CLASSIC ART: VALORUM MEETS THE COUNCIL!

With the trade routes dispute escalating into chaos throughout the Republic, the harried yet benevolent Supreme Chancellor Valorum liaises with the senior members of the Jedi Council about the expanding crisis, and to get advice, especially with the soon shocking news that a blockade has now been activated by the greedy Trade Federation against the peaceful world of Naboo.  

Terrific art by Chris Trevas showcasing the unseen lead-up to EPISODE I. 

'ATTACK' AT 20: TO SAVE THE REPUBLIC...

Bail Organa with Mas Amedda and Senator Ask Aak  in the Supreme Chancellor's Office, discussing the fate of the Republic. Art by Paolo Puggioni.

Sent prior to being captured by the enemy, Obi-Wan Kenobi's urgent warning message about the assembling Separatist army on Geonosis has been received by the Republic, whose key leaders and the Jedi Council watch with alarm and decide their next critical course of action, an action that will surely need the intervention of the mysteriously created Clone Army on Kamino...

Several sequences of dialogue were trimmed from the scene with the final editing- Yoda tells Palpatine that only two hundred Jedi out of a thousand are readily available to go to Geonosis, whilst Jar Jar Binks would lose several lines that would ultimately be held over to his important senate chamber scene.

The disturbing message from a now captured Obi-Wan Kenobi triggers the need for action against Count Dooku and his new army.

Master Yoda's concerns grow for both the Republic's dire situation and the building aura of the Dark Side of the Force. 

Jimmy Smits proves a well cast addition to the saga as Bail Organa.

Pondering the decisions alongside corruptible Twi'lek Senator Orn Free Taa (Matthew Rowan).

Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and Mas Amedda (David Bowers) wonder who can boldly represent the Senate's need for the newly discovered Clone Army during Senator Amidala's absence?

A behind the scenes publicity team capture Orn Free Taa and his lovely associates on set.

Matthew Rowan and Jay Laga'aia enjoy a break between filming.

The Clone Army usage idea is discussed in senate.

A duped Senator Jar Jar Binks coerces the Republic into accepting and using the Clone Army residing on Kamino. An important turning point for the doomed Republic in the Prequel saga.

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: JEWEL OF THE REPUBLIC!

Having prior tested the newly installed hyperdrive (a filmed but deleted moment -our heroes worried about a technical hitch reprisal from Watto), the Queen's Naboo Cruiser has finally arrived at the heart of the Republic on the bright lights city world of Coruscant, seemingly safe from the pursuits of their enemies as Amidala prepares to make her case for the protection of Naboo to the Galactic Senate.

DELETED SCENE: A REBELLION BEGINS...

In a top secret meeting on Coruscant, a select group of respected Republic senators gather to hear and discuss Mon Mothma and Bail Organa's worries about dark times: the continued emergency powers, the growing influence of the Supreme Chancellor, and what diplomatic action can be taken to resist the gathering restrictions, in a deleted scene from EPISODE III that eventually appeared on DVD in 2005.

CLASSIC IMAGE: ABOVE THE CLOUDS!

Ten years on from the events of Naboo and the revealing of the Sith, the Dark Side of the Force continues to cloud the future of the Republic and the Jedi, with the opening scenes of EPISODE II showing us the dense clouds at the highest peak of Coruscant, a visual indication and metaphor for the murky affairs ahead for our heroes, especially Padme Amidala, returning to the senate in her cruiser to vote on a critical issue.

CLASSIC IMAGE: "STRESSFUL TIMES"!

Finally, EPISODE II revealed the all-important, politically savvy, later brave defier of the Empire, Bail Organa, to the Prequel Universe, as played by Jimmy Smits, seen here with Captain Typho and a Republic delegation to the Supreme Chancellor at the movie's start. Smits was a fine addition to the STAR WARS universe- and I wish that he'd had more screen time in the final episodes than he eventually got.

BEHIND THE SCENES: KNEEL BEFORE STAMP!

On set for only a couple of days (mostly for filming against blue screen), but providing subtle, vital story drama as the STAR WARS saga's first Chancellor of the Republic, Finis Valorum- a good man betrayed and ousted from his position by his "friend" Palpatine, iconic British actor Terence Stamp (perhaps best known to fantasy fans as the evil General Zod in the Christopher Reeve SUPERMAN films) makes a quiet impression in the all-important first Prequel film, and on set with George Lucas.

Backstage at Leavesden with Natalie Portman and Ian McDiarmid.

Check out the AFICIONADO original fiction story leading up to the events of EPISODE I- Prelude to Armageddon- here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B80ITjM31EVRc3g5TENGaXYza0k/edit?usp=sharing

In the Expanded Universe, Valorum was ultimately murdered in a terrorist incident-schemed by Darth Sidious, though he will be making an appearance of some kind in an upcoming completed Season Six episode of THE CLONE WARS.

CLASSIC IMAGE: CORUSCANT CRISIS!

A distraught Padme worries about her husband, and the fiery destruction emerging from the Jedi Temple, in a tense sequence from EPISODE III.

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE CLOUDED FUTURE...

Now realised via the miracle of CGI, a concerned Yoda talks to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine about the worrying, building state of trouble concerning the Outer Worlds against the Republic, and a now beleaguered Jedi presence caught in the middle of it all, during an early scene from EPISODE II.

CLASSIC IMAGE: A TIME OF WAR...

Communicating via hologram, grave news comes from Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi about the Separatist movement on Geonosis as he addresses Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, and the key members of the Republic Senate, in a closed meeting on Coruscant.

A decisive scene from EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES...

ILM CLASSIC IMAGE: GLAMOUROUS SPACE-FARER!

A lovely ILM composite image for ATTACK OF THE CLONES showing Senator Amidala's FLASH GORDON-esque silver chrome Naboo cruiser departing the city world of Coruscant.

CLASSIC IMAGE: COLLISION!

Racing past in their Jedi Starfighters to rescue Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin and Obi-Wan don't have time to witness the warfare going on around them-in this case an under fire Republic cruiser crashing into a Separatist ship, in this superb effects shot image seen only in the briefest of seconds during the incredible visual feast that is the opening battle of EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH.

CLASSIC IMAGE: DEPARTING FORCES!

Here's a shot that has only been shown briefly in one of the early CLONE WARS episodes opening narration moments and was, as far as I'm aware, not fully part of an actual story itself (I reckon its an unused shot from the first CLONE WARS theatrical movie from 2008), showing Republic Warships and fighter escorts leaving Coruscant and soon going into battle.

It's a fantastic image from a great series...

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE UNAVOIDABLE TRUTH...

Still in hiding on Coruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi, now aware of Padme's pregnancy by Anakin, also knows that she's hiding the truth about Darth Vader's location on Mustafar, in this nicely played scene between Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman from EPISODE III.

With thanks to Chris Baker for the image. 

AFICIONADO REVIEW: KNIGHT ERRANT

Those Sith just don't give up! In the first of a new series, can new Jedi heroine Kerra Holt, deep in their territory, possibly save the day?

Check out our review here (contains possible spoilers): STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: CLASSIC REVIEW: 'STAR WARS - KNIGHT ERRANT' NOVEL

CLASSIC IMAGE: JAR JAR'S BIG ADVENTURE!

In one of the first live action scenes shot for THE PHANTOM MENACE at the UK's LEAVESDEN STUDIOS, Ahmed Best settles into his role as Gungan representative Jar Jar Binks in a corridor waiting area within Senator Palpatine's office on Coruscant. A brief sequence where Anakin (Jake Lloyd) and Jar Jar try to eavesdrop on Queen Amidala's first conversation with Palpatine about the invasion of Naboo was filmed but cut for time reasons from the finished film, though the scene of them running off can be partially witnessed in the finished film (image below).

CLASSIC IMAGE: GENEVIEVE O'REILLY AS REBEL LEADER MON MOTHMA

Legendary Rebel Alliance leader Mon Mothma makes her first appearance in EPISODE III.

In 2003, fans were overjoyed at George Lucas's plans to integrate more classic elements from the original STAR WARS Trilogy into the final part of the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy, further bringing in the bridge from one side of the Saga's history to the other. As well as Vader at the films finale, we were to have Chewbacca and the Wookiees, spaceship cameos from what would be one of the Rebel Blockade Runners and the Millennium Falcon. But one of the most important links in III would be the birth of the Rebel Alliance to fight the Empire, shepherded into existence by a core group of players including Bail Organa, Padme Amidala and new (later to be RETURN OF THE JEDI figurehead) Mon Mothma. Originally played in 1982 for JEDI by distinguished British actress Caroline Blakiston, this time around the younger incarnation of Mothma would be portrayed by the lovely actress Genevieve O'Reilly. I met a Miss O'Reilly a while back at a UK collectors show at Cheshunt, and she recalled how, despite the scenes being cut from the film (though later released on DVD), she greatly enjoyed working on EPISODE III, loved hers and the others costumes and seeing the aliens, and liked George Lucas. She also remembered how one scene involving the DELEGATION OF 2000 had to be shot without Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa (Smits had not yet arrived in Australia for the filming), so a double was used saying his dialogue and in costume (with the actor re-filming the scene individually and later superimposed over the long shot).

Mon Mothma, as played by the lovely Genevieve O'Reilly

Having already made a small appearance in both THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (as a Xion technician) prior to STAR WARS, Irish born, Australia raised O'Reilly would come to the UK and US and work in a variety of successful film and TV projects (including playing the late Princess Diana in DIANA: LAST DAYS OF A PRINCESS, a regular role as American Operative Sarah Caulfield in the hit BBC spy series SPOOKS (known in the US as MI5) and in the enjoyable political thriller THE STATE WITHIN (with HARRY POTTER's Jason Isaacs). Other film work would include the recent period drama THE YOUNG VICTORIA. She's also had a very good career on the London stage, working with Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic and more recently opposite young star in the making Ben Barnes (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) in the hit play BIRDSONG (based on the acclaimed book by Sebastian Faulks), at the London COMEDY THEATRE until January 15th 2011). Below is a nice image of the pair linked to the start of the plays run, in a photo shoot taken for the London EVENING STANDARD magazine in 2010 by Nicky Emerson.

STAR WARS AFICIONADO wishes Genevieve continued success in all areas of her acting career.

Mon Mothma, Rebel Leader: From Concept to Screen | StarWars.com

CLASSIC IMAGE: CORUSCANT- A CITY WORLD OF WONDER!

One of the great things that the STAR WARS Prequels did so well, and what continues to make them stand out and be so pioneering in comparison to so many other modern sci-fi films and TV programmes out there, is the incredible worlds of wonder that George Lucas and his team of artists and digital/model makers would think up and create over the space of three movies. And especially so for EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH - from the volcanic and dangerous Mustafa to the lush, tropical Wookiee world of Kashyyyk, and to here, in this picture, the incredible and beautiful capital and Senate District of the sadly corrupt Republic, and the later birth place of its Imperial Empire- Coruscant- as seen in this terrific ILM image - a true testament to the films amazingly talented artists.

We look forward to seeing these incredible vistas once again on both the small screen (with pristine quality Blu-rays next year) and, even better, the big screen, and in 3D, in the hopefully not too distant future...