More Details About Star Wars in 3D And TV Series

From FlixnJoystix.com:

Rick McCallum, co-producer of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, had this to say about the upcoming TV series:

...McCallum confirmed that the TV series (and future DVD sets) will take place during the 20-year time period between EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH and EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE. He also said the show would reveal how certain characters ended up together, he didn’t get into specifics about which characters though. He might’ve been talking about Han and Chewie or Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett, but at this point its all speculation. Previous reports indicated the TV series would follow the exploits of lesser-known characters in the STAR WARS universe, so only time will tell on the validity of this bit of news. Finally, McCallum explained that the TV series would chronicle the younger years of Luke Skywalker. The plan is for the show to start production next year (after Lucas finishes his work on the new INDIANA JONES flick) and will have 100 hours of material produced. No details about what network the show will call home, or if it would be a syndicated series (ala STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and BABYLON 5).

About the next rerelease of the movies... Dude, 3D?

Jeez.

Anyway, if the TV series has the heart of the Clone Wars cartoons, I'm psyched. There are a lot of good stories that can take place in the gap between Episodes III and IV. Obviously they can show the early years of the Rebel Alliance. They can show Vader tracking down leads on surviving Jedi. They can show Han and Lando as teens or twenty-somethings getting into trouble. They can show cute parallel stories about Luke and Leia growing up. They can show Obi-Wan continuing to act covertly as a Jedi. And the ass-clowns who like Boba Fett can have him too.

But they can really, really eff this up.

Your Focus Determines Your Reality

Lard Biscuit, who impressed me with his surprisingly insightful essays on symbolism in The Phantom Menace and Attack of The Clones, has posted his first impressions of Revenge of The Sith. With this first post he's engaging in introspection rather than analysis, but I'll keep checking his site to see when he puts the real meat up there.

To see my previous post about Biscuit, click here.

The Normal Innocent Bystander's Survival Guide

Okay, I couldn't resist. This list is funny too.

Tips from The Normal Innocent Bystander's Survival Guide:

• Never take on someone that has just beaten the Hero, unless it is to distract him just before the Hero delivers the killing blow.
• If the Evil Overlord announces to the world that he has reformed and wants only to help people, throw a party and give away money; don't go. Not even if he's playing Prince's music. Especially if he's playing Prince's music. If he's lying, you'll be a hostage or a statistic. If he's telling the truth, catch the next one.
• Do not run back to get your teddy bear or puppy.
• If your child has an adult friend who frequently urges your child to clear his/her mind, or tells you that your child has "a rare gift," set your affairs in order. Your days are numbered.
• If mysterious strangers appear at the birth or adoption of your child and make epic proclamations about him/her, listen.

If I'm Ever the Hero

One of the most useful tools I’ve ever come across for detecting if your story has a bullshit villain is Peter Anspach’s Evil Overlord List. I first discovered it back in ’96. This list contains every cliché you’ve ever groaned at in any Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Superhero or Spy genre book, tv show or movie. The list is written from the point of view of an aspiring Evil Overlord who wants to make sure that he/she doesn’t “go out like a sucka,” to quote Mace Windu, er, Samuel Jackson.

The thinking-man’s Evil Overlord doesn’t make these mistakes. They’re so 20^th century!

• My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
• My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.
• One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
• When I employ people as advisors, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
• I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.

There are literally hundreds more where those came from on Anspach’s site.

Tonight I stumbled across some companions to the Evil Overlord’s List from the POV of the Hero, Sidekick and True Love. They aren’t as extensive as the original list, but you’re sure to recognize all sorts of “stupid hero tricks.”

Samples from the “Things I Will Do if I Am Ever the Hero” list:

1. When I am advised to destroy a magical artifact taken from the Evil Overlord, I will do so. [This goes out to Isildur]
2. Anyone inquiring after the secret of my strength will be fed a line of plausible baloney as to how this strength can be lost. If the bogus advice is followed, the leak shall be properly investigated.
3. If my Mentor tells me that I am not yet ready to confront the Evil Overlord, I will quietly accept his judgment and remain to complete my training. [Shout out to Luke.]
4. If I am granted a vision of the future, I will not try to prevent anything that I see. It never works. [Anakin, this means you]
5. When my powerful wizard friend fails to return at the appointed time, I won't wait until after my birthday to start my Perilous Journey. I will set out immediately. [Frodo, can you hear me?]
   

Samples From The “Things I Will Do if I Am Ever the Sidekick” list:

1. If the hero tells me to stay put while he goes on ahead, I will do so instead of sneaking around and getting captured.
2. I will be quiet and try to stay sober most of the time. If I get drunk and sing bawdy songs at the top of my lungs, I will attract prostitutes who are really working for the Evil Overlord.
3. When the Hero tosses me his car keys, I will toss them back, and take the bus. Let the car bomb blow him up for a change.
4. If the Hero is fated to slay certain entities, the Evil Overlord in particular, this means that I will not slay them, and should avoid trying.
5. I will not goad bad guys with statements like "over my dead body."

Samples from the “Things I Will Do if I Am ever the True Love” list:

1. If I have a friend who never seems to be around when the Hero shows up and clobbers the Bad Guys, I will draw the appropriate conclusions.
2. If the Evil Overlord tries to force me into marriage, I will insist on a ceremony so expensive that it will debilitate his industrial capacity. I will be picky about the tiniest details of the ceremony and change my mind frequently so that the resulting delay will give the Hero more time to rescue me.
3. After being forced into a compromising situation, I will not grab a weapon from the Bad Guy and toss it to the Hero when he walks in; I will instead grab a weapon from the Bad Guy and use it on him myself, before the Hero walks in.
4. When the Evil Overlord forces me to help betray the Hero, I will make a show of resistance and then feign capitulation. I will then use whatever resources are placed at my disposal to screw the Evil Overlord (in a metaphorical sense, of course).
5. I will never vow to slay the killer of my brother or other near relative; there is a fair-to-middling chance that the Hero did it, that it was an accident, and that I won't learn he did it until after I fall in love with him.

Galactica Season 2 Spoilers

Major spoilers for Battlestar Galactica season two from SyFy Portal. Read at your own risk.

Darth Kitty

Another silly cartoon from VG Cats.

How it was supposed to go down

Obviously, the prequels were nothing like what I imagined back when I first saw the OT, but it’s getting harder to remember what I first imagined. I should’ve written it down. Actually, I know did write it down – at least I did so re: my speculations about Return of the Jedi back in 1980 after having seen TESB – but when ROTJ came out I threw it away!

Duh!

I think I was wrong about pretty much everything except that I knew Han would be rescued. No-brainer there. But I did not foresee Death Star II, and I did not guess that Vader would “redeem” himself and turn to the Light. I also thought that “the other” was going to turn out to be Boba Fett, who was going to be not only a Jedi, but Luke’s mom in disguise.

Okay, that’s pretty freaking ridiculous, considering that I knew it was a man under that costume, but I think I read that theory in Starlog and they seemed to know shit.

In my version, Luke and his mom were going to team up and take out Vader and Palpatine. Maybe the parents were going to kill each other. Who knows? I can’t remember. I didn’t foresee the final ground war involving furry primitives either. If anything, I would’ve assumed that the Rebels last stand would’ve involved storming the imperial homeworld, Coruscant. Instead of Ewoks chucking spears at inept stormtroopers on an inconsequential moon in the Rim, I would’ve imagined ordinary citizens pushed to the edge finding the courage to side with the Rebels and storm the palace.

Viva la gente!

Hoo boy! Was I wrong!

So, I got to thinking, when I first heard that the prequels were finally going to be made, what did I assume the movies would depict about the rise of Vader? What did I assume about Obi-Wan? Did I have the presence of mind to write this down, you ask? Hell no!

Duh!

But since it was not that long ago, I can kinda remember that I had the following assumptions about what Anakin Skywalker’s background was gonna be like and how the story was going to play out. Based largely on Ben’s dialogue from Episode IV and VI and Yoda’s dialogue from Episode V, I thought a lot was a given.

I correctly assumed that:

• Anakin was from Tatooine.
• Luke’s mom was going to be something like Princess Leia.
• Anakin displayed Force powers from a young age.
• Anakin and Obi-Wan would clash over the twins’ mom. True, but not the way I imagined it. I assumed they’d clash because of a love triangle.
• Young Obi-Wan would be somewhat arrogant. True, but not the way I imagined it. It’s almost a passive arrogance.

But I was totally wrong about everything else! I assumed that:

• Anakin grew up with Owen.
• Anakin would have a calculating, methodical personality, and possibly be a ladies man.
• Anakin would have “warning sign” bad habits like smoking, drinking, gambling or cruelty to animals. False, but fun to think about!
• Anakin would be well-liked by other Jedi.
• Alderaan would figure prominently in the prequels. False. Naboo was the substitute for Alderaan.
• Corellia would figure prominently in the prequels. False. What bullshit!
• Anakin was already an adult, or at least in his late teens, when he met Obi-Wan.
• Anakin was a civilian who got involved in the Clone Wars.
• Anakin was a space pilot, but he also pitched in to help Owen with the moisture farm.
• Anakin was possibly part of a planetary militia and he came to the attention of General Kenobi because of his piloting skills and bravery.
• The clones of the Clone Wars were the bad guys menacing the Republic.
• The Clone Wars was an “idealistic crusade” that Obi-Wan and Anakin volunteered for, but had no true stake in.
• Obi-Wan was a military advisor to Bail Organa.
• Obi-Wan and Anakin were close friends who shared everything.
• Obi-Wan and Anakin were approximately the same age.
• Obi-Wan taught Anakin the ways of the Force without Yoda’s knowledge or permission.
• Anakin went to the Dark Side because it was the easiest way for him to use the Force due to his unorthodox (and late) training.
• Anakin and the twins’ mom weren’t actually married. False. How silly of me! No way could George have let Luke and Leia be bastards!
• The twins’ mom left Anakin, fled to Alderaan with Leia and married Bail Organa. She died not long after.
• Anakin ran off to face the Emperor before he was fully trained and was defeated, converted and turned loose on the Jedi.
• Anakin lost a duel with Obi-Wan and as he lay dying, he asked Obi-Wan to give his son his lightsaber. False. This would’ve been a big plot hole.
• Anakin “died” (i.e. his heart stopped or was he was, ahem, brain dead) after facing Obi-Wan, but the Emperor used his Sith powers to reanimate him.

Hoo boy! Was I wrong!

Attack of The Clones: Infinities (2)

Picking up where I'd left off the other day with the Infinities alternate prequel stories...

Most of the premises I put forth are hard to generate storylines from, but the following one gets Owen in the mix and relates well to the Episode IV.

What if Anakin had resigned from the Jedi Order after Shmi’s death and had stayed on Tatooine with the Lars family?

• Anakin tries arrives too late to rescue Shmi from the sandpeople.
• Anakin massacres the sandpeople.
• Anakin later relays Obi-Wan’s message to the Jedi Council.
• Mace tells Anakin to stay on Tatooine.
• Padme urges Anakin to go rescue Obi-Wan.
• Guilt over the massacre of the sandpeople makes Anakin obey Mace’s order.
• Padme goes to Geonosis to bargain with Dooku and save Obi-Wan.
• Back on Tatooine, Anakin is comforted by being with the Lars family.
• Anakin decides to quit the Jedi Order and tries helping with the moisture farm.
• After Geonosis, Obi-Wan visits Anakin and lets him know that he can rejoin the Jedi any time he wants to.
• Anakin becomes unsure of his decision to quit when he hears from Obi-Wan how many Jedi died on Geonosis.
• The Clone Wars start. Eventually Naboo is threatened.
• Hearing of this, Anakin resolves to rejoin the Jedi and contacts Obi-Wan.
• Owen tries to talk Anakin out of it, but fails, leaving the former with a lasting bad impression of Obi-Wan.
• Anakin’s Force skills are rusty and he finds he has to dip into the Dark Side to come close to the proficiency he’d once had – with predictable results.

The Return of Meco

Those of us who were around in the 70's will no doubt recall that one of the first spin-offs of Star Wars was the disco version of the theme song by Meco. I have this record (it's probably worth something on eBay!) and though I'm absolutely horrified by this song now, I thought it was the shit back then.

So guess what? Meco's back. I got an email today from Sony for their Acid music production software and they threw in the following tidbit:

In 1977, Meco Monardo produced the biggest-selling instrumental pop single in the history of the record business - Meco's "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band." The disco version of the movie theme effortlessly moved to number 1, outselling the official theme by the London Symphony Orchestra in the process. It is the only instrumental single to ever receive the RIAA Platinum award (selling 2 million copies). Thereafter, Meco became something of a specialist in movie themes, finding success with adaptations of the themes from movies such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Wizard of Oz, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

Meco's newest CD is entitled Music Inspired by Star Wars and unlike his previous Star Wars recordings, seven of the ten new songs contain vocals. Nearly all of the music for Music Inspired by Star Wars was created and mixed using ACID Pro software. "Except for the vocals and Peter Frank's guitar solo, there were no live instruments nor any MIDI used in the recording," says Meco.

Out of curiousity I went to Amazon and I cracked up at the names of some of the cuts on his album:

I Am Your Father
You Are Reckless
Boogie Wookiee

Etc.

All I can say is, "Craptacular!"

Build Your Own Lightsaber Kit

Okay, I know it's stupid and I know I already have one... but I want this.

From StarWarsShop.com:

Now, for the first time ever, fans can build their own customized lightsaber! With the new Ultimate Lightsaber kit, you can fashion your own saber to fend off Sith Lords or Jedi Knights alike. Kit comes with several accessories to enhance the heroic or villainous look of your saber, with a base hilt and three filters to change the color of the blade. Two extendible plastic blades are included, which illuminate when powered on by 2 C batteries (not included). Hundreds of possible lightsaber configurations are possible with this great new kit that allows you to choose your destiny!"

Oooo!

Attack of The Clones: Infinities

Picking up where I left off back on the 11th with Prequel Infinities. As you recall, the idea is to change one major thing, but end up with the same result -- Anakin becomes Darth Vader.

Attack of The Clones:

• What if either assassination attempt on Padme (the bombing or the insects) had been successful?
• What if Anakin had reached his mom in time to save her life?
• What if, despite the death of his mother, Anakin hadn’t massacred the sandpeople?
• What if Obi-Wan had been killed by Jango Fett on Kamino?
• What if Mace, Anakin, Obi-Wan or Yoda had killed Dooku on Geonosis?
• What if Dooku had killed Obi-Wan or Yoda on Geonosis?
• What if Padme had remained firm in her initial rejection of Anakin and they did not ultimately elope on Naboo?
• What if the Jedi Council had sent Anakin to Kamino to search for the assassin and had sent Obi-Wan to Naboo with Padme -- and the latter two fell in love?
• What if Anakin had resigned from the Jedi Order after Shmi’s death and had stayed on Tatooine with the Lars family?
• What if Anakin had resigned from the Jedi Order after Shmi’s death and had returned to Naboo to marry Padme?
• What if Obi-Wan had accepted Dooku’s offer and had joined him against Palpatine?
• What if Dooku had “outed” Palpatine to Obi-Wan in his “join me” speech on Geonosis?
• What if Jar Jar hadn’t proposed that the Senate grant Palpatine emergency powers?
• What if the Senate hadn’t authorized the use of the Clone Army?

More stupid Star Wars crimes

From CourtTV.com:

• For the clerks at B.J.'s Wholesale Club in Leominster, Mass., the phantom menace seemed pretty real in 1999. Toting handguns instead of light sabers, two men dressed as Darth Maul burst into the superstore and took $80,000 in cash and merchandise, according to police. The hooded villains then stole a clerk's pickup truck for their getaway. Detectives lifted prints off the truck and arrested Jason Palmer, 23, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The other costumed Sith Apprentice was never caught.
  
  
• Luke Skywalker was light-years away from Tatooine when he appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on charges of indecently assaulting a man in 2003, according to the Press Association News. The namesake, who appeared dressed in a navy T-shirt and trousers, nodded when the court clerk asked him, "Are you Luke Skywalker?" Skywalker denied the charges and was granted conditional bail.
  
  
• Though some might consider North Dakota a galaxy far, far away, police in Bismarck didn't believe a car thief who identified himself as Obi-Wan Kenobi. When officers captured the culprit in 2001, he claimed he was the venerable Jedi knight, saying, "I was just obeying orders from The Force," according to Road & Track. The thief went so far as to sign a police document as "Obi-Wan Kenobi," but officers resisted the apparent Jedi mind trick and arrested him anyway.

Read more

Darth Vader, Stickup Guy

From CourtTV.com:

When Darth Vader made an appearance at a movie theater in Springfield, Ill., on May 21, he wasn't there to recruit minions or to watch his doppelganger in the sixth and final Star Wars movie, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Instead, he robbed the cash register.

According to Springfield Police Lieutenant Doug Williams, an unidentified man wearing a Darth Vader mask, black pants and a black shirt walked into the Showplace Eight Theatre at about 9:15 p.m. The man made his way behind the counter of the front cashier area, shoved the employee aside and grabbed an undisclosed amount of money.

Hugh Jackman To Helm 'Wolverine' Film

From SyFy Portal:

For some, starring as a lead in a movie is quite an achievement. But for Jackman, it's just the tip of the iceberg as the Australian born actor's new-born Seed Productions has signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox, meaning Jackman himself will be producing the movie.

Even through I think comic book movies totally suck, I think Hugh Jackman does a good job as Wolverine. And I thought Van Helsing was a riot.

But I will not pay to see this movie. LOL!

'BSG' Gets Lawless In Second Season

From SyFy Portal:

Lucy Lawless, best known for her performance as the lead character in the syndicated smash-hit series, Xena, Warrior Princess, will be appearing in several episodes of the second season of Battlestar Galactica, as confirmed by TV Guide.

Read more

The Dark Is Rising

This is old news, but I'm pleased that Susan Cooper's "The Dark Is Rising Sequence" is being developed as a movie. This series of young adult books is like the Narnia books in that it concerns British children that get caught up in a good vs. evil struggle with fantasy beings, but I recall it being somewhat more disturbing.

"Dark" is in the title, afterall.

Read more

Arrrrgh! My eyes are on fire!

I can't blog tonight. I can barely see. We had the floors sanded and refinished and the fumes are freaking killing me!

My eyes are burning like a mofo!

Lord Raglan's Scale

In The Hero : A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama, Raglan lists twenty-two qualities that heroes typically share. Historical figures usually score six or less, mythic figures much more.

1. Born of a royal virgin.
2. His father a King and
3. Often a near relative of mother, but
4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual and
5. He is reputed to be the son of a god.
6. An attempt is made to kill him at birth(often by father or father-figure) but
7. He is spirited away and
8. Raised by foster parents in a far country.
9. We are told nothing of his childhood.
10. On reaching manhood he journeys to his future kingdom.
11. Faces trials and tests.
12. Marries a princess and
13. Becomes king.
14. Rules uneventfully
15. Prescribes laws
16. Loses favor with the Gods or his subjects and
17. Is driven away where
18. He meets with a mysterious death
19. Often at the top of a hill.
20. His children, if any, do not succeed him.
21. His body is not buried, however
22. He has one or more holy resting places.

When the scale was applied to various mythic and biblical figures, it came out like this:

• Oedipus scores 21
• Theseus scores 20
• Moses scores 20
• Dionysus scores 19
• Jesus scores 19
• Romulus scores 18
• Perseus scores 18
• Hercules scores 17
• Llew Llaw Gyffes scores 17
• Bellerophon scores 16
• Jason scores 15
• Mwindo scores 14
• Robin Hood scores 13
• Pelops scores 13
• Apollo scores 11
• Sigurd scores 11.

Out of curiosity I applied the scale to Star Wars:

Anakin (12):

1. Born of a (slave) virgin.
2. The circumstances of his conception are unusual and
3. He is reputed to be the son of a god (The Force).
4. On reaching manhood he journeys to his future kingdom (Coruscant).
5. Faces trials and tests.
6. Marries a princess (ex-Queen) and
7. Becomes king (Sith Lord).
8. Prescribes laws (Enforces order)
9. Loses favor with the gods (The Force) or his subjects (the Rebels)
10. He meets with a mysterious death (electrocuted by Palpatine)
11. His children, if any, do not succeed him. (His daughter goes on to lead the New Republic, not the evil Empire. His son goes on to lead the Jedi, not the Sith.)
12. His body is not buried (it is burned)

Luke (11):

1. Born of a royal virgin (Padme).
2. His father a King (Sith Lord).
3. He is reputed to be the son of a god (Father is a demi-god).
4. An attempt is made to kill him at birth (Anakin tried to kill Padme)
5. He is spirited away and
6. Raised by foster parents in a far country.
7. We are told nothing of his childhood.
8. On reaching manhood he journeys to his future kingdom. (Leaves the Outer Rim)
9. Faces trials and tests.
10. Prescribes laws (resurrects the Jedi Order)
11. Loses favor with the Gods or his subjects (Schisms emerge with his apprentices)

Leia (12)

1. Born of a royal virgin. (Padme).
2. His father a King (Sith Lord).
3. He is reputed to be the daughter of a god. (Father is a demi-god).
4. An attempt is made to kill her at birth (Anakin tried to kill Padme)
5. She is spirited away and
6. Raised by foster parents in a far country.
7. We are told nothing of her childhood.
8. On reaching womanhood she journeys to her future kingdom. (Goes to Coruscant as a senator)
9. Faces trials and tests.
10. Becomes ruler. (Leads the Rebel Alliance and New Republic)
11. Prescribes laws (Tries to reestablish the Republic).
12. Is driven away (Resigns as leader)

The Phantom Menace: Infinities (2)

How would these scenarios play out in a comic, with caveat being that the single most important event of the prequel trilogy remains the same – Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader?

Hmm.

What if Anakin had lost the pod race?

1. Anakin loses the pod race.
2. Padme’s ship is forfeited to Watto.
3. Qui-Gon, ever the maverick, steals the ship back.
4. Anakin has stowed away on board.
5. The Jedi Council tells Qui-Gon to take the boy back home.
6. He doesn’t.

What if Obi-Wan had died in the fight against Darth Maul instead of Qui-Gon?

1. Darth Maul kills Obi-Wan.
2. Qui-Gon kills Darth Maul.
3. Qui-Gon takes Anakin as his padawan.
4. As time passes, Qui-Gon starts to compare Anakin unfavorably to his dead padawan, Obi-Wan.

What if both Jedi had survived the fight with Darth Maul?

1. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon kill Darth Maul.
2. Obi-Wan is promoted to Jedi Knight.
3. Qui-Gon takes Anakin as his padawan.
4. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon maintain their friendship.
5. Anakin comes to resent this friendship.

What if Darth Maul had killed both Jedi?

1. Darth Maul kills Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
2. The Trade Federation is still defeated on Naboo.
3. The Jedi Council attends the funerals of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on Naboo.
4. Mace takes on Anakin as his padawan.
5. Anakin comes to resent Mace.

What if Darth Maul had killed Qui-Gon in their first encounter?

1. Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon while he and Anakin are boarding Padme’s ship.
2. Obi-Wan gets Anakin on board, but is too late to help Qui-Gon.
3. Anakin blames Obi-Wan for Qui-Gon’s death.

What if, after being rejected by the Council, Anakin had run away on Coruscant?

1. Anakin is rejected by the Council.
2. Anakin runs away from the Temple.
3. Anakin is found by Palpatine, who takes him in as his ward.

[Talk about worst case scenario!]

What if Padme had purchased Shmi’s freedom?

1. Anakin destroys the Trade Federation’s droid control ship.
2. Padme repays Anakin by purchasing his mom’s freedom.
3. Shmi is set up in a little house on Naboo.
4. Anakin goes to see his mom regularly.
5. The Jedi discourage this.
6. Palpatine has Shmi murdered.
7. Anakin thinks the Jedi did it.

The Phantom Menace: Infinities

I did some Googling to see if Dark Horse was doing, or had done an Infinities treatment of the prequel trilogy, but I couldn’t find anything. Surely they’ll do it. Easy money.

Speculating on where the breaks in continuity could take place in the prequel movies, I came up with the following for The Phantom Menace:

• What if Anakin had lost the pod race?
• What if Anakin had failed to blow up the Trade Federation’s ship?*
• What if Obi-Wan had died in the fight against Darth Maul instead of Qui-Gon?
• What if both Jedi had survived the fight?
• What if Darth Maul had killed both Jedi?
• What if Darth Maul had killed Qui-Gon in their first encounter?
• What if Padme had signed Nute Gunray’s treaty and Naboo had joined the Trade Federation?
• What if Padme had failed to secure the alliance with the Gungans?
• What if Anakin had been welcomed as a padawan by the Jedi Council, instead rejected?
• What if, despite the death of Qui-Gon, the Council had remained firm in its decision that Anakin should not be trained?
• What if after being rejected by the Council, Anakin had run away on Coruscant?
• What if Padme had purchased Shmi’s freedom out of gratitude for Anakin’s role in winning the Battle of Naboo?
• What if the Jedi Council had purchased Shmi’s freedom?

*This scenario is too close to what they did with the A New Hope Infinities story, so they probably won’t go there.