Send in the Clones

My last dip into fantasy Hollywood was to armchair screenwrite 'The Phantom Menace' with an imaginary George Lucas and produce a prequel story that both stuck with Lucas' vision/ideas for his universe while molding it a little bit into a more cohesive story that I (at least) wanted it to be.

Doing that, though, assumed that I'd be following it up with a Maybe Studios re-do of 'Attack of the Clones,' which I've found a little more challenging because, to be honest, I didn't hate that movie. Now, I didn't hate 'Menace' either, but my recent re-watching of the prequels showed that 'Clones' was pretty good if you cut out all the scenes with C3PO and ended all of Padme and Anakin's scenes together about 90 seconds early.

So mostly this version will be to integrate some of the minor changes I did in 'Menace' and set the stage for some much bigger changes in 'Revenge of the Sith.'

Again, it isn't my intent to actually re-write the movie. Many other fans have done that and a lot have done it better than I probably could. Holding true to my original intent, this re-do will take the elements Lucas created for the story, and just kind of trim and refocus them to align more with my tastes. In other words, we at the Maybe Machine are pretending that we're working with George Lucas rather than replacing him.

Setting the Stage: The Galactic Senate
I don't know how the Galactic Republic has been running for a thousand years because the Senate I see in action is indecisive and powerless. It feels a lot like a space-United Nations, with individual member nations/planets pushing for their own interests and only cooperating with others when it benefits them. Obviously there are power blocks within the Senate, such as however many systems have united to form the Trade Federation, and they would wield more clout than any other single system. That's how they were able to stalemate the Senate during their embargo of Naboo.

The Senate itself (and the position of chancellor) doesn't have any real authority beyond that which the planets grant them. Obviously Palpatine is trying to change this, but as we enter Episode II, the Republic is fracturing as the Separatists chip away at the Senate, enticing away systems and groups who don't feel the benefit of staying. It's a parallel to the American Civil War (or any civil war, I guess), where the nation couldn't survive if the member states were allowed to pack up and leave whenever they disagreed. Frankly, I have a hard time understanding why Amidala was opposed to the idea of a Republic Army, but there you go...

The Plan:
Again, I think it's important to spell out Palpatine's original plan here to fully appreciate the string pulling as well as identify when the heroes have disrupted a part of it that he needs to adapt to.

When last we left him, he'd just been elected chancellor of the Galactic Senate. Although our experience with that body shows that it's actually pretty powerless, Phase Two of his plan involves the Senate granting an increasing amount of power to the position. He does this by manipulating Count Dooku into forming a secessionist movement and then pushing him to greater acts of violence against the Republic. Of course the senators will agree that they need an army to defend themselves rather than leaving it up to each planet alone. Once he's been granted control of a galaxy-spanning army, he'll be ready to tighten his grip on the Republic systems. 

To sway the Sentate to his way of thinking, though, he'll need to strike closer to the heart of the Republic where those indecisive Senators have gathered.  


That's our stage as we roll the opening crawl.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Act I
Three years have passed since the end of 'Phantom Menace,' and Obi-Wan and Anakin have been trucking around the galaxy doing good deeds. Despite their best efforts, though, they've been unable to stem the tide of Dooku's secessionist movement. They've been recalled to Coruscant to brief the Senate on what they know of Dooku's actions. 

So far, the Secessionists are just a political movement backed by a terrorist group. Amidala believes that fielding an army against them will only unify the rebel systems and escalate things. In the Senate, she and Organa oppose the formation of a Grand Army and promote the Jedi as the peacekeeping solution against Dooku's terrorist forces.

Her efforts take a sudden blow when an explosion rips through the Senate building and a hologram of Dooku takes credit for it. Anakin, of course, is mostly concerned with Padme and races to find her in the wreckage. Fortunately, she was kept safe by her now-fiance Bail Organa, and Anakin doesn't know whether to be happy or jealous.

For those who knew Dooku as a Jedi, this terrorist attack doesn't seem like him, but Anakin and Obi-Wan saw first hand what his forces were doing in the Outer Rim and wouldn't put it past him.

Act II pt 1
In the wake of the Senate bombing, Palpatine takes on some additional executive authority to preserve the security of the Republic. The senate approval of the Grand Army looks imminent, and only catching those behind the bombing can halt the coming war. Of course Anakin makes vast, empty promises to her, which only adds to the pressure he's under to produce.

Obi-Wan and Anakin investigate the source of the bombing through some good old fashioned sleuthing and they report their findings to the Jedi Council.  Of equal importance is Anakin's growing frustration with his lack of control over the great powers at his command. He hides it well, but it's there under the surface for the darkly observant Palpatine to notice.  

Ultimately, they track the explosion to a Mandalorian clan which had proclaimed for the Separatists. The two Jedi infiltrate their hideout, and a battle between them and a handful of Mandalorians ends with the Mandos taking their own lives rather than being captured. 

Meanwhile, Padme is attempting to block the formation of an army by blocking its funding, but in the process uncovers evidence that Palpatine has already begun illegally outfitting an army and traces it to a planet called Kamino.

Act II pt 2
Padme wants to go on a fact-finding mission to Kamino and asks Bail to go with her. He needs to stay and continue their work at the Senate and actually suggests Anakin be the one to go with her. For Obi-Wan's part, he saw a bit of the rage that Anakin was displaying during the fight with the Mandos and suggests it might be good for him to get away for a bit. He assures him that the Mandalorian situation is resolved and he can spare some time off.

He's lying, though, because as soon as Ani is gone, he begins following up on the head of the Mando clan. He knows how they work and knows those on Coruscant wouldn't be acting without orders from their clan head. A Mandalorian named Jango Fett was calling the shots. He ultimately tracks Fett to a planet called Geonosis.

While all this is going on, Anakin and Padme are on their way to Kamino. It's obvious there's some romantic tension between them, but there still remains a class barrier. Anakin has the Jedi Order guiding his life, and Padme is ruled more by politics than by heart. Such talk is spread out over their discovery of, and introduction to, the massive army of clones that is being prepped for Republic service and has been in the works for a few years. 

On Geonosis, Obi-Wan infiltrates the compound and discovers the headquarters of the Separatists, but is captured half-way through giving his report.

On Kamino, Padme is reporting her discoveries to Organa who agrees to reveal it at the next Senate assembly. Their conversation is interrupted, though, by the receipt of Obi-Wan's report. They witness his capture by Fett and the battle droids. Organa also witnesses the transmission and says he'll inform the Council. Anakin heads out immediately to rescue Obi-Wan, and Padme won't be left behind.

Dooku has a talk with Obi-Wan, explaining his suspicions about a Dark Side presence in the government, but Obi-Wan doesn't believe him. It's worth mentioning that, in this version, Dooku is not a Sith. Rather, he's a former Jedi who left the order when he sensed it falling under the control of the Dark Side. Everything he says to Obi-Wan is his true belief, and it's a real shame he doesn't believe him.

Act III
The finale plays out almost exactly like it did in the original film. Anakin, Padme and R2 maneuver through the droid factory until they too are captured, and all three are dumped into the arena. Thinking they're going to die, Padme admits her love to Anakin before they and Obi-Wan are trussed up in the arena to face off against the three space monsters.

They're a hair's breadth away from being executed by the Geonosians when the rest of the Jedi Council shows up. What started as a rescue, though, turns into a war as the Geonosian droid factory opens up and spills out squads of battle droids and tanks. The Jedi are saved by the timely arrival of Bail Organa and the Clone Army, and the battle of Geonosis begins.

Padme declares that they can end the war before it starts if they can get Dooku, and she leads Obi-Wan and Anakin after him.

He leads them into a trap, though, and Padme is seriously injured. Anakin loses his shit and goes after Dooku hard. His power can't match Dooku's skill, though, and he manages to defeat him by lopping off one of his arms. As more back-up arrives, Dooku flees.

Anakin's last sight before blacking out is seeing Padme being cared for by Bail Organa.

Credits.

So again, it's recognizable as the original 'Attack of the Clones', but with some adjustments to play up Palpatine's manipulations (Dooku  is not a Sith but rather an unknowing tool) and stay true to the original trilogy characters (Yoda is not a great warrior).

The love story between Anakin and Padme gets a little help by being introduced more in Phantom Menace and allowed to grow over the course of this film.