Just out of curiosity, what changes would everyone make to the PT story wise while still loosely keeping a similar story (and cast) that Lucas set out to tell?
I would cast Hayden in ?99, so both Padme and Anakin would have been the same age. Anakin would have been older, knew that he was special beyond just driving a pod racer (so maybe minor force powers like lifting/pulling tools), was friends with a more competent less goofy Jar Jar. I think this is beneficial because the romance between Anakin and Padme immediately becomes realistic. I?d build the romance here. Sheltered Queen with no time for boys meets rugged pilot (sound familiar?). It also makes the age difference between Kenobi and Anakin less awkward, was Kenobi like a father or like a brother? I always liked the idea of them being ?brothers? so having a early 20s Kenobi and 17 year old Anakin would sell that brother bond more. End result stays the same for the TPM.
Onto AOTC. I make it 3 years after TPM. Padme and Anakin are now living together in secret on Coruscant. Anakin is assigned to her security detail. Due to the established romance in TPM we cut out all that awkward cheesy lines from the first few minutes of the movie. I have Anakin and Padme get married mid movie, cut more romance out of AOTC. Anakin still slaughters the Tuskens mother still dies, everything plays out the same except we introduce Grievous this movie as the leader of the droid army and for the end changes. Grievous is in the arena killing Jedi left and right, Jedi get surrounded, gunships swoop in, Grievous runs. Later, Padme falls out and Anakin jumps out as well. We see Kenobi vs Dooku duel. Yoda shows up in time to save Kenobi. Dooku escapes, but Anakin/Padme got a gunship they crash him down. Anakin vs Dooku. Anakin kills Dooku to save Padme, says he will do whatever it takes to protect her. Movie ends with Anakin leaving Padme to go off to fight in the Clone Wars, we see Padme?s visible baby bump.
ROTS. Takes place 3 years after AOTC. We see toddler Luke and Leia opening the movie... looking up to see the Battle of Coruscant. Grievous battles Anakin/Kenobi in the opening instead of Dooku. Grievous escapes. Same plot begins to unfold. Anakin informs the council of Palpatine, when the Jedi show up we see Padme is talking to Palpatine. She witnesses the battle. Mid battle we see Palpatine wound Padme, Anakin senses something is wrong, rushes to the scene. Anakin finds Padme injured and goes ape****. Palpatine twists it into Windu having caused it, Anakin believes him, we can get a ?what have you done? instead of ?what I have done,? Anakin spouting off how the Jedi never trusted him, how if he was here it never would have happened, Anakin kills Mace. Anakin swears allegiance to save Padme?s life. Order 66. Padme is shipped off to Mustafar to receive treatment. We see Anakin go into the temple and battle dozens of Jedi leading his troops. While that is ongoing, we get the Yoda vs Palpatine duel. Yoda fails again, gets injured, but he and Bail go to rescue the children. C-3PO tells Yoda and Bail that he is supposed to go to Mustafar and bring the children to see Padme. Yoda fakes his ship blowing up to convince Palpatine that the children and he die, while Bail secretly leaves with them. Kenobi arrives too late, but is told to go to Mustafar to fight Anakin. Kenobi confronts Anakin in Padme?s room. Anakin has become more delusional. Is convinced the Jedi are trying to take over. Believes Obi-Wan was sent there to kill both he and Padme. Says he won?t let Padme die. During the fight something happens to Padme?s life support or whatever you want to call it, hit by a lightsaber, fight pours out into the hall, same fight happens. Same ending. Kenobi brings Padme back to Polis Massa, but it is too late. We see Vader get the suit, asks about his wife and kids. Palpatine says the Jedi killed his children and tells Anakin that his rage killed Padme. We see Alderaan with Bail and Leia. Final scene we get a toddler Luke playing on the famed rock on Tatooine to close out the PT.
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