Monday, March 30, 2020

Obi-Wan Kenobi is getting his own TV show: Here’s the Story I’D Tell

 Hi!

My name is Pete, and I sometimes like to write down how I would have written a movie or a TV series and post about it at http://petesaves.us.  Sometimes, I write down how I would write a movie or TV series before that movie or TV series is even released--I wrote my own Star Wars Episode 3 screenplay back during the weeks following Episode 2's release, for instance.  ANYway, I am a trained writer with some experience writing in Hollywood (even for pay sometimes!), though I live in NYC now and have a book on Amazon that I self-published.  So have a look at my logline and synopsis for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series as I would write it below.  It is called:

KENOBI: SHADOW OF THE JEDI

Logline: When a seasoned veteran of a brutal war is forced to be alone with the sorrow and pain of losing not just friends and fellow soldiers, but of everything he has ever known, he struggles to focus on keeping a young boy safe. But his mind may not let him...he may even have to go dark.

Synopsis: Dealing with galactic PTSD after narrowly surviving a war that seemed to have turned his best friend to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan Kenobi struggles to keep focus on his duty to protect young Luke Skywalker, while simultaneously trying to lay low, and somehow get over the incredible loss and failure he's just experienced.  He gets a job at what passes for a diner in Anchorhead, not far from the Lars Homestead on Tatooine. Eventually allowing himself to make friends with some locals, and some from out of town, he holds his dark demons at bay, but it is a constant struggle.  In public, he is quiet, does a good job waiting tables and whatever else his boss needs. But at night, he trains to stay fit, battle-ready, and sane all while using the Force as little as possible just in case. It's a challenge, not only because he needs to use it to keep tabs on young Luke, but because nightmares of Anakin's massacres and Kenobi's own failure to save more lives haunt him by night and visions of people he once knew haunt him by day.  One living friend he's made is a female Weequay named Aiiko who is trying to buck the stereotype that all Weequay are roughnecks and thugs by being a successful local real estate broker--the most successful in Anchorhead--at least that is her plan.

If dealing with his demons isn't enough, Aiiko has found “Ben,” as he is now known, to be her good luck charm.  Since he served her that first Ronto Morning Wrap, she's had a string of good fortune.  Things change, however, when a rival developer comes to town to open a casino and in the process brings intergalactic organized crime to Anchorhead. Wanting to keep Anchorhead a safe, reputable place, this makes Aiiko's job very hard to do.  So, Ben pays the developer a visit, telling him politely to take his business elsewhere.  When the developer fails to take Kenobi's advice, Aiiko is distraught, convinced she will lose her business and everything she had tried to do for the town--trying to bring investors and make the lives of our neighbors better.  She asks Ben to talk to the developer again (or maybe more than just talk) but Ben knows he has to lay low and he knows he is just not right in the head.  He is still seeing the dead all around him, some seem so real... but that night, a dark, hooded figure busts up the developer's casino and the developer's thugs.  The next day, word travels quickly that the casino and all related businesses have been shut down and the developer has left the planet. Aiiko is sure it was Ben who busted up the place, but he insists it wasn't him and in fact, is sure it wasn't him.

Soon, there's a new Weequay in town--Aiiko's brother happens to be visiting.  He had a deal to pick up a shipment of spice from a local businessman new to the planet, but his casino and offices are closed--no one knows what happened to him.  Aiiko tells him everything--a story that ends with how her good friend Ben drove the guy off-world, singlehandedly.  He asks to meet this friend--that's when they recognize each other.  But Ben, having grown out a long beard and showing some age, tells Aiiko's brother and old “friend” (and sometime enemy) from the Clone Wars, Hondo, that Ben is not who he thinks he is.  Hondo insists Ben is Kenobi, but Ben doesn't give in. Ben also denies having anything to do with driving the developer from the planet. Hondo gives up and continues his search elsewhere, eventually learning the developer left for Batuu. He lets Aiiko know that he's headed there next but that he's a little worried about traveling by himself--the guys he was supposed to deliver the spice to is probably after him now.  Aiiko begs Ben to go with him, and Hondo admits he could use the help.  Ben and Aiiko go with Hondo to Batuu only to discover it's a trap that Hondo was paid by the developer to set.  Ben realizes fighting back will only raise his profile so he lets them beat him down.  He wakes, chained to a wall in the developer’s office. Only, as Ben admits, he is not feeling himself.  He uses the Force to end the developer and his thugs once and for all but falls short of killing Hondo.  Hondo tells Aiiko a nutshell-version of who Ben really is ending with the fact that "He's got a lot of baggage from the war.  But how many of us don't?"

Aiiko, being disgusted with her brother's betrayal, nurses Ben back to health on Batuu and they board a transport back to Tatooine.  Aboard the transport, they meet two people: Azkaya, a blue skinned Pantoran and Wyshok a pale skinned human.  Both are investors looking for somewhere to put their credits.  Aiiko goes into sales-mode and talks up her new plan for "Little Coruscant"--she wants to turn Anchorhead and then Tatooine into the Coruscant of the Outer Rim but that Azkaya and Wyshok can be in on the ground floor of this exciting opportunity.  "You really are Hondo's sister," Ben says.

The two investors are intrigued by the possibilities and decide to take Aiiko up on her offer and come with them to Tatooine.  Once back on the desert planet, Ben learns from Aiiko that her new investors are interested in buying up farmland-- farmland that includes the Lars Homestead.  Ben is immediately suspicious and, after nightfall, heads out to check on Luke when he sees Azkaya and Wyshock  approaching the Lars' front door on foot.  Instead, they circle around and head out into the farmland, itself.  Ben follows, using the Force to hide his presence from their senses.  He follows them until they stop and hold their hands out over a spot of sand and seem to use the Force to cause the sand to clear a hole.  Ben is immediately drawn to their side where he begins to help them, holding out his own hand, and using the Force.  They eventually clear an opening to a tunnel carved out of solid bedrock.  "I knew you were like us!" Azkaya says.

Not thinking, Ben follows them down the tunnel and both of his new friends exhibit abilities only Force wielders have.  Finally, they enter a massive cavern, inside of which is an equally massive and ancient temple.  Azkaya and Wyshock are overjoyed, so happy they've finally found it.  "But this is a Sith temple," Ben says.

"We know," Wyshok says as Ben looks down at his had to find a lightsaber in it.  Instinctively, he activates it, only the blade that appears is blood red. Ben's eyes are red with the reflection of the blade as he looks at the others.  "Tell me more..."

END OF SEASON 1

I have a LOT of other details that are left out of the above.  Fun stuff like random customers to the diner graphically reminding him of those he saw die in the war and of Anakin's victims.  I also have this idea that maybe one of the visions of the dead is a real (Force) ghost.  Also, I think my idea for the weapon he trains with and ultimately uses to bust up the casino is pretty cool (hint: it's not a lightsaber).

So, that's the general idea of what I would do.  Hit me up on Twitter if you want to tell me what you think.  If it's just a lot of very negative criticism, I hope you won't mind when I don't reply.  I am open to constructive criticism, of course.

OH and STAR WARS and all the already existing characters I mention above are (c) Lucasfilm and Disney.