Dat Phan Online :: View topic - Star Wars: Are YOU spoiler-free 'till episode 3? *spoilers*

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 2:57 pm

hey all, this is a place where we can chat about what will happen in episode three.

"I don't know if he's been using the Dark Side of the Force to cover it up or what - but the real Palpatine is getting some serious face time in Episode III. OK, I don't really know how much screen time Palpidious (funny name saw in the forums, sorry) is getting - but I do know they prepped him for a closeup.
There was an image from Episode III recently that showed the actor in costume getting ready to shoot a scene. It is intentionally misleading because that isn't what you'll really see him as in the film. Well, kind of - the side he shows the Jedi is still relatively tame, when we finally see the reveal it'll be a throwback to the ole' Return of the Jedi days.

In a makeup test, they had Ian McDiarmid looking just like the Emperor we know from the Classics, complete with yellow eyes and terrible crevaces of deep facial features. In one shot he's kind of gritting his teeth looking right at the camera. There are dark rings of red and brown under and around his eyes, and his lips are pursed and cracked. His face doesn't just look weathered, it looks plain evil. His black cloak is over his head in this first test shot.

In a second shot, his cloak is removed and you can see the top of his head. It is more of a casual shot with Ian almost smiling an evil grin to the camera. You can SO see him under the laytex, its some great work there. From this side shot you can see the intricate aging work in his neck and forehead, the man looks evil - a face only a mother could love. And even then, it might be difficult.

Why does Sidious look like this? He always did. Palpatine is his disguise/alternate persona he adopted to get himself into political power. He isn't able to maintain the disguise while using his powers and you'll see him flash to his Sidious look earlier in the film until he does the official "unveiling."

So would it be cool to see a first glimpse of this face as Palpatine feels the Dark Side flow through his body at a critical point in the film? Maybe there's been a confrontation, and Palpatine realizes this is the time to open up a can of something on a visiting Jedi."

"The Blockade Runner from Star Wars: A New Hope is definitely the one we'll see in Episode 3, though it'll be much cleaner and not so worn down as you may remember it. It is indeed the ship Bail Organa travels on to Alderaan at the end of the movie. It is even complete now including landing gear - it's been slightly redesigned, just to make it look a little fresh and new compared to what we see in the original film.
Escape pods from this craft are also seen and used in the film. This ship is Bail Organa's to use throughout the film - it definitely has a "newer" look to it. There's also a good chance you'll see a scene that takes place on the never before seen bridge of the Tantive IV, and you'll see that it is capable of making planet-side landings with those new gear.

Our thoughts ... it would be cool if that's how Obi-Wan gets stranded on Tatooine with Luke. The escape pod lands there and he makes it his new home. Yoda could be dropped off on Dagobah as well, then the ship cruises on to Alderaan for safekeeping of the other newborn Jedi ... "

"- The new bad guy is the leader of the droid armies. He is the ultimate Jedi-killing machine. He isn't 100% droid but dont' expect his backstory to be revealed in the film. His backstory will be explained as much as Darth Maul's was in Episode I.

- Anakin kills Dooku, and really early in the film as previously reported. And the former Jedi isn't officially named "Darth Vader" until after the lava bath. But don't take this to mean he doesn't do some very very dark things before the duel takes place.

"- The new bad guy is the leader of the droid armies. He is the ultimate Jedi-killing machine. He isn't 100% droid but dont' expect his backstory to be revealed in the film. His backstory will be explained as much as Darth Maul's was in Episode I.

- Anakin kills Dooku, and really early in the film as previously reported. And the former Jedi isn't officially named "Darth Vader" until after the lava bath. But don't take this to mean he doesn't do some very very dark things before the duel takes place.

"- The new bad guy is the leader of the droid armies. He is the ultimate Jedi-killing machine. He isn't 100% droid but dont' expect his backstory to be revealed in the film. His backstory will be explained as much as Darth Maul's was in Episode I.

- Anakin kills Dooku, and really early in the film as previously reported. And the former Jedi isn't officially named "Darth Vader" until after the lava bath. But don't take this to mean he doesn't do some very very dark things before the duel takes place.

Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 3:02 pm

"- The new bad guy is the leader of the droid armies. He is the ultimate Jedi-killing machine. He isn't 100% droid but dont' expect his backstory to be revealed in the film. His backstory will be explained as much as Darth Maul's was in Episode I.

- Anakin kills Dooku, and really early in the film as previously reported. And the former Jedi isn't officially named "Darth Vader" until after the lava bath. But don't take this to mean he doesn't do some very very dark things before the duel takes place. "

"I can see that the original reports of Anakin meeting the lava are causing quite a stir. What I'm about to tell you details the look of Anakin at the end of the film, I hope you don't mind being spoiled this early.
Basically, there's several "toasted Anakins" - three to be exact. I can give you the details on each, though I have no idea which one(s) actually will be used in the final version of the film.

Anakin Test #1: Anakin is burned black almost completely head to toe, except for his face. He is charcoal black and it honestly is sickening. The only burn marks on his face creep up along his right side of the face and the top and bottom of his eye. His ear is almost completely gone and around his lips there are several severe burns as well. This is really a sight to behold.

Anakin Test #2: This test involved Hayden getting made to look very close to the unmasked Vader from Return of the Jedi. His skin is very dark tan in color and he has that huge gash in the right side of the top his head and other marks you may recognize. There are many small burns and scrapes on his face, with the most substantial burns appearing on both cheeks and then burned to a black crisp the rest of the way down.

Anakin Test #3: In this final version, Hayden was made up to be burned, but not NEARLY as severe. He has massive bags under his eyes and his hair is almost completely singed off - but not quite, some stubble still remains. The left side of his face is in terrible condition, extending down his neck then to an entirely burned body as well. The others look more over the top, where this one looks more like just terrible 2nd degree burns.

Which ever of the three they choose, we're in for quite a sight. Wow ..."

"So you heard that Anakin loses a leg? I'm impressed, they haven't even shot that scene yet - maybe this week? Between that and his arm and you've got a wicked mixture of man and machine. That, and that whole burned to a crisp deal. Literally.
Well, I've got something else to add. His leg is gone from about the knee down or so, not at the thigh like some have speculated. AND he loses something else as well. All of his hair is gone - singed in the fire. And he gets that massive head wound in Episode III - the one you see briefly on Vader unmasked in Return of the Jedi. "