INT. PALPATINE’S QUARTERS–SUNSET

Queen Amidala is standing, staring out the window with Jar Jar. The lights of the city shimmer before them. Eirtaé and Rabé stand near the door.

JAR JAR: Yousa tinken yousa people ganna die?
AMIDALA: I don’t know.
JAR JAR: Gungans get pasted, too, eh?
AMIDALA: I hope not.
JAR JAR: Gungans no die’n without a fight. Wesa warriors. Wesa gotta grande army. Dat’s why you no liken us, mesa tinks.
CAPT. PANAKA: (O.S.) Your Highness!

Captain Panaka and Palpatine enter the room and bow before the Queen.

CAPT. PANAKA: (Cont’d) Your Highness, Senator Palpatine has been nominated to succeed Valorum as Supreme Chancellor.
PALPATINE: A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Your Majesty, if I am elected, I promise to put an end to corruption.

Sure you will. Don’t need the competition, do ya?

AMIDALA: Who else has been nominated?
CAPT. PANAKA: Bail Antilles of Alderaan and Ainlee Teem of Malastare.

PALPATINE: I feel confident our situation will create a strong sympathy vote for us. I will be Chancellor.
AMIDALA: I fear by the time you have control of the bureaucrats, Senator, there will be nothing left of our people, our way of life.
PALPATINE: I understand your concern, Your Majesty; unfortunately, the Federation has possession of our planet.
AMIDALA: . . . Senator, this is your arena. I feel I must return to mine. I’ve decided to go back to Naboo.
PALPATINE: Go back?! But, Your Majesty, be realistic! They’ll force you to sign the treaty.
AMIDALA: I will sign no treaty, Senator. My fate will be no different from that of our people. Captain!
CAPT. PANAKA: Your Highness?
AMIDALA: Ready my ship.
PALPATINE: Please, Your Majesty, stay here, where it’s safe.

AMIDALA: It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions. I pray you will bring sanity and compassion back to the Senate.

Amidala and her retinue exit the room. Palpatine has a self-satisfied smile on his face.

The wipe to the next scene comes too fast to completely see Palpy’s smug smile. But it’s there, and it gives me chills.

EXT. JEDI TEMPLE–BALCONY–SUNSET

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stand outside the temple on a balcony.

OBI-WAN: The boy will not pass the Council’s tests, Master. He’s too old.
QUI-GON: Anakin will become a Jedi. I promise you.
OBI-WAN: Do not defy the Council, Master, not again.

QUI-GON: I shall do what I must, Obi-Wan.
OBI-WAN: If you would just follow the Code, you would be on the Council. They will not go along with you this time.
QUI-GON: You still have much to learn, my young apprentice.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE–COUNCIL CHAMBERS–SUNSET

Anakin stands before the twelve Jedi. Mace Windu holds a small hand-held viewing screen. In rapid succession, images flash across the screen.

ANAKIN: A ship . . . a cup . . . a ship . . . a speeder.

Mace Windu turns the view screen off and nods toward Yoda.

YODA: Hmm. How feel you?
ANAKIN: Cold, sir.
YODA: Afraid, are you?
ANAKIN: No, sir.
YODA: See through you, we can.
MACE WINDU: Be mindful of your feelings.
KI-ADI: Your thoughts dwell on your mother.
ANAKIN: I miss her.
YODA: Afraid to lose her, I think, hm?

ANAKIN: What has that got to do with anything?
YODA: Everything! Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.

INT. CORUSCANT–QUEEN’S QUARTERS–DAY

Anakin stands before the door to the Queen’s temporary quarters. A guard speaks into his comlink.

GUARD: The boy’s here to see Padmé.
RABÉ: (V.O.) Let him in.

The door opens, and Anakin enters the Queen’s quarters. Rabé greets Anakin.

RABÉ: I’m sorry, Ani, but Padmé is not here right now.

The Queen speaks out from the next room.

AMIDALA: (O.S) Who is it?
RABÉ: Anakin Skywalker to see Padmé, Your Highness.

Two other handmaidens can be seen in the next room. The Queen moves into the doorway and studies Anakin.

AMIDALA: I sent Padmé on an errand.
ANAKIN: I’m on my way to the Jedi Temple to start my training, I hope. I may not see her again, so I came to say goodbye.
AMIDALA: We will tell her for you. We are sure her heart goes with you.

Anakin bows.

ANAKIN: Thank you, Your Highness.

The Queen disappears into the room.

EXT. CORUSCANT–GALACTIC SENATE BUILDING–DAY

A large, distinctive-looking domed building stands out amid the cityscape of Coruscant.

INT. MAIN ROTUNDA–GALACTIC SENATE–DAY

The Senate chambers are huge. Thousands of senators and their aides sit in the circular assembly area. Chancellor Valorum sits in an elevated area in the center. Hundreds of aids and droids hurry about. Flying hovercams patrol the Rotunda. Senator Palpatine, Queen Amidala, Eirtaé, Rabé, and Captain Panaka sit in the Naboo congressional box.

VALORUM: The Chair recognizes the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo.

The Naboo congressional box floats into the center.

PALPATINE: Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate. A tragedy has occurred, which started right here with the taxation of trade routes, and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation.

A second box rushes into the center of the Senate. It is filled with Federation trade barons led by LOTT DOD, the Senator for the Trade Federation.

LOTT DOD: This is outrageous! I object to the Senator’s statements!
VALORUM: The Chair does not recognize the Senator from the Trade Federation at this time.

A commercial entity with an actual seat in the Senate. Oy.

Lott Dod reluctantly backs off.

PALPATINE: To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, recently elected ruler of the Naboo, who speaks on our behalf.

Queen Amidala stands and addresses the assembly.

AMIDALA: Honorable representatives of the Republic. I come to you under the gravest of circumstances. The Naboo system has been invaded by the droid armies of the Trade . . .
LOTT DOD: I object! There is no proof! This is incredible! We recommend a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth.

A third box representing Malastare moves into the center of the room. AKS MOE, the Ambassador, addresses the convention.

AKS MOE: The Congress of Malastare concurs with the honorable delegate from the Trade Federation. A commission must be appointed.
VALORUM: The point . . .

Valorum confers with his aide and Vice Chair MAS AMEDDA. Palpatine whispers something to the Queen.

PALPATINE: Enter the bureaucrat, the true rulers of the Republic, and on the payroll of the Trade Federation, I might add. This is where Chancellor Valorum’s strength will disappear.

VALORUM: The point is conceded. (to Amidala) Will you defer your motion to allow a commission to explore the validity of your accusations?

Queen Amidala is angry but remains composed.

AMIDALA: I will not defer. I’ve come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now. I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee. If this body is incapable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed. I move for a vote of “no confidence” in Chancellor Valorum’s leadership.

This causes a great stir in the assembly. A loud murmur crescendos into a roar of approval and jeers. Chancellor Valorum is stunned and takes his seat, speechless.

ASSEMBLY: Vote now! Vote now! Vote now!

Vice Chair Mas Amedda takes over.

MAS AMEDDA: Order!

The assembly continues to chant. Palpatine stands next to Amidala.

PALPATINE: Now they will elect a new Chancellor, a strong Chancellor. One who will not let our tragedy continue.

Two things GL should never do: write romantic dialogue and pontificate about politics and political systems. Very dangerous.

EXT. JEDI TEMPLE–DAY

A unique building with tall spires stands out against the Coruscant skyline. Small transports pass by the vast temple.

INT. JEDI TEMPLE–COUNCIL CHAMBERS–DAY

Qui-Gon stands in a tall stately room. TWELVE JEDI sit in a semi-circle. Obi-Wan stands behind Qui-Gon in the center of the room. The Senior Member of the Council is MACE WINDU. Two seats away to his right is an alien Jedi named KI-ADI-MUNDI, and immediately to his right, the Jedi Master, YODA.

QUI-GON: . . . he was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord.
KI-ADI: Impossible! The Sith have been extinct for a millennium.
MACE WINDU: I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing.
YODA: Ah, hard to see, the Dark Side is.
MACE WINDU: We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery. We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you.

Obi-Wan turns to leave, but Qui-Gon continues to face the Council.

YODA: (sighs) Master Qui-Gon, more to say, have you?
QUI-GON: With your permission, my Master. I’ve encountered a vergence in the Force.

I guess that’s more important, huh?

YODA: A vergence, you say?
MACE WINDU: Located around a person?
QUI-GON: A boy. His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians.

Several Council members look at one another in shock.

MACE WINDU: You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You think it’s this . . . boy?
QUI-GON: I don’t presume to . . .
YODA: But you do! Revealed, your opinion is.
QUI-GON: I request the boy be tested, Master.
YODA: Oh. Trained as a Jedi, you request for him, hm?
QUI-GON: Finding him was the will of the Force, I have no doubt of that.

Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda look to Mace Windu.

MACE WINDU: (sighs) Bring him before us, then.

Qui-Gon bows and leaves the council chambers with Obi-Wan. Yoda and Mace Windu exchange concerned looks.

…but I won’t get my hands on it until two weeks from now. (That’s the trade-off for Amazon’s “Free Shipping” option: your stuff takes longer to get to you.) The AOTC script is almost finished; I got past Anakin’s “I Hate Them!” tantrum without vomitting. Go me. I haven’t had time to find a decent ROTS script yet, and I probably won’t until I get started ripping AOTC (very soon).