Back in 2003, my friend Nathan Butler penned quite a few guest reviews for this site including a complete, episode by episode review of The Clone Wars mirco-series by Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on Cartoon Network. Lucasfilm had ventured into animation before with the likes of Ewoks and Droids, not to mention the Star Wars Holiday Special, but this series of shorts was different. Nathan’s reviews were posted as individual articles dated November 2003 to March 2005, but I’m going to compile them all here into one big retro-review. Here’s Nathan…
Tag: yoda
Episode VII Speculation: Darth Vader Returns!?
There are always going to be rumors surrounding any Star Wars production. That’s a given, and that’s actually part of the fun. I’ve posted a lot of speculation on this site over the years, some of which actually came true; some, not so much. When it comes to Star Wars films, much of the speculation falls within the bounds of what we know or expect, but what would a new Star Wars film be without a few new twists and turns that no one has really thought about yet? That’s where the fun lies.
So let’s talk about Darth Vader for a minute, shall we?
Yes, I said Darth Vader. You can call him Anakin Skywalker if you want, but like it or not, he’s always going to have that Vader stigma attached to him.
I remember reading a rumor a while back that said Darth Vader might appear in Episode VII. This was probably the spawn of nothing more than a fan with an internet connection, but I remember saying to myself, “Good God! If they jump that shark, I’m off the Star Wars train for good. If they come up with some lame way to bring back Darth Vader… I’m done!”
Then I did a little more thinking and thought of something that blew my mind a little, and will maybe blow yours a bit. Who knows? Read More
Read Some of Kasdan’s Original Handwritten Empire Script Pages
Writing scripts longhand and on paper is a bit of a lost art form these days. The personal computer age seems to have changed everything, much like the mobile industry seems to be changing life yet again right before out eyes. So it’s always fun to look back on the old days from time to time.
Slashfilm recently got their hands on a few pages of Lawrence Kasdan’s original, handwritten draft of The Empire Strikes Back. It was all part of this year’s “May the 4th be with you” (AKA Star Wars Day) celebrations that now (unofficially) take place every year on May fourth.
The pages are fun to read and while many have seen the old drafts before, these handwritten pages give us a few more glimpses into the development of the film. In one of them, Yoda seems to imply that when you’re a full-on Jedi, you can “see” things differently. You can actually see the Force around everything which is an interesting concept. Another mentions a deleted scene where Luke is training on Dagobah and fighting off some training ball droids that shoot stun bolts at him, similar to the one that Obi-Wan used while on the Millennium Falcon in the original film. There are a few other bits including Han’s line “…just remember that, because I’ll be back,” which was later changed by Harrison Ford to “I know.”
It’s a small bit of film history you might enjoy.
Source: Slashfilm
The Empire Strikes Back – First Draft by Leigh Brackett
Download: Star Wars Sequel by Leigh Brackett
The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and even as a 10-year-old, I remember reading about an early version of the script written by a Sci-Fi author and screenwriter named Leigh Brackett. She turned in a first draft and passed away from Cancer in 1978. This draft was based on a story outline from George Lucas.
From there, as the story goes, Lucas tried his hand at a draft or two but then turned those drafts over to Lawrence Kasdan who ultimately penned the script, although Brackett was still credited. It’s unclear as to the reason why, but it’s assumed that this was a professional courtesy since not many people really knew if any of her work ended up in the final version. Many interviews with Lucas and others who had seen the draft implied that it beared very little resemblance.
For years, this elusive draft seemed like a “holy grail” of sorts to Star Wars aficionados. In 2010, however, I was shown a scanned version of what appeared to be this draft by Brackett. It came complete with handwritten notes, crossed out words, and matched up with just about every description of the actual thing you could think of. If it was a forgery, it was an elaborate one.
At Starwarz.com, I also host a site called Starkiller. This small group of people specialize in Star Wars scripts. Being that I’m a member, we posted the script online and it’s the most popular download on the site.
At first read, you do get the distinct impression that it’s very different, but it’s mostly the dialogue. Many of the concepts and scenes are still intact.
SOME noticeable differences include:
- Han is never frozen and there are no bounty hunters like Boba Fett
- Lando has a different last name (Kadar) and a lady friend
- Planet names are different or changed around
- Yoda is called “Minch”
- Han is sent on a “mission” to speak to his powerful Step-father (which is supposed to be part of the next film)
and the biggest one of all…
- Darth Vader and Luke’s Father are TWO DIFFERENT characters
Luke’s father, simply referred to as SKYWALKER in the script, shows up in ghost form along with Ben while Luke is being trained. What’s more is he also tells Luke about his sister – who is not Leia. Her name is Nellith. Luke takes the oath of the Jedi along with his Father, Ben and Minch (Yoda).
It’s clear that Lucas wasn’t sure on the direction he was going with the whole Anakin/Vader story yet. It makes you think about Lucas’ explanation of how the whole saga was always supposed to be about Anakin Skywalker. When Empire was being made, it seems he had no idea about this. Nor did he know that Leia would be Luke’s sister, which explains his non-reluctance to having them romantically linked in the film. Was he shooting from the hip then, and is he now rewriting history?
Other than that, you’ll see that the general framework and outline from Lucas is pretty much there. Not much of Brackett’s dialogue remained but some of her spirit did.
For fans, this is a great find and a great read so I’m happy to be able to share it here as well as over at the Starkiller site.
Enjoy reading it and please leave some comments.
Download: Star Wars Sequel by Leigh Brackett
Unused Concepts
I normally don’t like to include unused concept ideas in the deleted scenes area, but these ideas from Episode III are just too cool to ignore. Read More
The Path of Luke Skywalker
George Lucas has stated in many interviews that the heart of the Star Wars saga revolves around the relationship between a father and a son. He might not have had those roles clearly defined at the onset or writing, as evident in the old drafts of the script, but he eventually got his characters there. The role of the son eventually went to young Luke Skywalker, who went on to embark on his “Hero’s Journey” throughout the original trilogy of films. He starts out as a young boy, is thrown into adventure with a wizard-like mentor, defies the odds, pulls off the unexpected, and becomes a hero. The path was not an easy one, however.
Dagobah
It may be a slimy mud hole to some, but to Yoda it was home. This swampy, hidden planet was where Yoda fled and where he later trained the son of a fallen Jedi. Some argue that Luke’s Jedi training was much too fast in the film. Initially, there were more trials for Luke to endure. Let’s take a look at some of the deleted moments from the planet Dagobah.
Special Deliveries
Let’s talk about delivering the twins, but more specifically about Luke Skywalker. Padmé delivered Luke (and Leia) on Polis Massa and then Obi-Wan delivered baby Luke to the Lars family on Tatooine.
Jedi Master Yoda
There’s no doubt that Yoda was one of the greatest Jedi Masters of all time. A lead Council member, instructor and a fierce yet reluctant fighter, he went toe to toe with the most formidable of opponents. Unfortunately, Episode III saw him retreating into exile to bide his time until an opportunity arose to set things right. Let’s take a look at some of Yoda’s deleted shots and scenes.
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.
Aggressive Negotiations
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.
The Battle of Geonosis
The Battle of Geonosis was quite a historic event when you think about it. It was technically the first big battle of what would be known as 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 big military test, the war might have ended right 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 of Geonosis.
Jedi Detective Work – Geonosis
All of Obi-Wan’s detective work points him to one last planet: the rocky, bug-infested Geonosis. After this day is done, Obi-Wan will have wished he stayed home. 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.
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. Let’s look at some of the differences from the finished film.
Jedi Detective Work – Coruscant
One of the finer aspects of Episode II was that it (in part) resembled a good, old fashioned mystery story. Obi-Wan is like an old 1940’s gumshoe detective in a black and white film noir piece. Obi-Wan is like the Bogart cop, hitting the streets hard and piecing the clues together. Mace Windu and Yoda are holding down the fort and trying to process the information passed on to them. Obi-Wan’s detective work began on Coruscant, so let’s begin there as well.