NY daily news

George Lucas was right: They are better than the originals

BY Mike Jaccarino
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, October 27 2011, 12:42 PM

HO/REUTERS

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor, l.) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones"

From l., Natalie Portman as Padme, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace”

Liam Neeson, right, as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, during a scene from "Star Wars: Episode 1_The Phantom Menace." "The movie is too dense for younger kids. There's too much going on," Neeson told The Daily News on Friday, May 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Lucasfilm Ltd., Keith Hamshere)

KEITH HAMSHERE/AP

Liam Neeson, right, as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, during a scene from "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace."

or cantinas my words will be as welcome as a vacation on the Degobah System.

But before you freeze me in carbonite, consider: the blue-reyBlu-ray box set is out and the "Old Republic" video game is about to ship.... Now is the time to revisit the “Star Wars” prequels.

Once-and-for-all, The Daily News will “end this destructive conflict’ between advocates of episodes I, II, and III, and fans of the originals, and bring order to the galaxy. BY MIKE JACCARINO

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

My friends, I have solved the mysteries of the Sith and discovered the secret to the prequels. George Lucas was right: They are better than the originals, Han Solo notwithstanding, of course.

I’m fully aware that in certain corners or cantinas my words will be as welcome as a vacation on the Dagobah System.

But before you freeze me in carbonite, consider: the Blu-ray box set is out and the "Old Republic" video game is about to ship. Now is the time to Let me explain:consider the intricate beauty of the prequels, and the shocking truths they reveal about Anakin Skywalker.

Allow me to explain:

The first three years of Anakin Skywalker's life are a mystery. In Padme and Anakin's first meeting in “The Phantom Menace,” Anakin says someone sold him and his mother, Shmi, into slavery to one of the Tatooine Hutts.

In “P.M.,” Liam Neeson's Jedi character, Qui-Gon Jinn, asks Shmi how Anakin was conceived. She tells him she had a virgin birth.

Neeson then discovers Anakin's midichlorian count is over 20,000, higher than any Jedi — or any life-form, for that matter.

The popular — and all-too-easy — reading is that Anakin is “The Chosen One,” who will destroy the Sith and “bring balance to the Force.”

But Lucas used this as an artful red herring. To me it’s clear that Anakin is not “The Chosen One.”

In “Revenge of the Sith,” Palpatine tells Anakin of Darth Plagueis the Wise. They're at the opera, where Palpatine explains that Plagueis could manipulate a life-form's midichlorians to create life.

Isn’t it possible, then, that Plagueis influenced Shmi's midichlorians to create Anakin? That's why Anakin’s count is so high. Not because he's “The Chosen One,” but because he was created through the Dark Side of the Force.

This means that everything that happens in the prequels is according to Plagueis' design, the plot of a Dark Lord who knew the Jedi would mistake Anakin for “The Chosen One,” train him, and allow him to destroy the Jedi Order from the inside out.

Not convinced? Consider that when Obi-Wan goes to Kamino in "Episode II," he discovers that someone who was masquerading as the Jedi Knight Master Syphadias placed an order for a Clone Army 10 years prior.

This was probably Count Dooku. After all, it was Lord Tyrannus — or Dooku — who recruited Jango Fett to be the clones' prototype.

See, the Sith ordered a clone army knowing they would engineer a galaxy-wide Separatist movement that would necessitate the creation of an Army of the Republic.

These clones were imbued with Order 66, commanding them to destroy the Jedi. So the Plagueis plot goes back at least 10 years to around the time of Anakin's birth. It's that subtle.

Don't believe me? Watch the prequels again and take note of phrases whispered by characters like Mace Windu. Remember when Windu was on his way to arrest Palpatine after General Grievous's death? He says, “I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi Order.” Indeed.

Also, re-watch the last scenes of “P.M.” Only Yoda has enough misgivings about Anakin's entry into the Jedi Order to keep him from being trained.

So what does all this mean? It means the complex, textured prequels are gravely misunderstood. When my wife bought me the Blu-rays, I watched a few times. But even that wasn't enough. It took the trailers for the upcoming video game, "Old Republic,” to open my eyes.

oOne of these trailers, entitledis called, "Deceived," reveals that the first time the Sith took over the galaxy (way before the prequels) they prepared for 300 years before initiating an attack on the Jedi and Old Republic. That got me thinking. These are really evil characters... and patient ones, too.

The trailer's title, “Deceived,” began to ring true. I bet it was chosen by someone who knows the truth, or perhaps it's Lucas himself, taunting his fans. He knows Anakin is the spearhead of a Sith plot, and few have figured it out.

One more consequence of this new reading of the prequels: Darth Vader is not a tragic figure. Yes, he falls to the Dark Side and destroys the Jedi. Yes, he kills younglings. Yes he kills his beloved, Padme

But only through the love of his son, Luke, and an act of will, does he destroy the Emperor, and thus the Sith, in "Episode VI." He's not a child of a prophecy and none of this was set in stone.

Plagueis didn't see that one coming.

I believe Lucas — as smart as he is — sat down to write the prequels and realized it was a losing proposition. Everyone already knew Anakin's tale, or at least the story's silhouette. So Lucas came up with something novel.

Then, he kept quiet about the truth of the prequels' plot, knowing that it would be misunderstood and, daresay, mostly hated.

line only after figuring it out.)

Anyway, I believe this reading is really novel, and we'll learn of its veracity soon enoughBut there’s no denying the pieces fit together — Mr. Lucas, expect my call. And to everyone else: Enjoy the prequels in a new light!