Episode II
George Lucas has been working on this for a
few weeks, and no details about the plot have been
leaked out, except for Mr Lucas's own announcements
that this would be "romantic", plus the promises of
much more Mace Windu (who, along with Obi Wan, are
what Lucas referred to as "developing characters"),
the Clone Wars and the introduction of Boba Fett. And
he promised a cliff-hanger on the level of "Empire"'s.
So here are some ideas I have about Episode
II, based soley on conjecture taken from the other
films and books. Here we go. Remember, once again,
I'M PULLING ALL OF THIS OUT OF MY HEAD, SO IT SHOULD
NOT EVEN BE CONSIDERED 'RUMORED STORY LINES' UNLESS
RIGHTFULLY ACREDITED AND FOLLOWED BY A DISCLAIMER THAT
SOME LONELY GEEK IN ALBANY NY THOUGHT IT
UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*Palpatine, now Grand Chancellor (which happened
at the end of Episode I, if you were paying
attention), tries to control the Jedi. They refuse to
follow his commands, and Palpatine uses his position
to discredit the Jedi. He forms a personal army (much
as Hitler did with the Brown Shirts, and we all know
what a stickler Lucas is when it comes to making the
Empire come off as the intergalactic Third Reich), the
Mandalorians (this idea of Mandalorians as pawns of
Palpatine in the Clone Wars is canon, at least
according to an issue of the official Lucasfilm
magazine from 1979, which described Boba Fett as the
last of the "Shock Troopers, which were precursors to
the Storm Troopers") to build up in the public eye as
guardians and truth and justice to replace the Jedi,
all the while having the Mandalorians fight secret
wars against the Jedi.
The war becomes public when Palpatine
announces that the Jedi are embroiled in an evil plot
concerning cloning or something to that effect.
The Mandalorians are backed by public opinion
when they make their final, grand move against the
Jedi. The Mandalorians, for the most part, get their
asses handed to them on silver platters and are pretty
much erased from the galaxy (except for Boba Fett of
course), although the Jedi ranks are decimated, and
those who remain (about a thousand or so), are forced
to go into hiding.
*The Clone Wars are fought between the Jedi,
led by Mace Windu, Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
and Yoda, and another army, led by Bail Organa and
Bail Antilles, as the forces of good and the
Mandalorians on the side of evil.
*Palpatine's evil intentions are STILL
secret. He first tries to turn Obi Wan to the dark
side, and Obi Wan refuses. So he moves in on Kenobi's
apprentice, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is easily
controlled, especially since Palpatine is his lover's
trusted ally. Obi Wan tries to warn Anakin of
Palpatine's evil, but Anakin refuses to believe it.
*Lucas mentioned that this trilogy would
feature "betrayl amongst friends", which leads me to
believe that Obi Wan is deeply in love with Queen
Amidala. He never acts on his feelings, and Anakin
sweeps her off her feet.
*Amidala and Anakin are married by Palpatine
towards the end of Episode II.
*Anakin begins his descent into the Dark Side.
*By the end of Episode II, the Republic is in a
state of confusion. They believe Palpatine when he
tells them the Jedi are evil, and there is a crippling
debt because of the Clone Wars.
Anakin realizes this confusion and is deeply
disturbed by this. Palpatine asks Anakin to help him
restore order to the galaxy, and Anakin accepts in
secret.
---
Michael Keegan
5.21.1999