INT. APARTMENT BUILDING, APARTMENT CORRIDOR – TWILIGHT

JAR JAR walks into the corridor, where the two Jedi are exiting the elevator. He recognizes Obi-Wan and becomes excited, vigorously shaking Obi-Wan’s hand.

JAR JAR: Obi? Obi! Mesa sooo smilen to seein yousa.

Oh, man, he’s back.

Obi-Wan smiles.

OBI-WAN: It’s good to see you again, Jar Jar.

INT. SENATE BUILDING, APARTMENT – EVENING

Padme and Typho are on the balcony.

JAR JAR: (O.S) Senator Padme!

Jar Jar enters the room, followed by the two Jedi.

JAR JAR: Mesa palos here. Lookie… lookie… Senator. Desa Jedi
arriven.

Padme and Typho leave the balcony with Dorme respectfully trailing behind and stop before the two Jedi. Obi-Wan bows while Anakin stands back.

OBI-WAN: It’s a pleasure to see you again, M’Lady.

Padme walks over to Obi-Wan and takes his hand in hers.

PADMÉ: It has been far too long Master Kenobi.

She glances at Anakin.

PADMÉ: Ani? My goodness, you’ve grown.

ANAKIN: So have you… grown more beautiful, I mean…well, for a Senator, I mean.

Stop drooling, boy, you’re leaving a puddle on the floor.

Padme laughs and shakes her head.

PADMÉ: Ani, you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine.

They all move to couches in the center of the room and sit.

OBI-WAN: Our presence will be invisible, M’Lady, I can assure you.

TYPHO: I’m Captain Typho of Her Majesty’s security service. Queen Jamillia has been informed of your assignment. I am grateful you’re here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit.

PADMÉ: I don’t need more security, I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me.

I thought you already knew!

OBI-WAN: We’re here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation.

ANAKIN: We will find out who’s trying to kill you Padmé, I promise you.

Obi-Wan frowns at his apprentice.

OBI-WAN: We will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner.

ANAKIN: I meant in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course.

OBI-WAN: We will not go through this exercise again, Anakin. And you will pay attention to my lead.

ANAKIN: Why?

OBI-WAN: What?!

ANAKIN: Why else do you think we were assigned to protect her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security… not Jedi. It’s overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate.

OBI-WAN: We will do exactly as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one.

Anakin bows his head meekly.

PADMÉ: Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now, if you will excuse me, I will retire.

Everyone gives Padmé a slight bow as she rises and leaves with Dormé.

TYPHO: I know I feel a lot better having you here. I’ll have an officer situated on every floor and I’ll be at the control center downstairs.

Captain Typho leaves.

JAR JAR: Mesa busten wit happiness seein yousa again, Ani.

ANAKIN: (Looking back at Padme leaving) She hardly recognized me, Jar Jar. I’ve thought about her every day since we parted, and…she’s forgotten
me completely.

JAR JAR: Shesa happy. Happier den mesa seein her in longo time.

OBI-WAN: Anakin, you’re focusing on the negative, Anakin. Be mindful of your thoughts. She was pleased to see us. Now let’s check the security.

Now I’m starting to wonder about Obi-Wan’s grasp of the situation.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING – TWILIGHT

A graceful skyscraper twinkles in the light of the setting sun.

INT. APARTMENT BUILDING ELEVATOR – TWILIGHT

ANAKIN SKYWALKER and OBI-WAN KENOBI ride in a windowed elevator attached to the outside of the Building. They are on their way to Senator Amidala’s apartments. Anakin nervously rearranges his robes.

OBI-WAN: You seem a little on edge.

ANAKIN: Not at all.

OBI-WAN: I haven’t felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks.

ANAKIN: You fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you, remember?

OBI-WAN: Oh…yes.

They laugh.

OBI-WAN: (Con’t) You’re sweating. Relax. Take a deep breath.

ANAKIN: I haven’t seen her in ten years, Master.

EXT. EXECUTIVE QUARTERS BUILDING – DAY

The giant dome of the Republic Executive Building stretches low across the landscape. Traffic clogs the smoggy sky.

INT. CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE – DAY

CHANCELLOR PALPATINE sits behind his desk with TWO RED-CLAD
ROYAL GUARDS on either side of the door. YODA, PLO KOON,
KI-ADI-MUNDI, and MACE WINDU sit across from him. Behind
them stand the Jedi KIT FISTO, LUMINARA UNDULI and her Padawan,
BARRISS OFFEE.

PALPATINE: I don’t know how much longer I can hold off the vote, my friends. More and more star systems are joining the separatists.

MACE WINDU: If they do break away -

PALPATINE: I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two. My negotiations will not fail!

MACE WINDU: If they do, you must realize there aren’t enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers.

PALPATINE: Master Yoda, do you think it will really come to war?

Yoda closes his eyes.

YODA: The Dark Side clouds everything. Impossible to see, the future is.

A muted BUZZER SOUNDS. A hologram of an AIDE, DAR WAC, appears on the Chancellor’s desk.

DAR WAC: (in Huttese) The loyalist committee has arrived, my Lord.

PALPATINE: Good. Send them in. We will discuss this matter later.

They all stand as Senator Amidala, Captain Typho, MAS AMEDDA, DORMÉ, and SENATORS (BAIL ORGANA, JAR JAR BINKS and ORN FREE TA) and their ATTENDANTS enter the office. Palpatine walks to the window and looks out at the vast city. Yoda moves to address Padmé.

YODA: Senator Amidala, your tragedy on the landing platform, terrible. Seeing you alive brings warm feeling to my heart.

PADMÉ: Do you have any idea who was behind the attack?

Wow. No “thank you for your concern”? Just launch right into “who’s trying to kill me”?

MACE WINDU: Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners, on the moons of Naboo.

PADMÉ: I think that Count Dooku was behind it.

Where the heck did that come from?! You been watching CSI: Coruscant and figured this out on your own before the vaunted Jedi and Republic security?

KI-ADI-MUNDI: He is a political idealist, not a murderer.

MACE WINDU: You know, M’Lady, Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn’t assassinate anyone. It’s not in his character.

YODA: But for certain, Senator, in grave danger you are.

PALPATINE: Master Jedi, may I suggest that the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces.

BAIL ORGANA: You think that is a wise decision during these stressful times?

No, but I think it might not have been a wise decision for your career to have signed up for this movie, Mr. Smits.

PADMÉ: Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe the…

PALPATINE: …”situation is that serious.” No, but I do, Senator. I realize all too well that additional security might be disruptive for you, but perhaps someone you’re familiar with…an old friend like…Master Kenobi…

“Old friend”? What movie has he been watching?

Palpatine looks to Mace Windu.

MACE WINDU: That’s possible. He has just returned from a Border dispute on Ansion.

PALPATINE: Do it for me, M’Lady, please. The thought of losing you is unbearable.

Oh, really?

MACE WINDU: (To Padmé) I will have Obi-Wan report to you immediately,
M’Lady.

PADME: Thank you, Master Windu.

Note about the script: this was cobbled together from a late draft and the AOTC DVD, with gaps covered by me as necessary. As before, the chapter numbering does not match the chapters on the DVD, and none of the deleted scenes will be covered.

EXT. SPACE

TITLE CARD: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . .

Those words used to fill me with such wonder…

A vast sea of stars serves as the backdrop for the main title, followed by a roll-up, which crawls into infinity.

PAN UP to reveal the amber city planet of Coruscant. Two yellow Naboo Fighters fly OVER CAMERA toward the planet, followed by a large Naboo Cruiser and one more Fighter.

Yippee, we get to go back to Coruscant. But nice shot of the ships orienting themselves to the planet.

This is the only SW movie in which we pan up to what’s going on. I miss panning down on the bad guys being up to something like in the OT. Perks up your interest right away. You watch this and…”oh, Coruscant again”.

INT. NABOO CRUISER – DAWN

The LIEUTENANT and a SECURITY OFFICER address SENATOR AMIDALA as the Cruiser nears the planet.

LIEUTENANT: Senator, we’re making our final approach in to
Coruscant.

AMIDALA: Very good, Lieutenant.

EXT. CORUSCANT – DAWN

The ships skim across the surface of the city landscape. A deck of dense fog obscures all but the tops of the tallest buildings. The sun glints off the chrome hulls of the sleek Naboo spacecraft as they navigate between the buildings and disappear into the fog.

EXT. CORUSCANT – LANDING PLATFORM – DAWN

Two fighters land on one leaf of a three-leaf-clover landing platform. The Naboo Cruiser lands on the central leaf, and the third Fighter lands on the remaining platform. A WOMAN PILOT climbs down from her fighter. An astro droid, ARTOO-DEETOO, is lowered from his slot to the tarmack. Another pilot leaves his ship and removes his helmet. He is CAPTAIN TYPHO, Senator Amidala’s Security Officer. He moves over to the other pilot.

TYPHO: We made it.

TWO NABOO GUARDS appear. Senator Amidala, one HANDMAIDEN and FOUR TROOPERS descend the ramp.

TYPHO: (Con’t) I guess I was wrong, there was no danger at all.

Senator Amidala reaches the foot of the ramp, when suddenly there is a
blinding FLASH and a huge EXPLOSION. The pilots are hurled to the ground as the starship is destroyed. Klaxons blare, alarms sound. Typho and the escort pilot get up and run to where Senator Amidala lies dying. Artoo rolls toward the wreckage. The female escort pilot kneels by SENATOR AMIDALA and takes off her helmet,
revealing the true SENATOR PADMÉ AMIDALA.

PADMÉ: Cordé…

She gathers up her decoy double in her arms. Cordé’s eyes open. She looks up at her.

CORDÉ: …M’Lady…so sorry…I’ve failed you, Senator.

PADMÉ: No!

Corde dies.

TYPHO: M’Lady, you are still in danger here.

PADMÉ: I shouldn’t have come back.

TYPHO: This vote is very important. You did your duty – Cordé did hers. Now come.

She doesn’t respond.

TYPHO: Senator Amidala, please!

She finally turns and walks away with Typho. Artoo rolls after them.

All the links to the Phantom Menace commentary have been moved to their own page (see sidebar under “Pages” title). Hopefully, I’ll post the AOTC commentaries in a more timely fashion. Goodness knows we don’t want to spend more time with this movie than we have to!