Where the STAR WARS prequels FAILED.

Where the STAR WARS prequels FAILED.

The prequels are the story of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
BIG. MISTAKE.

-Headlopper

Editorial Opinion
By headlopper - Jan 20, 2012 05:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy




It's hard to say that the creator of 'Star Wars' was wrong- and I may be wrong saying HE'S wrong, but I'll defer that judgment to you all.

How was he wrong? I believe the prequel should have been the story of OBI-WAN KENOBI, not Anakin's.

Star Wars 4,5,& 6 were films featuring the life of Luke Skywalker. He's the main character and was supported by Han Solo and Leia.

Vader, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan, Lando and the two droids were secondary supporting characters, so it wasn't necessary to delve into their lives.

Luke and his journey was the theme of focus. This theme unfolded within the 3 films , showing his maturing process into a Jedi Knight...with lots of help from his friends, and of course 'the force'.

There were alternate action story-lines incorporated such as in 'The Empire Strikes Back' were the crew of the Millennium Falcon are on the run from the Imperial fleet which ultimately lands them on a tibanna gas mining colony above the planet Bespin , but this was a means to an end in the plot, for it was used by the Empire to draw Luke out and subsequently be captured.

There he learns his father is NOT dead, but the very villain HE believed KILLED him!

I write all of this to establish a foundation upon which to build the defense of my claim.

When I first saw 'A New Hope' , I though Obi-Wan was the coolest thing since 'Slurpee's. I was so disapointed to see him die' at the hands of Vader because I wanted to see him mentor Luke in the ways of the 'force'. The concept of the 'force' was so intriguing , and Obi-Wan was someone who could open that world up to us.

It turn's out that Yoda would ultimately be the one to do that, but still Obi-Wan was an intriguing character that I wanted to see MUCH more of!

I wanted to know about his past and see HIS story told much like Luke's.

Years later , the news of the prequels started to generate, and I though Obi-Wan would finally get center stage.

But it didn't happen. He became a supporting character rather than the central focus of action.

If the prequels were films oriented around the man Ob-Wan Kenobi , Anakin's story would have been invariably told through association.

Obi-Wan's character is far more interesting to me. I'd like to know how he actually met Anakin. How he became interested in becoming a Jedi. His relationship with the Skywalker family, and his interaction with Bail Organa in his service as a general during the Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan witnessed the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, as well as Anankin's slow decent into the 'dark side of the force'.


Now don't give me that crap about how all this played out in one form or another in the prequels. That's CLEARLY NOT MY POINT-!, because the prequels were told from Anakin's life focus NOT OBI-WAN'S!, and that's my point. And referencing auxiliary materials(i.e.,SW novels.comics,etc.) is moot being that those things don't relate to my premise.

A three-quel orbiting around Obi-Wan's life would have been perfect. All the major themes:
1)Obi-wan and Anakin's friendship
2)Anakin's recruitment for training to become a Jedi
3) Their adventures together as master and padawon and subsequent tour as Jedi's defending the Old Republic.
4)The Clone Wars
5)Anakin's seducton by the 'dark side'.
6) The genesis of the rise of the Empire.

ALL of these things would have been far more interesting if they unfolded AROUND the telling of Obi-Wan's life.

That's it. Don't want to make this too long so I'll end it there.
What do you think?

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golden123
golden123 - 1/20/2012, 6:19 PM
If the prequels focused on Obi-Wan and were just, as dissapointing to fans as the ones in real life, would people like you be saying the prequels should of focused on Vader, instead?
golden123
golden123 - 1/20/2012, 6:20 PM
I don't get how it makes a huge difference.
headlopper
headlopper - 1/20/2012, 7:04 PM
@golden123- You're kidding , right?

And what exactly are "people like me"?
One's that knew the Giant's were gonna kick a**?(sorry)
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 1/20/2012, 9:51 PM
I love me some Obi-Wan Kenobi, but Obi-wan had plenty of screen time. We saw his learning days with Qui-Gon, fights with Maul, Dooku twice, the clones, thousands of droids, 2 space battles and finally the battle with Vader in Ep.3, and many other adventures before that. It was pretty even in screen time for Obi-Wan and Anakin but obviously Anakin had a little more. The point of the prequels were to show who Anakin was before becoming Vader and how his road down the dark side came to be and finally having the force being brought back in to balance. So Anakin would obviously be the main focus and Obi-Wan is is just that, a supporting character. The whole Star Wars franchise revolves around 3 main characters:
1:Anakin/Vader
2:Obi-Wan
3:Luke

There had to be more detail going in to how Anakin becomes Vader. It wouldn't work if we focused mainly on Obi-Wan and Anakin's story is in the background and then


Anakin's now gone down the dark path.

I will say this, I would have liked to have seen a little more of Obi-Wans back-story and when he was first starting off as a Jedi and learning the ways of the force too, but...that would have taken too long. That could be something saved for an individual movie dedicated specifically for Obi-Wan.
headlopper
headlopper - 1/20/2012, 10:16 PM
@JDUKE25 - "...for an individual movie dedicated specifically for Obi-Wan".

Beggar's can't be chooser's ...so I'll take it!

Yet I sincerely believe the '3-quels' oriented around Obi-Wan's life , with Anakin in a supporting role would have been magnificent- to see those film's through Obi-Wan's eye's.

Moreover, to go to Degobah- or wherever Yoda may have been at the time- to witness him train Obi-Wan would have been really special.(Obi-Wan tells Luke on Hoth Yoda trained him- but you knew that)

headlopper
headlopper - 1/21/2012, 8:33 AM
@teabag- Profound and concise. I concur.
headlopper
headlopper - 1/21/2012, 8:58 AM
What also would be very interesting is to watch a film or two based solely on the back story of Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca.

Some aspects to explore would be:
1) Han, Chewy and Lando's INDIVIDUAL pasts and stories.
2) How each met the other and the circumstances that brought them ultimately all together.
3) Their multiple adventures together alluded to in dialog primarily contained in TESB.
4)Han's relationship with the Hutts and his dealings with Boba Fett. (That could really be expanded upon!)
5) How the Empire influenced their parting .
Han resorted to smuggling and Lando became the administrator of the gas mine-let's see how that happened.

I have a book of Star Wars art published in the late 80's wherein it explains Han was a Imperial officer, but was so disturbed by the enslavement of the Wookies , he rescued Chewy and went AWOL.
That's definitely something I'd like to see!

One other thing: let's not forget about the Millennium Falcon! The ship's practically a cast member!

NotThatGuy
NotThatGuy - 1/21/2012, 9:47 AM
Poor casting and stiff dialogue = fail.
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 1/21/2012, 1:35 PM
@headlopper yeah, that would be alright to see, and I'd definitely like to see something about what happened to Boba after Ep. II and the events leading him back in to the movies in Ep V. But yeah, all of that would have to be individual movies. Can't fit that much story in to one movie. You don't go in to a Batman movie where the main characters are Batman and Joker and have a lot of the story revolve around Alfred lol.

But yeah, I would love to see a couple movies focusing on Jango Fett and Boba. Idk about anyone else but I loved that Bounty Hunter game on the PS2 that came out in 2002.


I would love a movie that focuses around the stories of them.
golden123
golden123 - 1/21/2012, 6:54 PM
@headlopper: First off, two losses is nothing compared to seven. Second, people like you are all the fans that would argue something like character focus to be a fault for the prequels.
headlopper
headlopper - 1/21/2012, 8:02 PM
@golden123- Alright , alright...calm down! Just kidding about Green Bay's loss. I'm a 'Dol-fan' fan , so I've really got no bragging rights.(just got a new head coach- finger's crossed)

I don't know what kind of person argues that character focus ruined the prequels- I never have. I just believe Obi-Wan should have been the main character and that the screenplay be written to reflect that.
People want a epic based on a hero, not a villain, and Obi-Wan was very much a hero! Who wants to cheer on a guy who's gonna be responsible for killing MANY people , including Jedi, and helps the Empire terrorize the galaxy? You know what I mean?

But I really have to reiterate what @Teabag said: the prequel's are heartless.
golden123
golden123 - 1/22/2012, 10:29 AM
@headlopper: The title of this article is "Where the STAR WARS prequels FAILED", and the article is clearly about how it would of been better if the film was centered around Obi-Wan. I'm not stupid you know. At least I know what the best NFL team is. JK.
Potterman
Potterman - 1/22/2012, 5:22 PM
There is no way the story would have ever been done based on Obi. The whole story was about mirroring 4, 5 and 6. What Lucas wanted to do was tell a similar story to Luke's but focus on how Anakin chose the dark side instead. Its really the same story with a different path and ending. If the movies were done well it would have been one of the greatest stories ever told. Imagine if the movies were not cheesy, childish, and poorly written. The telling of Anakin's story would have brought a sense of completion to the originals. It would have also made the ending of Return 20 times better with much more emotional feeling for Anakin saving his son. Telling the story of Obi would have not made as much sense and wouldn't mean as much emotionally to the originals. the story of Anakin was the best idea but the execution of it was so very poor.
Potterman
Potterman - 1/22/2012, 5:29 PM
The prequels should have gone like this.
Episode 1 - 20 minutes of Anakin as a kid and how he met the jedis. then they go into his teenage years for the remainder of the first episode and the beginning of the clone wars. Anakin is a big hero in the first battles. (mirror A New Hope).

Episode 2 - in the middle of the clone wars. completely focus on Anakin's turning to the dark side. make this very dark. end it with him battling Obi. (mirror Empire)

Episode 3 - starts with his creation as Vader. then go into the hunt for the Jedis and the beginning of the rebellion. As well as what happens with Yoda and Obi during this time. End with climatic battle but the empire wins and vader defeats a very strong jedi. (mirror Return)

boom. done right that would have been AWESOME to see.
Potterman
Potterman - 1/22/2012, 5:31 PM
the problem with the story of Anakin is Lucas went Hollywood on us. first he made it too childish. Second he tried to make Anakin too good for too long. Third theres was so little screen time of bad anakin. fourth he wanted to give happy endings to a story that isnt happy!!
BIGBMH
BIGBMH - 1/23/2012, 7:25 AM
Interesting idea. Maybe it could have been more of an even split like Xavier and Magneto in First Class. Obi-wan had a decent amount of screen time in 2 and 3, but in 1 he was kinda just there. 3 was actually a pretty decent split IMO because it showed his emotions and how he felt about Anakin.
StrangerX
StrangerX - 1/23/2012, 7:47 AM
I wanted to see less Anakin and more Maul.
kriswone
kriswone - 1/23/2012, 1:18 PM
I feel like you write these articles to offend, pure and simple.

From now on, when I read one of your articles, I will comment simply, that you sir, are a troll.
ejkousc
ejkousc - 1/23/2012, 7:33 PM
I dont think there was anything inherintly wrong with following from Anakin's point of view and you've failed to establish any specific advantages to following it from Obi-Wan's POV. Sounds like Lucas would have found a way to botch it up regardless. By the way I'd argue that not one of the prequels ever conclusively followed things from Anakin's POV.

It takes like 40 minutes for Anakin to enter the narrative in TPM. I'd say that epsode favored Qui-Gon and Amidala more.

In Episode II Anakin shares his plot almost entirely with Amidala while Obi-Wan goes solo on his own plot.

In Episode III once again Obi-Wan goes off on his own plot and stays the good guy while Anakin slowly disappears more and more into an unrelatable character.

So while the prequels certainly werent told from Obi-Wan's POV you cant really say they were told from Obi-Wan's either. Which may be a fundamental problem of the prequels. In the OT you KNEW it was Luke's journey that was paramount.
ejkousc
ejkousc - 1/23/2012, 7:35 PM
Oops I meant though the prequels werent told from Obi-Wan's POV you cant say they were told from ANAKIN's either*
headlopper
headlopper - 1/24/2012, 3:35 PM
@kriswone- Look, I honestly believe every word I wrote...deeply. We're just two Star Wars fans who disagree. It's as simple as that.


@ejkousc - I like the approach of your argument. It examines the issue a bit more in depth than my editorial. As for not "establishing advantages" , I generally like to keep things as concise as possible,so I edited implied facts.
I absolutely disagree with your comment that stated there is nothing inherently wrong with telling the story from Anakin's perspective for the reasons stated above in my post at 8:02 P.M....no one wants to cheer on a mass murderer...especially kids. Cheering Obi-Wan would have been preferred, and witnessing his past revealed much more interesting!
ejkousc
ejkousc - 1/25/2012, 11:18 AM
@kriswone -

Troll is an overused term used to describe someone whose opinion goes against the grain. I've been called a troll for no other reason than being essentially (and relatively) ALONE in an opinion. This is not trolling. This article is not trolling. Troll is a word that inarticulate cliche fanboys use to express their frustration.

@headlopper - Again, there is nothing fundamentally disadvantageous to following from Anakin's POV. Perhaps you're not familiar with the concept of the tragic hero. Achilles, King David, Michael Corleone, maybe even King Arthur. The Tragedy of Anakin is a fine subject to tackle in focus. Lucas just simply didnt deliver. Following Obi-Wans POV would be sufficient too but not advantageous in any way. The prequels are a tragedy andf if following Obi-Wan's story it would be the Tragedy of Obi-Wan. And what is Obi-Wan's tragedy? What drives a flourishing adventurer into the desert to whither and rot for 19 years stewing on friends lost and what he could have done differently? The tragedy of Obi-Wan is that of a teacher who utterly failed as a mentor. He ignored warning signs and red flags in favor of ushering Anakin along the old tried and true Jedi lines - with no accomodation for his peculiar needs. He has to live with that. It is a fine story and a fine tragedy but still wouldnt say that its more moving or advantageous than Anakin's story. Look, I've obviously thought this through too for some time :) I've weighed the pros and cons as well. I'm just saying that it's not as if Anakin's POV was the death of the prequels. It was Lucas' execution.
ejkousc
ejkousc - 1/25/2012, 11:26 AM
And here is when my "trolling" begins when I say that the prequels had every reason to be superior to the original trilogy conceptually. They deal with a more interesting arc, a tragedy, war, romance, politics, manipulation. But they were mired in atrocious dialogue, bad acting, flat-out weird pacing issues,and more. Lucas is an anthropologist. He knows his history. He's not an idiot and is far better read than most of the fanboys give him credit for. I'm not sure what went wrong with him. Not being a great writer is the main thing. He had all the utensils and ingredients at his dispossal but its for nothing if you cant execute. Even with the same ho-hum directing and casting the prequels would have benefitted ten-fold from better writing.

See that's trolling. I say the prequels were conceptually better. It's trolling because no one will agree with me unless you polled fanboys up until May 18th 1999 - then they'd have absolutely agreed.
ejkousc
ejkousc - 1/25/2012, 11:36 AM
And it is Anakin's story that provides a "more interesting arc" than anything seen in the OT. The OT is pretty straight forward classic child's play. Anakin's arc was awesome fodder for the imagination prior to actually seeing the final results. Results that weren't inevitable mind you. It could have transpired way better but - you know - Lucas is Lucas so there you go. Anakin's arc is more specific and classic than Obi-Wan's and it was the prequels's best bet at doing something very interesting. Blast.
Gerrit
Gerrit - 1/25/2012, 10:49 PM
I agree with ejkousc. I think Anakin's story was the best way to do the prequels but the problem was the writting, and like Potterman said, the main points in the story should have been distributed in a different way. The prequels failed to give depth to the themes. The war didn't seem so devastating, Anakin's frustrations didn't seem big or important. Lucas should have connected all the themes in a better way. The best thing about the prequels is that they show the politics and Palpatine's master plan in a great way but that didn't play out well with the rest of the films.
KoonEl
KoonEl - 1/29/2012, 10:37 AM
The Star Wars saga is a tragedy of the rise, fall, and redemption of Anakin Skywalker. That's it. Nothing else. We have lots of supporting characters, and really cool visuals, but Anakin was always the central character. He was born when the force started to become out of balance, and he eventually restored that balance. He fell from grace, and was redeemed by his son. Anakin stopped the emperor, not Luke.
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