Tag: Star Wars

part seven
part six
part five
part four
part three
part two
part one

Heavens, it’s been a while since I left off. A long while, actually. Oh well, sorry about that…even if there hasn’t exactly been a massive clamoring for me to continue this series. But really, if procrastination was an Olympic sport, I’d be Bruce Jenner. But now we’re back to it, so hopefully I can work up a bit of momentum.

(Before I get back to my own business at hand, a brief word about something that’s been shooting ’round the Interweb of late: some guy’s 70-minute long rant-review of The Phantom Menace. No, I haven’t watched it beyond the first 90 seconds or so. First, I found the guy’s voice very odd – he seems to keep saying “Phrantom Menace” instead of Phantom; second, from the plaudits being heaped on that video by the usual suspects (people who like to bitch about the Prequel Trilogy on a regular basis), I gather that the review says nothing that I haven’t heard before about the movie. He apparently puts on display some of the footage from the “Making of TPM” feature that’s been in the DVD for years, footage from the first screening of the film’s rough cut at Lucasfilm, and the apparent atmosphere in the room that TPM-haters like to interpret as everybody but George Lucas realizing that the movie is crap. No, folks, this stuff is not new, and I don’t think it’s particularly revelatory, either. Basically, though, I’m just not interested in yet another iteration of everyone’s favorite complaints about TPM. I just don’t share them, and for some of the many reasons why, see my previous posts on the subject (although I would single out one particular complaint in the video I’ve seen cited by people high-fiving it, that TPM has no “main character”. For many reasons that I’ve already discussed, this is complete nonsense.) Jason Bennion also comments on the 70-minute review, for those interested.)

And now, back to Attack of the Clones.

When we’d last left off, Anakin and Padme were hanging out by the lake on Naboo while Obi Wan was actually doing some Jedi work-related stuff, investigating the creation of a clone army on Kamino. Specifically, Obi Wan has just finished meeting Jango Fett and left the bounty hunter troubled to the point of deciding to leave Kamino with his son, Boba. After that, we cut back to Naboo and the romantic adventures of Anakin and Padme – with, in my opinion, some very poor results. This sequence features what is, for me, the single most damaging scene in the entire Prequel Trilogy. But first, we get a brief look at Anakin and Padme at dinner (red type indicates material not in the final cut of the film):

EXTERIOR: NABOO LAKE RETREAT, LOUNGE – LATE AFTERNOON

The setting sun touches the mountain peaks. The lake glows in the rose-tinted light. Floating lamps gleam softly like jewels at the lodge.

INTERIOR: NABOO LAKE RETREAT, DINING ROOM – LATE AFTERNOON

NANDI places dessert in front of PADMÉ. TECKLA does the same for ANAKIN. The dessert is some kind of fruit.

ANAKIN: And when I got to them, we went into… aggressive negotiations. (to Teckla) Thank you.

PADMÉ: “Aggressive negotiations,” what’s that?

ANAKIN: Uh, well, negotiations with a lightsaber.

PADMÉ: (laughing) Oh.

PADMÉ picks up her fork and goes to spear a piece, but it moves! She frowns and tries again – the fruit moves. She looks up at ANAKIN. His eyes are on his plate.

PADMÉ: You did that?

ANAKIN looks up – wide-eyed innocence.

ANAKIN: What?

PADMÉ scowls at him. PADMÉ jabs at the fruit – ANAKIN subtly moves his hand and it lifts up from the plate and hovers in front of her.

PADMÉ: That! Now stop it!

PADMÉ laughs. ANAKIN laughs. She reaches out for the fruit – it loops.

PADMÉ: Anakin!!

ANAKIN moves his fingers. The fruit flies into his hand.

ANAKIN: If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this, he’d be very grumpy.

ANAKIN is pleased. He cuts the fruit into several pieces and sends one back to PADMÉ. She bites it out of the air and laughs.

The only thing that genuinely bugs me about this scene is, frankly, the special effects, which always look off to me. The relative size of the fruit Anakin levitates across the table seems to change, and when Padme takes a bit of it, she doesn’t seem to exert any actual effort, so it actually looks like what it is: she’s biting nothing. The pear (or whatever it is) has been added digitally. But that’s a small complaint, and I like Anakin’s description of something he’s done as “aggressive negotations”. It’s a nice little scene, and I like the idea of mischievous Anakin using the Force to move Padme’s food around. That strikes me as exactly the kind of practical joke a Jedi would do. (It occurs to me that a Jedi pie fight would be a pretty creepy thing to watch, though – just a bunch of people standing still while pies are Force-thrown through the air.)

And then…the fireplace scene. The fireside chat. The scene by the fire. The scene that…well, while I don’t think it’s the worst scene in Star Wars history (that’s still in The Phantom Menace, this is the single scene I’d re-do in a heartbeat if George Lucas himself asked me to make a single change in any Star Wars film. Seriously, this scene, in terms of the impact it has on what comes after, is orders of magnitude worse than Greedo shooting first.

Why? Well, we need to look at the scene itself:

INTERIOR: NABOO LAKE RETREAT, LODGE, FIREPLACE ALCOVE –
TWILIGHT

A fire blazes in the open hearth. PADMÉ and ANAKIN are sitting in front of it, gazing into the flames. She looks up as ANAKIN leans in to kiss her.

PADMÉ: Anakin, no.

ANAKIN: From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn’t gone by when I haven’t thought of you. And now that I’m with you again, I’m in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you makes my stomach turn over – my mouth goes dry. I feel
dizzy. I can’t breathe. I’m haunted by the kiss you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask…

Silence. The logs flame in the hearth. PADMÉ meets his eye, then looks away.

ANAKIN: If you are suffering as much as I am, tell me.

PADMÉ: …I can’t. We can’t. It’s just not possible.

ANAKIN: Anything’s possible. Padmé, please listen…

PADMÉ: You listen. We live in a real world. Come back to it. You’re studying to become a Jedi Knight. I’m a Senator. If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, they will take us to a place we cannot go… regardless of the way we feel about each other.

ANAKIN: Then you do feel something!

PADMÉ: Jedi aren’t allowed to marry. You’d be expelled from the Order. I will not let you give up your future for me.

ANAKIN: You’re asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do. Believe me, I wish I could wish my feelings away… but I can’t.

PADMÉ: I am not going to give in to this. I have more important things to do than fall in love.

There is silence as they stare at the fire. ANAKIN is thinking.

ANAKIN: It wouldn’t have to be that way… we could keep it a secret.

PADMÉ: Then we’d be living a lie – one we couldn’t keep up even if we wanted to. Mt sister saw it. So did my mother. I couldn’t do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?

Silence for a moment.

ANAKIN: No. You’re right. It would destroy us.

That first bit, with Anakin leaning in to kiss her, isn’t in the finished film; but the way the scene plays, there’s about six or seven seconds of body language between Anakin and Padme before he begins his “From the moment I met you” speech. Padme is turning away from Anakin, looking uncomfortable with something; Anakin is looking sad and disappointed. This makes clear that something has just happened, but the way it plays onscreen, we don’t know what.

And then there’s Anakin’s speech itself, in which he just bluntly lays it all out there, making his love for Padme sound like an awfully unpleasant feeling. Now, since he’s a Jedi and since he’s been in love with the only girl he’s ever met since he met her, I suppose it’s possible that he wouldn’t have picked up on this, but telling the object of your affections how miserable you are by feeling the way you feel about her isn’t a strategy that’s likely to bring her into your arms. But that speech isn’t even my big objection, even though I’d rewrite it to be a bit less overly dramatic. Anakin is, after all, a deeply immature person, and this speech again strikes me as something that is awkward and overly dramatic by design. Anakin’s a teenager in love with an adult, and he can’t help but voice his feelings in the way teenagers sometimes do. Teenage love can be pretty unpleasant, sometimes. So I can somewhat see what’s behind Anakin’s lovelorn speechifying here, even if he comes off a bit too stalkerish. (Plus the simple fact that at one point he uses the same word twice in the same sentence — “I wish I could just wish my feelings away!” I remember that line ringing horribly in my ear when I saw the movie at a midnight screening opening day.)

Where the scene starts to really go wrong, though, is Padme’s response. She discourages him, yes; she tells him they shouldn’t, that it’s impossible, that she’s a Senator and he’s a Jedi…but she admits that there is something there. That’s the crucial mistake. Lucas has Padme slamming on the brakes, when she shouldn’t even be admitting to being on a ride in the first place. She should not even be aware of her burgeoning feelings for Anakin yet, much less admit their existence. And she absolutely should not seem to at least be partially open to the idea of keeping a relationship a secret. So, what should she have done?

She should have smacked him down, hard.

Yes, it would seem harsh and maybe even a bit mean, but it would also establish her as the clear mature person here; it would clarify Anakin’s lack of maturity, so that over the remainder of the film he could be seen more clearly to have grown; it would make their love story more real by showing it to be more of a struggle and less of a pre-ordained drama to be acted out. It would establish Padme more as a strong character in her own right – we don’t get nearly enough of a look at things from her point of view – and it would focus our sympathies on Anakin, which is where they should be. We need to be rooting for Anakin, which is hard when (a) he’s being depicted as something of a crazy guy already, and (b) it’s already being conceded that he’s on his way to getting the girl.

So, it seems to me that the fireplace scene should go something like this:

Fire blazing in the hearth, ANAKIN and PADME sitting on the couch, looking at the flames.

PADME: You haven’t said anything in a while.

ANAKIN: I just don’t want this moment to end.

She meets his gaze, and he leans in to kiss her, but she turns her head away at the last second.

PADME: No, Annie. It was a mistake before, I can’t let it happen again.

Silence as ANAKIN turns away and glowers. She makes no motion to comfort him.

PADME: You’re still not saying anything.

ANAKIN: (angry) Anakin.

He looks at her.

ANAKIN: My name is Anakin. I was ‘Annie’ ten years ago, not now. Why can’t you see me for who I am?

A silent moment….

ANAKIN: From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn’t gone by when I haven’t thought of you. And now that I’m with you again, I’m in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you makes my stomach turn over – my mouth goes dry. I feel
dizzy. I can’t breathe. I’m haunted by the kiss you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. If you–

Finally Padme grows exasperated and stands up.

PADME: Stop it, Anakin. Can’t you hear yourself? You live in a real world. Come back to it! You’ve been living a dream. How can I be “in your soul, tormenting you”? You barely know me, Anakin! I’m ten years older than you. Like it or not, you’re still a Jedi Padawan, and I’m a former Queen and a Senator.

ANAKIN looks like he’s been kicked in the gut. PADME shakes her head.

PADME: I see now that this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have allowed the Jedi Council to assign you and Obi Wan to my protection. When this affair is over, I will speak with them.

She goes to leave the room, and stops at the door.

PADME: None of this was your fault, Anakin. But I’m not the person you’ve been dreaming about. No one is.

She exits, leaving a devastated ANAKIN to stare at nothing.

That’s how the scene should have gone, I think. We know that Anakin’s already in love with Padme, but she needs some time to get there, and a reason to get there. The reason the scene, as originally written and shot for the film, doesn’t work is that if you’re going to have a character acting weird, you need to have someone acknowledge that his behavior is weird. No one does that here, and it’s damaging, as we can see that Anakin’s love for Padme isn’t the healthy kind.

And that’s a good place to stop. Next time, we wrap up Obi Wan on Kamino and Anakin on Naboo. And I promise it won’t be seven months until the next installment!

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part six
part five
part four
part three
part two
part one

I suppose I should try to make some effort to update this series more often, huh? One entry a month isn’t getting it done. I’m only now approaching the halfway point in Attack of the Clones.

Anyhow, Anakin and Padme have arrived on Naboo, met with the Queen and spent a night with Padme’s family (remember, I restored all of that material to the film). Next we turn our attention back to Obi Wan Kenobi, who is now arriving on the oceanic world of Kamino to investigate the source of the toxic dart. I’m not going to quote all of this from the screenplay, because frankly, there’s virtually nothing from this scene that I would change. It’s one of the best bits in the entire PT. Why? Well, I love the way the mystery unfolds: we’re probably expecting Obi Wan to receive a less-than-enthusiastic welcome, but as soon as gets off his ship, the somewhat elegantly beautiful Kaminoan Taun We greets him with: “We’ve been expecting you. We were beginning to fear you weren’t coming.”

The Kaminoans are, for me, the best aliens in the entire PT, with their long bodies and nearly indistinguishable features; and yet, there is something undeniably feminine about Taun We versus Lama Su, the Prime Minister who gives Obi Wan his tour of the cloning facility. I also love the whole design of the Kamino cloning facility in the first place, with its gleaming white walls and floors and that teardrop-shaped chair that drops down out of the ceiling for Obi Wan to sit in. And I love when the mystery deepens at the mention of Jedi Master Syfo Dyas, who has apparently been dead for ten years. (Right around the Trade Federation blockade and invasion of Naboo, interestingly enough – what Lucas has done here is to subtly indicate that the invasion of Naboo wasn’t the only thing the mysterious Darth Sidious had going on back then.)

So anyway, as Lama Su begins to show Obi Wan around the cloning facility, we return to Naboo as Anakin and Padme arrive at the resort in “the lake country”. Here is where, for most fans, so far as I can tell, the very worst material in the movie resides. I don’t hate it as much as most – hell, I don’t really hate it at all – but the Naboo Lake Country scenes do need some revision. So, for the rest of this post, we’ll be doing that.

In the movie, we see the boat pulling up to the resort. I’d actually start a bit earlier, and actually show the boat moving across the surface of the water:

EXTERIOR: NABOO – LAKE – BOAT.

An elegant-looking speedboat cruises across the surface of a spectacular lake, vast and deep, set amidst very high mountains on all sides. The boat is piloted by a Naboo commoner; sitting in the rear are ANAKIN and PADME. PADME looks very happy to be here; ANAKIN looks very ill-at-ease.

PADME: I think that my soul comes from here. (looks at Anakin) Annie, you look awful. Are you afraid?

ANAKIN: There’s more water in this lake than on my entire planet.

PADME: Your planet has a lot of water. It’s all in the atmosphere or trapped so far underground. If Tatooine were closer to the industrial worlds of the Republic, perhaps–

She trails off, seeing his discomfort.

PADME: You can swim, can’t you?

ANAKIN: Of course I can swim. All Jedi are taught to swim. I just don’t like to.

PADME: We’ll have to see if we can change that!

He looks at her, and she smiles. He looks marginally more happy.

Then, the arrival, and they walk across the veranda to look over the panorama of the lake. This leads us up to what I suspect is the most loathed line of dialogue in Star Wars history:

ANAKIN and PADMÉ stop at the balustrade. PADMÉ looks out across the garden to the shimmering lake and the mountains rising beyond. ANAKIN looks at her.

PADMÉ: When I was in Level Three, we used to come here for school retreat. See that island? We used to swim there every day. I love the water.

ANAKIN: I do too. I guess it comes from growing up on a desert planet.

[Obviously I’d leave this out, as it would clash with what Anakin just said on the boat about being uncomfortable around this much water.]

PADMÉ becomes aware that ANAKIN is looking at her.

PADMÉ: …We used to lie on the sand and let the sun dry us… and try to guess the names of the birds singing.

ANAKIN: I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything’s soft… and smooth…

He touches her arm. PADMÉ has become receptive to the way he looks at her but is nervous.

Ah, yes: the infamous “I don’t like sand” pickup line. Interestingly, though, we can contrast the movie versus the script. Here he says that here, everything is soft, while in the movie, he addresses Padme: “Not like you. You’re everything soft.” The line is obviously quite a bit less creepy in the original wording.

Now, I’ve never objected to this line, as I’ve indicated in previous posts on this movie. I’ve always seen it for what it is: an attempt by an awkward young adult who is trying, without a great deal of self-confidence, to win over the girl he’s desperately in love with. I simply have never had a problem with the idea of Anakin saying something like this. I’ve always figured that the awkwardness of this line was intentional, because when you really look at this script, it stands out that every single awkward line of dialogue is given to Anakin. He sounds awkward by design.

In the film, when Anakin says “I don’t like sand”, Padme has a very subtle reaction: she shifts, ever so slightly, and her face kind of freezes in the way women tend to freeze up a bit when the guy they’re with has said something that they’re not sure whether to ignore or acknowledge. Lucas might have drawn the contrast a bit more strongly by encouraging a stronger reaction from Natalie Portman, but it’s there anyway. In any event, you know what? I would not cut that line – especially in light of the fact that the line is followed by some material that, in what is emerging as a real pattern with AotC, isn’t in the finished film! According to the script, Padme notes Anakin’s attempts at poetic seduction and continues trying to make conversation:

PADMÉ: There was a very old man who lived on the island. He used to make glass out of sand – and vases and necklaces out of the glass. They were magical.

ANAKIN: (looks into her eyes) Everything here is magical.

PADMÉ: You could look into the glass and see the water. The way it ripples and moves. It looked so real… but it wasn’t.

ANAKIN: Sometimes, when you believe something to be real, it becomes real.

They look into each other’s eyes.

PADMÉ: I used to think if you looked too deeply into glass, you would lose yourself.

ANAKIN: I think it’s true…

ANAKIN kisses PADMÉ. She doesn’t resist. She comes to her senses and pulls away.

PADMÉ: No, I shouldn’t have done that.

ANAKIN: I’m sorry. When I’m around you, my mind is no longer my own.

He looks at her.

The scene would have worked a lot better this way, I think, although I’d cut out the stuff about losing yourself when you look into glass. I’d have had Padme’s voice trail off after “It looks so real…but it wasn’t….” Anakin would hold her eyes, and then draw her in for the kiss.

The kiss itself and the aftermath are actually perfectly done in the movie; I like how she walks away, leaving Anakin to awkwardly apologize and just stand there, wondering what the heck he’s done wrong. Here’s one instance where I wouldn’t follow the script. He certainly wouldn’t say, “When I’m around you my mind is no longer my own.” I’m glad that line didn’t make it into the movie.

After this scene, we cut back to Kamino, for more of Obi Wan’s tour of the cloning facility. Still nothing for me to say, since I like this sequence a lot too, although here we have something of a difficulty that also afflicts The Empire Strikes Back: events on two different worlds are intercut, seeming to imply that they’re happening simultaneously, but the stuff happening to one character or set of characters seems to imply a longer period of time than the stuff being depicted at the same time happening to the other character(s). In TESB, logic would suggest that Luke has to be on Dagobah for quite a while, right? Maybe even a few months? But it doesn’t really seem that Han, Leia, Chewie and C-3PO spend that same amount of time stuck on board the Millennium Falcon trying to fix the ship. But we know that they do, right? They have to, in order for everything to work out right.

Here, the same kind of thing happens. The stuff with Padme and Anakin at the lake house doesn’t seem to take a single afternoon; rather, a few days at the least. But Obi Wan’s exploration of Kamino doesn’t seem to take days at all, does it? But maybe it does. Anyway, the investigation on Kamino continues, with Obi Wan learning interesting things about the cloning process itself (such as the fact that the development process is accelerated), and about the clones themselves (that the seed person for all this cloning is a bounty hunter named Jango Fett). We also learn that Fett wanted a son, a clone of himself who isn’t accelerated; thus we learn the origin of Boba Fett. He’s a stormtrooper who never became a stormtrooper. I actually like this, although it would have been nice to learn a bit more about Jango himself: what made him the ideal person on whom to base an entire army of clones? What qualities does he bring? Something like this:

OBI WAN: Why was a bounty hunter used as the basis for an army?

LAMA SU: We conducted a great deal of testing on a number of suspects over several years before beginning the cloning process, I can assure you. Jango Fett’s testing was the best we found. He is extremely skillful with arms of all sorts, as well as a superlative pilot. He is also single-minded in pursuit of a job he has been appointed to do. What he does not have is an inquisitive nature; he does not seek to understand why he is asked to do the things his employers request of him. These traits make him an ideal soldier, wouldn’t you say?

OBI WAN: I suppose. I should very much like to meet Jango Fett.

LAMA SU: We shall arrange it.

In the script, it is mentioned that the Kaminoans thought a Jedi would be the logical choice for a clone army, but Jango Fett was hand-picked by Master Syfo-dyas. I don’t remember if that line made it into the film, but it’s an interesting facet of what’s going on: clearly someone was acting as Syfo-dyas after Syfo-dyas was killed.

There’s a bit more talk of clones, and then Obi Wan looks on the finished article: platoons of clone troopers boarding ships. It’s a nice culmination to the scene, and what’s all the better is that we don’t know what’s going on with these clones. Who are they going to be attacking? What side will they be on, if anyone’s? What is going on here? John Williams does something interesting with the music here, in scoring the shots of the clone army with the same theme he had used in TPM to underscore the droid armies. Who is the enemy here, and why?

We then cut back to Naboo. Anakin and Padme are having a picnic and talking politics. I’m not sure what the general consensus on this scene is, but I’ve always liked it. Here’s how it goes:

EXTERIOR: NABOO, MOUNTAIN MEADOW – LATE AFTERNOON

PADMÉ and ANAKIN are in the middle of an idyllic hilly meadow, its lush grasses sprinkled with flowers. At a distance, a herd of SHAAKS graze contentedly. Beyond is the shimmering expanse of the lake. Several other lakes stretch to the horizon. The warm air is full of little floating puffballs. They sit on the grass, in a playful, coy mood, talking. PADMÉ is picking flowers.

PADMÉ: I don’t know…

ANAKIN: Sure you do… you just don’t want to tell me.

PADMÉ: Are you going to use one of your Jedi mind tricks on me?

ANAKIN: They only work on the weak-minded. You are anything but weak- minded.

PADMÉ: All right… I was twelve. His name was Palo. We were both in the Legislative Youth Program. He was a few years older then I… very cute… dark curly hair… dreamy eyes.

ANAKIN: All right, I get the picture… whatever happened to him?

PADMÉ: I went into public service. He went on to become an artist.

ANAKIN: Maybe he was the smart one.

PADMÉ: You really don’t like politicians, do you?

ANAKIN: I like two or three, but I’m not really sure about one of them. (smiling) I don’t think the system works.

PADMÉ: How would you have it work?

ANAKIN: We need a system where the politicians sit down and discuss the problem, agree what’s in the best interests of all the people, and then do it.

PADMÉ: That is exactly what we do. The trouble is that people don’t always agree. In fact, they hardly ever do.

ANAKIN: Then they should be made to.

PADMÉ: By whom? Who’s going to make them?

ANAKIN: I don’t know. Someone.

PADMÉ: You?

ANAKIN: Of course not me.

PADMÉ: But someone.

ANAKIN: Someone wise.

PADMÉ: That sounds an awful lot like a dictatorship to me.

A mischievous little grin creeps across his face.

ANAKIN: Well, if it works…

PADMÉ stares at ANAKIN. He looks back at her, straight faced, but can’t hold back a smile.

PADMÉ: You’re making fun of me!

ANAKIN: (sarcastic) Oh no, I’d be much too frightened to tease a Senator.

PADMÉ: You’re so bad!

PADMÉ picks up a piece of fruit and throws it at him. He catches it. PADMÉ throws two more pieces of fruit, and ANAKIN catches them.

ANAKIN: You’re always so serious.

PADMÉ: I’m so serious?!

ANAKIN then starts to juggle the fruit. PADMÉ laughs and throws more fruit at him. He manages to juggle them too until there are too many, and he loses control and ducks, letting food fall on his head. They both laugh.

ANAKIN stands in front of a SHAAK, yelling at it and waving his arms. PADMÉ starts laughing as ANAKIN runs in circles, chased by the SHAAK.

I’m glad this last bit didn’t appear in the movie. It just reads silly, doesn’t it? Instead we cut to the two of them frolicking in the meadow, with Anakin showing off by trying to ride some kind of large beastie that looks like a six-legged cow with a wildly distended arse. He falls down and appears to be trampled, but he fakes unconsciousness until a scared Padme rushes to his side. I like this little bit as well, and the only change I’d make would be to make the cow-beasties look a little less ridiculous. All I could think, first time I saw the movie, was, “How can that thing’s tiny little legs hold up that gigantic arse?”

But the thing is, I like all of these scenes, really; especially the scene with Anakin and Padme chatting in the grass. Sure, they’re talking politics, but what else are they going to talk about? That’s what Padme’s all about, really, and it’s important that we hear her talking about herself at some point (especially with the earlier scenes in her family’s home cut from the movie). I like how the scene establishes Padme as intelligent and quick to disagree when she sees fit; I also like how it shows Anakin starting to regain some confidence around her, even to the point of grinning bashfully when she realizes he’s teasing her. (Kind of, anyway.) I consider this another entry in the surprisingly long list of well-done character scenes in the Prequels, considering that the general wisdom is that George Lucas can’t direct actors to save his life. If anything, this scene is worthy because we get to see this smile from Padme:

And right after that, we’re back to Kamino, where we have one of my favorite scenes in any Star Wars movie: Obi Wan’s meeting with Jango Fett.

EXTERIOR: TIPOCA CITY (RAINSTORM) – DAY

Rain lashes the city. Below, mighty waves pound the stilts, breaking almost to the height of the platforms. A large AVIAN carrying a RAIN-SOAKED RIDER flies above the water toward a floating city.

INTERIOR: TIPOCA CITY, CORRIDOR – DAY

TAUN WE and OBI-WAN stand in front of the door of Jango Fett’s apartment. TAUN WE waves his hand, and a muted bell RINGS. As they wait, OBI-WAN notes the door lock entry mechanism. Then the door opens, and a ten-year-old boy, BOBA FETT, looks at them. He is identical to the boys in the classroom.

TAUN WE: Boba, is your father here?

There is a brief pause.

BOBA FETT: Yep.

TAUN WE: May we see him?

BOBA FETT: Sure.

Another brief pause, then BOBA FETT steps aside, and TAUN WE and OBI-WAN go through.

INTERIOR: TIPOCA CITY, FETT APARTMENT – DAY

OBI-WAN, TAUN WE, and BOBA FETT enter the apartment. OBI WAN looks around the room.

BOBA FETT: Dad! Taun We’s here!

JANGO FETT comes in from the bedroom. He wears a jumpsuit. He is unshaven and mean looking, his face pitted with scars of old wounds. There are a couple of weird tattoos on his muscular forearms. He eyes OBI-WAN with suspicion.

TAUN WE: Jango, welcome back. Was your trip productive?

JANGO FETT: Fairly.

OBI-WAN and JANGO FETT size each other up. BOBA FETT studies both of them.

TAUN WE: This is Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s come tocheck on our progress.

JANGO FETT: That right?

JANGO FETT’S eyes fix OBI-WAN coldly.

OBI-WAN: Your clones are very impressive. You must be veryproud.

JANGO FETT: I’m just a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe, Master Jedi.

OBI-WAN: Aren’t we all?

OBI-WAN eyes the half-open bedroom door, through which a couple of pieces of body armor can be seen on the floor. JANGO FETT registers OBI-WAN’S look. He moves in front of him, blocking the view.

OBI-WAN: Ever make your way as far into the interior as Coruscant?

JANGO FETT: Once or twice.

OBI-WAN: Recently?

JANGO FETT: (eyes Obi-Wan carefully) Possibly…

OBI-WAN: Then you must know Master Sifo-Dyas?

JANGO FETT: (in Huttese) Boba, close the door.

BOBA FETT moves to close the bedroom door. JANGO FETT smiles thinly at OBI-WAN.

JANGO FETT: Master who?

OBI-WAN: Sifo-Dyas. Is he not the Jedi who hired you for this job?

JANGO FETT: Never heard of him.

OBI-WAN: Really.

JANGO FETT: I was recruited by a man called Darth Tyranus on one of the moons of Bogden.

OBI-WAN: No? I thought…

TAUN WE: Sifo-Dyas told us to expect him. And he showed up just when your Jedi Master said he would. We have kept the Jedi’s involvement a secret until your arrival, just as your Master requested.

OBI-WAN: Curious…

JANGO FETT: Do you like your army?

OBI-WAN: I look forward to seeing them in action.

JANGO FETT: (grinning) They’ll do their job well, I’ll guarantee that.

OBI-WAN: Thanks for your time, Jango.

JANGO FETT: Always a pleasure to meet a Jedi.

OBI-WAN and TAUN WE go out. The door slides closed. JANGO FETT turns to his son. He is deep in thought.

BOBA FETT: What is it, Dad?

JANGO FETT: Pack your things. We’re leaving.

As I noted, one of my favorite scenes in the entire Star Wars saga. It’s very well acted, between Ewan McGregor and Temuera Morrison, and there’s real tension there as Obi Wan is realizing that something is very amiss here, even if he can’t tell exactly what. I also like the chemistry between Morrison and the kid who plays young Boba Fett; they have a comfort level with each other that nicely conveys father-and-son.

After that scene, we cut back to Naboo for some more of Anakin and Padme, passing the time. We’ll do that next time, though, because we’re coming up on what I consider to be the most damaging scene in the entire PT, as far as Anakin’s relationship with Padme goes, and I want to devote some time to discussing it and proposing my fix. So that’s where we’ll start next time. Tune in!

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part one
part two
part three
part four
part five

Yes, it’s been a while since we got into this; sorry about that. But now we’re back, so it’s time to return to Naboo and Coruscant for further examination of Attack of the Clones!

When last we left our Star Warring heroes, Obi Wan Kenobi was starting to dig a bit into the mystery of the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala, while Anakin Skywalker had been sent as Padme Amidala’s bodyguard back to Naboo for safekeeping. That’s where we start!

So Obi Wan Kenobi has learned that the toxic dart originated on a planet called Kamino, a planet whose chief industry is the creation of clones. However, in trying to further investigate this Kamino business, he discovers that the vast Jedi Archive contains nothing at all on Kamino, and what’s more, the librarian there is really unhelpful and gets annoyed when Obi Wan suggests that maybe her archive isn’t complete.

And that’s where we pick up, with one of my favorite scenes in any Star Wars movie: Obi Wan goes to see Yoda about this, interrupting Yoda’s session of Lightsaber 101 with a bunch of four-year-old Jedi younglings. Here’s the scene as written, which is, aside from a couple of lines of dialogue’s difference, pretty much exactly what happens onscreen (RED text indicates stuff not in the movie):

INTERIOR: JEDI TEMPLE, MAIN HALLWAY – DAY

OBI-WAN walks through the main hallway to the training area.

INTERIOR: JEDI TEMPLE, TRAINING VERANDA – DAY

OBI-WAN comes out onto the veranda and stops, watching TWENTY or so FOUR-YEAR-OLDS doing training exercises, supervised by YODA. They wear helmets over their eyes and try to strike little TRAINING DROIDS with their miniature lightsabers. The DROIDS dance in front of them.

YODA: Don’t think… feel… be as one with the Force. Help you, it will. (he sees Obi-Wan) Younglings – enough! A visitor we have. Welcome him.

The CHILDREN turn off their lightsabers.

YODA: Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, meet the mighty Bear Clan.

CHILDREN: Welcome, Master Obi-Wan!

OBI-WAN: I am sorry to disturb you, Master.

YODA: What help to you, can I be?

OBI-WAN: I’m looking for a planet described to me by an old friend. I trust him. But the system doesn’t show up on the archive maps.

YODA: Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing… how embarrassing. Liam, the shades. An interesting puzzle. Gather, younglings, around the map reader. Clear your minds and find Obi-Wan’s wayward planet, we will.

The reader is a small shaft with a hollow opening at the top. The CHILDREN gather around it. OBI-WAN takes out a little glass ball and places it into the bowl. The window shades close, the reader lights up and projects the star map hologram into the room. The CHILDREN laugh. Some of them reach up to try and touch the nebulae and stars. OBI-WAN walks into the display.

OBI-WAN: This is where it ought to be… but it isn’t. Gravity is pulling all the stars in this area inward to this spot. There should be a star here… but there isn’t.

YODA: Most interesting. Gravity’s silhouette remains, but the star and all its planets have disappeared. How can this be? Now, younglings, in your mind, what is the first thing you see? An answer? A thought? Anyone?

There is a brief pause. Then a CHILD puts his hand up. YODA nods.

JEDI CHILD JACK: Master? Because someone erased it from the archive memory.

CHILDREN: That’s right! Yes! That’s what happened! Someone erased it!

JEDI CHILD MAY: If the planet blew up, the gravity would go away.

OBI-WAN stares; YODA chuckles.

YODA: Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is. The Padawan is right. Go to the center of the gravity’s pull, and find your planet you will.

YODA and OBI-WAN move away from the CHILDREN. With a hand movement, OBI-WAN causes the star map to disappear. OBI-WAN uses the Force to call the glass ball back to his hand as
the two walk into an adjoining room.

OBI-WAN: But Master Yoda who could have erased information from the archives? That’s impossible, isn’t it?

YODA: (frowning) Dangerous and disturbing this puzzle is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files. But who and why, harder to answer. Meditate on this, I will. May the Force be with you.

In the past I’ve seen some criticism of this scene on the basis that Obi Wan shouldn’t need the children to figure out that the Jedi archives have been tampered with, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here; I think that Obi Wan has clearly already figured that out and is going to bring this matter to Yoda’s attention. Yoda simply decides to make it a teaching exercise for the younglings. (Love that word, by the way. “Younglings”.) Note that Yoda and Obi Wan move away from the children to further discuss the fact that the erasure of the archive data indicates a deeper problem. (A deeper problem, I might add, that never gets mentioned again. That’s an error we’ll be correcting at some point.)

And aside from all that, this is just a lovely scene to behold. The music for this scene is gentle and wonderful, and I’ve long believed that if I could own one non-weapon gizmo from the Star Wars movies, Obi Wan’s pocket holographic planetarium would be the one. Who wouldn’t want to be able to walk through a room full of stars? I would have liked to see the kids responds more; Lucas scripted it that way, so why didn’t he film it?

So, Obi Wan’s next move is plain: he has to actually go to Kamino. Meanwhile, Anakin and Padme have arrived on Naboo and are proceeding to the Palace to meet with the current Queen.

There is a lot of material from the Naboo arrival sequence of the film that didn’t make it into the final cut. It’s all available on the extra material on the DVDs, and in every single case, producer Rick McCallum says the same thing: these scenes, while nice, were all cut because they didn’t move the action along. Once again, I can sympathize with this somewhat, but again, I think that mistakes were made here. There are times when moving things along is called for, and there are times when you need more time for things to unfold. Specifically, the major fault I find with AOTC is that Padme falls in love with Anakin too quickly. She seems to go very quickly from seeing him as the child she once knew to the man she loves. Preserving some of this material would help that along, I think; it would show her coming to see him in a new light. (Plus a couple of other changes I would make along the way.)

Additionally, I think these scenes were well done; the acting’s good, and maybe the general perception of Anakin would be different had these scenes been preserved, since he’s not terribly whiny in them. Yes, once again I’m lobbying for a significantly longer movie, but once again, I think that George Lucas simply got too attached to the idea of a specific running time.

So here are the scenes as in the script, with occasional comment scattered within:

EXTERIOR: NABOO PALACE, GRAND COURTYARD – AFTERNOON

The speeder bus pulls up and stops. PADMÉ, ANAKIN, and ARTOO get out. The great courtyard stretches before them, and they see the rose-colored domes of the palace on the far side. ARTOO WHISTLES. They pick up their gear and start to cross the courtyard. ARTOO trundles behind them.

ANAKIN: If I grew up here, I don’t think I’d ever leave.

PADMÉ: (laughing) I doubt that.

ANAKIN: No, really. When I started my training, I was very homesick and very lonely. This city and my Mom were the only pleasant things I had to think about… The problem was, the more I thought about my Mom, the worse I felt. But I would feel better if I thought about the palace – the way it shimmers in the sunlight – the way the air always smells of flowers…

PADMÉ: …and the soft sound of the distant waterfalls. The first time I saw the Capital, I was very young… I’d never seen a waterfall before. I thought they were so beautiful… I never dreamed one day I’d live in the palace.

ANAKIN: Well, tell me, did you dream of power and politics when you were a little girl?

PADMÉ: (laughing) No! That was the last thing I thought of, but the more history I studied, the more I realized how much good politicians could do. After school, I became a Senatorial advisor with such a passion that, before I knew it, I was elected Queen. For the most part it was because of my conviction that reform was possible. I wasn’t the youngest Queen ever elected, but now that I think back on it, I’m not sure I was old enough. I’m not sure I was ready.

[See, I like this whole conversation. Does it whisk the plot along? No, but a lot of this fleshes out what’s gone on since TPM, and it fleshes out Padme’s character quite a lot. I would like a bit of exploration into a society that actually has children capable of governing an entire planet, but I never had much problem with that notion to begin with, so….]

ANAKIN: The people you served thought you did a good job. I heard they tried to amend the Constitution so you could stay in office.

PADMÉ: Popular rule is not democracy, Annie. It gives the people what they want, not what they need. And, truthfully, I was relieved when my two terms were up. So were my parents. They worried about me during the blockade and couldn’t wait for it all to be over. Actually, I was hoping to have a family by now… My sisters have the most amazing, wonderful kids… So when the Queen asked me to serve as Senator, I couldn’t refuse her.

ANAKIN: I agree! I think the Republic needs you… I’m glad you chose to serve. I feel things are going to happen in our generation that will change the galaxy in profound ways.

PADMÉ: I think so too.

ANAKIN and PADMÉ walk toward the palace. ARTOO continues to follow.

INTERIOR: NABOO PALACE, THRONE ROOM – AFTERNOON

QUEEN JAMILLIA is seated on the throne, flanked by SIO BIBBLE and a COUPLE OF ADVISORS. FOUR HANDMAIDENS stand close by, and GUARDS are at the doors.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: We’ve been worried about you. (takes her hand) I’m so glad you’re safe, Padmé.

PADMÉ: Thank you, Your Highness. I only wish I could have served you better by staying on Coruscant for the vote.

SIO BIBBLE: Given the circumstances, Senator, you know it was the only decision Her Highness could have made.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: How many systems have joined Count Dooku and the separatists?

PADMÉ: Thousands. And more are leaving the Republic everyday. If the Senate votes to create an army, I’m sure it’s going to push us into a civil war.

SIO BIBBLE: It’s unthinkable! There hasn’t been a full scale war since the formation of the Republic!

QUEEN JAMILLIA: Do you see any way, through negotiations, to bring the separatists back into the Republic?

PADMÉ: Not if they feel threatened. The separatists don’t have an army, but if they are provoked, they will move to defend themselves. I’m sure of that. And with no time or money to build an army, my guess is they will turn to the Commerce Guilds or the Trade Federation for help.
[Some of this is in the movie, and some of it isn’t. I can’t recall exactly, so I’m not color-coding everything. Suffice it to say that this discussion of the political situation in the Republic is truncated a bit in the movie.]

QUEEN JAMILLIA: The armies of commerce! Why has nothing been done in the Senate to restrain them?

PADMÉ: I’m afraid that, despite the Chancellor’s best efforts, there are still many bureaucrats, judges, and even Senators on the payrolls of the Guilds.

SIO BIBBLE: It’s outrageous that, after all of those hearings, and four trials in the Supreme Court, Nute Gunray is still the Viceroy of the Trade Federation. I fear the Senate is powerless to resolve this crisis. Do those money mongers control everything?

QUEEN JAMILLIA: Remember, Counselor, the courts were able to reduce the Federation’s armies. That’s a move in the right direction.

PADMÉ: There are rumors, Your Highness, that the Trade Federation Army was not reduced as they were ordered.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: We must keep our faith in the Republic. The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.

PADMÉ: Let’s pray that day never comes.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: In the meantime, we must consider your own safety.

SIO BIBBLE signals. All the OTHER ADVISORS and ATTENDANTS bow and leave the room.

SIO BIBBLE: (to Anakin) What is your suggestion, Master Jedi?

PADMÉ: Anakin’s not a Jedi yet, Counselor. He’s still a Padawan learner. I was thinking…

ANAKIN: (nettled) Hey, hold on a minute!

PADMÉ: Excuse me! I was thinking I would stay in the Lake Country. There are some places up there that are very isolated.

ANAKIN: Excuse me?! I am in charge of security here, M’Lady.

SIO BIBBLE and QUEEN JAMILLIA exchange a look. Something is going on here.

PADMÉ: Annie, my life is at risk, and this is my home. I know it very well… that is why we’re here. I think it would be wise for you to take advantage of my knowledge in this instance.

ANAKIN: (takes a deep breath) Sorry, M’Lady.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: Perfect. It’s settled then.

[This is one of my favorite “character” moments in AotC. I love the little seed of conflict planted here, borne of the fact that Padme still refuses to see Anakin as something more than the resourceful little kid she had known years before. I also think that this exchange could have set up a more effect event later on. That’s something I’ll get to in due course. I’ll also note that the actress playing Queen Jammillia, Ayesha Dharker, is very beautiful and does a great job in her brief screen time in creating a Queen who, despite the funky makeup, is distinct from the former Queen Amidala.]

ANAKIN glares at PADMÉ. Then QUEEN JAMILLIA gets up, and they all start to leave.

QUEEN JAMILLIA: Padmé, I had an audience with your father yesterday. I told him what was happening. He hopes you will visit your mother before you leave… your family’s very worried about you.

PADMÉ: Thank you, your Highness.

PADMÉ looks worried. They ALL exit down the main staircase.

One might be tempted to wonder why they bothered traveling as refugees if they were simply going to make contact with the Queen when they arrived on Naboo; that’s not much of a way to maintain cover if they’re trying to avoid being found by whomever is behind the assassination attempts. I assume, then, that the “traveling as refugees” bit was just to keep them safe while they were on their journey, and was always intended to be dropped as soon as they arrived on Naboo.

In the film, we now cut to Obi Wan landing on Kamino, but in the original script there are several scenes following the reception with the Queen, still on Naboo, in which we meet Padme’s family. It’s fairly unremarkable stuff, but frankly, that’s why I like it. These scenes are available on the DVD’s special features, along with the reason for their cutting from the film: that old bagaboo, running time and the desire to keep the action moving. The problem here is that while yes, the scenes would lengthen the movie a bit and slow down the pace, I think they would also serve several pretty useful purposes. First, it would allow the fleshing out of Padme a bit, and second, the scenes give Anakin a chance to do something aside from appearing stalkerishly attached to Padme or teetering on the edge of Vaderhood.

Ultimately, I think that the Anakin-Padme love story needed more time to unfold. Padme seems to go from rejecting Anakin’s advances to accepting them fairly quickly; in these scenes, we are allowed to see that the seeds of her attraction to him are already well in flower, probably before she has even had a chance to realize this herself. The love story actually unfolds when this material is included, as opposed to simply happening when Lucas adheres rigidly to his internal demands for a specific running time.

I like these scenes quite a bit, and I’d restore them, since I don’t think they add much more then seven or eight minutes total to the movie, and sometimes that makes a ton of difference. Here are the scenes, as taken from the script:

EXTERIOR: THEED, RESIDENTIAL AREA, SIDE STREET – AFTERNOON

PEOPLE are passing through the little street, OLD MEN are sunning themselves, WOMEN are gossiping, KIDS are playing. ANAKIN, PADMÉ and ARTOO turn onto a side street. ANAKIN is back in his Jedi robes. PADMÉ wear a beautiful simple dress. She stops, beaming.

PADMÉ: There’s my house!

PADMÉ starts forward; ANAKIN hangs back.

PADMÉ: What? Don’t say you’re shy!
ANAKIN: (untruthfully) No, but I…

Suddenly, there are shouts from two little girls, RYOO (age 6) and POOJA (age 4). They come running toward PADMÉ.

PADMÉ: Ryoo!! Pooja!!

PADMÉ scoops up RYOO and POOJA and hugs them.

PADMÉ: Go wake up Artoo.

RYOO & POOJA: Artoo!!!

As they see the droid, they hug him. ARTOO WHISTLES and BEEPS. PADMÉ laughs. ANAKIN and PADMÉ go on toward the house. The GIRLS stay and play with ARTOO.

INTERIOR: PADMÉ’S PARENTS’ HOUSE, MAIN ROOM – AFTERNOON

SOLA, PADMÉ’S beautiful older sister, comes in from the kitchen carrying a big bowl of food.

SOLA: (over her shoulder) They’re eating over at Jev Narran’s later, Mom. They just had a snack. They’ll be fine.

SOLA puts the bowl down on the table, where ANAKIN, PADMÉ and RUWEE NABERRIE (Padme’s father) are coming into the room.

SOLA: Padmé! (hugging her) You’re late. Mom was worried.

PADMÉ: We walked. Anakin, this is my sister, Sola.

SOLA: Hello, Anakin.

ANAKIN: Hello.

SOLA sits, as JOBAL NABERRIE (Padme’s mother) comes in with a heaped bowl of steaming food.

PADMÉ: …and this is my mother.

JOBAL: You’re just in time for dinner. I hope you’re hungry, Anakin.

ANAKIN: A little.

PADMÉ: He’s being polite, Mom. We’re starving.

RUWEE: (grinning) You came to the right place at the right time.

EVERYONE sits and starts passing food.

JOBAL: (to Padmé) Honey, it’s so good to see you safe. We were so worried.

PADMÉ gives JOBAL a dirty look. RUWEE smiles as he watches.

RUWEE: Dear…

JOBAL: I know, I know… but I had to say it. Now it’s done.

SOLA: Well, this is exciting! Do you know, Anakin, you’re the first boyfriend my sister’s ever brought home?

PADMÉ: (rolls her eyes) Sola!! He isn’t my boyfriend! He’s a Jedi assigned by the Senate to protect me.

[If preserving this, I’d put in a reaction shot here from Anakin. Something subtle – maybe he hesitates in taking a bite of food or glances at Padme quickly or something like that. But no man who is genuinely interested in a woman enjoys hearing her say that they’re just friends or whatever.]

JOVAL: A bodyguard?! Oh, Padme! They didn’t tell us it was that serious!

PADMÉ: It’s not, Mom, I promise. (glances at Jobal) Anyway, Anakin’s a friend. I’ve known him for years. Remember that little boy who was with the Jedi during the blockade crisis?

They nod.

PADMÉ: He grew up.

JOBAL: Honey, when are you going to settle down? Haven’t you had enough of that life? I certainly have!

PADMÉ: Mom, I’m not in any danger.

RUWEE: (to Anakin) Is she?

ANAKIN: …Yes …I’m afraid she is.

[As they filmed this, in the deleted scenes on the DVD, Hayden Christensen delivers this line softly and a little sadly. It’s nicely done, and it’s the kind of moment that might have helped the general perception of Anakin.]

PADMÉ: (quickly) But not much.

EXTERIOR: PADMÉ’S PARENTS’ GARDEN – AFTERNOON

ANAKIN and RUWEE are walking.

RUWEE: Sometimes I wish I’d traveled more… but I must say, I’m happy here.

ANAKIN: Padmé tells me you teach at the university?

RUWEE: (nodding) Yes, and before that, I was a builder. I also worked for the refugee relief movement when I was very young.

INTERIOR: PADMÉ’S PARENTS’ HOUSE, MAIN ROOM – AFTERNOON

PADMÉ, SOLA and JOBAL are clearing the table.

SOLA: Why haven’t you told us about him?

PADMÉ: What’s there to talk about? He’s just a boy.

SOLA: A boy? Have you seen the way he looks at you?

PADMÉ: Sola – stop it!

SOLA: It’s obvious he has feelings for you. Are you saying, little baby sister, that you haven’t noticed?

PADMÉ: I’m not your baby sister, Sola. Anakin and I are friends… our relationship is strictly professional. (to Jobal) Mom, would you tell her to stop it?

SOLA: (laughing) Well, maybe you haven’t noticed the way he looks at you. I think you’re afraid to.

PADMÉ: Cut it out.

JOBAL: Sola’s just concerned… we all are.

PADMÉ: Oh, Mom, you’re impossible. What I’m doing is important.

JOBAL: You’ve done your service, Padmé. It’s time you had a life of your own. You’re missing so much!

EXTERIOR: PADMÉ’S PARENTS’ GARDEN – AFTERNOON

ANAKIN and RUWEE are walking in the garden. RUWEE stops and faces ANAKIN directly.

RUWEE: Now tell me, son. How serious is this thing? How much danger is my daughter really in?

ANAKIN: There have been two attempts on her life. Chances are there’ll be more. My Master is tracking down the assassins. I’m sure he’ll find out who they are. This situation, won’t last long.

RUWEE: I don’t want anything to happen to her.

ANAKIN: I don’t either.

INTERIOR: PADMÉ’S PARENTS’ HOUSE, PADMÉ’S ROOM – AFTERNOON

PADMÉ throws some things into a bag.

PADMÉ: Don’t worry, this won’t take long.

ANAKIN: I just want to get there before dark.

PADMÉ goes on packing. ANAKIN looks around the room.

ANAKIN: You still live at home.

PADMÉ: I move around so much, I’ve never had a place of my own. Official residences have no warmth. I feel good here. I feel at home.

ANAKIN: I never had a real home. Home was always where my Mom was.

ANAKIN picks up a framed hologram.

ANAKIN: Is this you?

The hologram shows PADMÉ at age seven or eight surrounded by forty or fifty little green creatures. She is holding one in her arms. They are all smiling hugely.

PADMÉ: That was when I went with the relief group to Shadda-Bi-Boran. Their sun was imploding, and the planet was dying. I was helping to relocate the children. See that little one I’m holding? His name was N’a-kee-tula, which means sweetheart. He was so full of life. All those kids were. They were never able to adapt… to live off their native planet.

ANAKIN picks up another hologram. It shows PADMÉ at age ten or eleven. She is wearing official robes and standing between two robed legislators. Her expression is severe.

PADMÉ: My first day as an Apprentice Legislator. Notice the difference?

PADMÉ pulls a face. ANAKIN grins. She continues packing.
ANAKIN sets the two holograms down side by side – the
beaming little girl, and the stern, unsmiling adolescent.

And with that, I’ll wrap up this installment. Next time we’ll look into Obi Wan Holmes and the Hound of the Kaminovilles, and at the further exploits of a lovelorn Jedi and his older object of affection. Tune in, Star Warriors!

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