Star Wars Episode III - How Will the Story Middle?
Star Wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, is due out May 19, 2005. In the meantime, all we can do is guess how Lucas might choose to close up the loop of storyline connecting the prequels to the original Trilogy. What follows is a series of speculations on what the story might include, so if you don't want any exposure to such thing, it would be prudent for you to find something else to read.
Undoubtedly the most powerful character transformation in this movie will be Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. He has already taken the first steps in Episode II, his impatience and arrogance playing primary roles in this foreshadowing. Almost certainly Anakin and Obi-Wan will have to confront each other, likely resulting in a fight of some kind. A lightsaber battle between these two would be interesting to see, as of course both now the other's style and technique. Each would have another advantage, as well: Anakin can fully use the power of the Dark Side to aid him, if he's that far along yet; and Obi-Wan has more experience and seems somewhat capable of protecting himself from such powers, ala blocking Dooku's lightning attack. Since we know both must survive the encounter to be in Episode IV, it would probably then end either by stalemate, distraction accompanied by one fleeing, or apparent death, such as falling off of a cliff. Also, we must realize that Vader, as seen in Episode IV, is in his life-support armor, so it is possible this fight is how he sustains those injuries.
Another hugely important facet of the story is the downfall of the Jedi. We have already seen their numbers drop in Episode II during the Geonosis battle. If the Clone Wars are still in full swing during Episode III, more will be falling in this movie, as well. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi obviously survive, so they must somehow escape the conflict in order to set themselves up for the Trilogy. Since Mace Windu is not mentioned in Episodes IV-VI, it can be assumed that he will die or his fate will be sealed in Revenge, as it would be incredibly cheap of Lucas to just say "Oh, well, he died somewhere in the gap, but I'm not going to tell you how." Mace is one heck of a fighter, so either his death will be spectacularly planned, or else he will have to sacrifice himself to save others (or just one other).
And, of course, if Lucas must tie up the loose ends to set up for the original Trilogy, then Luke and Leia will have to be addressed. It has been established that they are born around the time Episode III is supposed to be set, so they will likely factor in as an important element. It will be interesting to see what Yoda and Obi-Wan think of these two at this early point in time. Will they realize that they have such a vital role to play in the future? Just how much were they able to predict about their importance?
Then there is Palpatine. Though I take it as read that Palpatine and Darth Sidious are one and the same (and seem to recall canon support for this, beside the fact that it just seems so totally obvious), I have also heard the possibility voiced that they are different people. It doesn't seem at all likely to me, but maybe Lucas has some little strings he can pull to show up the full picture, like some complex origami fold which requires one last simple tug to unfurl a vast tangle of deceptive brilliance. I'm not holding my breath.
Taking the line of thought used for Mace Windu, as Padme is not mentioned in the Trilogy, she either dies or goes into hiding and becomes totally unimportant to the rest of the series; the latter seems highly unlikely. Padme's last major contribution to the story is the delivery of Luke and Leia into the Galaxy, but once that bit of established "history" is out of the way, anything could happen. Since Vader is unaware of the locations or perhaps even existence of his children, Anakin probably won't know about the birth or perhaps even the conception. It is likely that Padme leaves him shortly thereafter, once he has revealed that his inner darkness isn't something she can help him defeat.
There are a few other bits which don't necessarily have to be addressed in this story. One is the change from clone troopers to stormtroopers; since stormtroopers seem to be normal citizens of the Empire, it shouldn't be the same group of people. Somewhere along the way Palpatine must make this change, probably as the supply of clone troopers dwindle, but there is no reason Lucas would have to put it in Revenge of the Sith. Also, of course, the ships, vehicles, and armor shown in Attack of the Clones are quite similar to those used by the Empire in later years, the Imperial designs evolved from those of the Clone Wars. Since this would take some time to change, it will probably not be shown in Revenge.
To summarize: Anakin and Obi-Wan fight, and Anakin probably gets hurt; more Jedi die, possibly at the hands of Anakin later in the movie; Obi-Wan and Yoda survive and set up Luke and Leia for their roles in the Trilogy; Palpatine may choose this time to reveal his inner darkness to the Galaxy, now that it's too late for them to do anything about it; and Mace Windu and Padme probably die. Most likely the Clone Wars are still raging, so we can count on them to infuse the movie with action, and since the Empire is on the rise, we can assume that the movie will have a darkening theme, though with the light at the end of the distant tunnel in the form of the Skywalker twins. It'll be interesting to see how Lucas manages to pack all of this into one movie. But will the movie satisfy the gads of millions of fans? Only time, and the power of the Force, will tell.
About the Author
David Kuhne is a co-administrator of A Happy Time - Kids' Party Supplies (http://kids-party-supplies.com). He enjoys Sci-Fi books and movies.