If I could change two things about the entire Star Wars canon, I would firstly make Anakin Skywalker 14 years old in The Phantom Menace.
It fixes so much that doesnāt work about the prequels.
The Jedi Council evaluation: Heās too angry? A kind, empathetic boy who had been raised a slave on a hard world run by the biggest criminal empire in the galaxy - of course. Of course he would be. That kind of injustice would burn so deeply - at 14, he would not just be a witness to the wrongs, he would understand them, and thatās why he would be ātoo oldā. The Jedi Council would clock immediately that this boy had learned how to hate, in a way so deeply entrenched that no amount of training and meditation would wash that away.
Make him 14, and the Jedi Council goes from a bunch of dicks to instead a bunch of misguided dicks in a way that makes mores sense with the Clone Wars portrayals.
At 14, Anakin would be YOUNG but believable as a genius pilot. Qui Gon gambling on the pod race, him defeating the Trade Federation control ship? An incredible feat! But not ridiculous, as it kinda is in the movie. Also, 13-14 is older enough that I believe he could convince his mother to let him compete at all. If my 8-9 year old was flying in homicidal death races, I would lose my shit. No. Just no.
Itās also more believable (and significantly less creepy) that a 14 year old Anakin could meet Padme, 17-18yo herself, bond innocently in the circumstances and have that develop into a deep love and admiration when they meet again older. So much less cringe!!!
Thatās #1 what I would change.
#2 is that I would rewrite Anakin and Padmeās entire doomed narrative.
Padme and Anakin needed parallel character arcs over the course of the wars up until RotS, as the war pushed them father and farther from each other ideologically until finally ending with him tearing down the Republic as she raised the Rebellion to fight the Empire put in its place (which is canon and got cut).
Lucas wrote the tragedy that Anakin killed her because he thought she had betrayed him when she hadnāt - the tragedy should have been because she HAD.
Also, stfu with whole āshe has lost the will to liveā, I defy you to say Padme would not cling screaming to life every second she could to leave her children a safer galaxy.
Anyway, these arenāt the only things one could change to improve the Star Wars canon, but I think they would have the biggest overall positive impact. We get left with an older Anakin, heroic, full of the desire to do good, and only too aware of the injustices and hypocrisy that surround him in the Order, already walking the knife edge of love and bitterness.
What dya think? I would love to hear other opinions!
