the Revenge of the Sith Incredible Cross Sections book thanks to the fact that much of the publishing is created in parallel with the film itself. Sometimes the films change and certain things are removed but the books have already gone to print.

The two ships in question here are the Utapaun P-38 fighter and the Techno Union Starfighter.  If you have a nice big TV you might see these guys in the background at times but I’m led to believe that initially they were designed for something bigger.

I’m including some other pictures here from various sources. They are things that may be in the film but are so buried in the detail you might have missed them.

The creature the trooper is riding on, for example, is definitely in the film although not from this angle. The shots of the Kashyyyk beaches are technically in the film, it’s just that the foreground elements (Wookiees, vehicles, etc.) are not there. These might have been background digital plates. I don’t remember the Wookiee with the horn, but for all I know, he’s back there somewhere.

OBI-WAN VIEWS THE HOLOGRAM

In the scene where Obi-Wan views the security hologram and finds out that Anakin is now a Sith monster capable only of evil, he’s quite taken aback. He says he can’t watch anymore, but did he really see that much? In the originally scripted version, this hologram was a bit longer and even contained some dialogue between Anakin and Sidious that wasn’t seen or heard in the final version. It’s a little surprising that Palpatine would be so sloppy as to not disable the cameras… or did he want someone to see? Hmm…

Here’s the scene as it is in the published script starting with some extra dialogue from the recalibration scene:

184 INT. CORUSCANT-JEDI TEMPLE-COMPUTER ROOM-NIGHT
OBI-WAN stands in a large computer area as YODA looks on, in the hatchway to the Main Control Center.

OBI-WAN
I’ve recalibrated the code warning
all surviving Jedi to stay away.

YODA
Good… For the Clones to discover
the recalibration, a long time it will
take. To change it back, longer
still. Hurry.

185 INT. CORUSCANT-JEDI TEMPLE-CONTROL CENTER-NIGHT
OBI-WAN enters the Main Control Center with YODA and heads for the hologram area.

OBI-WAN
Wait, Master. There is something
I must know…

YODA
If into the security recordings
you go, only pain will you find.

OBI-WAN
I must know the truth, Master.

OBI-WAN moves to a panel and flips some switches. He sees a HOLOGRAM of ANAKIN slaughtering JEDI, including the YOUNG ONES. OBI-WAN and YODA react.

OBI-WAN
(continuing) It can’t be…
It can’t be …

As ANAKIN surveys the carnage, a DARK-ROBED SITH LORD enters. ANAKIN turns to DARTH SIDIOUS and kneels before him.

ANAKIN
The traitors have been taken
care of, Lord Sidious.

DARTH SlDIOUS
Good… good… You have done well,
my new apprentice. Do you feel
your power growing?

ANAKIN
Yes, My Master.

DARTH SlDIOUS
Now, Lord Vader, now go and bring
peace to the Empire.

OBI-WAN watches in horror. Tears well up in his eyes.

OBI-WAN
I can’t watch any more.

OBI-WAN switches off the hologram. The TWO JEDI stand in silence for a few moments.

YODA
Destroy the Sith, we must.

OBI-WAN
Send me to kill the Emperor.
I will not kill Anakin.

YODA
To fight this Lord Sidious,
strong enough, you are not.

OBI-WAN
He is like my brother…
I cannot do it.

YODA
Twisted by the dark side, young
Skywalker has become. The boy
you trained, gone he is…
Consumed by Darth Vader.

OBI-WAN
How could it have come to this?

YODA
To question, no time there is.

OBI-WAN
I do not know where the Emperor
has sent him. I don’t know
where to look.

YODA
Use your feelings, Obi-Wan,
and find him, you will. Visit the
new Emperor, my task is. May
the Force be with you.

OBI-WAN
May the Force be with you,
Master Yoda.

I’m including some images here to go along with the scene. There are some wide shots of Obi-Wan recalibrating the Jedi message transmitter in the Temple, just outside the hologram room. More interesting, though, is the shot of Obi-Wan kneeling down in what appears to be the Jedi Temple, where he and Yoda find the slaughtered younglings. I know this isn’t directly related to the hologram, but it’s indirectly related when you think about it. This is where the hologram footage was recorded, as far as we know. In any case, the thing to note about this image of Obi-Wan kneeling down is that he’s not wearing his outer robes as in the film.