: Essay, Research Paper
Rather than write it all myself, Josh Griffin of TheForce.net has given me permission to use one of TFn’s updates (this one) called “The Story So Far.” Everything written in grey is from TFn, and everything in purple is stuff I’ve added. I have also added links to the official site’s “select images” so you can see how they fit in with the story.
As Episode II begins, we learn that Amidala has left the throne on Naboo and has been replaced by the newly elected Queen Jamillia (Select 9: Queen Jamillia). Now going by the name Padme Naberrie, she represents Naboo in the Galactic Senate. We also learn of a deal between Count Dooku and Jango Fett. In exchange for the right to clone an army out of Jango, Dooku gives Jango… a present. At one point, Senator Padme intercedes in a dispute between the Geonosians, the Kaminoans, the Commerce Guild, and the Intergalactic Bank Clan. She uncovers some corruption (created by Darth Sidious) and possible plans by the Neimodians to re-arm themselves. She voices this concern in the Senate. After becoming a blabber-mouth and speaking out against corruption, there is a failed assassination attempt by Zam Wesell in the Senate. Zam, I believe, has been hired by Senator Orn Free Taa (Select 3: Orn Free Taa). Padm? doesn’t think her personal bodyguard Captain Typho is enough, so she turns to the Jedi for help. Yoda and Mace Windu assign Anakin and Obi-Wan to protect her because they have done so in the past.Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padm?, and her two handmaidens – Cord? (Veronica Segura) and another (Rose Byrne) – later go to a night club called “Dex’s Diner.” (Select 6: Dex’s Diner) There is a scene in the club in which Elian Sleazebagno (Matt Doran) does some “trouble making” (not sure what – maybe he hits on Padm?, who knows.) During this scene Zam Wesell attempts to shoot Padm? (Select 14: Zam Wesell) but ends up killing Cord?. Obi-Wan and Anakin chase Zam (Select 1: Running Anakin) through the streets of Coruscant and catch up with her. They attempt to interrogate the bounty hunter to find out who she’s working for, but she is killed by a Kyber Dart shot from Jango Fett who was hiding in the shadows. At this point, the Jedi Council assigns Anakin Skywalker to accompany Padme back to Naboo where she’ll be safe. He takes her back to the planet and meets her parents, Jobal Naberrie and Ruwee Naberrie, as well as her sisters. Jar Jar and the other Gungans come along and also vow to protect Padme. Although it may seem too early in the film, Annie and Padm? are in *love*. Anakin and Padm? get married on Naboo at a small little wedding near a lake. After the wedding, they go on a private boat cruise up a river. I believe this is the point in the saga in which Luke and Leia are conceived – in other words, Anakin and Padm? do the nasty in the boat. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan goes on a quest with Plo Koon to find out more about who is behind the assassination attempt and the corruption in the Senate. He travels to a planet run by Count Dooku and discovers plans for a clone army to be created. He also tracks down Jango Fett and his young son Boba Fett. Turns out that Jango is being used as a template to make the clones. Obi-Wan soon finds himself in an all-too-familiar scene in which Plo Koon is fighting Jango Fett and Obi-Wan is unable to assist. Plo Koon is killed by Jango. Jango tries to flee and Obi-Wan chases after him. Just before Jango can get into his ship and take off, Obi-Wan catches up with him on the landing platform. Young Boba Fett, who has been waiting for his “father” (Select 17: Boba in Slave I), runs into Slave I while Obi-Wan and Jango get in a fight ouside the ship in the pouring rain (Select 10: Singing in the Rain *A Joke*). The battle ends in a stalemate and Jango gets away, but not before Obi-Wan takes a seeker pod out of his belt and hurls it towards the ship. He watches the ship fly away, then he contacts the Jedi Council to alert them of what’s going on.After hearing the news that Count Dooku – a former Jedi Master – has turned to the Dark Side, two characters – I think Mace Windu and Yoda – walk through a part of the Jedi Temple in which there are relics of famous Jedi in the history of the order. They are discussing Count Dooku as they walk down a dark corridor. They come to a section of the hall, which is impressively large, and has a statuette of Dooku and words inscribed at the bottom that praise him as a legendary Jedi Master. They begin to fear that their previous beliefs of the man were false and that he poses a major threat to them as a member of the Dark Side.Back on Naboo, Anakin has a vision of the future and sees his mother in great danger. At the same time, a second (third?) assasination attempt takes place on Padme. Anakin decides to take Padme into hiding back on Tatooine and find his mother. When they arrive, Anakin interrogates Watto cuz he wants to find out where the Lars farm is (Select 12: The Lars Moisture Farm). Watto is now old, unable to fly, and completely broke from betting on the podraces. (It is my contention that Anakin always knew his mother had been freed and married to Cliegg Lars. That is why he never returned to free her from slavery – he knew she was safe and no longer a slave. I have also been told that Cliegg Lars won Shmi’s freedom in a bet against Gardulla the Hutt, to whom Watto had sold Shmi shortly after Episode I because he was so broke. I’m not sure if this is true.) Watto tells Anakin where the Lars home is and he hurries out there with Padm?. After a quick conversation with Owen Lars and his girlfriend Beru Whitesun, Anakin dumps Padm? off and tells Owen to watch her (Select 2: Padm? at the Lars Farm). Anakin then runs out into the desert to where Owen says she has gone. When he finds her, she’s getting beaten to death by ____________ *I’ll tell you later*. She dies in his arms. (I will reveal more details about this later – but let’s just say it’s a major step for Anakin towards the Dark Side.)On the other side of the galaxy, Obi-Wan tracks down Jango and Count Dooku to a planet run by Poggle the Lesser, and alien who specializes in creating battledroids for the Trade Federation. Poggle has had created a bunch of new super battle droids as well as the traditional Destroyer Droids and battledroids. They are also preparing to create a clone army of Clone Troopers (who later become Stormtroopers). Obi-Wan alerts the Jedi Council and an army is dispatched. Soon after doing so, Obi-Wan finds himself in deep bantha poodoo! He stumbles across Mr. Darth Sidious on this planet, and the two get in a fight. Obi-Wan gets beaten badly and loses his lightsaber (Qui-Gon’s old one). This is the reason that he makes another blue one for himself – the one that we see in A New Hope. Sidious zaps Obi-Wan with his lightning hands (Select 7: Obi-Wan Gets Zapped) until Obi-Wan is nearly dead. Sidious then takes Obi-Wan to Count Dooku and Poggle the Lesser and tells them to feed him to the Reeks.After sitting an entire night in the desert beside his dead mother, Anakin returns to the Lars farm to find that it has been pillaged by bounty hunters (a clan of Fetts). Cliegg Lars is dead, Beru and Owen are missing, and Padm? is gone. The Fetts take Padm? to the same planet that Obi-Wan is on (Select 8: Padm? is Captured). Anakin is unsure if he can save her, but chases after her. (I have no idea how he knows where she went – maybe just sees it through the Force like Luke saw that his friends were in trouble on Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back.) Back on Poggle the Lesser’s planet, Jango, Dooku, and Poggle are watching Reeks eating slaves in an arena before the main event – feeding Obi-Wan to the Reeks. Minutes before Mace Windu and the Jedi Knights arrive on Tatooine, Obi-Wan is tied to a poll in the center of the arena. Mace Windu and The Jedi burst in just in time and have a fierce battle in an arena with the droids, Jango, and a beast called the Reek. Windu kills Jango in the battle, thus sparking Boba Fett’s hate for the Jedi. The fight between the Jedi, super droids, the Lessers, Reeks, and Count Dooku continues outside the arena. Anakin is nowhere to be found, and even Yoda engages in the fight. After Anakin finally does arrive he attempts to save Padme, but fails. Obi-Wan insists she is dead, but Anakin doesn’t believe a word of it. A lightsaber battle soon erupts between Obi-Wan, Windu, Anakin, Count Dooku (revealed to be Lord Tyranus), and another dark Jedi. During this battle, Count Dooku cuts off Anakin’s right hand right above the wrist (Select 11: Anakin Vs. Dooku). The battle rages on, and soon Anakin believes that the only way he can save Padme is by turning to the Dark Side, despite the warnings of Obi-Wan. He turns on his master, thus leading to Episode III.I believe the film concludes with Padm? telling Obi-Wan that she is pregnant with Anakin’s child. Obi-Wan tells her to go into hiding on Alderaan.
There’s still a bit missing. I think there is quite a bit more stuff at the beginning. Padm? and Anakin get married about three quarters of the way through the film. Reading what’s written above would lead you to think otherwise, but that’s because there are things missing. I believe Anakin and Obi-Wan parade around with Padm? for quite a while before Anakin takes her to Naboo.