ANTBond007
04-24-2002, 11:13 PM
WARNING: This is going to be a long read...
Okay. Hey, everybody. Hope everything's going well. Anyway, I just recently finished R.A. Salvatore's novelization of "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," based on the screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales. The novel itself is 353 pages.
The novel opens weeks before the film and just before Alan Dean Foster's novel, "The Approaching Storm." Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are on their way to the planet Ansion to settle a border dispute. On the voyage, we learn that Anakin has been having nightmares about his mother. Terrible nightmares...
Which leads us to the Lars homestead on Tatooine. Shmi Skywalker -- now Shmi Skywalker Lars -- is no longer a slave, freed years ago by Cliegg Lars and now his wife. Cliegg has one son, Owen, who is in love with a girl by the name of Beru Whitesun.
One night, Cliegg catches wind of a band of Tusken Raiders nearby. He orders the family in the home, making sure they're not vulnerable. Shmi, however, as she did every morning, went into the desert to the moisture vaporators to retrieve the newly-grown mushrooms for a meal, and was easy prey for the Tuskens.
Discovering his wife is gone, Cliegg, along with many of the surrounding homestead's men, went out into the desert to find her -- to deadly results. Of the twenty men that went out, only four returned. Cliegg himself lost a leg. It looked as if all was lost...
Those are the opening chapters of the book, taking place before the main events of the film. Also mentioned is Padmé Amidala's need to return to Coruscant to vote on the issue of a Military Creation Act.
With the separatist movement growing in strength -- and the Trade Federation openly supporting this 'Confederacy of Independent Systems' -- former Chief of Security Panaka appoints his newphew, Captain Typho, to look after the Senator on her way to the Republic's capital...
As the starship docks on Coruscant, there is a massive explosion. The Queen -- along with everybody on bored -- is killed. But, alas, it is not the Queen, but instead of loyal handmaiden, Cordé, who lays dying. The real Senator Amidala is rushed to safety.
In the Senate, it is clearly established that the Representatives are split on whether or not to create an army. Amidala is one of the bill's leading opposers.
The assassination attempt deeply disturbs Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who has already outlasted his legal Chancellorship due to the increasing threats of the separatists. Padmé believes that the rebel leader, Count Dooku, is behind the attack, but the others (Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, and Yoda) disagree.
Intelligence points to 'disgrunted spice miners on the moons of Naboo.' They refuse to think of Count Dooku as an assassin simply because he was once a Jedi Master. He left the order ten years prior, believing that the Republic government was too corrupt and the Jedi were betraying themselves to serve.
Palpatine believes Padmé is not safe, and recommends a Jedi escort to send her into hiding. She immediately disagrees, having spent the last few years of her life fighting the Act only to leave now, but the Chancellor recommends and only friend, like... "Master Kenobi."
Without much regard for the Senator's feelings, she is granted an escort composed of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker.
Padmé immediately acknowledges Obi-Wan, but seems not to recognize now twenty-year-old Anakin. This is a great blow to him, as he has thought about this girl -- this woman -- every day for the past decade, only to have her show no signs of recognition.
Here is the following passage:
Anakin, though, didn't see either of them. He focused on the third person in the room, Padmé, and on her alone, and if he had ever held any moments of doubt that she was as beautiful as he remembered her, they were washed away, then and there. His eyes roamed the Senator's small and shapely frame in her black and deep purple robes, taking in every detail. He saw her thick brown hair, drawn up high and far at the back of her head in a basketlike acessory, and wanted to lose himself in it. He saw her eyes and wanted to stare into them for eternity. He saw her lips, and wanted to...
Anakin closed his eyes for just a moment and inhaled deeply, and he could smell her again, the scent that had been burned into him as Padmé's.
It took every ounce of willpower he could muster to walk in slowly and respectfully behind Obi-Wan, and not merely rush in and crush Padmé in a hug... and yet, paradoxically, it took every bit of his willpower to move his lefs, which were suddenly seeming so very weak, and take that first step into the room, that first step toward her.
"Mesa here. Lookie! Lookie!" screeched Jar Jar, hardly the announcement Obi-Wan would have preferred, but one that he knew he had to expect from the emotionally volatile Gungan. "Desa Jedi arriven."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, M'Lady," Obi-Wan said, moving to stand before the beautiful young Senator.
Standing behind his Master, Anakin continued to stare at the woman, to note her every move. She did glance at him once, though very briefly, and he detected no recognition in her eyes.
Padmé took Obi-Wan's hand in her own. "It has been far too long, Master Kenobi. I'm so glad our paths have crossed again. But I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary."
"I am sure that the members of the Jedi Council have their reasons," Obi-Wan replied.
Padmé wore a resigned, accepting expression at that answer, but a look of curiosity replaced it as she glanced again behind the Jedi Knight, to the young Padawan standing patiently. She took a step to the side, so that she was directly in front of Anakin.
"Annie?" she asked, her expression purely incredulous. Her smile and the flash in her eyes showed that she needed no answer.
For just a flicker, Anakin felt her spirit leap.
"Annie," Padmé said again. "Can it be? My goodness how you've grown!" She looked down and then followed the line of his lean body, tilting her head back to emphasize his height, and he realized that he now towered over her.
That did little to bolster Anakin's confidence, though, so lost was he in the beauty of Padmé. Her smile widened, a clear sign that she was glad to see him, but he missed it, or the implications of it, at least. "So have you," he answered ackwardly, as if he had to force each word from his mouth. "Grown more beautiful, I mean." He cleared his throat and stood taller. "And much shorter," he teased, trying unsuccessfully to sound in control. "For a Senator, I mean."
Anakin noted Obi-Wan's disapproving scowl, but Padmé laughed any tension away and shook her head.
"Oh, Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine," she said, and if she had taken the lightsaber from his belt and sliced his legs out from under him, she would not have shortened Anakin Skywalker any more.
That's enough for now... it's late, and my wrist is beginning to ache... however, I'll be back tomorrow with more.
Okay. Hey, everybody. Hope everything's going well. Anyway, I just recently finished R.A. Salvatore's novelization of "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," based on the screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales. The novel itself is 353 pages.
The novel opens weeks before the film and just before Alan Dean Foster's novel, "The Approaching Storm." Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are on their way to the planet Ansion to settle a border dispute. On the voyage, we learn that Anakin has been having nightmares about his mother. Terrible nightmares...
Which leads us to the Lars homestead on Tatooine. Shmi Skywalker -- now Shmi Skywalker Lars -- is no longer a slave, freed years ago by Cliegg Lars and now his wife. Cliegg has one son, Owen, who is in love with a girl by the name of Beru Whitesun.
One night, Cliegg catches wind of a band of Tusken Raiders nearby. He orders the family in the home, making sure they're not vulnerable. Shmi, however, as she did every morning, went into the desert to the moisture vaporators to retrieve the newly-grown mushrooms for a meal, and was easy prey for the Tuskens.
Discovering his wife is gone, Cliegg, along with many of the surrounding homestead's men, went out into the desert to find her -- to deadly results. Of the twenty men that went out, only four returned. Cliegg himself lost a leg. It looked as if all was lost...
Those are the opening chapters of the book, taking place before the main events of the film. Also mentioned is Padmé Amidala's need to return to Coruscant to vote on the issue of a Military Creation Act.
With the separatist movement growing in strength -- and the Trade Federation openly supporting this 'Confederacy of Independent Systems' -- former Chief of Security Panaka appoints his newphew, Captain Typho, to look after the Senator on her way to the Republic's capital...
As the starship docks on Coruscant, there is a massive explosion. The Queen -- along with everybody on bored -- is killed. But, alas, it is not the Queen, but instead of loyal handmaiden, Cordé, who lays dying. The real Senator Amidala is rushed to safety.
In the Senate, it is clearly established that the Representatives are split on whether or not to create an army. Amidala is one of the bill's leading opposers.
The assassination attempt deeply disturbs Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who has already outlasted his legal Chancellorship due to the increasing threats of the separatists. Padmé believes that the rebel leader, Count Dooku, is behind the attack, but the others (Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon, and Yoda) disagree.
Intelligence points to 'disgrunted spice miners on the moons of Naboo.' They refuse to think of Count Dooku as an assassin simply because he was once a Jedi Master. He left the order ten years prior, believing that the Republic government was too corrupt and the Jedi were betraying themselves to serve.
Palpatine believes Padmé is not safe, and recommends a Jedi escort to send her into hiding. She immediately disagrees, having spent the last few years of her life fighting the Act only to leave now, but the Chancellor recommends and only friend, like... "Master Kenobi."
Without much regard for the Senator's feelings, she is granted an escort composed of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker.
Padmé immediately acknowledges Obi-Wan, but seems not to recognize now twenty-year-old Anakin. This is a great blow to him, as he has thought about this girl -- this woman -- every day for the past decade, only to have her show no signs of recognition.
Here is the following passage:
Anakin, though, didn't see either of them. He focused on the third person in the room, Padmé, and on her alone, and if he had ever held any moments of doubt that she was as beautiful as he remembered her, they were washed away, then and there. His eyes roamed the Senator's small and shapely frame in her black and deep purple robes, taking in every detail. He saw her thick brown hair, drawn up high and far at the back of her head in a basketlike acessory, and wanted to lose himself in it. He saw her eyes and wanted to stare into them for eternity. He saw her lips, and wanted to...
Anakin closed his eyes for just a moment and inhaled deeply, and he could smell her again, the scent that had been burned into him as Padmé's.
It took every ounce of willpower he could muster to walk in slowly and respectfully behind Obi-Wan, and not merely rush in and crush Padmé in a hug... and yet, paradoxically, it took every bit of his willpower to move his lefs, which were suddenly seeming so very weak, and take that first step into the room, that first step toward her.
"Mesa here. Lookie! Lookie!" screeched Jar Jar, hardly the announcement Obi-Wan would have preferred, but one that he knew he had to expect from the emotionally volatile Gungan. "Desa Jedi arriven."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, M'Lady," Obi-Wan said, moving to stand before the beautiful young Senator.
Standing behind his Master, Anakin continued to stare at the woman, to note her every move. She did glance at him once, though very briefly, and he detected no recognition in her eyes.
Padmé took Obi-Wan's hand in her own. "It has been far too long, Master Kenobi. I'm so glad our paths have crossed again. But I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary."
"I am sure that the members of the Jedi Council have their reasons," Obi-Wan replied.
Padmé wore a resigned, accepting expression at that answer, but a look of curiosity replaced it as she glanced again behind the Jedi Knight, to the young Padawan standing patiently. She took a step to the side, so that she was directly in front of Anakin.
"Annie?" she asked, her expression purely incredulous. Her smile and the flash in her eyes showed that she needed no answer.
For just a flicker, Anakin felt her spirit leap.
"Annie," Padmé said again. "Can it be? My goodness how you've grown!" She looked down and then followed the line of his lean body, tilting her head back to emphasize his height, and he realized that he now towered over her.
That did little to bolster Anakin's confidence, though, so lost was he in the beauty of Padmé. Her smile widened, a clear sign that she was glad to see him, but he missed it, or the implications of it, at least. "So have you," he answered ackwardly, as if he had to force each word from his mouth. "Grown more beautiful, I mean." He cleared his throat and stood taller. "And much shorter," he teased, trying unsuccessfully to sound in control. "For a Senator, I mean."
Anakin noted Obi-Wan's disapproving scowl, but Padmé laughed any tension away and shook her head.
"Oh, Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine," she said, and if she had taken the lightsaber from his belt and sliced his legs out from under him, she would not have shortened Anakin Skywalker any more.
That's enough for now... it's late, and my wrist is beginning to ache... however, I'll be back tomorrow with more.