Speculation on possible directions for Episodes 2 and 3 based on the four previous Star Wars movies George Lucas has delivered the goods to his fans. "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" breathes new life to the Star Wars saga because it was written and directed by its creator. Lucas is out to please no one but himself, and while he may alienate people who know nothing about Star Wars, he truly cares about he story he wants to tell. This movie does indeed feel like the work of the original creator. This is the real thing, not a watered-down Hollywood retread of a money-making formula. "Episode I" offers the names Mace Windu, Bail Organa and Darklighter --these names have been in Lucas' Star Wars manuscript drafts from the very beginning. He doesn't pander to the mass market, with obvious cliches. "Episode One" cannot be viewed without reference to all the other films. When we do this, it is vastly entertaining. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle--the joy is in seeing how all the missing pieces fit together to make the whole. (Note: The speculation in this essay is based on the movies themselves, not on fan-fiction or novel spin-offs.)
The Fall of the Old Republic
In Episode One the Old Republic is about to crumble. Watto says, "Republican credits are no good here."
Tatooine is ready to embrace a "new order," and Jabba the Hutt is going to be key player for the Empire. How does the Empire form? In the original "Star Wars" we knew that "regional governors" controlled the solar systems. There is an Imperial Senate, and Princess Leia was one of its members (but also a secret member of the Rebel Alliance). But in "Episode IV: A New Hope" Governor Tarkin says "The last remnants of the Republic have been swept away." The original Star Wars began in the middle of a story, and the building of an evil Empire had started long before.
We also know that Bail Antilles Organa, Princess Leia's foster father and probably the real father of famed Rebel X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles
, helped Obi Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars. Bail Antilles Organa is mentioned by Captain Panaka at the end of Episode One, a nice touch by Lucas who tilts his hat to his fans. Bail Antilles is going to be a key figure in Episode 2. Biggs Darklighter's father is also mentioned. We can sense that they will be the hold outs against the burgeoning Empire--the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. Obi-Wan will become a "General" by the end of the first trilogy. The question is, the "General" of what? A Jedi Army? The early Rebel Alliance?
The Rise of the Empire and the Dark Lords of the Sith
At the end of Episode One Senator Palpatine
is elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, which echoes the position taken by Adolf Hitler. Lucas is a student of World War II history. He grew up in its aftermath, so the story is bound to show its influence. There are other historic references: the name "Palpatine" itself suggests Empire--the hills of Palpatine were the foundation of Imperial Rome. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has not yet been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force, but he will be when the Sith Lords return with the Trade Federation. The seeds are set for his conversion to the Dark Side, and the framework for the relationship of the Empire and the Sith Lords will also be established. "Only two there are--a master and an apprentice," says Yoda. The coupling of Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker will be interesting. How does one become the Master of the other?
Who are the Sith Lords? Where did they come from? What is "the Sith"? In Episode IV, Darth Vader's title is "Dark Lord of the Sith." In Episode IV, it is made clear from the outset that he an outsider to the Empire--he's scorned for his "sad devotion to an ancient religion" by an Imperial General. He is one in a legion of evil agents who control the Dark Side of the Force. He's cousins with Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. Can we expect Darth Mordred? Lucas's borrows heavily from Tolkien and the Arthurian cycle here.
Anakin's separation from his mother will be probably the catalyst in his conversion to the Dark Side. She's probably going to suffer a terrible fate at the hands of Watto or Jabba, which will create anger and fear--the seeds for the change to the Dark Side. Obi-Wan and Qui Gon find that Anakin has special DNA or something--this is left as a loose end in Episode One. You can be sure it will be picked up again and elaborated.
A Refugee on Tatooine
Tatooine is the homeland. It's where we find Obi-Wan Kenobi
as a hermit in Episode IV, but as we now know it's not his original home. He's an immigrant, and probably an unwilling one. Ben Kenobi ended up on Tatooine, and is a refugee. In the original "Star Wars," when Luke first meets him after the attack by the Tusken Raiders, he recognizes "Ben" Kenobi. Obviously, Ben has been in Luke's life for awhile. He's been watching over him from a distance. We sense that Ben is duty-bound to be Luke's caretaker. He knows Luke's real roots. He has the secret of his origins. Luke himself does not know who he is: the son of Anakin Skywalker. How he ends up there at the end of his life will be settled by Episode 3.
The Origins of the Breath Mask/Helmet
We know that Darth Vader fell into a volcano during a light saber battle, and that's why he's scarred and needs the helmet and mask. That has already been established in Star Wars lore. At that point Anakin will appear to have been "killed" by Darth Vader--the death of the good man. George Lucas has a chance to reveal to his fans exactly how Darth Vader is born. This is going to be the heart of the saga, what it is all about.
Princess Leia, Queen Amidala and Luke's Mother
We now know that Queen Amidala
of the planet Naboo is going to be Leia's mother and Anakin is going to be the "real" father before she is adopted by Bail Antilles of the planet Alderaan. In Return of the Jedi, Leia says she has vague memories of her mother who was "very beautiful but sad." This sets Amidala as a tragic figure--the femme fatal. Luke is Leia's half sister by another mother, not Amidala, whose last name may be "Lars" if Luke's real mother is Owen Lars' sister. Luke's mother could be Aunt Beru's sister also. It's also possible that Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are not actually relatives of Luke's mother, simply friends of her family. If that is the case, they've taken on a heavy burden for the sake of a friend--one which they paid with their lives. In any case, Anakin is going to get around with a few women in Episodes 2 and 3, we can see. Luke has no memory of his mother, according to Return of the Jedi. Lucas will probably introduce this character in Episode 2.
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru
will probably be introduced in Episode 3. This is going to be so cool. These characters introduce the mystery of Luke's origins in "Episode IV," and although they appear in only a few brief scenes, they are central to the entire saga of the Skywalker family. Owen Lars shares the dark secret of Luke's origins with Ben Kenobi, but he is not on speaking terms with the "crazy old wizard." We can sense his fear of the past during the famous "blue milk supper scene." When Luke says the name "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Beru and Owen exchange knowing glances. They are shocked. How does Luke know about that dreaded name? And then there is the famous exchange:
BERU: Luke's just not a farmer, Owen. He's got too much of his father in him.
OWEN: That's what I'm afraid of.
Although this line was originally intended to mean "I'm afraid that Luke will want to get involved in the rebellion against the Empire like his father did," it has now the potential for a deeper meaning--"I'm afraid of him becoming a Dark Lord of the Sith like his father did." Judging by Owen's harsh tone in this scene, it wouldn't be a stretch to have the "missing mother" as Owen Lars' sister. In "A New Hope" Lucas made efforts to show Owen as a broken man, and this was a brilliant move which now gives him the chance to develop this "minor" character as a key figure in the entire Skywalker saga. He has been made bitter by the drama which has taken place over Episodes 2 and 3, and he may even have been a witness in his sister's death. Did Anakin kill Owen's sister when he turned to the Dark Side? Something terrible happened, that much is clear. And Owen's terrible death at the hands of the Empire adds an organic depth to the tragic story of the Lars family.
The Puzzle of the Droids
From the very beginning Lucas said he wanted Artoo Detoo and See-Threepio to be in all of the episodes, but the way they are introduced in Episode 1 is a puzzle. The biggest glaring puzzle is that Obi-Wan Ken
obi doesn't seem to recognize the two droids in Episode IV. If he sees them all over the place in Episode 1, what happened? Did he just forget about them? Although Artoo has been "programmed" by Princess Leia to claim that Obi-Wan Kenobi is his owner in an effort to enlist the old Jedi to her father's cause, Kenobi says, "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid" to Luke. OK, so he could be lying, just as he did about Darth Vader killing his father, but when Obi-Wan sees the droid after the Tusken Raider attack, he seems genuinely surprised.
Also, if Threepio was born on Tatooine and constructed by Anakin, why doesn't he know about the planet in Episode IV? Shouldn't he be saying, "back here again?!!" instead of "I'm not quite sure which planet I'm on" when he first meets Luke Skywalker. If I were Lucas, I would have made Threepio a protocol droid from Naboo or Coruscant, and have the meeting with Artoo take place off Tatooine. That would better explain Artoo's apparent familiarity with the Tatooine terrain in "A New Hope" and Threepio's being completely lost on the desert planet ("What makes you think there are settlements in that direction?") Also, if you'll recall from "A New Hope," when Uncle Owen tells Threepio that he has no need for a protocol droid on Tatooine, Threepio agrees, "Of course not, sir, not in an environment as inhospitable as this." Threepio just doesn't belong on Tatooine at all. We know Anakin's a bright kid--he can build anything from pod racers to droids. But it's strange that he would be tinkering on something as unnecessary for the harsh desert life of Tatooine as See-Threepio.
The End of Episode Three
I am almost certain George Lucas will end the last part of the First Trilogy with a young Han Solo playing a high stakes card game with a young Lando Calrissian in a galactic casino on Corelia, Solo's home world. This will explain the references made in The Empire Strikes Back of Han's winning the Millennium Falcon "fair and square" when Han and Lando are reunited at Cloud City on Bespin. Episode Three will no doubt end tragically as far as the Skywalker family is concerned, so it would be prudent of Lucas to keep the mood upbeat for SW fans and point to the fun and optimism of A New Hope. A dashing young Han Solo flies off into the sunset with his newly won spaceship and utters to his co-pilot Chewbacca, "Here's where the fun begins!" Roll credits.
Note: Some of these questions are raised in
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