Flashback: The original Star Wars script

Mystery Man on Film devoted yesterday to a repost that I’m pretty sure I linked before… But it’s still worth a second look. The premise, if you will:

Let it be said, my friends, that the early drafts of Star Wars should be a rich source of encouragement to every aspiring screenwriter the world over – because they royally sucked.

And they do. One example: Annikin Starkiller punches the princess in the face. Sure, she’s a hell of a lot more Vespa than Leia at this point, but… In the face. Oh George, no.

Read on for a compare and contrast of the scripts from 1974 and 1977. The difference is nothing short of amazing.

If your trainwreck syndrome is strong, you can find many of the early drafts at the Jedi Bendu Script Site.

4 Replies to “Flashback: The original Star Wars script”

  1. I’ve read the Adventures of the Starkiller before…well, tried. Never really got through it. It’s pretty boring.

  2. Hey, I happen to LIKE those draft scripts. Especially that one.

    The big thing that the reviewer has failed to grasp is that Annkin Starkiller ISN’T Luke Skywalker. He’s cocky, disobedient, bluffing half the time, and really NOT a very good Jedi. THAT is his character-arc.

    Try imagine the character being played by Harrison Ford rather than Mark Hamill? ;)

    Yes, there are some longeurs (and overall, there’s enough script there for a series), but, if you ask me, what this script REALLY shows that a movie depends a great deal on delivery and timing and visualization…

  3. Oh George Lucas no. Dare I ask what terrible thing proto-Leia had done to deserve a punch? (And wasn’t she, like, 14 in this draft, or was that another one? Nothing says “hero” like smacking around little girls!)

  4. Dare you ask? Well, mostly she just disagrees with Starkiller and refuses to go with him when he comes to escort her to safety. A punch to the head, a toss over the shoulder, and a quick carry off to the old cave; neanderthal behavior at its finest.

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