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Hello all,
My name is Darth Awesome. After many years of work (experimental cuts, hard drive crashes, HD upgrades), I have finally completed a fan edit of the Star Wars prequels called 'The Empire Begins'. Special thanks to modernknife, The Phantom Editor, Michael Kaminski's The Secret History of Star Wars, and Q2.
My goal was to condense the prequel story into one episode that feels like a real Lucasfilm release. According to Lucas' own admission: "60 percent.. maybe 80 percent of the story... is in Episode III. The rest was a jazz riff."
The Empire Begins = 5% Phantom Menace, 35% Clones, and 60% Sith. I should note that these percentages do not reflect my opinion of each film. My priorities were:
1) Make it feel like a real Star Wars film. Follow George Lucas' film grammar, keeping my edits as invisible as possible.
2) Make Anakin a stronger and more likeable character. Simplify his motivation for turning to the dark side.
3) Strengthen the Anakin/Padme love story. After all, it is the most important romance in the galaxy.
4) Remove weak dialog and cringeworthy moments.
5) Keep the runtime between 2 and 3 hours. See rule #1.
Changes (130+):
added copyright disclaimer
color corrected Fox logo
new crawl
PHANTOM:
removed all of The Phantom Menace except for…
re-edited Darth Maul duel
CLONES:
dialog trims on Coruscant landing platform. cut "there was no danger at all" and "I failed you Senator"
added deleted scene - Padme addresses the Senate (used noise reduction to clean up all reinstated deleted scenes)
cut Jar Jar close-ups in deleted scene
cut Chancellor's Meeting scene (Palpy's chamber).
cut Old Friends scene (apartment reunion)
cut Ani's "just being around her again is intoxicating"
cut Padme's handmaiden checking on her after kouhun worm attack
cut first alien drive-by in speeder chase
dialog trims throughout speeder chase. OB and Anakin's relationship is far less contentious.
cut Ani's laugh at "pull up Anakin!"
cut chase through power plant
cut "…I think" off Ani's "this is a shortcut".
cut OB's "I hate it when he does that"
cut all references to Anakin losing his lightsaber
cut wide shot of Anakin falling off Zam's speeder
cut argument between OB and Anakin outside club. ends with OB's "he went in there to hide, not to run"
cut OB and Ani's entrance to club
cut Sleazebaggano character. (death sticks guy)
cut a few frames of Anakin roaming the club
cut Anakin's "Jedi business. Go back to your drinks."
cut Anakin's "tell us now!"
Zam now says "It was a bounty hunter... from Kamino. He's scum."
cut OB's "a toxic dart"
cut Mace's "don't use registered transport. travel as refugees."
cut Palpy's "even more powerful than master yoda" line
cut Padme packing scene
cut departure from Coruscant scene
cut Dex's Diner scene
cut scene aboard refugee ship
cut Jedi Archives scene
cut Yoda and younglings scene
cut walk after Naboo landing
cut Audience with the Queen scene
cut Kamino arrival scene
cut Meeting Lama Su scene
added deleted scene - Dinner with Padme's family
cut children playing
cut Ruwee's "you've come to the right place at the right time"
cut Padme's "he's not my boyfriend" talk
moved Ani reaction shot
cut Inspecting the Clones scene
cut Picnic and Shaak riding scene
cut Jango's Apartment scene
cut Forbidden Love scene (fireplace)
trimmed OB's report to Yoda and Mace, cutting all references to Sifo-Dyas
moved Stolen Kiss scene
cut all dialog at lake house after "try to guess the names of the birds singing"
replaced music under kiss
cut Padme breaking off kiss
inserted shot of sunset
trimmed Boba action during OB vs. Jango fight
cut very slow shot of OB sliding down ledge
cut Anakin having nightmare
trimmed and re-jiggered dialog in Ani and Padme's "morning after" scene
cut arrival to Tatooine. Watto is gone.
trimmed Boba and Jango dialog during Asteroid chase
trimmed C3PO's dialog at Lars homestead. He doesn't call Ani "the maker". He doesn't recognize Padme.
cut Cliegg's "where are you going"
cut Ani's "to find my mother"
cut Nute Gunray's "until I have her head on my desk"
moved Dooku line about Darth Sidious controlling the Senate
cut Banking Clan alien
trimmed Shmi's death scene
trimmed OB's call to Tatooine
cut Ani and Padme scene in garage ("You're not all-powerful" scene)
cut Cliegg's eulogy
cut Ani's "I miss you… so much."
now OB says "Count Dooku is behind the attacks on Senator Amidala"
cut any reference to OB being captured on Geonosis
cut Mace's instructions to Anakin
cut Anakin and Padme's departure from Tatooine
cut Jar Jar out of Palpy's chamber scene
cut Mas Amedda and Palpy's last lines in chamber
cut OB captive scene
cut Jar Jar out of Emergency Powers scene. Senate scene ends with Mace's "It is done then."
cut Ani and Padme arrival to Geonosis
cut Droid factory scene
cut Ani and Padme's capture
cut Arena scene
cut Geonosian battle
cut OB / Ani / Dooku duel
cut Yoda / Dooku duel
cut Dooku's departure from Geonosis
trimmed dialog in Jedi temple wrap-up scene. No references to Geonosian war.
cut Yoda's "begun the Clone War has"
trimmed and re-jiggered wedding scene. No close-up of Ani's mechanical hand.
created montage of wedding and clone war
SITH:
added "3 years later" title
cut Ani's "this is where the fun begins"
cut all references to General Grievous in this section. He is not seen or referred to at all.
cut droid ship antics
cut Ani and OB evading missles
cut buzz droids scene
cut dialog about shields still being up
cut OB's "I have a bad feeling about this"
cut from OB's "spring the trap" to OB and Ani exiting the control tower elevator
cut all references to OB and Ani dueling Dooku in Ep. 2
cut Palpy's "yeah!"
trimmed shot of OB being crushed by railing
cut Palpy's "he cut off your arm" line
cut R2's flame thrower fight
cut OB's "to the hangar" line
trimmed Anakin dialog in crash landing scene
cut OB recounting Palpy rescue
cut OB's "someone needs to be the poster boy"
cut dialog between Palpy and Mace
trimmed Anakin's reaction to "I'm pregnant"
cut Ani and Padme balcony scene
cut all references to Ani's "on the council but not a master" subplot
trimmed opera house scene
Palpy now says "we've found the location of the droid army"
Palpy now says "he could use the force to create life." No reference to midichlorions.
cut Wookiee tarzan swing
cut clone trooper's "when have I ever let you down" line. cut OB's response.
trimmed OB's landing on Utupau. OB actually flies off instead of sneaking out of his ship.
inserted establishing shot of Palpy's office
office scene ends with "I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi council"
trimmed Ani and Mace dialog in hangar scene.
trimmed Jedi showdown in Palpy's chamber
trimmed Palpy pleading for his life
cut Ani's "I can't live without her"
cut Palpy's "the force is strooong with you"
cut Ani's "thank you my master"
cut OB and Commander Cody dialog. OB never loses his lightsaber because OB never fights Grievous.
cut death of she-Jedi on Willy Wonka planet
cut Jett Lucas vs. Stormtroopers at temple
cut Padme's "so this is how liberty dies"
cut toaster droids at Ani's entrance to Mustafar command center
cut C3PO's "i think I'm getting the hang of this flying thing"
cut Ani's "freedom" in new empire speech
cut Ani's "you will try"
cut Vader and Emperor dialog. no "where is Padme" or "nooooo!"
cut Jar Jar out of Padme's funeral march.
added "Yoda lands on Dagobah" deleted scene
added fan editor credit
POSTERS:
My name is Darth Awesome. After many years of work (experimental cuts, hard drive crashes, HD upgrades), I have finally completed a fan edit of the Star Wars prequels called 'The Empire Begins'. Special thanks to modernknife, The Phantom Editor, Michael Kaminski's The Secret History of Star Wars, and Q2.
My goal was to condense the prequel story into one episode that feels like a real Lucasfilm release. According to Lucas' own admission: "60 percent.. maybe 80 percent of the story... is in Episode III. The rest was a jazz riff."
The Empire Begins = 5% Phantom Menace, 35% Clones, and 60% Sith. I should note that these percentages do not reflect my opinion of each film. My priorities were:
1) Make it feel like a real Star Wars film. Follow George Lucas' film grammar, keeping my edits as invisible as possible.
2) Make Anakin a stronger and more likeable character. Simplify his motivation for turning to the dark side.
3) Strengthen the Anakin/Padme love story. After all, it is the most important romance in the galaxy.
4) Remove weak dialog and cringeworthy moments.
5) Keep the runtime between 2 and 3 hours. See rule #1.
Changes (130+):
added copyright disclaimer
color corrected Fox logo
new crawl
PHANTOM:
removed all of The Phantom Menace except for…
re-edited Darth Maul duel
CLONES:
dialog trims on Coruscant landing platform. cut "there was no danger at all" and "I failed you Senator"
added deleted scene - Padme addresses the Senate (used noise reduction to clean up all reinstated deleted scenes)
cut Jar Jar close-ups in deleted scene
cut Chancellor's Meeting scene (Palpy's chamber).
cut Old Friends scene (apartment reunion)
cut Ani's "just being around her again is intoxicating"
cut Padme's handmaiden checking on her after kouhun worm attack
cut first alien drive-by in speeder chase
dialog trims throughout speeder chase. OB and Anakin's relationship is far less contentious.
cut Ani's laugh at "pull up Anakin!"
cut chase through power plant
cut "…I think" off Ani's "this is a shortcut".
cut OB's "I hate it when he does that"
cut all references to Anakin losing his lightsaber
cut wide shot of Anakin falling off Zam's speeder
cut argument between OB and Anakin outside club. ends with OB's "he went in there to hide, not to run"
cut OB and Ani's entrance to club
cut Sleazebaggano character. (death sticks guy)
cut a few frames of Anakin roaming the club
cut Anakin's "Jedi business. Go back to your drinks."
cut Anakin's "tell us now!"
Zam now says "It was a bounty hunter... from Kamino. He's scum."
cut OB's "a toxic dart"
cut Mace's "don't use registered transport. travel as refugees."
cut Palpy's "even more powerful than master yoda" line
cut Padme packing scene
cut departure from Coruscant scene
cut Dex's Diner scene
cut scene aboard refugee ship
cut Jedi Archives scene
cut Yoda and younglings scene
cut walk after Naboo landing
cut Audience with the Queen scene
cut Kamino arrival scene
cut Meeting Lama Su scene
added deleted scene - Dinner with Padme's family
cut children playing
cut Ruwee's "you've come to the right place at the right time"
cut Padme's "he's not my boyfriend" talk
moved Ani reaction shot
cut Inspecting the Clones scene
cut Picnic and Shaak riding scene
cut Jango's Apartment scene
cut Forbidden Love scene (fireplace)
trimmed OB's report to Yoda and Mace, cutting all references to Sifo-Dyas
moved Stolen Kiss scene
cut all dialog at lake house after "try to guess the names of the birds singing"
replaced music under kiss
cut Padme breaking off kiss
inserted shot of sunset
trimmed Boba action during OB vs. Jango fight
cut very slow shot of OB sliding down ledge
cut Anakin having nightmare
trimmed and re-jiggered dialog in Ani and Padme's "morning after" scene
cut arrival to Tatooine. Watto is gone.
trimmed Boba and Jango dialog during Asteroid chase
trimmed C3PO's dialog at Lars homestead. He doesn't call Ani "the maker". He doesn't recognize Padme.
cut Cliegg's "where are you going"
cut Ani's "to find my mother"
cut Nute Gunray's "until I have her head on my desk"
moved Dooku line about Darth Sidious controlling the Senate
cut Banking Clan alien
trimmed Shmi's death scene
trimmed OB's call to Tatooine
cut Ani and Padme scene in garage ("You're not all-powerful" scene)
cut Cliegg's eulogy
cut Ani's "I miss you… so much."
now OB says "Count Dooku is behind the attacks on Senator Amidala"
cut any reference to OB being captured on Geonosis
cut Mace's instructions to Anakin
cut Anakin and Padme's departure from Tatooine
cut Jar Jar out of Palpy's chamber scene
cut Mas Amedda and Palpy's last lines in chamber
cut OB captive scene
cut Jar Jar out of Emergency Powers scene. Senate scene ends with Mace's "It is done then."
cut Ani and Padme arrival to Geonosis
cut Droid factory scene
cut Ani and Padme's capture
cut Arena scene
cut Geonosian battle
cut OB / Ani / Dooku duel
cut Yoda / Dooku duel
cut Dooku's departure from Geonosis
trimmed dialog in Jedi temple wrap-up scene. No references to Geonosian war.
cut Yoda's "begun the Clone War has"
trimmed and re-jiggered wedding scene. No close-up of Ani's mechanical hand.
created montage of wedding and clone war
SITH:
added "3 years later" title
cut Ani's "this is where the fun begins"
cut all references to General Grievous in this section. He is not seen or referred to at all.
cut droid ship antics
cut Ani and OB evading missles
cut buzz droids scene
cut dialog about shields still being up
cut OB's "I have a bad feeling about this"
cut from OB's "spring the trap" to OB and Ani exiting the control tower elevator
cut all references to OB and Ani dueling Dooku in Ep. 2
cut Palpy's "yeah!"
trimmed shot of OB being crushed by railing
cut Palpy's "he cut off your arm" line
cut R2's flame thrower fight
cut OB's "to the hangar" line
trimmed Anakin dialog in crash landing scene
cut OB recounting Palpy rescue
cut OB's "someone needs to be the poster boy"
cut dialog between Palpy and Mace
trimmed Anakin's reaction to "I'm pregnant"
cut Ani and Padme balcony scene
cut all references to Ani's "on the council but not a master" subplot
trimmed opera house scene
Palpy now says "we've found the location of the droid army"
Palpy now says "he could use the force to create life." No reference to midichlorions.
cut Wookiee tarzan swing
cut clone trooper's "when have I ever let you down" line. cut OB's response.
trimmed OB's landing on Utupau. OB actually flies off instead of sneaking out of his ship.
inserted establishing shot of Palpy's office
office scene ends with "I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi council"
trimmed Ani and Mace dialog in hangar scene.
trimmed Jedi showdown in Palpy's chamber
trimmed Palpy pleading for his life
cut Ani's "I can't live without her"
cut Palpy's "the force is strooong with you"
cut Ani's "thank you my master"
cut OB and Commander Cody dialog. OB never loses his lightsaber because OB never fights Grievous.
cut death of she-Jedi on Willy Wonka planet
cut Jett Lucas vs. Stormtroopers at temple
cut Padme's "so this is how liberty dies"
cut toaster droids at Ani's entrance to Mustafar command center
cut C3PO's "i think I'm getting the hang of this flying thing"
cut Ani's "freedom" in new empire speech
cut Ani's "you will try"
cut Vader and Emperor dialog. no "where is Padme" or "nooooo!"
cut Jar Jar out of Padme's funeral march.
added "Yoda lands on Dagobah" deleted scene
added fan editor credit
POSTERS:
