http://fd.noneinc.com/secrethistoryofstarwarscom/secrethistoryofstarwars.com/thebeginning.html
I mean, just look at this concept art:
Holy shit, Obi-wan wearing badass dark clothing like Luke in RotJ, and not just the same fucking shit Owen wore on Tattooine.
An older, more tolerable Anakin.
And Jar Jar:
Well, okay, Jar Jar was always gonna be shit. But the rest. And the story itself. From the link at the top:
Now, granted, there are still a LOT of problems with Episode I. Its still based on stupid taxation and shit. Jar Jar is still annoying (though it seems far less so). Anakin bulding C-3PO is still a dumb contrivance. Anakin is older but we don't know how old so his crush on Padme might still be gross. There's still the boring ass senate meeting. Darth Maul is still flat although he has more dialogue meaning that he ALMOST has a personality.
And yet, it all seems to flow so much better. Obi-wan is a headstrong, witty snarker, no just some bland young guy always in the background. Anakin has actual insight and personality than the annoying "Yippee!" little brat we actually got. Padme/Amidala actually has a character arc in regards to her treatment of Jar Jar.
I have to wonder why Lucas changed so much of this? Looking at TPM now compared to what this first draft actually was, it feels like a bastardization. Like Lucas lost faith in so much of the concepts and just dumbed it down as much as possible. Instead of a badass black gardbed Jedi order, we got a bunch of bland, desert clothing. Instead of a conflicted, angsty teenage Anakin, he's just a generic mop top kid. Instead of Jar Jar and Padme representing racial tensions and how to overcome them, she became a cardboard cutout and he a caricature straight out of Amos n' Andy.
Just makes me sad we didn't get this. Its not perfect, but I know it would've been better received than what we got (at least plot wise, acting...yeah).
I mean, just look at this concept art:
Holy shit, Obi-wan wearing badass dark clothing like Luke in RotJ, and not just the same fucking shit Owen wore on Tattooine.
An older, more tolerable Anakin.
And Jar Jar:
Well, okay, Jar Jar was always gonna be shit. But the rest. And the story itself. From the link at the top:
It is only Obi-Wan who is sent to investigate the trade dispute. Qui-Gon doesn't appear until much later. Obi-Wan's characterization was essentially what became Qui-Gon in the final film, having many of the same lines and mannerisms.
Jar speaks normal English, but is very child-like and emotional.
There is more racial tension between the Gungans and the Naboo. Amidala tries to prevent Jar Jar from entering her ship. Obi-Wan argues and wins the point, but Amidala insists that the Gungan be kept in the droid hold. Racial prejudice had been considered a factor in the fall of the Republic for a long time. It was mentioned in the second draft of A New Hope, which stated that the founders of the Empire incited race wars.
Outside, Padmé thanks Anakin for helping them. Anakin admits that he was seeking a way to enter the podrace without losing his vehicle to Watto, who can claim ownership over everything that Anakin possesses. By this reasoning, Anakin displays more unusual wisdom for a boy his age in saying:
ANAKIN: We're helping each other. That's the natural way of things.
Padmé asks Anakin if slavery is natural too.
ANAKIN: Of course not. But the stupidity of many creatures is.
Padmé confesses that she has never met anyone like Anakin. Returning the sentiment, Anakin leans over and gives Padmé a kiss on the cheek. They then watch the sunset together, until Obi-Wan arrives and sends Padmé inside to help Shmi set up the sleeping arrangements.
Anakin seems to have little problem accepting change, although he clearly expresses a desire to remain on Tatooine with his mother. Also, in this conversation, Anakin reveals that he has already encountered Obi-Wan in his dreams, where he learned that the stranger was a Jedi.
Qui-Gon Jinn's first scene is here on the landing platform on Coruscant, standing alongside Palpatine and Valorum. In this draft he is called "Quigon Jinn." When describing Jar Jar to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan describes Jar Jar to Qui-Gon as "a Gungan who has been very helpful to me." In introducing Qui-Gon to his Jar Jar, Obi-Wan says, "He is my mentor and good friend."
The Jedi Council agrees to test Anakin, but Yoda warns Obi-Wan that, while the boy's existence was foreseen, he is too old and his future is "blank" and dangerous. Qui-Gon takes Anakin to "the tower" for testing, while Obi-Wan stays back with the Elders. Mace Windu tells him, "Anakin will be returned to you after the test. He is your ward now, Kenobi. You realize there is little chance he will be accepted. You must decide what is to be done with him."
Amidala and Jar Jar have a more in depth discussion about the relations between the Gungans and the Naboo. Neither knows how the rift came about. Jar Jar tells her that he believes that his people maintain their army to protect themselves from the Naboo.
Maul and Sidious confer after the Queen leaves Coruscant. Sidious orders Maul to follow the Queen to Utapau and "finish it".
SIDIOUS: If you can't destroy the Jedi, avoid them.
MAUL: I have no doubt now that I am stronger than the Jedi. They will be destroyed.
Upon returning to Utapau, the entire Trader's blockade is found still in place. In order to avoid the battleships, Obi-Wan proposes a plan that relies on the Force skills of Anakin. He tells them to "come out of lightspeed between the blockade ships and the planet," which both Panaka and Ric Olie argue is impossible. According to Ric, "The calculations are too infinite even for the most advanced computer."
Obi-Wan believes that Anakin's innate connection to the Force will enable him to "sense the proper moment to come out of lightspeed." Anakin takes the co-pilot's seat and straps himself in. Obi-Wan says to him, "Think of yourself racing...take the controls. We're heading toward a planet... Concentrate. Stop right before the surface."
Anakin closes his eyes and does so. The starship exits lightspeed just above the surface of the planet, and the amazed captain flies the ship into Utapau's atmosphere, using - at Obi-Wan's suggestion - the cloud cover and the cloaking device to conceal their landing.
Jar Jar is an intentional hero during the battle. He leads his troops with courage and displays quick-thinking. At one point, Binks finds himself face-to-face with a destroyer droid. Jar Jar reaches for his pistol, but the weapon is knocked from his hands before he can fire it. The Gungan resorts to grabbing a handful of mud and throwing it at the droid's single eye. While the destroyer is blinded, Binks makes his escape.
As Maul wades through the droids, cutting them down in his quest to kill Kenobi, the Jedi uses the Force to hurl droids at his enemy. Finally, they stand face-to-face.
OBI-WAN: Your style of fighting is old, but I understand it now.
MAUL: You learn fast.
OBI-WAN: You don't bother to learn.
MAUL: I don't have to.
Before Maul can act, Kenobi lashes out and cuts the Sith warrior in half. He studies his fallen enemy and says: "Learn not...live not, my master always says."
Meanwhile, Anakin and Padme spot on heavily-armed battleship, and believe it to be the command ship. They prepare to attack the pilot's tower, but the tower's deflector shields prove incredibly strong. Padme orders two pilots, Teeter and Potts, to attack the ship's shield generator. They are successful in damaging the shields. Then, while Anakin pilots the ship, Padme serves as gunner. Despite the heavy flak surrounding them, Padme remains focused on her objective. As the deflector shield fluctuates, she fires several missiles, which destroy the control tower and cause the chain reaction that obliterates the command ship.
Now, granted, there are still a LOT of problems with Episode I. Its still based on stupid taxation and shit. Jar Jar is still annoying (though it seems far less so). Anakin bulding C-3PO is still a dumb contrivance. Anakin is older but we don't know how old so his crush on Padme might still be gross. There's still the boring ass senate meeting. Darth Maul is still flat although he has more dialogue meaning that he ALMOST has a personality.
And yet, it all seems to flow so much better. Obi-wan is a headstrong, witty snarker, no just some bland young guy always in the background. Anakin has actual insight and personality than the annoying "Yippee!" little brat we actually got. Padme/Amidala actually has a character arc in regards to her treatment of Jar Jar.
I have to wonder why Lucas changed so much of this? Looking at TPM now compared to what this first draft actually was, it feels like a bastardization. Like Lucas lost faith in so much of the concepts and just dumbed it down as much as possible. Instead of a badass black gardbed Jedi order, we got a bunch of bland, desert clothing. Instead of a conflicted, angsty teenage Anakin, he's just a generic mop top kid. Instead of Jar Jar and Padme representing racial tensions and how to overcome them, she became a cardboard cutout and he a caricature straight out of Amos n' Andy.
Just makes me sad we didn't get this. Its not perfect, but I know it would've been better received than what we got (at least plot wise, acting...yeah).