Thursday, September 3, 2015

What If ... Star Wars Prequels


























In another "What If..." musing, I was thinking about the Star Wars prequels, also known as Episodes 1 thru 3. Now, while I don't hate these films, I'm not a huge fan of them, so I was thinking about how they might be improved. What if, as the original Star Wars was the hero's journey, the prequels took their inspiration from the legends of King Arthur? Let me break it down by character.

Obi-Wan Kenobi = King Arthur: A wise and generous person, who also happens to be a very effective warrior. His one failing, though, is that he can't see what's right under his nose. His best friend is betraying him, but he can't see it until it's too late.

Yoda = Merlin: The voice of reason and prophesy that, when listened to, can save everyone, but when ignored, the other characters sew the seeds of their own destruction. A very powerful person, but also very unwilling to use that power unless absolutely necessary.

Anakin = Lancelot: A young prodigy that comes to learn the ways of the larger universe, but frequently goes off on his own. Very powerful, but also very head strong. He knows the right thing to do, and often does it, but his own personal desires lead to his downfall.

Padme = Guinevere: A beautiful Queen who tries to use her position to turn the thoughts of her subjects away from war and towards love. She is fascinated by the young Knight that has come to her realm and falls in love with him. She resists her own impulses for as long as possible, but eventually they both give in, leading to the Knight's fall from grace.

Luke = Galahad: Son of the fallen Knight who has all of his skill and daring, but is able to resist the temptations that caused his father's fall. He is responsible for finally eliminating the evil that the other Knights could not.

Palpatine = Mordred: Initially a young mover and shaker, some revelation makes him decide that the current system is broken and that he is the one to fix it. Giving into his dark desires, he gains followers and power, eventually toppling the bright and hopeful establishment from within.

Obviously I could go on into the other Knights of the Round Table / Jedi Knights, but I think you get the point. I think we could have had a much better set of movies if we had this as the underlying current rather than the political/taxation intrigue that we did.

What do you think? Am I going too far out on a limb here?


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6 comments:

  1. Solid idea, can we assume then, that the lady of the lake = the force?

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    1. You know, I hadn't thought about it, really. That does make a whole lot of sense, though, especially if you're going with the Excalibur version of her.

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  2. You're assigning some level characterization and motivation to the principal characters of the movies, so your idea is already better than the Star Wars prequels in my opinion.

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    1. Yeah, I kind of figured that "any change would be a good change" where you were concerned. ;)

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  3. When you think about Lancelot destroying the Knights of the Round Table due to his inability to deny the temptation of the flesh, it matches perfectly with Anakin.

    And, Obi-Wan falling to a noble death in battle is spot on.

    Palpatine would likely be Morgan Le Fey, since she was the one who inspired, motivated, and corrupted Mordred. Anakin and Vader (if viewed as two entities via the change in the light side versus the dark side) form both Lancelot and Mordred, split down the middle.

    And, since Obi-Wan died in battle with (but not by the hand of) Vader, the tragedy really becomes clear.

    Good piece, I still have to give it more thought.

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    1. Actually, building on what Keith came up with above, what if Morgan is The Dark Side and the Lady of the Lake is the Light Side? Then Morgan can influence both Palpatine and Anakin, while Obi-Wan and Yoda are supported by the Lady.

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