The Battle of Geonosis was technically the first big battle of what would become the Clone Wars. This was the first big test of the clone army, created specifically to fight wars and serve as the Grand Army of the Republic. If the clones failed their first test, the war might have ended right then and there. There were many changes from script to screen, so let’s just take a look at some of the major things that were deleted or altered during the battle.
Jedi Detective Work – Coruscant
One of the finer aspects of Episode II was that it (in part) resembled an old fashioned mystery. Obi-Wan is like an old 1940s gumshoe detective in a black and white film noir movie, hitting the streets hard and piecing clues together. Meanwhile, Mace Windu and Yoda are holding down the fort, trying to process the information passed on to them.
Jedi Detective Work – Kamino
Obi-Wan’s detective work on Coruscant leads him to believe that something is amiss on a planet called Kamino, which seems to be missing from the galaxy maps and Jedi Archives. Sounds like a challenge worthy of a Jedi.
Jedi Detective Work – Geonosis
All of Obi-Wan’s detective work pointed him to the rocky, bug-infested Geonosis. He was having a bad enough day as it was, but add in all these deleted and altered shots and his day just gets worse and worse.
To Kill a Senator – Part One
Five minutes into Attack of the Clones, one thing is perfectly clear. Someone is trying to kill Senator Amidala. Two major attempts to assassinate her are made early in the film. The first takes place on a Coruscant landing platform.
To Kill a Senator – Part Two
Five minutes into Attack of the Clones, one thing is perfectly clear. Someone is trying to kill Senator Amidala. Two major attempts to assassinate her are made early in the film. The second takes place in her Coruscant bedroom. The ensuing chase leads the Senator’s Jedi protectors through various areas of Coruscant, eventually ending up in an alley outside of a nightclub.
Representative Binks
Senator Amidala seems like a very smart woman. Therefore, I can only attribute her appointing a buffoon like Jar Jar Binks as her representative in the Senate to the stress of dual assassination attempts. That, and the fact that George Lucas is a twisted individual who, when faced with the knowledge that people above the age of 13 really despise Jar Jar Binks, gives him a more important role.
IMAX Cuts & The Original Ending Sequence
In November of 2002, Episode II made its way to the large screen format known as IMAX. At the time, IMAX film differed from regular film in a number of ways. Read More
The Naboo Lake Country
When her life is threatened, Senator Amidala feels it’s wrong to turn around and hide, but reluctantly agrees to do it at the urging of the Queen of Naboo and others. Anakin Skywalker, her Jedi bodyguard, accompanies her to the Lake Country Retreat, a place of the Senator’s choosing. It is there that a dangerous and forbidden love will take root.
The Arrival on Naboo and Meeting the Family
The senator (and former Queen) from Naboo is in mortal danger. After an assassination attempt on Coruscant, it’s clear that someone wants her dead. Her Jedi protectors order her into seclusion against her wishes. Young Anakin Skywalker, no longer a boy but not yet a full Jedi Knight, is to escort her to Naboo and keep her safe.
Darth Maul
Let’s face it. Darth Maul was pure Sith genius. The only complaint that I’ve ever heard about him was that he wasn’t in the film long enough. Not to pour salt on that particular wound, but he did have a few some extra scenes in the film that were dropped.
Otoh Gunga
Otoh Gunga doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it? Then again, perhaps that’s the whole point. Like Utapau and Naboo, the weirder the name in Star Wars the better. Here are some things from the underwater city of Otoh Gunga that weren’t in the finished film.
The Naboo Swamp
In the beginning of The Phantom Menace, Jedi ambassadors Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive on a Federation ship for negotiations. They are instead attacked, and end up on the surface of Naboo. Qui-Gon Jinn finds an unlikely ally, while Obi-Wan Kenobi crawls out of a swamp to try and find his master.
The Battle of Naboo
The Battle of Naboo was fought both on space and on land and both were quite hectic. The information on this page will cover much of the deleted material from these scenes, plus some other surrounding events.
Naboo Rescue
The Naboo trade blockade led to the Neimoidians trying to kill their Jedi Ambassadors. Soon after that, the Queen was taken prisoner, along with her staff. Of course, the Jedi came to the rescue.