WHAT IF "STAR WARS: EPISODE I" WAS GOOD? (Belated Media) 

I like how the robotic legs darth maul thing was actually a thing in the clone wars series.

This is pretty unfair... You had over 10 years to think about this... oh wait...

Now imagine, for a moment, that this was the actual movie and Lucas was making a video on youtube describing the his "what-if" with Jar Jar in it, lmfao.

The whole story about Darth Maul surviving and getting robotic legs and becoming a nemesis to Obi Wan is exactly what happens during Star Wars the clone wars.

Anakin built C-3PO. That basically makes Luke Skywalker and C-3PO brothers.

Making Darth Maul the main villain throughout the trilogy, would have literally made it 1000x better. He is a badass and should have never have gotten killed off that easily.

I like it a lot! One small change: Don't have Maul and Palpatine conversing after Maul's supposed "death". It makes the twist of him being alive in the next movie so much bigger.

I love that this dude critiques the film without utterly shitting on it and pointing out what it did well

The best part about the prequels was the setup for Jar Jar to become a Drunk Kung-Fu-inspired Sith sleeper agent/hidden chessmaster as a kind of dark counterpart to Yoda, who also appeared as a strange little alien before revealing himself to be a Jedi Master. The worst was that this never came to fruition in the sequel.

Maul shouldnt have died. The story line you setup with it would have been perfect

Not only does this all sound way better than what we got but Obi Wan reacting to Qui Gon's death with "wait what, what, what fuuuuck" and Qui Gon responding with "yeah dude fuck" would still be better than 95% of George Lucas' dialog.

I come back to this every few years and I'm impressed every time

To me, this guy looks like a mix of Jeremy Jahns and Jim from American Pie.

Jar Jar is the key to all of this. I hope this works out.

The weird part about this version is the love between obi-wan and Pademe.

"So his entire lower half is robotics" - Video released 23rd Feb 2012 Clone Wars episode showing Maul's return - 9th March 2012 Holy....

I died at "What are you talking about? Bureaucracy is amazing!"

They should officially strike the existing prequels from the record and have JJ Abrams or ANY OTHER DIRECTOR redo them with REAL sets and THESE suggestions… I would crowdfund that! (Also, anyone who does not comply and destroy their copies of the existing prequels would be fined and possibly jailed)

"A lot of this really disregards a lot of The Clone Wars and everything set up there, especially with Maul, and Savage Opress and--" *sees date of release* k cool, carry on. As you were!

I've loved all of your Star Wars What It's since they debuted all those years ago. They're still wonderful to rewatch. I'm sure you've had requests, but please PLEASE give us your take on the sequel Trilogy. What if Episodes 7, 8 & 9 we're good? I mean REALLY good! Take care my friend and my the force be with you, always....

"Star Wars What If? by Belated Media is the most undisappointing thing since my son. I mean how much more could you possibly improve the entire backstory to Star Wars? And while my son eventually went to college to design gas station bathrooms, the fortunate reality about the What If? trilogy is that they'll be around. Forever. They will never go away! It can never be undone!"

this is canon for me

Please you must do one “what if” for the new trilogy

2012: “omg the prequels are terrible “ 2020: “unfortunately history will not see it that way”

The only thing that I would change from your version is that instead of Qui-Gon telling Obi-Wan to train Anakin, it should be Obi-Wan who made that decision to honor his master, due to his remorse and sense of guilty. For the rest, 10/10 ;)

my biggest dream is for someone to remake the prequels but make them good.

You should revisit this and make a real script

If they EVER remade the prequels, I PRAY TO GOD that they come to you.

Another thing I would've changed is the way Darth Sidious is presented. In the movies, it was pretty obvious that the guy was Palpatine. Painfully so, really. It should've been that the Trade Federation guys mention a "mysterious benefactor" from time to time, or if they absolutely have to show him, have him communicate via really blurry hologram with a heavy distortion filter for his voice. Not only does it make the reveal actually surprise us, but it also properly builds up this guy's presence and makes us wonder who he really is and why he has to be so secretive about his appearance.

THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOVIE OMG YOU ARE SO GOOD AT THIS

You need to do a “what if the sequels of the Pirates of the Caribbean were good?”

Your what if? Series has inspired me to make my own rewrites of the prequels. Currently working on episode 3 now.

I want to go to an alternate Earth in which your version of Episode 1 exists.

Am I crazy, or is Liam Neeson's portrayal of Qui Gon Jinn how I imagined Anakin Skywalker to have looked before his turn? A Jedi Knight, with a gentle nobility, and ease of manner who maybe does things in an unconventional way. A character we can sort of root for and get behind so that when the turn happens it's tragic and we care. (as opposed to what we got).

I totally agree with your thoughts on Maul, especially since The Clone Wars revealed he never did die.

Michael, just came back to watch this video (as I've done numerous times over the years because it's so awesome). But I just want to point out how impressive the evolution of your video quality has been. The immediate differences in audio quality was instant. Anyway, your channel is awesome - keep up the great work.

Interesting idea, but I disagree with the love triangle implementation. Those drive me nuts.

Stupid long comment ahead! Grab a Red Bull if you intend to read this. How I would fix the prequels: 1. *Don't* *kill* *off* *Darth* *Maul*. Because he died too soon, a longer life-span with him chasing Obi would have shown off his vengeful side, and because it would be kind of neat if he was in the entire trilogy. I would've killed off the cowardly Grievous on Naboo, so Obi could have *destroyed* Maul on Utapau. It would have done the prequels a favour. 2. *No* *useless* *CGI*. While the necessary and good-looking use of CGI in the prequels came out alright, things like Dexter and his café could have been crafted rather than animated. We all love the masking, puppeteering and scenery building in the originals... And I think the actors would've had more fun with less greenscreen and more materialised scenery to play with. 3. *KEEP* *GEORGE* *OUT* *OF* *THE* *DIRECTING*. The script and the acting suffered greatly from George's directing. "From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!"? Really? And I just want to see the cast in full action. The prequels were a waste of talent (and Samuel should have been a bad motherf*cker). 4. *Ani* *shouldn't* *be* *a* *little* *bitch*. It would've been so much cooler if he had gone from noble but short-tempered wee hero, to being corrupted into an angry (more badass) Vader. Anything but the Anakin Crywalker of today. 5. *Show* *off* *Ani's* *talents*. A pod race, dual-wielding and saber-skills are just not enough to make a convincing Chosen one. Isn't he supposed to be like the Harry Potter of Star Wars? Then where does he prove that he's way more skilled than the other Jedi? But I guess he can lift fruit... It's just that Yoda could lift an entire *ship*. 6. *No* *factory* *scene*. The factory scene was awful. Enough said. 7. *Improve* *Jar* *Jar*. Make him less of the clown of Star Wars, and more of a subtle, charming, actually funny comic relief. Threepio and Artoo work so well because the funniness they bring isn't forced or cheap - they're ingeniusly scripted and charismatic characters. Do that * prods George with a stick *. 8. *Go* *for* *the* *silent* *scenes*. You know the scenes like when Boba holds up Jango's head and touch foreheads, or when Ani cries a little (surprise, surprise) in the temple, or Vader's march into the temple? Those were some of the most powerful scenes - without any lines spoken. More of those would have been great. 9. *Make* *me* *give* *a* *f*ck* *about* *Qui-Gon*. And not just because the character was a waste of the gift that is Liam Neeson, but also because I would not give a flying f*ck about Qui-Gon's death if it wasn't for Ewan McGregor's flawless acting. Some backstory would have been awesome. 10. *More* *Alderaan*. Some more exposure to Alderaan would have made the destruction of it in episode IV even more sad. And yeh, it's a beautiful planet.

Fascinating that “Rebels” used your Darth Maul plotline, and to great effect I think. The Kenobi/Maul rematch was brilliantly terse.

I see your version of the prequels quite often... I chose to believe that this is what really happened in the prequels (including your "what if" to episode II and III). It would be AWESOME to hear your versions for VII, VIII and IX!!!

Oh my fucking God. Your version of Episode I is amazing. I...I... Holy shit we need to remake episodes I, II, and III. You need to be at the helm. Change everything you want, but please keep Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan. Make-up, Michael Douglas CGI, anything you need to do to make him look younger like he was when the movies were first made. We need to make a petition. We need to do something. I'm gonna call Obama. Fuck

Jedis aren't meant to fall in love though, are they? It makes sense for Anakin to do this (especially with Padmé as she's an established character after the first film) as he turns to the Dark Side. Why make Obi-Wan fall in love? Can't compare him to a non-Jedi relationship like Han and Leia. Personally I like fresh plots and ideas. Why recycle patterns and plots we've seen from the originals? George brought back the characters, settings, and more. We don't need the love interests too.

Thank you for sharing your ideas man. I was rewriting Episode 1 myself and there were things I just couldn't get to mesh right, mostly how Obi-Wan and his mentor get on Naboo in the first place and what's going on on Coruscant. I still have my own ideas of how things should play out, for instance I think multiple battles raging at the same time are a Hallmark of Star Wars films, but you definitely helped me out of a writer's block. Thanks again.

I can't get over the fact that robes are the official garb of Jedi when they aren't in excile. Like is Ep IV Obi Wan hiding on Tatooine wearing a Jedi uniform then?

I would have changed jar jar's voice, to be deeper and raspier, and attire, to be some form of rugged gungan armor, and turn him into a bounty hunter. His agility and ability to breath underwater would come in handy and he would be helpful in fighting off of droids. Just an idea, what do you think?

I liked Mike Stoklasa's idea of Anakin starting out being over 16. The idea of a ten year old being too old to train seemed ridiculous after seeing the original trilogy, I think it was just an excuse to get a bunch of children in the film because they stupidly thought that would make children like it more.

Damn, now I'm pretty annoyed this wasn't the version of the movie we got, hahaha. Well done!

It wasnt the plot points, it was the dialog

Allthough i really like the new trilogy just like the old one i must admit that you have a few good points and I definitely would've liked your version of the film very much!

ATTENTION!!! DEAR GEORGE LUCAS & DISNEY EXECUTIVES: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD EMPLOY THIS MAN

Dude, can you please do these for episodes 7-9? I will set up a go fund me and we can crowd source it. Seriously, these are so, so much better than what was put on the big screen.

these prequel storyboards are amazing - you are so right, the movies could have been so much more epic if they were about obiwan, I wish you would make these versions!

This dude is completely wrong. The prequels are Anakin's story - this whole Obi Wan focus is absolutely horrible. In fact all of Star Wars was, in reality, about Anakin and subsequently Vader. I would've removed Qui Gon entirely (not because I dislike him, he's just an empty vessel that was essentially the wise Obi Wan we get from ep2 on) and had Obi Wan take on Anakin as his apprentice from day 1. Make Anakin a young teen, same as Padme, and they blossom from there.

I like the cliff-notes of this non-existent Episode 1 more than Episode 1.

The funniest bit to me was I clicked the video and read the title, and then clicked like before the ad even played. Then burst out laughing - merely posing the question was enough to earn a like from me - thank you for that brief moment where I considered the possibility that Episode 1 was good: a vision of a better world.

The whole obi wan padme thing in this doesn’t really make sense I mean in the original she is like 13 and he is 25

"Uh, Qui Gon, uh, FUCK!" "Yeah dude. Fuck." Best exchange ever

This sounds like a good frist draft of a script. Also, give Darth Maul backstory and characterization, for fucks sake. And no, I'm not willing to sit through 3 novels and a 10 issue comic seires to get that, it should have been in the freaking movie. Thank you.

The past couple of years I've taken May 4th off of work to watch all the Star Wars movies back to back. Last year it took so long to get through them, so I decided to watch your videos instead of Episode 1-3. Would love to see these turned into full movies(animated, machinimas), ever thought of doing a Kickstarter?

Wow a movie with a concise and clear plot with characters that develop along the way? I didn’t know that was possible in Star Wars movies made past the 80s

Has someone made a petition yet to give this guy a major roll in the making of Star Wars 7?

Totally agree with you on Darth Mauls death. Absolute crap

The Darth Maul stuff you talked about is almost exactly what happens in The Clone Wars tv show and it is AWESOME

I found this a few days ago and am amazed. This is my 4th viewing and have to say truly the best rewrite I have ever heard.

I really wish that the dialogue for Qui Gon's death was what he used xD "Uh... Master, uh... Fuck" "Yeah, dude. Fuck." dead

Darth Maul kills Jar-Jar. End of Story. Everyone in the theatre would have cheered for Darth Maul.

Another change: Anakin built R2-D2, not C-3PO. Thematically I think it works better, since Artoo is always along on Anakin’s adventures. Anakin hardly ever bothers with Threepio, and barely ever shared screentime with him. Anakin wants to grow up to be a pilot, so of course he’d want to build a pilot’s navigational droid. He and his mom have no need for a protocol droid. Just a thought, thanks for reading this if you did.

Does it really work having Obi-Wan only a few years older than Anakin? Like, if Anakin is a teen in this, say, 19, and Obi-Wan is 25, would he really make that good of a teacher?

So you're fine with Darth Maul spider legs?

Darth Maul was hands-down one of the coolest things ever to appear in a Star Wars film. Killing him off in Episode I - instead of making him a major villain throughout the prequel trilogy - wasn't the worst mistake George Lucas has ever made, but it's definitely in the top 5.

Now please do the same for the sequel trilogy. Something tells me this’ll be easy af😂

I literally just realized this was made before Maul was revealed to have survived

Screen junkies got me here

I think Jar Jar should have been the main character and Obi-Wan's Master. Was given far too much of a menial role which was the film's biggest fault.

This is really good. One thing I always wanted of the prequels was the reveal that Palpatine was really a clone with no force powers, even though he himself never knows that. that way, it makes sense that the jedi can't sense him, and it will be a great twist in Episode 3 when the jedi go to confront him and he whips out his lightsaber for an epic fight only to get brutally sliced up. then we hear the emperor's laugh as he steps out as he looked in Episode 6 and pretty much slaughters everyone. just my random thoughts =)

I rewatch this and still hope that one day this will be made...

Maul is a bloody awesome villain and he was so short lived.

I accept this as cannon now.

He should do this for the sequels

I've watched this whole series several times already, I love your version of events. So I showed me father, who also loves Star Wars, and he said "That's why they make the toys. For you to make up whatever story you want." Even though I love these videos...I couldn't help but lmao. Lol

Obi Wan: Hey uh Master uh Fuck! Qui-Gon: Yeah dude, Fuck! Best part of the whole vid. 😂

I agree with absolutely every single one of your suggestions! That sounds like a much better movie than what we actually got! There's only two more minor additions I'd make: 1. I'd introduce Darth Maul right at the beginning of the film and make it clear that he's the main villain behind the whole invasion. Maybe the Viceroy and Neimoidians would be around as figureheads for the Trade Fed, but Maul is truly the evil mastermind (a big problem with the actual film was the lack of a central villain, since the Viceroy didn't seem to know what was going on and Maul wasn't introduced until halfway through the movie and had no motivation of his own; he was just Palpatine's servant). Here it would be clear that Maul, although serving a master of his own, is our ultimate villain of this episode. 2. I'd have Anakin go to Naboo at the end (it may not make sense to take a kid to a battle, but whatever, let's just say they have nowhere to take him) and as a result, Anakin ends up WITNESSING Qui-Gon's death first-hand, which we're able to see scars him deeply.

I adore that JarJar is crossed out the entire time. Like for real. It's my aesthetic. It looks beautiful.

I've been trying to find this video again for like 3 years!

I really didn't think the prequels are as bad as everyone says. I think they did a decent job. my biggest complaint is that he went too crazy with the special effects and lost a sense of realism. Ja ja binks was an annoying character .. I wish darth maul stayed longer.. but other than that.. I thought they were pretty good. sue me. The focus was on darth vader and his story history.. which I think was the best way to go about it.

I think Phantom Menace would have been good if: 1. Took out most of little Anaikin scenes 2. Took out Pod race 3. Took out all the Jar Jar scenes 4. Took out the diplomacy/politics 5. Extended the first Lightsaber battle with Maul. 6. Maul didn't die until episode 2

This series is part of my childhood! Belated, you should do your take on the new trilogy or possible films that can be made in the future!

Just imagining Qui Gon going "Yeah dude, FUCK." made my day.

man this was really good! i agree with this man, especially with how Mual should stay alive.

I learned more about screenwriting watching this video than I ever did with, say, Syd Field books or even reading scripts. Everything about the Prequel Trilogy is a disaster. This is why I'm looking forward to Ep VII, the only other trilogy that will matter. I can't wait!!

That whole thing you said about Maul having a rivalry with Obi-Wan was kind of explored in the Clone Wars.

I find the prequels much more tolerable compared to most people, particularly Episode 1. The CG doesn't bother me, I love the aesthetics (especially Naboo), and the saber battles are actually GOOD! Face it, the slower pace of the original trilogy's duels is pretty disappointing. That said, The Force Awakens probably has the best saber fighting to date - not too flashy or flip-happy, but still full of energy. Anyways, as I was saying, despite my tolerance for Episode 1, if there was ONE thing I could change about the whole thing, it would be "remove that stupid speech thing from the Gungans." Jar-Jar and the rest of the Gungans wouldn't be half as annoying if they just spoke like normal people. "You think your people are going to die?" instead of "Yousa tinkin yousa people gonna die?" and so forth.

Good god... I'll now live wishing Episode I had been written with this script, it would lay the foundation for a much more engaging arc for everyone involved.

Dude! You are a genius and I would pay like $20 bucks to see your version of the movie! Awesome work and thanks for sharing!!

Sadly this just wasn't possible, because Lucas finished the script *days* before filming.

little does 2012 belated know season 5 of the clone wars basically features everything he said about maul towards the end

I think you hit the nail on the head my friend. If only you directed that movie.

This is amazing dude. Im really excited for your take on Episode III

Hi, I just saw Solo and had to think about these vids :) Seems like they listened to you at one point!

I really appreciate that you didn't have R2 and C3P0. The bigest problem with having the two interact with, and work together with characters in the prequels is that Obi Wan in the original trilogy has no recollection of ever knowing the droids in question! otherwise he would have acted like he was meeting old friends for the first time in a long time, and say something to Luke like "Oh hey, did you know 3PO was built by your father?" It makes no god damn sense.