The Death of the Drive-In Theater

Please remember to replace the speaker on the post when you leave the theater... Movies and fun under the stars... A literal death in Big Sky Country....

***

We've all heard stories of the death of the drive-in theater. The number of drive-ins has been declining steadily since the 1960s, in many cases the drive-ins were the victims of high land values.

The worst news of all came within the last week. The Libby Drive-In Theater in Libby, Montana was destroyed by high winds. Literally, the death of the Drive In.

It made me stop and think about my own experiences at drive-in theatres. I can remember the rare occasion that my sister would take me to the drive-in, usually to see some "B" movie that the walk-in wouldn't show. Something scary, maybe, like "The Screaming Skull" or the Sci-Fi flick that I can't remember the name of, that gave me nightmares of a huge robot walking through the front windows of my house when I was six. The State Drive-In Theater, it was called. There are condominiums there now.

The drive-in was invented in 1937, in New Jersey. They hit their peak in the 1960s, when there were over 225 in California alone. By 1977 they were on the decline, but there were still over 190 in California.

My good friend Jedi Master Mina tells the story of her mom breaking open the piggy bank, piling all the kids into the station wagon and going to the drive-in on May 25, 1977. You can guess what movie they saw! At the time her family was very poor, and the drive-in was the only outing they could afford for a long time. You know those kids appreciated it all the more, knowing how difficult it was for mom and dad.

I can relate. In 1977, I had a baby and a husband in college. We had enough to get by, but nights out and babysitters were luxuries we couldn't afford. We saw Star Wars the first time in a regular, indoor theater while we were in our old hometown for a weekend. My sister babysat for us (she was crazy about SW and insisted that we HAD to see this movie).

Of course, we loved the movie and were dying to see it again, but when we went back home to San Jose, there were no free babysitters and I wasn't taking a 7-month old into a theater, and $4 apiece for tickets was a lot of money. Then came the day I picked up a newspaper, and there in the movie ads was the Winchester Drive-In... playing Star Wars. I think it was $1 per person night. We packed up our own snacks, made a baby bed in the back seat and were off as soon as the sun went down!

It became the first of several outings to the Winchester Drive-In; those $1 nights were a bargain. The Winchester is now an office park.

I remember driving by another Drive In on the way to the Winchester... it was called the El Rancho, and at that time played only Spanish-language movies. What I remember most was the mural painted on the backside of the screen, visible from the expressway, of a cowboy on a rearing horse with the typical western desert background like an old 50s western.

In 1984, we went looking at condominiums and ended up living on the site of the old El Rancho Drive-In. Weird.

I've been bopping around the Internet today looking for information on and pictures of Drive-Ins. There are several sites celebrating the nostalgia of the drive-in, lists of open and closed Drive-Ins... The Drive-In has even been commemorated by a postage stamp.

In Indianapolis earlier this month, a landscape worker found a human skeleton in a wooded area of the former Pendleton Pike Drive-in on the city's northeast side. Fun under the stars didn't work out for someone. The site was being prepped for redevelopment.

Nowhere did I see any statistics on how many people have been conceived at drive-ins... Just a stray thought...

Thanks for stopping by my blog.... Don't forget to replace the speakers on the poles before you drive off...

SUMMER IN THE CITY

It's another Pleasant Valley Sunday, but what goes on outside the gleaming box? Only the shadows of the city know...

***

Friday morning I ventured out of my hut and into downtown Phoenix. Phoenix is aptly named, as it rises out of the desert floor and sparkles with it's own fire in the sunlight.

From the shiny dome of the State Capitol to the towering bank buildings, it reminds me in some ways of Coruscant. And in other areas, the old buildings with their brown and tan bricks remind me of Mos Espa.

I went to a business on the edge of an old neighborhood. The building was obviously an old house, which always bothers me. To think it was once someone's home, perhaps their pride and joy.

Back in the 1930s, before the invention of air conditioning, people in Phoenix used to wrap themselves in wet sheets and sleep in their backyards during the summer months. (This led to the invention of the evaporative cooler, but that's another story.)

And there I was, parked in someone's old backyard, perhaps right on the spot where someone camped out to cool off 70 years ago. Or maybe there's a swimming pool buried beneath the asphalt, where kids splashed and played in the 1950s.

Then I drove through down Third Avenue, right through the heart of the Roosevelt Historic District... Palm tree lined streets, 1930s and 40s style houses with big porches, surrounded by trees and greenery to keep them cool.

Scottsdale is a much younger city, not formed until 1950. The city wants to make my neighborhood a Historic Area. It was built in 1958, for cryin' out loud. "It's an excellent example of post-war construction," they say. It's a damn subdivision, I say.

The suburbia they made fun of in the 1960s. It's Pleasant Valley Sunday, and in fact there's a neighborhood area not far from here called Peaceful Valley (it's neither). (There's also a town called Paradise Valley, which is neither, but that is also a story for another time.)

On Coruscant, the historic areas are buried beneath the gleaming, modern skyscrapers that cover the entire planet. They didn't preserve their history, or preserve anything for the future, thinking only about today. There are legends of people born in the depths of the planet's streets that have never seen the sunlight.

In southern Arizona, we have people like me who rarely stray outside during the daylight hours, preferring the cover of darkness, even to swim. Pale ghosts in the Valley of the Sun.

Air conditioning is a wonderful thing. People on Coruscant locked themselves away into shiny metal and glass boxes and never ventured down to street level. I wonder if they knew what went on in the lower levels while they go about their lives in their clean, air conditioned world. I wonder what goes on outside my doors in the heat of the day.

I'd ask my cat, Obi-Wan Katnobi, but he's asleep on the cool tiles right under the air conditioning vent.

THE PREQUELS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

The Clone Wars, The Seduction of Anakin Skywalker, and The Fall of the Republic.
A view of the prequels that might have been...

* * *

Recently, I acquired a story treatise of "Episode III: The Fall of the Republic" by John L. Flynn, written in 1983. I shared this treasure with a few friends, and ewanandhaydenfan5 found John L. Flynn's website and pointed it out to me.

Here I discovered this article: "Looking Back to the Future of Star Wars" , an outline of Episodes I, II and III. The Clone Wars, The Seduction of Anakin Skywalker, and The Fall of the Republic.

It's an awesome story line, and I think I would have preferred the sequels that way... I might have been more of an Anakin fan if I could have looked up on him as man that tried to be good, but made too many mistakes in his life.

In the prequels the way they were made, I think George wanted us to feel compassion towards Anakin, but it didn't work for me... I wanted to slap him silly and tell him to grow up and act like a Jedi, or at least like a man. The ploy for sympathy was overdone.

I like the fate of Anakin's wife in this version much better than that of Padme, whom we knew to be a tough, strong woman, simply losing the will to live because Anakin didn't love her anymore... With two babies to take care of? I don't think so... Where was that sense of duty she had in AOTC?

I'm sure I was not the only person to be disappointed by TPM, at the time I thought it was a movie that George made just because he could... and that it seemed "forced" (no pun intended).

And I've already confessed to Hansgirl3, who sat next to me during the C-IV movie marathon, that I didn't see AOTC on the big screen... not because I didn't want to, but other things were more important at the time, and I didn't get around to it.

It wasn't until I read the novel of ROTS in March 2005, that I went back and watched both TPM and AOTC several times and appreciated them for what they were... exposition to the big finale. By the time ROTS was released, there was nothing that would have kept me from seeing it in the best theatre in town right away!

My wildest dream would have been for George to give me his storyline and let me write the script, and I would have loved to lean over his shoulder during the editing of ROTS...

All this is not to say that I don't love the movies, ALL of the movies... I do... the prequels just didn't turn out to be what I envisioned back in the 1970s and 1980s...

Of course, I never envisioned Greedo shooting first, either...

Episode III - The Fall of the Republic (from 1983)

S T A R W A R S

EPISODE III

FALL OF THE REPUBLIC

Story Treatment by

John L. Flynn

September 6, 1983

Adapted from Part 1:

"The Adventures of

Obi-Wan Kenobi"

THE JOURNAL OF THE WHILLS

By George Lucas

* * *

STAR WARS III FALL OF THE REPUBLIC

Story Treatment by John L. Flynn

FADE IN:

MAIN TITLES SUPERIMPOSED ON THE BLACK OF OUTER SPACE - Pinpointed with piercing stars, several moons, a planet and a bright colored nebulae. As TITLES end - The following is related in the story roll-up

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Old Republic was crumbling away, rotting from the corruption and treachery within. Power-hungry technocrats and wealthy bureaucrats maneuvered and bribed their way into office, while one ambitious senator plotted to destroy the Jed and rule the galaxy.

Hoping to restore virtue and the remembered glory of the Republic, the High Council of the Senators dispatched the Jedi Knights - protectorate of justice in the galaxy - on a quest to retrieve the lost Kaiburr Crystal. They believed the small diamond-like object (which intensified the power of the Force), would unite the disaffected among the people and would destroy the corruption around them.

However, within their Council, the evil Senator Palpatine had other traitorous designs. Foreseeing that the crystal would secure his position as Emperor, Palpatine deceived one of the Jedi Knights and sent him to acquire the Crystal...


DISSOLVE TO:


SCENE 1: Sigma Vulcanus - a new, evolving world, that is constantly being shook by violent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and which is devoid of sentient life-forms.

On the molten, volcanic world of Sigma Vulcanus, Anakin Skywalker, a handsome, swarthy man with a dignified stature, makes an important discovery. Using his lightsaber (as the equivalent of a divining rod), he uncovers the legendary Kaiburr Crystal. It pulsates with energy and fills Skywalker with a false sense of power and importance. But, before he can savor his triumph, and return the crystal to Palpatine, he is confronted by his old friend and fellow Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi and requested to explain his actions. Anakin refuses, and instantly, the two knights draw their lethal weapons and become locked in mortal combat.

Anakin Skywalker, as if controlled by another force, strikes swiftly in rage; but Obi-Wan Kenobi, the more experienced Jedi, easily deflects the furious blows of his young opponent. "Let go of the Crystal, my friend! Its power will consume you and turn you against the Jedi Knights," Kenobi explains. But the words are unheeded by the young Jedi, and the conflict continues.

Skywalker attacks Obi-Wan again, forcing him to discard his defensive posture. Kenobi parries the thrust and sends Anakin's lightsaber flying out of his hand. At precisely the same moment, a cataclysmic earthquake rocks the planet. The effect is devastating; fissures in the earth crack open and spout walls of flame, thunder and lightning strike violently from the sky, and several volcanos burst and bubble.

The young Jedi struggles to regain his lightsaber, but loses his footing and plunges, still in possession of the Crystal, into a pit of molten lava.

Kenobi hurries to the edge of the volcano and looks down, but he is too late to save his former friend: Skywalker is completely engulfed in lava! With tears in his eyes and anguish in his heart, Obi-Wan picks up Anakin's lightsaber and bids a sad farewell to the body of his friend.

CUT TO:

SCENE 2: Jhantor - is "the bright center of the universe." Highly populated and technology-oriented, it is an old world of many contrasts: the huge, domed capital, with its elaborate spaceports and transportation systems, stands adjacent to an ancient castle and temple.

In another part of the galaxy, on the capital world of Jhantor, Palpatine enters his senate chambers - followed closely by a brash, young courtier named Prince Valarium - and assumes his place at the head of the conference table. Valarium stands next to him and whispers in his ear as Palpatine's wizened eyes travel around the table from man to man.

Through a terse discussion with his cabinet members and personal guard, Palpatine reveals that he has bribed or blackmailed most of the High Council members into voting for him as President; but he is concerned with three senators who cannot be swayed - Tara Courtney, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa. He further explains that, once they have been eliminated, he intends to have his troops take over the Spice and Mineral Mines and blockade the commercial shipping lanes.

Several of his personal guard nod their approval; however - two young officers stand and voice their disagreement. Lieutenant Motti (bright, young and smartly dressed) and Commander Tarkin (thin, hatchet-faced with dark eyes) report that Palpatine's military force (which he has genetically engineered on the prison planet) are en route to the Spice Mines and Starports and the they are ready to take command of the Starfleet; but they fear the swift retribution of the Jedi Knights!

"I think I know the best way to deal with that rabble," Palpatine announces, standing and walking over to his cabinet. "It's time that I demonstrate my absolute power - "

Taking a large, crystal globe from his cabinet, Palpatine strokes it with his long, well-manicured fingers, then traces the longitude and latitude lines. The object begins to glow, and (with ILM's help) conjures a series of images from the planet Sigma Vulcanus. These images combine and crystallize on the single image of the dead Anakin Skywalker.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

SCENE 3: Sigma Vulcanus

Four shadowy figures - adorned only in dark, hooded robes (which conceal their identity) - approach the charred, motionless body of Anakin Skywalker and lift him from his fiery grave. Skywalker's flesh is torn and scabbed, his hair is missing and clumped in disgusting patches. Deep scars trace his face, and his body and limbs are without life.

They place him on the ground with great reverence and begin to administer to his injuries in an attempt to bring him back to life. One robed figure motions to the other: "Bring me the herbs and remedies." He actually says nothing but is instantly understood by the others. A third figure sprinkles the body with a powder, while a fourth looks toward the stars and begins to chant in a deep, rumbling voice.

In a matter of moments the lifeless body of Anakin Skywalker stirs, as we

CUT TO:

SCENE 4: Dagobah

Far across the galaxy, in the bog world of Dagobah, Obi-Wan Kenobi walks through the dense fog and pauses, unhappy and dejected because he has been forced by circumstances to kill his friend. He turns to Yoda, his eight hundred year-old teacher, and says: "I have failed, Master Yoda."

Yoda gives him a contemptuous stare, then closes his eyes. "No good is it to teach you when you have not yet learned patience! Humility!"

Obi-Wan shakes his head and offers an excuse as his reply: "But Anakin was my friend. The Force was with him very strongly, and I thought that I could be as good a teacher as you were with me." He pauses and breathes a deep sigh: "I fear my mistake may have terrible consequences for the galaxy!"

The Jedi Master points a crooked finger at him. "Most important lesson have you learned! Now a great burden you carry."

Kenobi squeezes his tear-filled eyes shut and drops his head in defeat. But Yoda is immediately at his side to offer comfort and to reveal that Anakin is not dead. He further explains the incidents which have just taken place and foresees a deadly conflict.

The Jedi Knight is pale and silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, he too recognizes the entire awesome threat that Palpatine has brought to the Old Republic. He thinks of the lives of his friends (Lady Arcadia Skywalker and Bail Organa) and realized that he must leave immediately for Jhantor.

CUT TO:

SCENE 5: Bridge Interior - a small, saucer-shaped freighter, with cramped quarters and a cockpit like bridge.

On the starship bridge, Captain Antilles - a rigged, mustached thirty year-old - makes final calculations for his approach to Jhantor when two tractor beams lock-on and bring his vessel to a halt. His short-range scanners reveal two sentry fighters, swooping into a holding pattern on his port and starboard sides. The sentry pilots order him to heave to and prepare to be boarded.

"No," he snarls in reply - but quickly reconsiders, when his protocol droid (C3PO) and his ten-year old Corellian cabin boy remind him that he is out-gunned. Antilles brings his ship about, and, in moments, despite his objections, a handful of Palpatine's troops board the freighter and confiscate his cargo.

Captain Antilles curses the officer in charge, and explains the incident is far from over, as we

DISSOLVE TO:

SCENE 6: Jhantor

When the tragic news of Tars Courtney's assassination reaches her embassy chambers, Lady Arcadia Skywalker is shocked and hastily gathers her servants and droids to leave for her homeworld. She is beautiful matron, who is the last stages of pregnancy, and she is fearful for her unborn child (or children). For the last several weeks, she had watched the order of Jhantor deteriorate into anarchy under the rule of Palpatine, and she has made plans to escape, by smuggling her household aboard a spice freighter.

But, in the docking bay, Lady Arcadia and her party are suddenly surrounded by a heavily-armed detachment of troops, activating their weapons and raising them to firing position. She turns to the officer in charge and demands to know what's going on, but he doesn't know - he is simply following orders. She resists his authority, claiming diplomatic immunity; but quickly reconsiders when the voice of evil echoes through the bay.

"You mustn't be so hasty, Lady Skywalker!" President Palpatine emerges from the shadows, accompanied by Price Valarium, and explains that Arcadia, her servants, her droids, and her pilot are being placed under his protective custody.

CUT TO:

SCENE 7: Sigma Vulcanus - The Monastic Order of the Sith - a Spartan-like retreat, high atop a mountain ridge.

Through a montage of scenes, wherein Anakin Skywalker remains in a coma, the silent, robed figures minister to his injuries. Their task is an awesome one: First, in a most sophisticated furnace, the forge battle armor and a metal breath screen (skull-like in appearance) that will cover his demolished visage. Next, they amputate his arms and limbs that no longer function, repair vital organs, and encase the torso - forever - in the dreaded armor and artificial respirator. Finally, they restore the severed limbs with intricate computer circuitry and revive him from his comatose state. Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader, more machine than man!

Following his repairs, the monk-like figures (still hidden under their hooded robes) begin to instruct Vader in a dark, evil parody of Luke's apprenticeship under Yoda. Darth Vader is taught many sorcerer's skills; he is lectured on the sinister machinations of the Force and is shown how to construct an even more lethal saber using fragments of the shattered Kaiburr Crystal. But with each new challenge, and skill accomplished, Vader is doubtful of purpose. He knows he is being trained as a power weapon - and yet, he cannot conceive why.

Angered by this confusion, and the fear that his humanity (and manhood) has been stripped away, Darth Vader strikes out in rage at one of his hooded teachers only to discover an empty robe. He is momentarily terror-stricken and then mystified as, one by one, the hooded figures vanish - in a strangely, compelling way - to reveal a 3-D holographic image of Palpatine.

"Yes, yes," Palpatine taunts him. "Only now do you conceive that it was my force of will that saved you - that kept you alive - and that gave you live again!"

Darth Vader extends a courtly bow to Palpatine and thanks him for his life. But Palpatine is not interested in gratitude. He is in need of a powerful weapon and an obedient servant, and he reminds the former Jedi that he has the power to crush him should he desire. He then forces Vader to his knees and commands: "Now come to me, my servant. I have an important task that will complete your training!"

CUT TO:

SCENE 8: Jhantor - docking bay and city exteriors

Obi-Wan Kenobi's approach and arrival on Jhantor is undetected by the planetary defenses. Marshalling his Jedi strength and cunning, he is able to slip past the sentries in the docking-bay, edge by the troops patrolling the perimeter and reach the home of Lady Skywalker. But when he reaches the embassy, the huge chambers are silent and empty - and there are no apparent clues as to the Lady's whereabouts.

Then, out of the darkness, Captain Antilles appears and confirms what Kenobi already suspects: The Lady and her part have been detained as "guests" of Palpatine in the prison cell block. After introducing himself (as Captain of a Corellian freighter), Antilles explains that he came to her embassy, seeking the help of the Merchanter's Guild (because of the piracy of his goods), and discovered an R2 unit (Artoo Detoo), that had slipped away during her capture, cowering in the shadows. HE further reveals that the R2 unit has monitored her termination notice!

Realizing that he has little time, Obi-Wan enlists the pilot's aide, and then two men, accompanied by the stubby, mechanical droid, hurry toward the cell-block.

CUT TO:

SCENE 9: Jhantor - Palpatine's Senate Chambers

Palpatine orders his guards to bring the captured slaver to his senate chambers. While pacing back and forth, he examines the individual who stands before him in chains and shrewdly considers his fate: Boba Fett, the lone survivor of a group of commandos the Jedi defeated on Mandalore during the Clone Wars, is charged with interstellar slavery and the cold-blooded murder if the Jedi Kane Starkiller (Refer to Star Wars" Episode II). Fett's battle-scarred face sneers at the charges, defending his actions as "righteous vengeance."

The evil President stares malevolently at Boba Fett for several moments, then offers him his freedom (and his confiscated slavership) in exchange for the extermination of the Jedi Knights. He also promises him a rich bounty for each Jedi scalp that he brings back; he wants proof of their deaths - and no disintegrations. Fett grins and replies that he may have difficulty in locating them since they are scattered throughout the galaxy. But Palpatine reassures him that the task should be an easy one with the President's secret weapon.

Boba Fett dubiously agrees, as his chains are unlocked and he is escorted from the chambers.

As the slaver exits, Prince Valarium - accompanied by a few personal guards - announces the arrival of Darth Vader. Palpatine, in a quiet whisper, advises Valarium to - personally - supervise Lady Arcadia's execution, the requests that Vader be shown in.

As the guards stand aside, Darth Vader, tall and threatening in flowing black robes and armor, enters the chamber and kneels before his master. Palpatine smiles, looking at his nightmare creation in black, and commands him to hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. Vader is hesitant and requests permission to visit his wife. But Palpatine refuses, telling his servant a vicious lie that she has been murdered by his comrades and produces his crystal globe as evidence.

Seemingly unmoved, Vader turns to look at a series of images Palpatine conjures (from the globe). The images re-create - in holographic form - the treacherous betrayal and murder of Lady Arcadia by two of Vader's fellow knights. (Note: since the images are too brutal for our saga, tight point-of-view camera angles should convey the details.) When the last image vanishes, the Dark Lord, fooled by the false images, stands, ignites his lightsaber and strikes the crystal globe with the monumental anger. And this rage completes Vader's journey to the dark side.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

SCENE 10: Jhantor - Cell Block

Meanwhile, deep in the cell-block dungeons, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Captain Antilles over-power a pair of detention guards and open Lady Arcadia's cell. Overjoyed to find her still alive, Obi-Wan embraces Arcadia warmly, then senses the pains of her motherly contractions. Antilles interrupts their embrace and reminds them to save their hellos until they're safely out of the cell-block. But, as they leave the cell, Prince Valarium and his personal guards appear and draw their weapons. Antilles exchanges fire with the guards, and Obi-Wan and Arcadia hurry off into the dungeon maze, followed closely by the Corellian pilot.

Retreating down a linking corridor, past the cell-block armory, the two heroes - with their pregnant fugitive - decide to stand firm and fight. Captain Antilles charges his weapon and blasts away at the detention guards, while the Jedi Knight concentrates all his thoughts and feeling on detonating the arsenal and sealing the dungeon exit. But, in the midst of his efforts, Kenobi's heightened senses feel his former friend's rage. The rage, in turn, betrays Vader's thoughts and President Palpatine's sinister mission (to Obi-Wan).

"Whatever you're doing - do it faster!" Antilles shouts, snapping the Jedi out of his daze. Kenobi immediately refocuses his energy and, in a matter of moments, the armory explodes, isolating the guards from them. However, the noise and excitement are too much for the Lady Skywalker as she doubles over in pain. The Corellian pilot fears she's been hurt by flying shrapnel - but Kenobi says she having a baby and advises Antilles take her to the safety of his freighter. He further explains that he must leave - in spite of his desire to help Arcadia - to warn his fellow knights of Vader's treachery.

CUT TO:

SCENE 11: Jhantor - Palpatine's Chambers

Reporting to the President's chambers, Valarium reluctantly tells of Lady Skywalker's escape. Palpatine is angered and quickly orders - over his private commlink - a division of troops to search the city. He then orders the arrest of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa to prevent any further interference in his plans.

Turning to Valarium, Palpatine's face darkens to an insane fury. Blinding energy bolts shoot from his finger tips, and the young Price is stuck down. "Don't fail me again!" Palpatine warns, as Prince Valarium crawls, like a wounded animal, to his side and gasps, "Never..."

CUT TO:

SCENE 12: Jhantor - docking bay, interior of saucer shaped Corellian freighter

In the dank, dark hangar-bay, Obi-Wan Kenobi departs in his starship, and Captain Antilles turns his attention to one of his most difficult tasks. With the nervous assistance of 3PO, he firsts comforts Lady Skywalker, then helps deliver her children. The moment is a joyous, mystic one as Luke and Leia take their first breath and begin crying. But that special sound of babies crying brings a detachment of troops down upon them!
*Special Note: The troops should be costumed differently from the stormtroopers because they are part of Bail Organa's personal guard - but the scene should cause a false moment of suspense for Antilles, and the audience.

LAP DISSOLVE TO:

SCENE 13 - Jhantor - Palpatine's Chambers

Still enraged from Valarium's carelessness, Palpatine plots a unique political move that will destroy Lady Arcadia's influence with the Merchanter's Guild and further cement his power with commerce and industry. He first frees a handful of pirates and bribes them to raid the Spice Mines and Mineral Springs; he then orders his personal troops to eliminate the pirates and guard - as well as regulate - the shipping lanes.

But, in the midst of his political maneuvering, Palpatine is struck down - paralyzed - for a few, fleeting moments. When he regains his composure, he is deeply disturbed by a nightmare premonition, a tremor in the Force which threatens his well being. He senses Lady Arcadia's true strength - the birth of a son that would one day challenge his power. (But he fails - in his twisted wickedness - to sense the second child!)

Sending his special group of assassins into Jhantor, Palpatine orders them to kill every newborn son - both in the capital city and the nearby outlands - because, for the first time in his life, he is afraid. (The character should be played much like Herod's in the New Testament.)

This brutal action) of Palpatine's) spawns screams of anguish and unrestrained weeping as the soldiers - unquestioningly - carry out their violent task. (Note: the horror of the events will be merely suggested - and not shown - to out cameras)

IMMEDIATE CUT TO:

SCENES 14 to 18: Numerous Worlds - each distinct in their own way

Across the galaxy, in a terror-filled montage of scenes, wherein we glimpse numerous worlds and races, the betrayal and execution of the Jedi Knights is perpetrated. Darth Vader and a handful of Palpatine's assassins barge into an exotic saloon and eliminate and alien-looking Jedi amidst screams and mass hysteria from the patrons.

While this is happening, Boba Fett leads a group of stormtroopers into a docking-bay and disintegrates the Knight mending repairs on his starship.

And by the time Vader and his cohorts have slipped into the quarters and strangled a sleeping Jedi, Boba Fett, accompanied by several trained assassins, chases down and executes a fleeing Jedi and his family. However, the abomination of Vader) as well as Palpatine's sinister plan) is not complete until he destroys the remaining Jedi Knights as they make a final stand. The battle is fearsome, but they are vastly outnumbered, and soon, they are massacred - to the last man - by Vader's troops.

After dismissing Boba Fett and his troops, Darth Vader looks over the battlefield, at the dead bodies, then takes a deep breath and says, "Kenobi, I will deal with you myself..."

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi hears Vader's world - but he is too far in space to offer him a challenge. He accelerates his starship, thinking of his compatriots, and hurries to the planet. However, arriving several hours too late, Kenobi is disheartened to find the dead bodies of his fellow Jedi Knights. He unhappily builds a funeral pyre and burns their bodies (in a ceremony befitting a Viking hero).

He then examines the broad, huge footprints in the sand, and whispers Darth Vader's name.

CUT TO:

SCENE 19: Jhantor - The Alderaan Embassy - well-guarded, the building is deceptive in its heavy fortification

With very little military effort, a special detachment of troops take Captain Antilles, Lady Skywalker and party through the defenses of the Alderaan Embassy and deliver them to a darkened conference room.

Bail Organa, Viceroy and first Chairman of the Alderaan System, enters the room and apologizes to his guests for frightening them with his personal guard; but he confesses that his caution is not without warrant: Jhantor was full of spies and assassins and the R2 unit (in her embassy) could have been a clever trap. He further explains that his colleagues had put too much trust in the stability of the Republic, failing to realize that while the body might be sound, the head was growing diseased and feeble, and they were all dead! There is deep bitterness in his voice, and genuine concern for Lady Arcadia.

Antilles and Arcadia accept his apology and anxiously insist upon diplomatic sanctuary. But, as news of Palpatine's takeover of the Merchanter's Guild and galactic shipping lanes reaches the Embassy, the outlook is grim! Organa curses loudly, suddenly realizing that there was nothing he could do to prevent the fall of the Republic and guarantee their safety. Pragmatically, he prays for their salvation by the Jedi Knights (unaware of their extinction), then orders the immediate evacuation of the Embassy.

CUT TO:

SCENE 20: Jhantor - Palpatine's Chambers

With grim anticipation, Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, kneels at his ruler's feet and reports his success. Palpatine is pleased that his servant has eliminated all but one of the Jedi Knights and smiles - with evil delight - at Valarium and the other members of his cabinet. He then asks the fate of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader is hesitant and replies that he and Kenobi have a private matter to settle! But that answer is not satisfactory enough.

Palpatine pauses in his interrogation and boasts of his ambitious plans (of galactic conquest) to Vader and the others that are assembled: his traitorous lieutenants have betrayed their superiors and taken control of the Starfleet; his troops have successfully routed marauding pirates and have begun to regulate commerce and industry along the shipping lanes; and his political arrangements with greedy landlords, sadistic gangsters, and power-hungry governors have made his power absolute. He explains (that he has told them this to illustrate) that his control is predicated on his personnel following order, even at the cost of their own lives!

Pausing a second time, Palpatine dismisses Valarium, and orders him to report to the control center. The young prince agrees and bows slightly, a gesture Palpatine acknowledges with a perfunctory salute. Then he spins and strides from the room, leaving the Dark Lord looking from man to man in confused silence. As Valarium steps into the corridor, he is grabbed and assassinated by Palpatine's guards.

Darth Vader then nods his understanding as the evil President reminds: "The fate of those who fail me is death!"

IMMEDIATE CUT TO:

SCENE 21: Jhantor - docking bay

In the docking-bay, the massive evacuation of the Alderaan Embassy is taking place under tight security. The humming of elevators and the moving of heavy equipment echo through the large chamber as the bustling flight crews make ready their freighters and the pilots perform final checkouts. Bail Organa, with the "help" of See Threepio, supervises his men loading supplies and ammunition, while Artoo Detoo aids the Lady Arcadia with her two infants. Captain Antilles is suspiciously nowhere to be found.

Momentarily, the defensive sensors sound alarms - but they are quickly silenced when the unknown danger is identified as Obi-Wan Kenobi's approaching starship. Once in the docking-bay, Kenobi emerges from the craft and informs Bail Organa and his anxious troops that the Jedi Knights have all been destroyed by the treachery of President Palpatine and the hand of Darth Vader. A heart-felt murmur sweeps over the docking-bay, like a swell in a heavy sea. The last Jedi Knight's second piece of news is even more grim: the Starfleet, under the command of Palpatine's forces, have formed a perimeter blockade, and their purpose is to prevent Organa from leaving and force him to surrender his ground troops.

Bail Organa curses quietly to himself, recognizing the futility of further conflict. The great leader - Viceroy and Senator of the Alderaan system - has fought many battles: He has fought alongside Kenobi and the other Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars, and has helped to eliminate piracy and slavery - with the crusading Lady Arcadia - in the formation of the Merchanter's Guild. But this time, he realized that he is outmatched! Organa acquires a commlink from one of his men and begins to broadcast surrender orders to his troops.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Lady Skywalker exchange a tender embrace, and recognizing the potential danger that they both faced, they arrange to separate the children with the hope that they would be united one day as brother and sister. Kenobi will take Luke to live with his brother Owen on Tatooine, while Arcadia will arrange for Leia to live as daughter of Senator Organa on Alderaan. This way the children would have a better chance of survival should one (or the other) be discovered by Vader!

CUT TO:

SCENE 22: Bridge Interior - Flagship of the Starfleet* in the Jhantor Star System

Darth Vader emerges from his private shuttle and strides past a handful of troops in formation. His presence is awesome and threatening as he approaches the starship captain. Commander Tarkin bows from the neck down and advises his superior that they were ready to annihilate anyone who attempts to run the blockade. Tarkin is overconfident in his appraisal of the situation, and that reflects in his conversation with the Dark Lord.

Vader turns to face the Commander, his towering figure looming menacingly over the officer, and Tarkin feels a chill course through his veins. Vader warns that Palpatine wants Bail Organa and his diplomatic party captured alive (if possible) so that they would face the embarrassment of a public tribunal. And the Dark Lord adds that he wants Kenobi (!), his voice conveying the image of a dreadful fate (that would be inflicted) if his commands were not executed.

Tarkin reluctantly salutes and backs away from him, angered that their positions were not reversed. HE barks several commands, and his troops spring to battle stations.

*Special Note: The Starfleet - at this moment in galactic history - is composed largely of heavy cruisers, destroyers and spacecraft carriers, with a full compliment of fighters. There are no Star Destroyers, Death Stars or TIE fighters because the Republic's Starfleet was used primarily for exploration and the occasional law enforcement. However, under the ruthless command of Darth Vader, it is a formidable opponent.

DISSOLVE TO:

SCENES 23 to 27: Jhantor Star System - various types of spacecraft against a backdrop of stars and a brightly colored nebula

Alarms sound full alert as the handful of freighters, transport ships, blockade runners, luxury cruisers and one-man fighters approach the armada of the Starfleet. The ships attempt - first - to cross the blockade with the diplomatic colors and symbols of Alderaan, but, when that fails, they energize their main deflector shields and prepare to fight their way through main deflector shields and prepare to fight their way through. (Captain Antilles and Obi-Wan Kenobi hold their groups up as the first wave attacks.)

Keeping a tight formation, dozens of transport ships and luxury cruisers move in close to the Starfleet armada - and begin blasting away, while fifty or so small freighters and one-man fighters race across their surfaces, zipping between laser bolts and they engage the small pursuit fighters. Their plan is one of strategic genius: by flying in close, the rebel group emasculates the fire power, which is ineffective at close-range, of the larger ships. Additionally, the erratic and hot-dog flying of the Merchanter's Guild members confuse and place the military pilots at a momentary disadvantage! And that disadvantage is exploited: Antilles and Kenobi launch the second wave of ships and wait tensely to join the conflict, or make their escape.

However, the heroic efforts (of the rebel flight crews) are brought to an abrupt halt by the armada as the heavy cruisers fire broadsides at point-blank range, disregarding their own safety. The Starfleet's audacious and dangerous move seems to turn the tide of battle: small one-man fighters scatter, luxury cruisers reverse their engines, and freighters drop their additional weapons and accelerate away. But, as the proton beams take their toll, last ditch, suicide runs are made by the damaged, rebel craft: a cargo freighter - loaded with weapons and cargo - heads on a collision course for one of the Destroyers and explodes, while a transport ship - mortally wounded in combat - limps at a heavy cruiser and detonates its nuclear engines, destroying his opponent with him. The balance of the small craft punch through holes and race for open space!

Captain Antilles, piloting the saucer-shaped freighter (with Bail Organa, Lady Arcadia, and party aboard), dives into the chaos, the steers through the battle. Once clear, he engages his ship's hyperdrive and soars away at light speed. Several pursuit craft follow - but their weapons are ineffectual against his ship's deflector shields and their ion-propelled engines are no match for his.

In another sector of the battle, Obi-Wan Kenobi's starship swoops past an engagement and accelerates into space, pursued by Dart Vader's flagship. Kenobi executes a series of stunning maneuvers in an effort to lose the heavy cruiser; but he quickly realizes that it will not be easy to shake. Marshalling the Force around him, the last Jedi prepares for a death-defying stunt. He then guides his starship into the nebulae; and with his deflector shields (and the Force) at full intensity, Kenobi flies through the core of the exploding star.

Darth Vader stands silently on the Bridge of his starship, gazing in disbelief at the brightly-colored nebulae. He demands the scanning sensors probe the area for any sign of the Jedi Knight - but the results are negative! Gravely disappointed, the Dark Lord orders the Flagship returned to the fleet and walks away, sensing that they would meet again.

The victory is an incomplete one for Palpatine's forces. His Starfleet has destroyed or captured nearly three dozen vehicles - but scattered throughout the galaxy were rebellious pirates and outlaws that he would one day have to deal with!

DISSOLVE TO:

SCENES 28 to 30: Epilogue

Jhantor - Emperor Palpatine, with Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, at his side, smiles malevolently and plots his next move as his assembled troops chant: "Long live Palpatine! Long live the Empire!"

Alderaan - Lady Arcadia Skywalker - now a common servant in the Organa household - sings her daughter to sleep under the watchful sensors of Artoo Detoo and See Threepio, while Bail Organa awards Captain Antilles with a commission in his service.

Tatooine - Obi-Wan Kenobi, the last Jedi Knight, delivers the infant boy to his brother Owen Lars, then disappears into the desert wasteland, awaiting the day when Luke would claim the lightsaber of his father (from him) and become a man.

FADE OUT

"Looking Back to the Future of Star Wars"

LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE OF STAR WARS

By John L. Flynn

"A Long Time Ago... In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...."

Even now, some seventeen years later, those words still strike such an emotional response of awe and wonder in the hearts of audiences worldwide. Without doubt, the most popular space age adventure of all time, the "Star Wars" trilogy mesmerized filmgoers with the exploits of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader, and delighted both young and old alike with the antics of See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo.

Few film series have enjoyed such success, or have had such an impact on the popular culture of an entire generation. And now, the word for which hundreds of millions of fans have been waiting comes that there will be more adventures. Late last year, George Lucas announced plans to produce not only another installment in the Indiana Jones films but also the first three motion pictures in the "Star Wars" saga.

By utilizing the refined digital-image "compositing" technology (first introduced by Industrial Light and Magic in "The Abyss," later showcased in "Terminator Two" and perfected in "Jurassic Park"), Lucas hopes to complete his three prequels between 1995 and 2001. The first trilogy, set some twenty years before the action in "Star Wars," has remained both a mystery and the subject of rumor and baseless speculation for over ten years.

George Lucas himself has kept purposely tight-lipped for fear that some movie-of-the week (like "Battlestar Galactica") might "borrow" key elements and upstage his project. However, by looking back at the original films, their novelizations and early drafts, tantalizing clues do reveal the future of his sprawling space saga. "I wanted to make a kid's film that would strengthen contemporary mythology and introduce a kind of basic morality," Lucas explained his vision in 1983. "Nobody was saying the very basic things; they were dealing in the abstract. Everybody was forgetting to tell the kids, 'Hey, this right and this is wrong.'"

While in preproduction of "Star Wars," Lucas wrote dozens of scripts and story treatments. Each were unique in some way, and featured a different perspective of the space fantasy. One of the earliest scripts dealt with Luke's father and his relationship to Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi.

Fearing that the story would bore modern audiences because it focused more on character development than action, George discarded the treatment in favor of another story, which eventually became "Star Wars." But he never abandoned its precepts.

The earlier material became the back story upon which "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" would turn. Lucas also knew he had enough raw material to make several other motion pictures, and envisioned a saga which would take place over a sixty-year period.

He has always maintained that the narrative link between the films (and trilogies) would be his two lovable 'droids, Artoo-Detoo and See-Threepio, and that each trilogy would be a complete work unto itself. Those guiding principles and the presuppositions drawn from the earlier films have made certain details about the first trilogy somewhat immutable.

By the same token, Lucas's decision to structure his middle trilogy like a classic work of Greek tragedy suggests that the first trilogy might also have the same dramatic structure. "Star Wars," like the first act of a Greek play, provides exposition for the major characters, introduces central conflict (which will later be resolved) and ends triumphantly. "The Empire Strikes Back," like the second act, begins "en medias res" (in the middle of the action), provides a somewhat darker vision of the central conflict and ends with many issues left unresolved.

"Return of the Jedi," the third and final act, resolves all of the conflicts, ties up the loose ends in the denouement and offers some form of redemption or hope. Perhaps "The Clone Wars," "The Seduction of Darth Vader" and "Fall of the Republic" represent acts one, two and three (respectively) in his new drama.

Central to this analogy is also a tragic figure whose "hamartia" (error, transgression or weakness of character) has caused him to fall from grace. Darth Vader, the evil Dark Lord of the Sith, is clearly this tragic figure. When he first appears in "Star Wars," he is a most reprehensible character, capable of any abomination.

But, by the end of the third film, Vader is portrayed sympathetically as a pitiful old man who has made one too many mistakes in his life. He also emerges as the true hero who, by destroying the Emperor, saves not only Luke but also the Rebel Alliance.

Clearly then, his struggles as a younger man (Anakin Skywalker) with Obi-wan Kenobi and the Emperor are central to this tale of fall and redemption, and must form the basis of the first trilogy.

Similarly, George's fondness for the work of classicist Joseph Campbell (in particular, The Hero With a Thousand Faces) reveals a common narrative thread that runs through the stories of both Luke Skywalker and his father Anakin.

Campbell wrote that heroes in every culture share a common journey that begins with a Separation from home, family and familiar surroundings in what he terms the "call to adventure." [Some heroes refuse the call, but are later forced by circumstances to take the journey anyway.]

And while everyone knows that "a Jedi craves not these things," these heroic figures are often called upon to undertake a dangerous journey or unknown risk. Their journey into the heart of darkness leads to an Initiation, in which they gain valuable insight about the nature of the universe and themselves from an older mentor.

That insight helps them deal with a confrontation with the dark father, wounding, and often dismemberment. Heroes who survive the ordeal are awarded great treasure (in either a physical or spiritual sense), and Return with their treasure to empower or control other men. "The Adventures of Luke Skywalker" clearly follow this path.

Whereas audiences are aware of the final disposition of Darth Vader by the close of "Return of the Jedi," Anakin Skywalker's journey as a tragic hero begins nearly twenty years earlier in "The Clone Wars"...

THE CLONE WARS
Episode One: "The Clone Wars."

"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic . . ." Having completed his training as a Jedi Knight, under the tutelage of Jedi Master Yoda, young Obi-wan Kenobi faces his first test as a warrior in the Clone Wars. Audiences know this for a fact because Ben has told Luke that he once "fought in the Clone Wars," and that he (like Luke) was a "reckless" pupil under Yoda.

Leia, in her holographic message, confirms Obi-wan's story: "General Kenobi, years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars." Ben evidentally rises quickly in the service of her father Bail Organa, Viceroy and 1st Chairman of the Alderaan system, and is awarded the rank of general before he is thirty-five or forty. His rank also includes the command of young warriors anxious to become Jedi Knights.

In one of the earliest drafts of the screenplay for "Star Wars," Lucas introduced a general who commanded a group of young boys (aged fifteen to eighteen). Although first reluctant to accept the task, the general instructs the boys to fly one-man "devil-fighters" against superior enemy forces. Kenobi admits to Luke that Darth Vader was "one of my brightest disciples . . . one of my greatest failures," so it is possible that Obi-wan first meets Anakin Skywalker while he is training the others.

Perhaps Anakin is, as Luke has been told by Owen Lars, merely "a navigator on a spice freighter," and only later becomes "the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunnin warrior." Ben's decision to train the edler Skywalker would haunt him many years later; but in his younger, more reckless days, the prospect of instructing a young Jedi must have seemed very tempting. Anakin heeds the call to adventure, and follows "Obi-wan on some damned-fool idealistic crusade." That crusade undoubtably concerns eliminating the threat to peace in the Republic caused by the Clone Wars.

Meanwhile, in "the bright center of the galaxy," on the capitol city-planet Aguilae, the young, ambitious Senator Palpatine promises "to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic."

He plans to use the current crisis, notably the Clone Wars, to be elected President of the Republic. But some members of the High Council, which governs the Republic, are dubious of Palpatine's claims, and seek to block his election. These senators include Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and others (who will eventually form the Rebel Alliance).

Numbered among these professional diplomats is likely to be the future wife of Anakin Skywalker and the mother of Luke and Leia, call her Lady Arkady (or Arcadia, since Lucas has a tendency to pair couples or siblings with the same vowel or consonant).

While this notion is purely speculative, it is founded on one or two facts. Luke and Leia are noble-born, and Leia is taken "to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan" by her mother. Clearly, a relationship, professional or otherwise, exists between her and Bail. Both See-Threepio, who was programmed as a protocol 'droid, and Artoo-Detoo probably make their first appearance in the series as two robotic, bumbling bureaucrats because George originally envisioned them that way. Their adventures just begin as they leave Aguilae in the company of Bail Organa, Lady Arkady, and the others.

When Palpatine is narrowly defeated for the Presidency (as was an ambitious young Richard Nixon, upon whom the senator is modeled), he abandons all conventional means, and seizes power "through subterfuge, bribery an terror."

His first threacherous act is to order to destruction of Organa's party as they return to Alderaan, with specific instructions to make their deaths appear the result of an enemy raid. "Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce," he later succeeds in his goal to be elected President of the Republic.

So, it is clear that Palpatine controls (or influences through his powers as an evil sorcerer) many Council representatives and numerous guilds (possibly the spacing and mining guilds) within the Republic. His inevitable emergence as Emperor and the dissolution of the High Council are well- documented in the novelization, Star Wars.

On the other hand, the central conflict of the Clone Wars remains a mystery. Few details surface in the books, and even fewer details are revealed in the three films or the earlier drafts of the screenplay. Since Owen Lars deems the wars as "some damned-fool idealistic crusade" (as paraphrased by Ben Kenobi), the struggle must be one of conscience rather than clearly defined lines of a political or military objective.

Thus, when Kenobi and his young apprentice Anakin leave (on instructions from Bail Organa), they are undertaking a holy quest. Their crusade is defined only in terms of good and evil. And since a clone is a genetic duplicate grown from human cells, the Jedi Knights are either struggling to preserve that technology or prevent it from being perverted by others (possibly Senator Palpatine) into some terrible weapon.

Obi-wan (O.B.-one) might even be some sort of clone designation, identifying the first clone of a man with the initials O.B.14--a designation that Kenobi has long since replaced with the name "Ben." Perhaps, as the Jedi Knights grew fewer in number (through sickness, disease or other natural causes), scientists in the Old Republic were forced to clone their warriors.

When news and valuable information about that technology first surfaced, other groups (with sinister motives) may have sought out those scientists to increase their own numbers. The Clone Wars may be nothing more than a struggle to control that powerful secret. And in the end, fearing that the technology might once again be used for evil, the secret of cloning is forever destroyed by the Jedi.

The first film is climaxed with the rescue of Viceroy Bail Organa and his party by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, and the destruction of those evil forces which have threatened the peace of the Republic. One clue to the identity of those evil forces lies in the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back by Donald Glut.

When Boba Fett is first introduced in the novel, he is described as wearing "a weapon-covered, armored spacesuit, the kind worn by a group of evil warriors defeated by the Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars."

Perhaps, like "Star Wars," this prequel ends with a dramatic space battle and the triumphant return of its victors. President-elect Palpatine reluctantly rewards Kenobi and his young apprentice with medals, and Anakin Skywalker finds favor with both Lady Arkady and the former senator.

"The Clone Wars," like the first act of a much longer work, provides exposition for the major characters (Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi, Lady Arkady, Bail Organa and Senator Palpatine), introduces two important conflicts (one, dealing with the Clone Wars, which finds resolution, and the other, concerning the future of the Republic, which awaits resolution) and ends triumphantly.

Issues such as Palpatine's political machinations, Kenobi's fallibility as a teacher, and the budding romance between Anakin and Arkady remain purposely unresolved until the next film. Central to the unfolding drama is the reckless, young protagonist whose noble soul and innocent nature will be tested by extraordinary circumstances. Separated from his friends and family, Anakin faces Initiation, his first real test as a hero.

THE SEDUCTION OF DARTH VADER
Episode Two: "The Seduction of Darth Vader."

"Once, under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights, the Republic throve and grew. But as often happens when wealth and power pass beyond the admirable and attain the awesome, then appear those evil ones who had greed to match . . ." Some time has passed since victory brought an end to the Clone Wars, but in that time boredom and complacency have exacted a terrible toll on the Old Republic.

Corruption, bribery and terror have reduced the High Council to all but a devoted few, including Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, while a massive bureaucracy, too large and not very effective, maintains control over the various star systems. Even the one-great Jedi Knights have been supplanted by Palpatine's own Sith Lords and their elite guard. "Like the greatest of trees, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside," Lucas reveals.

The portrait that George Lucas paints of the Republic under Palpatine is not a favorable one, and its dark decline casts an even darker shadow on the lives of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. Typically, the second act in a Greek drama begins "en medias res" (in the middle of the action) and provides a somewhat darker vision of the central conflict with many issues left unresolved at the close.

This middle story also represents the climax, or turning point, in Anakin Skywalker's life. Like all great mythological and literary heroes, he faces his first real test under fire as a warrior. Joseph Campbell refers to this stage metaphorically as "the belly of the whale," and suggests that, like Jonah, the test of a true hero is one of courage. He further concludes that only by shrugging off fear, anger and aggression (what Yoda deems "the dark side of the Force are they") does a hero survive to the next level.

Not adequately prepared (by Obi-wan) to face this trial (no doubt orchestrated by Palpatine), Anakin apparently succumbs to his fears, and calls upon the quick and easy allies of anger and aggression to see him through. On Dagobah, Yoda warns Luke not to embrace these emotions: "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-wan's apprentice."

Ben Kenobi later reveals Luke's "father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed." While little is actually known about Anakin's courtship and marriage to Lady Arcady, their eventual union produces Luke and Leia. Impatient, reckless and disappointed in his own failures, Anakin leaves his wife and friends to pursue a new course of study under Palpatine--long before his wife's pregnancy is revealed.

Twenty years later, Kenobi explains to Luke that "when your father left, he didn't know your mother was pregnant. Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible." Obi-wan, a trusted friend and confidant, agrees to kept her secret safe, and much later helps her hide the children. "To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born," Ben continues his tragic tale to Luke. "I took you to live with my brother Owen on Tatooine . . . and your mother took Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan."

The actual events (of the birth and relocation of Luke and Leia) will probably occur in the third film, but the plan itself (like a page torn from Mallory's L'morte de Arthur) takes seed here in the sacred trust between the knight-errant protector (Obi-wan) and his good friend's wife.

Since Skywalker is such a "powerful Jedi" (according to Yoda), his youth and inexperience are not so easily exploited by Palpatine. But promises of wealth, position and power from the evil sorcerer help gradually turn Anakin to the dark side. A rift eventually forms between Kenobi and his former apprentice, and Obi-wan is forced to take action. "When I saw what had become of him, I tried to dissuade him, to draw him back from the dark side. We fought . . . your father fell into a molten pit," Ben tells Luke in Jedi.

Their climatic struggle over the "molten pit" probably ends the second film, leaving (in typical cliffhanger form) the final disposition of Anakin in question. "When your father clawed his way out of that fiery pool, the change had been burned into him forever--he was Darth Vader. . .Irredeemably dark. Scarred. Kept alive only by machinery and his own black will."

Audiences already know his fate, that he survived the pit, but to Kenobi and the others, his death appears certain. When Obi-wan retrieves Anakin's light sabre (which he will one day give to Luke) from their private battlefield, he bids farewell to a good friend. Unbeknownst to Kenobi, below him in the fiery pool of death, a scarred hand reaches up for life. Anakin Skywalker may well be dead, but Darth Vader lives . . .

This deadly struggle between Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker may well form the central conflict in the middle film, but its background story must be equally compelling. Like Indiana Jones's search for the "Lost Ark" or his last crusade to find the "Holy Grail," much of the action in this character-driven story could be centered around a quest for some great energy source.

In George Lucas's second screenplay for "Star Wars," completed in January 1975, the primary focus of General Skywalker, Luke Starkiller and Darth Vader was the possession of a Kiber Crystal. [The Kaiburr Crystal was a powerful energy source which gave the owner "such powers over the Force that he would be all but invincible."] Since Lucas rarely discards ideas, the inclusion of a "maguffin" which drives the story seems logical.

Obsessed with possessing the powerful red crystal, Palpatine has dispatched his Sith Lords (including Anakin Skywalker) throughout the galaxy in an effort to find the mythical gem. Anakin's discovery of the gem might also fuel the growing tension between he and Obi-wan Kenobi. But like Skywalker's final disposition, resolution about the back story could also wait until the third film.

FALL OF THE REPUBLIC
Episode Three: "Fall of the Republic."

"Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office . . ." The implication of George Lucas's words from the novelization of Star Wars suggests that Palpatine himself faces a struggle with his own forces to maintain control of the galaxy.

By this third film, the fall of the Republic is imminent, and chaos and anarchy are at hand unless the Emperor can demonstrate the awesome power of the Dark side. Possession of some great power source, like the Kiber Crystal, is one way; the other is to commit some outrageous abomination that will strike fear and terror into the hearts of those who seek to control him. He chooses to do both.

The Emperor's first action is the resurrection of Anakin Skywalker as Darth Vader. Through a montage of scenes, the scarred and corpse-like features of the one-great Jedi are covered by a "bizarre black metal breath screen," black robes, a flowing black cape, and "black armor--armor which, though black it was, was not nearly as dark as the thoughts drifting through the mind within."

Perhaps, his fellow Sith lords assist him by calling upon the power of the Crystal, or perhaps, Palpatine is alone responsible for his rebirth. In either event, Darth Vader emerges as the ultimate weapon of the Emperor, "more machine now than man. Twisted and evil." One he is fully restored and operational, the Dark Lord helps the Emperor "hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights."

"Having exterminated through treachery and deception the guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy." Palpatine's plan to terrorize the numerous star systems has only just begun.

Meanwhile, Obi-wan has managed to escape the slaughter by returning to Dagobah to confess his failure to adequately train Anakin Skywalker with Yoda. Audiences already know how well-informed and knowledgeable the Jedi Master is, and while he may possess an amptitude for mind-reading and clairvoyance, it is somewhat logical to assume that Kenobi would seek out his council.

"Most important lesson have you learned! Now a great burden you carry," Yoda responds to the Jedi's self pity. When news of the Emperor's outrageous abomination reaches them on Dagobah, they have but one goal in mind: the rescue of Lady Arcady and her two children. Revenge is simply not a proper emotion for Jedi Knights, and no matter how tempting the destruction of Vader and Palpatine may be, Yoda and Obi-wan must transcend their anger to look at the whole picture.

Luke and Leia represent the future of the galaxy, and their safety must be paramount. "The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him," Ben explains to Luke.

Slipping through the Emperor's hostile defenses, Kenobi manages to rescue Skywalker's family. Leia and her mother then go to live on Alderaan, in the safety of Bail Organa's family, while Obi-wan delivers Luke to his brother Owen Lars, possibly stopping first on Dagobah to bid Yoda farewell. (When he arrives on Dagobah, Luke tells Artoo- Detoo "there's something familiar about this place," suggesting that he has some childhood memory buried deep in his subconscious.)

Kenobi then settles on Tatooine, not far from his brother's moisture farm, changes his name (to Ben) and awaits the day when the young Luke will heed his own call to adventure. The film ends on a hopeful note. Even though the Republic has fallen to a greedy and corrupt politician and his sinister forces, a new Republic will someday emerge from the ashes of the old.

The story of Anakin Skywalker comes full circle by the close of the third film. In fact, when Darth Vader first encounters Obi-wan Kenobi in "Star Wars," he says: "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."

But though his journey as a hero, from separation (as an innocent) to initiation (as a warrior), is seemingly complete, Anakin's character still awaits redemption and return. His wounding and dismemberment (in the molten pit) at the hands of Obi-wan Kenobi provide only a temporary resolution.

When Anakin emerges as the Dark Lord of the Sith, he taken the wrong treasure. He has embraced the power of evil, as possibly amplified by the Kiber Crystal. And as often befalls a tragic hero, who has taken the wrong treasure, he is punished for his actions. Only much later does Vader learn the real treasure (to be won) is the inner courage that his son demonstrates before the Emperor. For it is that singular act of courage which redeems him, and gives him the strength to destroy Palpatine.

Not too long from now . . . in a neighborhood theatre not that far away, most of the questions that have been raised by the first three films, their novelizations and this article will find resolution in George Lucas's next epic trilogy.

The same space saga, which once mesmerized audiences with the exploits of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo will again delight a whole new generation of fans with the future adventures of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. Few film series in the history of motion pictures have enjoyed such success, or generated such devoted enthusiasm.

And now, as preparations get under way on a brand new trilogy, hundreds of millions of fans will begin that final countdown to opening day in 1998 or 2001. May the Force be with us all until then.

LAUGH IT UP, FUZZBALL....

Early this morning I had the weirdest dream...

I was a real Jedi, assigned alone to be peacekeeper on some backwater planet that resembled Earth, but of course it wasn't.

First, I had trouble with young people in a park, and one chick says, "Oooh, a Jedi Knight, I'm so scared," so I ignited my lightsaber in her face and handcuffed her... for some reason my lightsaber was yellow...

And I force choked her boyfriend when he gave me a hard time... I know, bad Jedi...

Then, since it was time to go home for the day, I waded through some mud, and went over a dam in a small boat in muddy water, and came out on the bottom in a streetcar, all clean and polished like I'd just stepped out of the Temple laundry...

I went into a building that looked like it belonged on a University campus, and I guess that's where I lived, since I spent a long time looking for the right staircase to go up... most of them had ceilings that were too short... (This is a recurring theme with me...My claustrophobia, perhaps?) And I was being followed by two tiny, robotic spiders that I thought were spying on me so I stepped on them.... I had good boots!

Then I went outside, and came across two senior citizens. I must have been the Wise Woman of the planet, because they stopped me for help. The cough medicine they had wasn't working and they didn't know what to do. I told them, "Of course it isn't working, it's 1000 Island dressing."

I went into another building to wait for the President of the Planet to show up, because I was supposed to give him a salute with my lightsaber. More stairs. I got on the right staircase and was ready to salute the President, who looked like the mayor on “Spin City”, but my lightsaber came out looking like a half burned out neon tube.

But, the president asked me to lunch, anyway. We had seafood (I blame the Red Lobster commercial I saw last night with the shrimp skewers) and he stole all the food off my plate and gave me a glass of wine instead.

As I was leaving the lunch, I saw Obi-Wan, and he asked me if I wanted a cheese omelet. I said "yes, and can you adjust my lightsaber while you're here?" (Trust me, this is NOT what I'd want from a visit from Obi-Wan).

The next thing I knew I must have been on Earth, because I was in Houston with Hansgirl3, looking for the Johnson Space Center and the train station. She took me through a huge, locked gate in a huge wooden fence, and said, "This should really be part of the United States."

I stepped inside, and saw the train tracks. And the Astrodome, and all its outlying buildings, and a huge roller coaster... except that everything was made of wood. Except for the sidewalk, which was date stamped "1965". I asked Hansgirl what year it was on this planet, and she said "twenty-two three twelve" and I said, "Oh wow, this is really old."

The next thing I knew I was in a classroom, and I was going to teach geography, so I took off my Jedi cloak, like I was going to do battle.... Tough crowd? And there was a big map of North America... no one had a laser pointer, so a guy in the class offers me a Hasbro spring-action lightsaber with a red blade to use... and I whip out my real lightsaber, which is working perfectly and is blue again, and cut his plastic blade in two.... LMAO

So then I go back to the map, which is sitting on a Coke cooler, and I reach into the cooler and get out a Classic Coke, which is crystal clear (I was very thirsty)... and proceed with the lesson by drinking the Coke and pointing with my finger. "This is Alaska," I said.

Now is that weird, or what?

PS: I forgot to say that the President of the Planet came to Earth with me and was flirting with all the ladies....