Scoops Before November 4, 1997 - February 23, 1998
November 14, 1997... We've now got a new helper to help sort out the scoop from the poop -- Lucasfilm. This week we began an official dialog with the company, who does monitor the major Star Wars Net sites. Three sites were chosen to be contacted by the company, in regards to their coverage of the prequel: theforce.net, Ain't it Cool News and our own Coming Attractions. From this, we were granted the opportunity to ask the fellas involved with the show some important questions about the rumors that have been floating on the Net for months.
We spoke to the Director of Lucasfilm's Internet Division, Marc Hedlund, who oversees the company's Official Site for Episode One and asked him directly about some of the speculation that's been generated by the film's production and about Lucasfilm's alleged campaign to circulate prequel disinformation. But readers should keep in mind that we did not ask direct questions pertaining to the film's storyline or characters as a common courtesy; besides, that would take the fun out of it, right?
No, there is no 'disinformation campaign' by Lucasfilm. The company concedes that it will not validate any gossip about the storyline or events that happen to the characters that appear in the first prequel but any information it does release on the official web page is authentic -- whatever claimed on there will appear in the show. As Marc Hedlund said to CA, "Frankly, we don't want fans to go see the movie in 1999 and say to themselves, 'Lucasfilm has been lying to me for two years!' Instead, we want people to feel like they've gotten a glimpse into the real work being done on the production, without giving away anything that might spoil the movie or ruin the surprise. We want the site to be an open and honest resource for fans interested in the movies."
However, it's vital to mention that the movie is still extremely mallable and ever-changing; things that are firmly established today may change by the time the movie hits your theater. But this is a planned part of the film's creation and not to be perceived as intentional. "George has a much more iterative development cycle for this movie than any other movie he's had," Marc Hedlund said.
Because we're not constricted to a limited amount of space on paper, we're posting all of Hedlund's comments on the subject:
"Well, I have to say that we think those photos do a disservice to the production in that they often take individual elements and remove them from the context in which they will eventually appear. I'm always disheartened to see fans making judgements about the new movie based on a half-finished styrofoam model or somesuch. George's movies are extremely visual, very kinetic, and seeing a particular piece of the puzzle removed from the edited, full-effects, final film can make it seem different than it will be in the movie.
"This happened a lot when the original Star Wars was in production -- George was teased about the cinnamon buns on Leia's head, about Chewbacca 'the walking dog,' even about the 'fairy-tale' story. Taken out of context, these elements seemed funny or weird to people, and almost everyone had a very hard time understanding the movie until it came completely together and was released. Because of the anticipation around this new movie, obviously some of this will occur, but it would be great if people could judge the film in its entirety."
We've been one of the places that's cast a critical judgement on one aspect of the film, namely the possible character names bandied about on the Web. Over the past five weeks we've received dozens of emails commenting on our small (yet visible) editorial opinion about the alleged names (such as 'Darth Sidious', 'Darl Maul' and 'Jar Jar Binks'.) The mail has been, so far, a split decision; some dislike the rumored character names, while others that defend them gave their response in a very similar fashion to what Marc Hedlund told CA. While we try to stand in the middle of the road and not comment too much on a project's development, we did in this case. True, we were seven when the original Star Wars came out but having a best friend named 'Wedge Antilles' still seems pretty cool to us...
Some are, some aren't. The ones that are fakes that have been doctored from images taken from previous Star Wars films and material. Others contain 'subjects' who have appeared on officially-released photos on the Official Site...meaning they were taken on the production's sets.
"We have registered some domain names, but you'll just have to wait and see what those names mean. When we do announce anything of the sort, it will be available on the Star Wars site."
Whether or not these names are indeed for characters, or ruses and/or code names, we'll just have to wait and see. Bear in mind that 'Blue Harvest' was one of the domains bought for by Lucasfilm, which seems to tell us that someone in the company probably has an appreciation for humor as well.
Hedlund was very forthcoming about Lucasfilm's answer to this question. Lucasfilm is delighted that interest for the next installment in the Star Wars series is building, and they see nothing wrong with people speculating and dicussing what may be seen in the picture, or with Star Wars fan sites in general. But they do want us to try and keep one thought in the back of our minds: "All we hope is that people give the film an opportunity to appear as a finished work, rather than judging its unfinished, isolated pieces."
Now, it just wouldn't be a SW1 update without loads of rumor, would it? Time to get back to business...
"Naboo is a codename for Alderaan. Any diehard Star Wars fan will know that the capitol city of Alderaan is located on an island in the middle of a huge lake. It just so happens that the battle at the end of the movie is on 'Naboo' and features water. It is pretty easy to see through this deception from Lucasfilm!" Aaahhhh...of course! Duh! [With apologies to 'Organa'.]
Here's an interesting scoop. No chance in hell of confirming its legitimacy, but here goes...
"I attended film school with George at USC during the late 1960's and talk to him by phone about every six months or so. While I don't have any inside scoops to give you regarding the new Star Wars film, I can give you insight to the very shy and introverted man that is George.
"I made several student films with George during our days at USC and even during these very small productions he was adamant about secrecy. He also was obsessed with surprising his classmates and his professors with his student films. So we would say he was going to do X, but he did Y instead in order to surprise everybody.
"George is mesmerized by the Internet's ability to spread news across the globe at the speed of light. So, logically, the best way for Lucas to keep the contents of his film's secret in the modern era of movie making is to spread rumors on the Internet that he is going to do X, when he is really going to do Y. "I don't know if this helps, but it better explains how George thinks about the importance of secrecy during the film making process. "Yours truly, 'John' ""
While the disinformation controversy has been silenced, and chances are slim the scooper is who he says he is (we can't confirm it), we wanted to post this because maybe it does give us pause to consider Lucas' own side of the coin. Suppose *you* are making the most heavily-anticipated movie of the decade and you didn't want people peering and gossiping about your work until it was done. Yes, being in the center of public attention means you've got to get used to that spotlight, but perhaps instead of a disinformation campaign, Lucas is simply preferring to keep things quiet. Conspiracies are great things to gossip about, but sometimes the truth is far less mysterious. [Something to ponder over, brought to you by 'John'.]
Finally, we'd like to mention a unique Web site we came across. The site's creator, actor Kevin Lasit, has dreamed of being in a Star Wars picture ever since he was a child (well, who hasn't?) But what seperates Kevin from the rest of us is that his childhood dream shaped his career path: Lasit took training and became a professional actor due in part to his Star Wars experience. His web site, www.lasit.com, chronicles his pursuit to audition for the upcoming prequels (which included buzzing the Skywalker Ranch at one point, but the plan was later re-evaluated and instead became his Web site.) For anyone that's ever dreamed of holding a lightsaber while the cameras were rolling, check it out.
November 18, 1997... Here's an early Christmas present for you Jedi out there: head on over to the Official Site, where they just posted some behind-the-scenes sketches and a preliminary model design photo of the Jedi Council Chambers located on Coruscant.
Here's a follow-up to an earlier scoop touching on the level of utmost secrecy that the post-production people are working in. Just because your sister has a friend who's dating someone in ILM doesn't mean you know Ewan's lightsaber color (actually, that sounds pretty much like...er, never mind.)
"I can back up the November 4th post which stated that people who aren't closely linked to the project have no clue. I have a friend at ILM who is actually working on Episode 1 F/X R&D (yes.. they're still working on R&D. Shots won't be finaled for a while.) and I quote him...
" 'You probably know more than us. We found out the casting choices when someone brought in an Entertainment Weekly.'
"On a different note, we talked about the dailies he has seen and said that the cinematography has taken a few steps backwards from Empire and Jedi. Apparently the lighting is very high key and similar in look to how Star Wars was shot..." The scooper's friend mentioned that they weren't that impressed by the lighting at all in the footage they saw; sticking up for the poor film stock, bear in mind that we weren't told what level of development the film was seen at (i.e. dailies, pre-FX, before cleaning up, etc.) [Brought to you by the fellow 'legally-changing-his-name-to-Jar-Jar-the-Lizard-Boy'. You go, girl!]
November 25, 1997... Ooo! A couple of scooper want to add their two cents regarding that last scoop above...
"I have a hard time believing that the film stock is 'poor'.
"Lucas is doing everything digitally, right down to video, and using a satellite feed to transfer the info to ILM, so the CGI people can start tweaking with the scenes. If there's any thing poor about the way it was done, it wasn't from the film stock, but from on the set.
"For example, there will be a lot of digital sets that will control its own lighting, and the characters will be superimposed over the scenes. I don't see any reason for Lucas to be 'super careful' about specific scenes if all he has to do is press a key to automatically clean it up or correct some lighting, hence the reason for 'looking poor.'
"This is his way of keeping budget costs under control. It's been said that a lot of his filming has been accomplished with many 'one takes.' Of course, he could fix it digitally instead of shooting it over." [Sent in anonymously.]
"Prequel COTF- Well, the cinematography has 'taken a step backwards' to the lousy compositions of Gil Taylor.The man who shot the dreadful A Hard Days Night and Kubrick's terrible Dr. Strangelove. After these uninspired projects, he reached a new artistic low with Star Wars. Interesting - A scooper claims to know someone working in R&D who claims to have seen footage and also happens to be a legendary, accomplished Cinematographer. The only thing that's 'backwards' is the Nov. 18th scooper's head." [Sent in by the enigmatic 'S'.]
Think about the rumor going around that 'Naboo' is a code word for 'Alderaan', as some have suggested. But wouldn't that invalidate Leia's plea for mercy moments before the planet's destruction by the Death Star? She told Tarkin and Vader that the inhabitants were peaceful -- "We don't have weapons of any kind!" Can a peaceful world have bright yellow fighters??? [Sent in by a cleverer man than ourselves, named Bob Ryan.]
Damn, we're easy to please. The current project name for the film at ILM for programmers to save their .dxf files under is the directory tree named 'origins.' This means nothing however, as this tree is frequently renamed. We've been told by one of our friends that the R&D phase has just been completed on the appearance of water subject to various traumas, such as impacts, explosions, reflections, ripple effects, and high-speed movement sensation. What's that mean? Confirmation that a battle will be waged above and in the water, and everything -- everything -- will be CGI. [Anonymous scooper.]
"My friend is currently working on the prequel at LucasDigital and she told me that the CG character that Ahmed Best is playing is Ben Kenobi's sidekick in the prequel. Best and Kenobi pilot a Corellian freighter, similar to the one that Chewie and Solo pilot in the original trilogy." LucasDigital??? Must be that new outfit that's replacing Industrial Light & Magic... [Anonymous.]
December 2, 1997... So there is a LucasDigital. A lot of nice (really nice, we'd like to add) scoopers sent us mail telling us that the parent arm division of Lucas' SFX empire (of which ILM and Skywalker Sound are subsidiaries of) is indeed called Lucas Digital. Cool -- we admit we don't know everything there is to know in the universe, but we do make a pretty good Bantha burger. [Numerous thank yous sent out to you all.]
We're told that most definately the Mandalorian Super-Commandos are in the picture. Our spy got a quick look at the costumes and told us the Mandalorians wear multi-colored armor to distinguish their ranks among the order. Their main adversaries? None other than the Jedi Knights. [Thanks to our 'True Fan' for the scoop.]
According to the UK radio Station London Heart 106.2 FM (plug), a telephone interview with Brian Blessed revealed that he plays a character called 'Bosmos, King of the Gungans'. We're Amused, King of the Scoopers. [Anonymous.]
One of our earlier scoops from a fellow who wrote that the film's look was "poor" wrote back in to set the story straight. Here is their letter in its entirety, which will hopefully clear up any mis-communication:
"Sheesh.. I'm the guy who sent in the original scoop regarding my friends comments on the cinematography... I just wanted to make a few comments about the responses.
"First of all.. I never mentioned anything about the film stock... I think that you guys might have misquoted me. My friend was only commenting on the aesthetics of the lighting.
"With regards to the 'stage of development the film is in,' it would have to be properly timed(for color and exposure) for ILM to be working on it.
"I also don't believe that someone like Lucas would have the 'Fix in post' mentality.(regarding the first Nov. 25 response) I'm sure he'd want to try to get the best looking image on film he could before resorting to digital fixes.
"As to the followup to my post that dismissed my friend's critique of Gilbert Taylor's lighting, all I can say is that people's tastes are people's tastes. I personally think he has a cheesy lighting style. (look at John Badham's version of Dracula for a painful example.)
"'nuff said" Hopefully, that'll satisfly everyone out there. [Thanks again to 'Jar Jar the Lizard Boy' for re-surfacing again.]
More SW1 scoops in the next few days...
December 9, 1997... More stuff to report about the 'darker' filmstock rumor. This scooper claims they were the assistant to David Tattersal during phase one of the prequel shoot, and tells us that Lucas wanted to replicate the look of SW: A New Hope, which used less sophisticated camera equipment than Empire and Jedi. That means Episode 1, like SW: ANH, will have a "documentary-type look" to it as opposed to the "slick" and expensive look and feel that Empire had. "Sometimes simpler is better if it captures the mood and feel that the director is looking for," our scooper finished. [Sent in by 'Photohawk'.]
The buzz surrounding British actress Celia Imrie's Episode One work is that she plays a fighter pilot called 'Bravo 5' who flies one of those nifty yellow ships spotted on the Official Star Wars Episode One page. page. Recently, George Lucas made comments that he doesn't feel that women belong fighting wars on battlefield front lines (this was in response to a young girl who asked why there weren't any female fighter pilots in the Star Wars films at the Smithsonian Exhibit unveiling he attended).
Scoop correspondent Brent Lynch offers this bit of supposition about Imrie's character in the prequel: "This attitude usually winds up with female combatants biting the dust in a warzone to illustrate the point, but he could just as easily have her surviving, just being an extraordinarily bad fighter pilot or somesuch I suppose." Whatever the case is, I'd have to give George a big thumbs up for casting a female fighter pilot. Just get some Jedi Knights in there too. [Rundown by Brent Lynch.]
December 17, 1997... An anonymous member of the "continuity department" at Lucasfilm tells us the reason why there are no female pilots in the Star Wars movies. According to the scooper, canon establishes there are no female fighter pilots or soldiers in the Empire because Palpatine banned all females and non-humans from serving in the Imperial Navy. However, as for why there are no female fighter pilots and soldiers in the Rebellion's forces as seen in SW4 - 6, Lucas explained to the department that the Rebellion is small and every person is needed for certain jobs. Using the ideology of how American forces defeated the British in the 1770', men are called upon for direct combat while women take care of other war duties. The only part of this scooper's message that makes us question their information is some of the examples they give of such 'duties': "taking care of the children, mended uniforms, etc. out of necessity." Wow, just narrowly avoided 'making babies' in that list.
(Personally, we buy into the theory that when Lucas made the first film, he made due with the existing actor talent pool for SF pictures...which unfortunately meant everyone was pretty much Caucasian and male. Doubt us? Take a random sample of some of the other pre-Wars SF films from the 70s: the Planet of the Apes series of films, Soylent Green, Phase IV, Logan's Run...uh huh. Told ya!)
Anyway, the scooper also tells us that this time 'round, Lucas is taking a different approach. In the prequels the Old Republic is "very enlightened" and both women and non-humans serve as fighter pilots, soldiers and Jedi Knights until Palpatine seizes control. So we can add 'sexism' and 'xeno-racism' to the list of crimes against the Emp too, huh? Man...he was one bad dude. [Thanks to our fan out there, 'Soronce-x'.]
After talking to the source's friend who worked on the set of Episode I this summer, she claims that Anakin is Ben Kenobi's sidekick similar to the way that Short Round was Indiana Jones' side kick in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. [Thanks to 'insider'.]
December 23, 1997... A report from a field agent informs us that people in ILM may now be referring to SW1 as 'Crusaders of the Force'. This is not the final title for the film but just what digital artists are dubbing it due to the central storyline weaving throughout the film. According to the scooper, the Jedi Knights assemble on a crusade to rescue the young Queen from the bad guys, similar in the way the Greeks had to lay siege on Troy to rescue the beautiful Helen in Homer's The Iliad. Lucas mightbe borrowing bits and pieces from Homer in his storyline involving the rescue of the young Queen, and the Arthurian legend as the template for the Jedi Council and the Knights. The scooper also reports that the Jedi serve the Republic just like the Knights of the Round Table served Camelot. "The Jedi are not independent of the Republic; instead, they work for and take orders from the Republic as a 'police force,'" the scooper added. [Thanks to our anonymous tipster.]
This report again re-inforces the rumors that the Arthurian mythos run heavily throughout the first picture.
Finally, another few to toss on the speculation pile. 'Darth Maul', the name used by cast and crew on the set of the picture for one of the baddies is a code name for a Bothan, we've been told (and absolutely cannot confirm.) The scooper mentions that it will be established any Bothan giving way to the Dark Side is extremely unlikely...but this one does. Another unusual aspect of this Bothan is his reddish fur (Bothans are "somewhat like" humans with fur, the scooper describes.) Though he is a very unusual looking one,due to his reddish fur. (Bothans are somewhat like humans with fur.) It's because of the actions of 'Maul' the Bothans gave so much to recover the second Death Star plans: 'Maul' leads a direct assualt on the Jedi Knights, resulting in a precarious situation for the Republic that leads to 'Darth Sidious' (a codename for Senator Palpatine) gaining more control in the Senate. It all sounds great, and some of it plays well with what we already know of...so far.
Other items of note this scooper deposited on our doorstop:
Cicely Tyson was asked to play the head of the young Queen's ruling council, supposedly all female and based somewhat on the United Kingdom's parliament.
C-3PO belongs to Prince Bail Organa of Alderaan,a member of the Republic Senate. According to the scooper, Organa isn't a very important character in Episode 1.
R2-D2 belongs to the Skywalker family.
The young Queen's name will NOT be revealed to the public until May 1999.
"Be prepared to be VERY shocked, amazed and astounded. There are a few key plot points that will leave even the most rabid fan speechless," - Endquote. [Submitted by 'Beru Kenobi'.]
Another person who claims to be a personal assistant to John Williams tells us he has been working on the prequel film score. But the assistant is quick to point out that the orchestra won't assemble and record the music until the start of 1999; Lucas is listening to what Williams is writing and then telling the composer how it should be altered or changed. Williams then changes the music to suit Lucas' preferences and sends the new rough out for Lucas' approval, and so on. We were told that to Lucas, the single most important piece of music for Episode I is the Jedi Knights theme. Lucas wants the piece to be as memorable as the Imperial March or the Indiana Jones Theme. "John has the difficult task of coming up with a catchy theme that captures the grandeur, nobility and chilvary of the Jedi Knights" the scooper told us.
Then, at the start of 1999, Lucas will hand over the rough version of the film, with as many FX and sounds included as possible, to Williams. Williams then records the theme music with the appropriate tempo and mood for each individual scene; it's at this time Lucas will have more time to help oversee the scoring of the film.
Is this really an assistant to John Williams? We'd love to confirm that -- you know where to reach us. [Thanks to 'Wentworth'.]
January 6, 1998... Things have been pretty quiet on the Episode One front for a while now. While the gang at ILM work on the effects for the film, a quiet silence has fallen. No one seems to be talking right now -- or else their turkeys were pretty damn good to keep 'em quiet.
The most interesting scoop we received came again from 'Beru Kenobi'. They didn't really offer us much in the way of hard facts, basically telling that we're climbing up the wrong tree is we pursue the 'Helen of Troy' speculation. 'Beru' tells us that the movie opens quietly on the Queen's homeworld, a planet on the boundaries of the Republic, near the edges of the galaxy, and the picture ends quietly as well. 'Beru' also says that the Queen's planet is never attacked, and there's no coronation or celebration event taking place. "She's a dark Queen, though," 'Beru' quickly added. "She MIGHT be under the influence of a Night Sister from Dathomir and 'Darth Maul'. It's up to just our four heroes to free her and her world from it's '..dark spell...',if she wanted to be 'saved' at all..." 'Beru' also regrets to inform us that there's just one battle (the locale of which isn't included) and Coruscant and Tatooine are minor settings.
Now, while we can't comment for sure one way or the other, we do know some hard facts, and some of what 'Beru' said doesn't ring true with what we've been told from other sources. If Tatooine is such a minor setting, why the extensive shoot there? And Lucas has said often enough that Episode One has the flair and feel of an action movie, which runs against the "European fairy tale" feel 'Beru' said it had. Although we don't have enough information to start writing our own unofficial movie adaptation, we do know there's an extensive underwater battle and a interior fight sequence. 'Beru' suggested enough so while it doesn't invalidate what she said, it still doesn't completely link it to what we know for a fact. [Smuggled into our stronghold by 'Beru Kenobi'.]
January 10, 1998... An anonymous scooper tells us Portman's character is now being called 'Queen Zareil' [Anonymous.]
Still yet another scooper reports that as of last month, ILM staff were told the Queen's planet was now called 'Udalris' and not 'Naboo' anymore. [Reported by 'ILMer'.]
Feedback regarding the January 6th scoop:
"The words of Mr. Lucas himself invalidate 'Beru Kenobi's' claim that Tatooine is just a 'minor' setting in this movie. According to the interview with George Lucas on page 16 of the Star Wars Insider (issue 35), about a third of Episode 1 takes place on Tatooine. Hardly a minor location!" Which is exactly the part we had trouble swallowing. [Comment made by 'JLSamurai'.]
January 12, 1998... 'Beru Kenobi' returns to address our last scooper's criticism of 'Kenobi's' claim Tatooine is a "minor setting" in SW1:
"When I said Tatooine is a minor setting, what I MEANT was that in the overall story line it does not hold too much significance. It's just where Anakin is from, and we see why he, Shmi,and R2 have to leave. There is one MAJOR battle in and outside the palace. And, yes there is a lightsaber duel between Liam Neeson's character and 'Darth Maul' the Bothan. Sorry, I forgot to add that bit of info to my last report. Portman IS Queen Zareil of Udalris, for now.
"It does have a European fairy tale/adventure feel to it. Then each movie gets darker and darker...
"C-3PO is NOT see-through!!!"
[Report handed in by 'Beru Kenobi'.]
January 14, 1998... An anonymous scooper says that Natalie Portman will now be known as 'Queen Zariel'; Liam Neeson's Jedi is named 'Montross'; and the character Mace Windu is actually a certain eight-year-old's father. We'd like to say that when some of our parents gave us a remote controlled Jawa Sandcrawler back in the late 70s, never did we ever guess that we'd later find ourselves trapped in a similar situation further on in our lives: going around and around in circles at the whim of some unforeseen hand of cruel fate... [Anonymous.]
January 20, 1998... Wedge's 'Aunty Hilda' dropped by for a visit. Besides going on about her two family members who've been a part of the Star Wars Universe, she also handed us a small note "for those dears that read your Star Wars page. Friends of Denis and Ewan, and you know how boys will be boys..."
Yes indeedy we do. So, without further adieu, we present Aunty Hilda's 'Tips on How to Breakthough Set Security, Vol. 1: Establishing the Perimeter'...
"I live in Watford (basically half a mile from Leavesden Studios). Myself and a friend managed to infiltrate the first line of defence and get a glimpse of the big outdoor Coruscant set (which you can see the back of if you drive past.)
"The set is stunningly detailed - a rusty red stone(?) finish with some classical castle-type touches (ie: turrets, spiral steps up to higher walls, etc.) What look like city wall blast doors appear in two places along the section we saw. They're about 18 foot high and look to open not in a straight line but in an offset vertical connected in the middle with a short diagonal. The nearby outer walls have light fixtures which look like long thin egg timers with an opaque white/cream finish to give (one would imagine) a soft glow over a small area. There looks to be a 'small' (it's a huge set!) courtyard with and underpass that opens into a big open space (possible a main gathering place, a focal point for public announcements in the city?) This large space makes up about half of the set and it leads to and enormous set of red steps which span the width of the set and ascend into.....nothing!!!! (the scaffolding cuts in here, as do - presumably -ILM)
"Parked neatly up against the back of the set is the FULL SCALE ship (already featured in officially released images) which, it has been speculated, is a Mandalorian Battle Tank! It's an awesome sight face to face. In profile, the detail is amazing - something which the official 'front' view foreshortens and doesn't really reveal. It looks like a reworking of the basic moulding and characteristics of Slave 1, which further endorses previous Mandalorian-associated rumours.
"At about this point, a policeman on a motorbike filled the frame of my binoculars (in a moment not dissimilar to the one Luke has on Tatooine with those wretched Sandpeople) and we decided to quit whilst we were ahead..."
[Thanks to our 'Aunty Hilda' for the tip, and the blue milk to soothe our sore throat!]
February 10, 1998... Ewan McGregor is back in Tunisia re-filming some scenes over again, as well as some rumored new scenes. Lucas just purchased a section of land in Tunisia, and reports are that he was partially motivated to purchase the property so he could film 'explosions' for the film away from spying eyes.
What's a SW1 update without a little rumormongering? We were sent this completely anonymous email from a person who claims to be privy to the character listing for SW1. Since the scooper didn't come forward so we could contact them, as always, take this one with a heavy dose of salt.
"'STAR WARS I: GENESIS'
Nabu Royalty-
Princess/Queen Zareil Amidala, a.k.a. "the young Queen"
Queen Naberrie Amidala (Zareil's mother)
King Thennos Amidala (Zareil's father)
Princess Padme (Zareil's little sister)
Other Characters-
Qui-Gon Jinn (name changed back as of 2/6/98) ,a wise and venerable Jedi Knight
Mace Skywalker, Anakin's father
Shmi Skywalker, Anakin's mother
Obi-Wan Kenobi, a reckless but noble Jedi padawan (Jedi trainee)
Anakin Skywalker, a young boy from Tatooine w/ an amazing skill in the Force
Chancellor Valorum, President of the Senate ,and Chief-of-State of the Republic
Jedi Master Yoda, a wise ancient Jedi on the Jedi Council
Sith Lord (name being changed as of 2/9/98) ,a Bothan Sith Lord. The main "action villain"
"Darth Sidious", a shadowy dark hooded figure who we only see via holographic messages
General Holledack, lead of the Nimoudian troops
King Bos Nass, leader of the Otah Gunga, aquatic human/dinosaur people
Ric Olie, Nabu fighter pilot a.k.a. "Bravo Leader"
"Bravo 5", a Nabu pilot in "Bravo Squadron"
Royal Ambassador Sio Bibble to the Nabu Royal Family
Jar Jar, Zareil and Padme's bodygaurd
Panaka, a bloodthristy;power hungry Nimoudian
R2-D2, Qui-Gon's 'droid
C-3P0, Zareil's golden protocall 'droid
Now, our thoughts on 'the list': of course, the majority of names have been mentioned before, and are generally accepted to be validated as the working names for the production of the characters. But some of the information we haven't seen before: General Holledack, Padme's father's name, Bos Nass, and Anakin's father named Mace (a name previously linked to a Jedi Knight character Samuel L. Jackson is supposed to be playing.) We're just throwing the names out there into the melee, and are carefully venturing ahead. Hopefully this will generate further discussion and eventually we'll be able to disprove or validate the new names. [Scoop sent in anonymously.]
February 12, 1998... Mark Hamill told Entertainment Asylum that his son, Nathan, would appear in a cameo in the first prequel. Hamill also mentioned that he expects there to be a third post-Jedi trilogy made one day. ['Zem Kenobi' brought us this hologram.]
February 14, 1998... Last week, the new update to Lucasfilm's official Star Wars Episode One site contained an interview with Casting Director Robin Gurland. Taken from the site:
"Gurland worked on finding players for the two youngest roles (Anakin and Padme) first, then moved on to the Jedi Knights eventually portrayed by Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson..."
Up to this point, the name 'Padme' was not even confirmed yet, but it looks like it's legit. We had also been assuming that the character of Padme would be played by Natalie Portman; but the above statement doesn't seem to mesh when you consider Portman's teenage age and the fact there are younger stars in the prequel -- one being Madison Lloyd, Jake's sis.
But when you piece together Gurland's comments with these scoops CA received last week, before the Gurland info hit cyberspace, it makes sense. But if it's true, that means Portman's character is not called Padme at all...
These next two scoops contain information that may turn out to be SPOLIERS...so if you want to read the info, UNCOVER it using your mouse and cursor. You have been warned.
" In Episode One, little Princess Padme is played by Madison Lloyd. She is Zareil's(a.k.a. 'the young Queen') younger sister.
In Episode II, Padme is a young teen who falls in love with one of Anakin's friends, Owen Lars. In Episode III Princess Padme defies her royal
heritage and marries Owen. Then Anakin turns to the Darkside, and Padme, Zareil, Owen must hide. Hence, Mrs.Beru Lars was once Princess Padme of Nabu.
"Complicated? You bet." [Sent in by the 'Nabu Royal Historian'.]
"Princess Padme is played by Madison Lloyd. Sebulba is a Wookiee that owns a cafe in Mos Espa (named for the President,
Espa Valorum)." [Anonymous.]
[Thanks also to Bob Ryan and 'Deadpool' for acting as CA's very own Garindians.]
February 23, 1998... An interesting scoop came in today's mail, and one we can't verify at all since the scooper didn't leave an email address (and we would have kept it anonymous, you-know-who-you-are...)
"I'm a first-time scooper, writing you from the office of 20th Century Fox distribution. There has been a TON of buzz around here all day, Monday February 23, about the STAR WARS prequels. The word coming down from on high is that George Lucas is preparing to begin bidding for domestic and international distribution rights, and he is looking for a single studio to handle both. I haven't been privy yet to any figures, but what I do know is that Fox is prepared to fight tooth and nail to get their hands on whatever Lucas wants to deliver. I've also heard that if we can get the rights (and bidding may start as soon as next week) Fox wants to start a campaign beginning with the X-Files movie. I'll let you know more when I hear it." [Name withheld.]
And another submission from a reader who wants to explain more about the possible relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin (potential SPOILERS, uncover at your own risk.)
"Qui Gon-Jinn is Anakins STEPFATHER. Anakin's true father is dead, and Shmi moved from Coruscant to Tatooine to escape from his memory, as his best friend
Qui Gon, takes care of her and her son.Anakin wins the pod race, and his prize is anything wants in Watto's junk shop - he chooses R2D2. A child friend - Seek, teases
and confronts Anakin about R2D2, as he knows that they are poor and can't afford a droid (Seek doesn't know about the pod race win). Enraged, Anakin uses the
Force to push Seek violently into a wall, to Qui Gon's displeasure, and this is where he tries to teach him about the nature of the Force, and not to be tempted by the
darkside. Anakin takes little notice of him, as he claims that he is not is father - he does not respect him. That is why Anakin forms a close bond with Obi Wan
later in the film . . . .
This is exactly how I read it."
[Entered into the log by 'Praxelwax'.]