Scoops Up To the Date Lucas Film Contact:
(September 30, 1997 - November 4, 1997)
September 30, 1997... Principal photography wrapped Saturday September 27th at Leavesden Studios. According to ZENtertainment, the UK rock band Ash performed at the wrap party that night. [Scoop sent in by ZENtertainment, 'sithlord56' and 'bobs yer uncle'.]
Rumors continue to trickle in that Fox will attach an Episode One trailer to copies of its November 26th release, Alien Resurrection. Uh uh - at least, not yet. Lucasfilm has not sold distribution rights to Episode One to any studio yet...proving that this rumor is just that. [Thanks to many SW scoopers.]
Which leads in to this scoop submitted by an entertainment industry employee. They report to us that serious negotiations have been ongoing between Lucasfilm and DreamWorks SKG. Even though Lucas and Spielberg remain close friends and confidants, the teneuous success of DreamWorks' first feature, The Peacemaker, may have squelched Lucas' concerns that the new studio couldn't handle wide-spread distribution. Then the scooper unloads a potential major scoop: actress Brooke Langton (of Fox's Melrose Place and party of five series) will replace Natalie Portman as the older Queen character in the second installment of the prequel trilogy. Langton appeared on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and it was there she first attracted the attention of Lucas (or so the scooper says.) We've posted an image of Ms. Langton on the Episode Two page along with the scoop entry. [Scooped anonymously.]
October 1, 1997... According to the U.K.-based service Teletext, Terence Stamp was only on the set for two days. The veteran actor wanted a bigger part, but in his own words he said his role was as "President Of The Universe or something...", which suggests to the scooper he may have perhaps played the President of the Old Republic. [Thanks to 'LWA96SCK' for spilling the beans.]
Did Samuel L. Jackson slip-up when he gave an interview to Premiere magazine? In the October issue Jackson is asked his thoughts on what Hollywood be like in 10 years; his response mentioned his recent talk with director George Lucas. Lucas told Jackson that although he knows he's an excellent actor, but his dialog for the film was to be along the lines of "Run!", "This way!" or "Duck!" - saving all the big speeches for thirteen computer-generated actors to be later inserted in the picture.
So you see, it's a pretty big question Sam brought up. Did he mean it as merely an allusion as to the project he's working on, what it would be like ten years down the road? Or did Sam actually mean it?? [Handed in by Rob.]
And although it doesn't sit right with us, Ain't It Cool has published a list of allegded character names to be copyrighted for usage in the first movie. They are: Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Watto, Naboo, Yoda, Darth Maul, Jabba the Hutt, Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala, Gungan, Senator Palpatine, Sebulba, Shmi Skywalker, Sith, Darth Sidious, Jar Jar Binks and last but not least, Obi-Wan Kenobi. According to AIC's source, these names are in the process of being filed for copyright in the United Kingdom.
Some of them at least sound like they should be in the movie - Qui-Gon Jinn, Gungan, Sebulba. But c'mon - Jar Jar Binks? And Darth Sidious and Darth Maul?? Having new Dark Lords of the Sith begin their titles with 'Darth' is ok with us guys - but please, tell us their second names just ain't so! [Scoop sent to us by Russ Guill.]
October 7, 1997... We get a lot of mail about the Star Wars prequels, and when we post our latest round of scoops we get ready for another round of email headed our way. Our October 1st entry on the purported U.K. to-be-copyrighted character names was no different: it sparked a mammoth amount of reader feedback that still keeps coming in. Here's some from the digital mailbag, giving you an idea as to what some of you out there think of the names:
"Why was the list of names so small? What about the 13 so-called cgi charectors names? Also, what about all the women's names? I don't think that any of thes names will be used at all. Look at the list of actors officially announceed and ther should be at least that many copyrights. There had to be at least 50 copyrighted names from Star Wars alone!" True; if the names could be copyrighted we think there should be certainly a lot more names - including the names of planets, locations, spacecraft, aliens and so on. ['Steely'.]
"Think about it! Why would Lucas get copywrites on the names Jabba the Hutt, Yoda,& Anakin Skywalker if he has used those names already in Return of the Jedi..." ['LucasStar'.]
" I could actually buy the Jar Jar name. One of the most famous heroes of the Rebellion/New Republic is named Wedge. And think about Jek Porkins. And Biggs Darklighter." ['Garm Bel Iblis'.]
"Listen to this: 'Queen Padme Naberrie Amidala'. The last part sounds like Admiral Daala from the post ROTJ:SE books! the Old Republic was a REPUBLIC. Republics do NOT have a King or Queen. I'm confused. Why would Lucas copywrite character names that're are already copyrighted..." ['The Queen' with 'Leo G.' and 'Winter507'.]
"This isn't a scoop, just a quick opinion. I agree that 'Jar Jar' sucks, but I think Darth Maul and Darth Sidious are kind of cool. Just wantedyou to know your editorial comments aren't universal." [Anonymous.]
" I seriously doubt that Senator Palpatine is a name for one of the characters. The reason for this is a previous scoop on your own page. Lucas has said that he doesn't want the identity of the future Emperor to be immediately obvious. If this is true, there is NO way he would name one of the Senators Palpatine... ['jfleegle.']
And the October 1st posting also caught the attention of this reader who works in copyright law. They sent us this email in the hopes of disspelling the rumor with the knowledge they have about the field:
"In the Star Wars, Episode 1 listing for October first you mention that 'Ain't It Cool' has presented a list of characters being copyrighted in Britain...and I've got to tell you that just can't be so.
"I'm an intellectual property attorney, and I deal with copyrights and trademarks on a regular basis. To make a long story short, it's impossible to either trademark or copyright a character or name. They are copyrighted/trademarked as a part of the entire production with which they're associated (whether it's a book, a movie, a television series, a comic, etc.). You cannot get separate protection for plot elements or characters....let alone protection for works that are incomplete. It's just not done.
"This isn't to say that the character names, as poor as they might be, aren't being used in scripts...just that they can't be assigned separate protection as is being mentioned. Since they can't receive this protection and can't be filed in the manner mentioned, there's very probably no list in the British Copyright office of character names." [Thanks to the learned 'LawyerBoy' for the assessment. Your slighty-used R2 unit is being sent via Galactic Express.]
On the October 2nd edition England's This Morning televison program, actor Terence Stamp successfully dodged hosts Richard and Judy's Star Wars One-related questions. Stamp did make one interesting comment: when asked about the other stars in the production, the actor singled out the work of Natalie Portman, saying that he considered her one of the most impressive acting talents of the century. [From our 'UK3PO'.]
Then there's this little tidbit droppedout way about the Premiere photos...
"Look at the description of the 'Dark Jedi Panaka' fellow as submitted by the Episode I 'extra' on Sept.14: He mentions a large, face-obscuring black cloak and (this is key) a double-bladed lightsaber with an extra-long hilt. Now look at the 'desert duel' picture from that French magazine. Liam Neeson is battling a 'dark Jedi' who is wearing a cloak and wielding a lightsaber with an unusually long hilt. Could this be our man Panaka? Sure, there's only one blade shown in this particular picture, but who says he has to have both ignited at the same time? Think about it -- if you had a double-bladed lightsaber, you'd need an extra-long hilt so you wouldn't end up maiming yourself every time you tried to use it (since you'd probably need to use both hands). Unfortunately, we can't see the face of the cloaked character in the pic, so we can't tell if he has the tattoos, horns, etc. described by the 'extra,' but I'd say the long-hilted saber is a good enough clue." It's interesting to note that the Panaka name was absent from the AiCN list of names. Again, the scooper from the 9/15 entry also tells us the canopies of the new one-man fighters are pulled down by the pilot rather than automatic, and again we should keep this in mind when any advanced footage gets released of said ships to see if the scooper's information turns out to be correct. But look at the photo again; the Dark Jedi's handle is awfully long for the type of lightsaber handles we've seen before... [Deductive reasoning provided by 'bghartz'.]
While on the subject of the rumored Panaka character, we got this bit of info about the actor Hugh Quarshie, who's been alleged to play the aformentioned Dark Jedi...
"Hugh Quarshie, who's listed in the cast for Star Wars: Episode I, played Castagir in the original Highlander film - Connor's Immortal drinking buddy, you know, on the bridge. I noticed some talk of a Dark Jedi Panaka, and the description on your site said he was a black man, and Quarshie may be Panaka. Please, PLEASE keep in mind that this is just a guess. Quarshie did have a swordfight in Highlander, so you never know. [Thanks to 'Big John' for the scoop.]
Yet another email received at CA from someone claiming to work inside the production. We're presenting the whole message verbatim to show you while we feel it has a possibility of actually coming from someone inside or close to the production (and honest, it ain't the sucking up part in the end.) Out of literally hundreds of emails, this message stood out because of two factors: it's to-the-point writing style, and it's notably absent of the character or plot names being bandied about. Many messages come in that contain hard technical info but almost always with some 'juicy' info - a name of a character, or a ship designation we've never heard of before. But when you get right down to it, even though some of our guts are telling us this could be a legitimate message - you never know. But what does 'COTF' stand for at the beginning of the message? Maybe we're just reading fanboy wish-fullfilment into it, but...'Call of the Force', perhaps?
" Prequel COTF - The effects sequences are being tackled by seperate teams that work from research all the way through final on individual shots. Some character animation recently completed preliminary modeling. Leavesden sends rough footage from which effects teams do quick comps through the a live feed (OMF). While the production is down, different effects groups work on specific shots. Plate photography is well underway at both Leavesden and has been completed in Tunisia. John Knoll and Dennis Muren are guiding the overall effort.
"Finally, let me just say that I find it rather amusing that an employee of Lucas Digital actually working on the first prequel for a year to date doesn't know the 'official' plot or character's names, yet a bunch of wanna-be, know-it-all, Star Wars groupies claim to have 'inside' information from 'official' sources. This is not directed at you Corona. I've been slightly impressed that recently you've become more skeptical towards supposed insiders.Too bad other sites haven't caught on yet to the lengths Lucas has gone to keep the actual story a secret." That may be true, but photos from the production department have leaked out to the 'net, blowing some ship and color designs. [Message sent anonymously.]
Others have sent us comments about the rumors we post, and their response has even more mysterious and suspect tidbits of gossip...such as:
"Please! There are NO Twi'lek Jedi bodygaurds,OR silver nanny 'droids in the post-ROTJ books. Also, on the subject of Winter, no one knows how old she REALLY is. Leia remembers growing up with her on Alderaan, but, you know how Luke and Leia's early childhood memories are spotty....
"NO, Liam Neeson is NOT Anakin's father. And 'Darth Maul'? What a stupid (and obviously fake) name. George has a much better imagination than you people give him credit for. Anakin is an only child, and his mother is a Skywalker, not his dead father.
" 'The bothan spy" will be 'brought to justice' by the Lucasfilm 'stormtroopers'...
"PS: The Republic does NOT have any sort of monarchy. Look up the word in a dictionary, for Sith's sake! Do I have to scan a holo for you guys?
"The Queen is the ruler of a small world far from Coruscant. She does have an 'ageless', regal, white haired assistant. C-3P0 (according to canon SW history) was activated 112 years before Epiosde 4 on a droid factory world. He is working in the Senate as Mon Mothma's aide. The whole 'earlier form' is a ruse. Threepio will be more polished, and his mid section will be covered up, though.
"Read your SW character guide,and SW Screen Saver(hint-hint). 'Lars' is a made up name to protect Owen (brother of a Jedi) and his wife. She IS Beru Weth." [Sent to us by 'C.F.' Uh oh - that mailbag is gonna be hoppin' again...]
One person heard on a radio program that Samuel Jackson's small role is of a merchant selling droids and landspeeders on Tatooine. Keep in mind that the radio announcements made so far have had an awful track record. [Thanks to 'ebertran'.]
Someone else is pretty confident that Brian Blessed is playing a relative of Obi-Wan's, not a Mandalorian warrior as a previous scooper maintained. Also, this scooper reports that Adrian Dunbar is portraying the younger Tarkin. [Sent in by 'DeMzaLF'.]
Finally, there's more talk of a trailer for Episode One appearing in front of Titanic...while another scooper tells us it'll be in front of Alien Resurrection. Again, if that's correct, Fox would have been yelling at the top of their lungs that they secured distribution rights - so we just don't believe it. Of course, that doesn't stop radio and television programs from telling you otherwise. Our advice is to watch the major entertainment coverage providers to announce any press release on distribution rights. Anything else you hear just simply isn't the truth. [Scoops sent in by 'spt' and Steve Jakab.]
October 14, 1997... More speculation on the rumor surrounding the SW1 trailer appearing in front of A4 or Titanic has been sent to our site. At least one major Star Wars fan site (http://www.fortress.net/users/pdavidso/Episode1/ -- nice graphics) and Ain't It Cool maintain that the trailer will appear in front of James Cameron's Titanic film, to be released this December. We simply haven't heard any news from our sources that would indicate that this will happen - which doesn't mean it won't. Still, if word is leaking out about the trailer, even to the point where some claim to 'know' Alec Guiness' voice will be heard narrating it, we think more news would be leaking out.
But as the story goes: the trailer claimed to be appearing in front of Titanic shows Anakin Skywalker's hut on Tatooine. As we pass through its many rooms, Guiness tells the audience that, although we know how he died, we do not know how it all began. Then the camera comes to rest on a chest which opens...to reveal the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker. A neat idea, in any case.
But what about the rumor that the trailer appears in front of Fox's Alien Resurrection? Scoop informant Diane had this to say about the matter... "Regarding this whole 'the trailer is going to be in front of Alien Resurrection' thing: 1) Do you really think that Fox, even if they had locked up the rights to the prequels, would put the trailer in front of an R rated horror movie? Come on!" Will Neve, the creator of Buzzstation, also reports to us that his sources deny that the trailer is in front of the new Alien pic. Furthermore, Neve's source says that since Fox hasn't secured the distribution rights, there is no plans and no trailer to release. [Thanks to our dynamic duo, Diane and Will Neve.]
Meanwhile...in Matt Drudge's e-column, he quotes his sources inside Fox as saying the SW1 trailer will be distributed in front of next summer's X-Files feature. Now do you believe that you really should 'trust no one' when it comes to this trailer speculation? Mulder, we need you! [Regards to 'JTR555'.]
With all this talk of phantom trailers in front of Fox films even though Lucasfilm hasn't announced a distributor for the films, one reader went back to the Official Site and dug up this bit of text that we maybe should all re-consider again:
"Whether the same sorts of security measures are being taken with Episode I our director (not surprisingly) refuses to confirm, though we can admit that 'there are rumors' of misleading scenes being filmed for the preservation of mystery, as well as multiple versions of the shooting script with alternative names and scenes. Of 'leaks,' Lucas will only say 'don't count on it until you see the movie.' " - Taken from the Official Episode One Site.
Our scooper follows up on the Lucasfilm quotation. "Makes you think a little more about how accurate things printed on your site might be. I would suggest that almost everything you've run so far could be completely off. Lucas is a schemer, and everything you have could have come directly from them." Now that pictures (both official and un-officially) are finally being shown, we've gone through the looking glass. How easy would it be, both technically and financially, for Lucas to change the color of the fighters we've seen to a dark red hue from their bright yellow finish? Would the production go that far to ensure security and secrecy? [Brought to our attention by 'wnorman'.]
And what about what this especially secretive writer had to say about the leaked info? "In regards to someone's comment about how folks at LucasArts not knowin' the names of the charachters but 'wannabes' etc like us get em from somewhat official soundin' people.. i just wanted to remind everyone that the folks at LucasArts take a pay cut for every bit of true info leaked, so .. why WOULD they tell us?" [Brought to you by 'Ol' Dirty Microwave of the Tupperware MC's and the Ivory Brothers'. Really - we're not making that up, folks.]
And just in case you forgot about it...remember that lil' ol' list of supposed 'to be copyrighted' character names? Another fellow would like to add that two names have been mentioned on the Official Site: 'Swokes' and 'Mot Notrab'. A 'swokes' will be a new type of alien creature seen in the prequels, and was named after Creature Effects Supervisor Nick Dudman's wife - Sue Oakes ("Honey - you'll never guess what I got you for you anniversary!"). We're unsure of what a 'Mot Notrab' is except that it's Tom Barton spelled backward, and Tom Barton is the six-year-old son of Creature Workshop Supervisor, Chris Barton. So it shows us that George is having some fun coming up with the names - we think. The entry also ominously (and in a tongue-in-cheek manner) mentions that "Lucasfilm is the sole owner of any and all phonetic pronunciations of Sue's name," - but were they serious? Perhaps the names were copyrighted...but if so, wouldn't they have been included on the same character list released to the 'net?, our scooper wonders. [Thanks to 'Manticore'.]
Argh. That reminds us...while we're on the subject of alleged character names, some readers 'kinda' remember that one of the early ideas of Lucas was that 'Darth Vader' was meant to sound similar to the German words 'dark father'. The scoopers' theory is that since Lucas intended to make it sound ominous to those two words, it diminishes the validity of the new Dark Jedi names. Now our heads really hurt. [Submitted by 'taggart' and anonymously.]
Another reader asks if 'Darth' is a name given to a Sith warrior, why wasn't it used in Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy Trilogy books? Instead, the Sith character is given the name 'Exar Kun'. ['Kerouac45' sent this one in.]
Now bundle up Dear Reader, for we're about to enter the most shadowy part of our latest update: the area of extreme speculation. From time to time we get letters from people out there who suggest they know more than the average Rebel (or Imperial - hey, we're not biased) pilot does. They're fun to read, they stir up heated debate amongst the Internet and beyond, and best of all - maybe one of them is true...
"My goodness, the things people will say just to be quoted! Do not,I repeat,do not believe anything until you see the movie.That goes for the next series as well.I would just like to dispell any rumors about Mr.Neeson's role. Sure,it's a fanboy's dream to see him as Anakin's father,but Lucasfilm announced Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker (Anakin's mother). Why not do the same for anakin's father? Because it is not true.
"See you on May 21,1999!
"The title 'could' be announced by May of next year." [Submitted anonymously.]
" I find it quite amusing that the most well known Prequel 'Spy', The Bothan Spy, seems capable only of turning out photos of sets and ships that have been released to the Official Star Wars web site, taken under the EXACT lighting conditions that the Lucas photos are taken under. It would seem that all of these pictures are taken at the SAME TIME. Also, since the 'Bothan Spy' is basically a NET-based source, why is he shooting conventional 35mm photography, rather than using a small, digital camera. Seems that a roll of 35 mm negs from the new Star Wars prequel would easily find its way to a tabloid. Lucas has stated that NOTHING has been released from Leavesden that he didn't allow out. George is a genius, and apparently quite in-tune with how easily people can be talked into believing anything. Oh yeah! Carrie Fisher is making a cameo as The Queen's mother. She won't have a speaking part, but just serves as background scenery. Sheesh!" ['jshea' wrote that one...]
"The prequel names (Darth Maul, Jar Jar, etc.) by Harry Knowles are fake . . . Liam Neeson is not Anakin's father . . . and C3PO has a female voice in Episode 1." [Courtesy of Stan Roth.]
"Jabba the Hut and Chewie are in this film...in a scene together. A very young slender Jabba... [Sent in by 'THX1138. A slim Jabba, you say? Mmmm... 'Spice Jabba'...]
"Those yellow ships look alot like Z-95 Headhunters (a ship used frequently by the Old Republic). They're small, one man crafts with a snub nose. Perhaps they are part of the Republic Military." [Anonymous.]
"Ok, you want a scoop? Here ya go . . . . There are 2 Obi Wan Kenobis in the films. One is the real one, and another is a clone (Maybe owner of R2). The senator creates this clone to lure Anakin to the dark side. The clone doesn't show up until episode ii because after the senator learns of Anakin's powers in the first episode, it takes 7 - 10 years to create the clone from a sample of OB1." [Anonymous - whoa, what a surprise!]
"The rumors concerning the prequel on the net are starting to get absurd. I have been working on the CGI elements for the prequel for over a year and never once have I heard silly names for characters like Darth Maul, Sebulba, Jar Jar, etc.
"Lucasfilm's secrecy tactics are working too well and now fans are creating wild rumors. Why couldn't they at least create character names that are halfway cool?
"Liam Neeson is not Anakin's father. Alec Guinness does not supply narration for Episode 3. Samuel Jackson is not Boba Fett. Anthony Daniels is not the voice of 3PO in the first prequel and the aquatic environment is seen in Episode I, but is not like anything that has been described on the net. Oh, and there is no pod race as Knowles has reported on his site.
"Your friend in the Force..." [...'Ace'.]
(OK - time for the editor to go a little fanboy here. This next one is waaaay too juicy to not post...)
"Okay, more info on Sam Jackson's role: he is in the film for about 3 minutes or so. He does play a jedi knight. He does say 'May the force be with you'. His character's last name is Calrissian. He is one of the first jedis to die in the film.
"Don't believe me? How about this: In ESB Leia asks Han if they can trust Lando, and he says something like, 'No, but he has no love for the empire, that's for sure.' The reason is because the empire killed his father." [Anonymous; 'but 'Cocky' also reported the same info as well.]
(Ok, we have to comment on that one. Besides the fact that it's harder than making a Bantha smell good to get heavy duty info out of the production camp, it's a helluva fun rumor to post up. But as cool sounding as it is, one tiny part of us doesn't wish it to be true if it is. Besides maybe one or two other background extras throughout the entire middle trilogy, Lando is the only non-caucasian main character in the series of films...and aside from Hugh Quarshie (that we know of), having Jackson just happen to be Lando's Dad feels a bit tacked on. Second, look at what we've found out: Luke is Leia's brother, their father is none other than Darth Vader, Han ran into Boba Fett on Tatooine in the Star Wars Special Edition, R2-D2 has been spotted in Anakin's bedroom...it's starting to look a lot more like Melrose Place than a big wide open galaxy. We swear, if we find out Chewie is related to Han, we're launching a boycott!)
But the big news we've been saving for last are reports of sliding canopies. The latest round of stills from SW1 went up last week on the Official Site; one in particular caught the eye of many of our readers. This picture shows a pilot (it looks like actor Ralph Brown, but we can't be sure) sitting in the pilot's seat in one of the bright yellow fighters seen in the smuggled out-from-the-set photos. (R2-D2 is in the droid compartment behind the pilot too.) Anyway, the neato part of all this is that the canopy does appear to be one of the manual sliding variety. Instead of the ones seen in the middle trilogy on all the small fighter craft, this canopy seems to slide forward, but we didn't see a handle near the window canopy. The jury's still out until we see some video of the ships themselves...but maybe we just moved one step closer towards confirming the original scooper's report. [Thanks to these Jedi for sending us notes: 'Bucky', 'dunnetg', J. Fleegle, 'Dredd' and anonymously.]
Other new photos released include a picture of Shmi Skywalker, one of Anakin, R2-D2 strolling along a Tatooine street and a pair of rough-looking individuals. One is extremely tall, while his companion is extremely short; we believe the latter actor is Warwick Davis. Looks like he'll be playing a human in the prequels. [Sent in by 'Nerf4brains' and 'Bucky'.]
October 16-25, 1997... In a discovery bound to get someone somewhere more than a little steamed, the secret's out about the names of some of the main characters slated to appear in the new Star Wars movie. If you type in the URL www.darthsidious.com, you'll suddenly find yourself connected to Lucasfilm's Official Star Wars Web Site. Many of the names listed in the infamous character name sheet released to the Web do in fact connect to the Lucasfilm's Star Wars Official Web Site - making it nearly 100% guaranteed that these character names are indeed for the new characters appearing in the prequel.
Our scooper (using the nom de plume 'Ferris Bueller') reports that they first got wind of this startling discover on Chris Kevlehan and Scott Chitwood's www.theforce.net Star Wars Web page. When we typed in the URLs, we were shocked to find out they really do connect directly to the SW1 page; it looks like there will be Darth Sidious, Darth Maul and Queen Padme action figures after all.
(Interested parties can visit the InterNIC registry site at http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/whois, and enter 'Lucasfilm' to search for the complete listing of domain registries owned by the company. This confirms that the accounts are owned and maintained by Lucasfilm.)
Here's the rundown of the domain names registered with InterNIC's registry site on September 30. Please note that these names are for domains only dealing with the upcoming prequel film:
And some familiar or expected names that don't connect with the Lucasfilm site, but that many people thought would:
[With additional follow-up help and domain name help from these fantastic people: 'Shai', Scott Chitwood, 'Core', 'Sun', 'dfaust', 'carto', 'Hawkeye', 'Cnawan', Chris J. Smith, Brent Lynch, 'Jester', Jarrett Campbell, Chris Corbit, Stefan Anthony, 'Dredd', Jon Reeves, 'Smeghed', 'pesoto', Jason Quinn, 'RufusIs', Jon and many anonymous readers.]
October 25, 1997... Our posting of the Lucasfilm domain names has generated a flood of email. The remainder of possible Episode One character/place names have been appended to the original list of names in the October 16th scoop.
We were contacted by Scott Chitwood, one of the maintainers of www.theforce.net , a web page that keeps you in the know about the latest prequel gossip. Scott confirmed that their site was the first to break the 'character' domain name registration through their contact David Fitzgerald. [Thanks to Scott Chitwood and the gang at 'theforce.net' for setting the record straight.]
Also on theforce.net was excerpts from an Q & A session conducted with two official Lucasfilm representatives. According to the interview, Lucasfilm is:
October 26, 1997... More of your thoughts on the character names controversy. As always, some of the feedback applauds the names while others cringe. But a surprising amount of people felt that no matter what the names are at present, Lucas is keeping all the cards in his hand until the film's opening day. Whether or not the names used are simply code names (and hey, they've done it before) or the finalized nom de plumes, only time (and the forthcoming action figure casings) will tell.
(Bear in mind that these are exerpts from some of the mail we received - so take it all - especially the ones the scooper mentions to be 'in the know' - with a grain of salt!)
"As far as the names go, face it: they are real. Fans just can't believe that after all these years of waiting that the films actually could suck. This is worse than Batman was; no film can meet that kinda hype. You don't think Lucas could create names like Darth Sideous or Sebulba or Padme (was he looking at a Thai menu when he thought of that one?) If you think that, go back and listen to the dialogue in the first film! ...time to moderate the hype, folks." [Anonymous.]
"...I would surmise that a love triangle along the lines of King Arthur, Lady Guinevere and Sir Lancelot of the Camelot legend develops in the prequel. Arthur (the oldest of the three) = Ben, Guin. = Young Queen (younger than Arthur/Ben, but older than Lancelot/Anakin) and Anakin = Lancelot (the youngest of the three).
"I believe that in Episode II a 30-ish Ben will court the young Queen, who will then be in her late 20's, and will ask for her hand in marriage and she accepts. Ben has his heart set on the young Queen (the only woman that he will ever love that is why he lives all alone on Tatooine because he never gets over the loss of the young Queen), but the young, hot-shot Anakin (in his early 20's) becomes one of the most decorated warriors of the Clone Wars and catches the eye of the young Queen. It is love at first sight for Anakin and the young Queen and they carry on an affair behind Ben's back. The young Queen breaks of her engagement with Ben, which devastates him and he considers this to me the ultimate betrayal at the hands of his two closest friends. Consequently, Ben and Anakin's friendship is destroyed. Palpatine takes advantage of this situation and lures Anakin to the dark side. By the time Ben realizes what has happened to Anakin, it is too late. As a result of his turning his back on Anakin and the young Queen, Palpatine uses Anakin in his rise to power. Ben carries the guilt of Anakin's fall from grace and the demise of the Republic for the rest of his life. And tries to resurrect his mistakes vicariously through the young Luke Skywalker..."
It's an interesting notion. Mythology plays heavily in the Star Wars storylines: Lucas has bibical and medeval themes resounding in the existing trilogy; could he maybe draw from Arthurian legends to template the fall of Anakin Skywalker? [Thanks for the 'you never know' thought to 'Confidential'.]
A lot of people have told us that they don't hold the information posted on theforce.net as being as reliable as the site's maintainers claim it to be. That would call into question the claims theforce.net posted about Lucasfilm's non-involvement with a dis-information campaign against Internet entertainment-related tracking sites and the alleged prequel character names. Since CA learned of theforce.net recently, we can't offer a solid opinion one way or another. Of course, the feedback we're receiving could be from those alleged Lucasfilm dis-information agents trying to play down their leaks.
We contacted Chris Kivlehan, one of theforce.net's many contributors, and he begs to differ. He feels that the majority of rumors posted on the site are accurate to some degree thanks to reliable contacts close to the production. And as for the character names, one anonymous source feels that it would have to be a very elaborate disinformation campaign by Lucasfilm to work, which Lucasfilm representatives denied over the phone to Scott Chitwood, another theforce.net maintainer. [Feedback received from many individuals.]
November 4, 1997... Members of theforce.net quickly come to the defence of their site's reputation in reponse to the page's last entry. They point out that their site has been utilizing a strict set of conditions to verify the rumors they are sent from people claiming to know hard facts from the set of Episode One. Additionally, there have been a recent anonymous 'smear' campaign conducted against their site (a tactic we're all-too-familiar with since we ourselves receive some 'trouble' from unscrupulous nerfherders from time-to-time.)
We did a bit of research and asked around some other established SW experts online for their take on theforce.net. None had anything bad to say, other than these guys are probably using Dark Jedi mind tricks on unsuspecting British backgrond extras emerging from the gates of Leavesden Studios to get their material. We can appreciate that.
Thus we've now included a link to theforce.net at the bottom of the page. In addition to possessing a virtual cache of all SW1 rumor, innuendo and whispered facts, it's also a pretty page. Go check them out.
What? You mean there's actually other information actually pertaining to the film to report?? The latest Star Wars Insider reports Madison Lloyd (yes, Jake's lil' sister) and Anthony Daniels are officially recognized as cast in the prequel. Although Lloyd's involvement was all-but confirmed, the confirmation of Daniels is a welcome relief for fans of his. Interesting to note that Lucasfilm has included Daniels after principal photography for Episode One has wrapped -- lending support to the rumor that the actor wasn't needed to be inside his golden-hued protocol droid, but that his voice will be heard... [Thanks to 'Dack', our favorite AT-AT tread-smear informant.]
Monday night saw Samuel L. Jackson on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While hanging out with Jay, Sam the Man dropped a little bit of info for the fans that track everything remotely related to the prequel. Jackson let it slip that at least one of his scenes was shared with Yoda, and he gave the audience a brief anecdote about what the slumped form of Yoda (minus the hand support of Frank Oz) does for his soul. ['Skroob1', 'Han Solo', 'amol', 'erwin'.]
Of course it wouldn't be a good old fashioned SW1 update without our fair share daydreaming about possible twists in the plotline. The Arthurian/'Fisher King' theory we touched upon in the 2/11 scoop generated some feedback, but some of you thought it should be Anakin Skywalker in the Arthur role, with Ben Kenobi acting as Lucas' Lancelot. Truth be told, it makes more sense to us as well. "Darth Vader, in the current trilogy, is King Arthur near the end of his reign: a wounded, evil tyrant," wrote 'The Prankster' (oh man, if that shouldn't be warning enough...) "The reason for Arthur's illness/turn towards evil (in Arthurian tales the one affects the other) is the fact that he was forced to banish his old comrade Launcelot and kill his wife due to their affair. (Arthur is healed when a young knight brings him the holy grail and reawakens the good in him, just in time for him to leap into battle and die defeating the forces of evil.)" Can you say 'the end of Return of the Jedi'? I knew you could! [Additional thanks to 'Jayhawk', Patrick Russell and 'Sith'.]
"We KNOW Anakin and the queen will be married. Arthur married Guenivere, and Launcelot was the one who had the affair with her.So doesn't it make sense that Anakin will be the young King Arthur, rather than Ben?"
But Shakespeare's Othello made use of the rage of a spouse's betrayal. Consider this scenario, an interloper (perhaps Palpatine or someone else with an agenda) convinces Anakin that Ben and Anakin's wife (the young Queen) are having an affair, even though this is a lie. Jealousy and rage swell uncontrollably within Anakin. He accuses both of this deceit and both deny it. Anakin and Ben's friendship is torn asunder and Skywalker and his bride move very far away from Ben and his influence. Palpatine swoops in, takes advantage of the torment writhing within Anakin, and his decent into the dark side is complete. ['Bard of the Month' Award to 'Soothsayer'.]
Let's stretch it some more: suppose Luke and Leia aren't really Anakin's but Ben's children through an affair? Or better yet, what if Anakin just thinks they aren't his until it's too late to alter his fall into the Dark Side? The implications are devastating and it explains quite a bit for Ben and Vader's actions in the middle trilogy. Lucas has said that we will look at characters in a whole different light; perhaps this is the filter in which we'll see them. [Thank 'JHURRICANE' for sending the Skywalkers into family counselling.]
'The Prankster' also sends us an interesting side note: if this Arthurian stuff holds true for the whole trilogy, then the final trilogy (if there is one) might be about the search by the Round Table (the restored New Republic/Jedi Knights) for a Holy Grail-like object. The Kiber Crystal? The Jedi Holocron? Perhaps a shampoo and conditioner in one? [Thanks to 'The Prankster'.]
But now we must return to the cold comfort of simply not knowing. Our last entry comes from 'Damage', who had this to say about the rumor swirling in the mist...
"...if you're going to pretend to be an objective source of movie news, post the plain but truthful as well as the interesting but absurd. I've said it before and I'll say it again: According to a very high source at ILM (20+ years), NO ONE knows anything about this film. If you're not working directly (and I mean on-location), you don't have a clue. There are no spies on the set. Any and all photos sent to folks like you are sent by Lucas himself as nothing more than fun red herrings. Sorry to burst your collective bubbles, but that's the truth." [Sent by 'Damage'.]
Well, dammit, if that's the case we'd like to openly post this challenge: send us a unique, never-before-seen photo taken from the set of the prequel. Something...snazzy, like Ewan wielding his lightsaber (no you sicko, the OTHER saber.) Or a close-up of Darth Maul's face. Or Jar-Jar. Or convince us utterly that the pictures floating around the net are false. Take your pick; meanwhile, we're off to kick some Jedi booty with our Nerf lightsabers.