Star Wars: Episode 3 Foretaste

It just occurred to me that we have only one Star Wars skeptic in our ranks and that would be our oldest staff member, Zveki "The Ol' Bachelor". The rest of us were swept away by the sheer delight of Episode 2. Now, we will take a peek at some of the things from the upcoming Episode 3 - a movie that's fated to complete a fantasy storyline that started 25 years ago.

The Scoop

The third installment of the Star Wars saga is supposed to represent the turning point of Anakin Skywalker's life. His long harnessed anger will finally erupt, as he absorbs the dark side of the Force and joins Darth Sidious (future Emperor Palpatine). The moment when his anger prevails over his good side, marks the change of many things in the Star Wars Universe. Apparently, during the period of Episode 3, Senator Palpatine will declare himself the Emperor and that is going to tear down many fundamentals which kept the Old Republic alive. The powerful influence of the Jedi Council will surely diminish, as Darth Sidious and his potent young follower start taking the members out one by one.

On several occasions George Lucas has revealed that the unforgettable voice of James Earl Jones will be back to accompany the menacing character of Darth Vader once again. This leads us to believe that throughout a portion of the movie Anakin will be wearing the Vader suit. It is also obvious that the suit has to be worn because he was mortally wounded either in a duel with Dooku or Obi-Wan. By now you all probably know that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are destined to face each other at the very end of the movie. To summarize on the Obi-Wan vs. Anakin thing, Lucas himself has confirmed that the saber fight between these two characters might be the most exciting duel in the history of Star Wars.

The next important thing is how the growth of Empire and how it's going to initiate a huge onslaught on star systems across the galaxy. Several characters such as Bail Organa will represent the main opposition force, which willingly gathered to save what's left of the Old Republic. A few hints from the old Star Wars trilogy indicated that a major role is going to be played by Obi-Wan in this matter. In Star Wars, Episode 4: A New Hope Leia Organa says that long ago Obi-Wan helped her father (in this case stepfather, Senator Bail Organa) in his struggle against the Empire and she called him "General Kenobi." This surely means that Obi-Wan will receive a high military rank in order to lead the remaining armies of the Republic for a last stand against the thriving Empire (hm, I would have to say this is definitely reminiscent of the events that took place throughout Roman History when the Roman Republic was overthrown).

NOTE: The 'shots were taken from Episode 2 - Ah, young love.

"Hm, I hate sand!"

Hey, Ani... Why did the Tusken rider cross the road?

Anyway, Obi-Wan is liable to play another important part - securing the lives of two infants: Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. When Vader and the Emperor come to power, Obi will probably flee to Tatooine and bring Luke to Beru and Owen Lars. Amidala will most likely be forced to escape with Leia to Alderaan where Bail Organa is destined to adopt her, so that she "may remain safely anonymous."

All in all, George means to depict many sad and dark events in the last Episode. "He's always said that Episode III will be the darkest," Ian McDiarmid recently unveiled to Star Wars.com. "George feels people won't necessarily like it because of that, but my feeling is the reverse. I think they'll like it even more, because I think people are fascinated by the whole dark side of the saga. That's why Vader is so interesting. He's complicated, as we later find out. It's that apparently seductive darkness that fascinates people."

Oh yeah, another crucial event that's going to signify the end of the Republic is the destruction of the Jedi and the flight of Yoda to the Dagobah system. The main question remains: how exactly will all of this happen? Are Darth Sidious, Dooku, and Vader so powerful that they can defeat the entire Jedi order, including all masters and padawans? Or is it likely that most of these will turn to the Dark Side and we will see an epic battle between Dark and Light Jedi Knights? - such a scene looks pretty impressive if one imagines it.

Of course, there's also the interesting subject of the character Padme. Most contemplations were aimed at her death, which may be an important factor in Anakin's shift to the Dark Side. If George indeed plans to include Padme's death in the final movie, it is probable that Anakin may for some reason blame Obi-Wan for it. After that he may loose against Obi in an intense lightsaber duel. This would also indicate that he is revived by Palpatine - hence, Anakin puts on the infamous Vader-suit, which is meant to sustain his life and he gets extremely pissed at all of the Jedi and starts wiping them out one by one... Just an idea mind you. Sorry, you'll have to wait another three years to find out more.

Casting and characters

Producer Rick McCallum recently clarified that "Everyone from Attack of The Clones will be back for Episode 3. Why spoil something that works" - clearly, he was referring to the successful cast list of the previous Episodes.

So far we are aware of that the following actors will surely return to play their predestined roles: Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala Skywalker), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader), Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine/Darth Sidious), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), Frank Oz (the voice of Yoda), James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader), Jimmy Smits (playing Bail Organa, Leia's foster parent), Samuel L. Jackson (Mace Windu). Owen and Beru Lars, Luke's aunt and uncle, will also return in Episode 3. The character Owen is played by Joel Edgerton and Beru is portrayed by Bonnie Maree Piesse.

Some characters will have a more in-depth role than in the previous films. For example, it is rumored that a major part is going to played by a bounty hunter called Aurra Sing. She appeared in a few shots in the movie Phantom Menace. It is believed that this bounty hunter has force powers and is specially adept in hunting and killing Jedi Knights. It is possible that this character will be played by the actress Laura Cox.

Another interesting rumor was recently rekindled. Apparently Natalie Portman has signed on to appear in the new scenes that are going to be incorporated into the DVD version of Return of The Jedi. These same scenes will of course primarily be filmed for Episode 3.

As you all probably know, two inseparable Star Wars companions C-3PO and R2-D2 also have a major role to play in the following installment. George Lucas only just clarified that both droids are going to have their memories erased, which accounts for the droids being unfamiliar with the name Skywalker later on. In Episode IV C-3PO also didn't recognize the name Obi-Wan Kenobi, but claimed that they were both owned by Captain Antilles; I'm sure you're all familiar with X-Wing fighter-pilot Wedge Antilles and the importance of his role - for those of who may have forgotten, Wedge saved Luke's life during the assault on the first Death Star, he knocked down the first AT-AT Walker on the icy planet of the Hoth System, and he took out the power regulator of the Second Death Star. Another intriguing fact which some of you might not be aware of is that the actor who portrays Wedge Antilles is Ewan McGregor's uncle in actuality. Anyhow, regarding R2 and '3PO, if we put two and two together, it is obvious that in order to keep the new-born Luke and Leia Skywalker anonymous, the droids' had to be deprived of their earlier records of Anakin, Obi, Amidala, and anything related to these individuals. They would also need to be reassigned to a new master.

In a nutshell...

Ah hell, we can speculate for years. There's truly nothing we can know for sure until the movie's release. At present, George Lucas is attentively toiling to finalize the screenplay for Episode 3. As far as we gathered the director's seat will once again be occupied by George himself, which is indeed more likely than other directors taking his place. A lot of gossips were floating across the Web about Ridley Scott managing this demanding task instead of Lucas, but I think it's obvious enough that he is determined to carry the entire project on his own shoulders, as he decides to end one of the most popular legends ever.

As always you can expect John Williams to develop new Star Wars music themes for this forthcoming title. "George Lucas has narrated the last piece to me. After I heard it, I told him, 'Just hurry up and do it, because that is a fabulous ending,'" John recently said to USA Today. He also added: "I'm enjoying very good health, and if that continues, I will complete the sixth. I'm 69 years old. I'd like very much to complete this sixth piece so that this body of Star Wars material is rounded off and completed."

Current rumors surrounding the Episode 3 movie title is something on the lines of Fall of the Jedi, Fall of the Republic, Rise of the Empire, Duel of Fates, and many others. Anyhow, the word around the block is that some scenes were already shot for Episode 3, in order to cut down set expenses. Truly though, the film's principal photography is officially scheduled to begin this summer, while the movie's release date is projected for May 25th 2005 (the 28th Anniversary of the firs Star Wars motion picture). That was twenty five years ago. Therefore, my fellow Star Wars admirers, two and a half years doesn't seem like a long time to wait now does it?

IMPORTNANT NOTE: Thanks Jedi.net, TheForce.net, Hollywood.com, and other sites dedicated to Star Wars.