Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One

"And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior..."

- Tagline

Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One is an Alternative Star Wars Saga fan fiction novel written by Brandon Rhea. The currently-incomplete novel, which re-imagines the Star Wars films ' and ', has been in production since. In, Rhea began rewriting the novel. He is currently releasing the novel chapter-by-chapter on Star Wars Fanon, the Star Wars wiki of fan invention, and TheStarWarsRP.Com, a role-playing website on which Rhea serves as the Head Administrator. Since the rewrite began, a prologue and fourteen chapters have been released, and additional chapters are currently in production.

The novel is set during the Invasion of Utapau, a conflict between the planet Utapau and the Trade Federation shipping cartel that is based on the canon. The primary character of the novel is Annikin Skywalker, a nineteen-year-old moisture farmer living on the desert world of Tatooine who will transform into a mild-mannered farmer to being the potential savior of the galaxy. During the story, he also meets Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ophuchi Clan leader Sarus, and Jedi Padawan Padmé Naberrie. Rhea has stated that the novel is a “coming of age story” for Skywalker, although the Invasion of Utapau and the beginning of the Clone Wars provide for action elements as well.

Publisher's summary
'''A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead has since been awakened. Even the Jedi, guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, are caught by surprise, their attentions focused on political unrest between the greedy Trade Federation and the Republic. Now, the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy.'''

''On the desert world of Tatooine, far from the concerns of the Republic, a young man is being closely but unknowingly watched over by a strange group of hermits from the Dune Sea. These hermits sense that there is something special about him, seeing an aura of prophecy surrounding his life. This young man’s only hope is in the hands of the one that these hermits call the Argus, one who will fall from the sky and help free him from the bind that keeps him in the desert wastes.''

''In another part of the galaxy, Jedi Master Jard Dooku and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi are charged with protecting Queen Arcadia of Utapau as she seeks to end the invasion of her planet brought about by the corporate greed of the Trade Federation. It is this quest that brings them to Tatooine, where Obi-Wan too senses something in the young man named Annikin Skywalker. Their only hope is to convince Annikin to leave Tatooine with them and become a Knight of the Old Republic, and join with men and women destined to become legends...''

Plot synopsis
At the end of the Galactic Civil War, the Shaman of the Whills, a man named Ussej Padric Bac, rides his horse at dawn. He finds a young historian in the Order of the Whills named Duseuso at the time stream, a timeline of universal history that appears in a river nearby the Whill Monastery. Dusueso is chronicling the life of a man named "Anakin Skywalker", but Ussej tells Duseuso that there is more than one interpretation of galactic events when dealing with the time stream. Therefore, Ussej offers to tell his own interpretation, and Duseuso agrees.

Over forty years earlier, Darth Plagueis, the Dark Lord of the Order of the Sith Lords, is contemplating his predicted demise at the hands of his apprentice. Plagueis holds the key to immortal life and his apprentice believes that the secrets have been passed on to him, but Plagueis knows that there is more to teach his apprentice. However, while Plagueis sleeps, his apprentice stabs him and proclaims himself to be Dark Lord of the Sith, just as Plagueis breathes his last breath.

Sometime later, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his former teacher Jedi Master Jard Dooku are sent by Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum as ambassadors to the Trade Federation in the hopes of settling the blockade of Utapau. Shortly after they arrive on the Federation command ship, they are targeted for assassination by Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray. Obi-Wan and Dooku fight off the battle droid squadrons sent to attack them, and after they find their way to a security center the two Jedi discover that the Federation is about to launch an attack against Utapau. Knowing they have to warn the people of Utapau and contact Chancellor Valorum, they agreed to stow aboard Federation landing cruisers and meet up again on the surface.

On the bridge of the Federation ship, Gunray is sentenced to be severely reprimanded by a self-proclaimed Dark Jedi Master called Lord Maul. After Gunray is taken off of the bridge, Maul is contacted by Utapau Queen Sabé Arcadia, who proclaims that the blockade has ended due to the arrival of the Chancellor's ambassadors. Maul feigns ignorance over the situation and Arcadia ended the transmission, while Maul ordered that the Invasion of Utapau begin.

Meanwhile, on Utapau, Queen Arcadia meets with her advisers about the situation. Utapau Senator Malus Palpatine addresses the assembled politicians, but his signal is jammed and Head of Security Captain Panaka determines that the Federation is disrupting communication in preparation for an invasion. Although she wants to defend her people, Arcadia is determined to be drawn into a war. Kilometers away, meanwhile, on the shores of the Aquarian Ocean, Obi-Wan and Dooku escape from Federation landing forces, which have started invading the planet, and meet Jar Binks. Binks, the exiled Crowned Prince of the indigenous Gungan Empire, offers to take them to his home of Otoh Gunga so long as they agree to help him gain favor with his people. Although somewhat reluctant, they agree to the offer.



Shortly thereafter, Federation forces begin an invasion of the small town of New Centrif in order to destroy the last remaining working communications transmitter on the planet. The local defense force, led by Sotab Jacoma and numbering in the dozens compared to the hundreds or thousands that the Federation sent, attempts to hold the battle droid army off, but they are all killed. As they are fighting, Mayor Arruinada sends a message to Queen Arcadia informing her that the invasion has begun, but she is cut off mid-sentence and killed by droids who break into her office.

Hours later, Binks and the two Jedi arrive on the shores of the Aquarian Ocean, where Binks warns them not to expect hospitality from the Gungan people as they do not like outsiders. After swimming down to the city of Otoh Gunga, the group is confronted by Tarpals, a Gungan Captain who has had a tense history with Binks over the years. Binks and Tarpals fight one another following a verbal argument, and in the end Tarpals arrests Binks and the Jedi to bring them before the Gungan High Council.

On the Federation command ship, Gunray has been severely beaten by Maul in a torture session as punishment for Gunray’s defiance in the situation with the Jedi. The two argue over the concepts of bravery, and Maul continues to become surprised that Gunray is not acting like a supposedly typical Neimoidian coward. Regardless, Maul continues to torture the Federation Viceroy, hoping to ensure that Gunray does not defy his orders ever again.

After being led through Otoh Gunga, Binks and the Jedi are brought before the Gungan High Council, led by High Councilor Rugor Nass. Kenobi and Dooku request Nass’s help with the Federation, but Nass refuses due to past conflicts with the Human government of Utapau. Knowing that they needed to leave the city and reach Ogana, the planet’s capital, so Dooku uses the Force to convince Nass to give them a transport to the city. Dooku is also able to convince Nass to release Binks from his impending execution by pretending that Binks owed him a life debt. Once Binks is released, the group takes a bongo transport into the Ocean Core, where Binks explains that he was exiled because he allowed an ancient artifact called the Kaiburr crystal to be stolen by the Humans of Utapau. Binks is cut off when the craft is attacked by a large Opee sea killer, but they are inadvertently saved by a sando aqua monster who attacks the sea killer. The group is able to continue on their way to Ogana.



Later that day, a currently-healing Gunray, along with Haako, land in Ogana and speak with Queen Arcadia. Gunray tells her that she must sign a treaty to legitimize the illegal invasion of the planet, but Arcadia refuses. Gunray orders a battalion of droids to escort the queen, along with her advisers, guards and handmaidens, to Federation Camp Four on the outskirts of the city, but along the way the droids are attacked by Kenobi, Dooku and Binks. Panaka escorts them to a nearby hangar bay after the Jedi state their intentions to flee for Coruscant, and after some discussion Arcadia agrees to go with them. The ship lifts off and is attacked by the blockade in orbit, and it is nearly destroyed when the shield generator is damage. The ship is repaired, however, by a small astromech droid, and Kenobi convinces the pilot, Ric Olié to set a course for the desert world of Tatooine.

Light years away, aboard the Jedi Order’s flagship Chu'unthor, Jedi Councilors Mace Windy and Ki-Adi Mundi engage in a training duel with one another. Windy is victorious, just as he has been in their sessions going back five years, and after the duel he speaks with Grandmaster Yoda about rumors from the Galactic Senate saying that the cloners of Kamino are creating an army to destroy the Republic. Windy agrees to travel to Kamino to verify the rumors and discover what is happening, so he takes a starfighter and leaves the flagship for Kamino.

After traveling through hyperspace for a number of hours, Panaka presents the astromech who saved Queen Arcadia's vessel to the queen and introduces it as R2-D2. Arcadia commends R2-D2 before learning that Kenobi has ordered Ric Olié to set a course for Tatooine. Panaka protests the decision, citing the presence of the Hutt Cartel on the planet as a reason for why the queen would be in danger, but Arcadia allows the ship to continue onward. The ship arrived in orbit of Tatooine one day later and Olié began to descend towards the settlement of Anchorhead manually, as the short range navigational sensors were not functioning.



In Anchorhead, a nineteen year old moisture farmer named Annikin Skywalker is sitting in the Anchorhead Cantina drinking water on what he feels is a brutally hot day. As he prepares to leave, Skywalker is stopped by the bartender, a Rodian named Greedo, who demands that Skywalker pay him for debts owed on old swoop racing bets. Skywalker claims that he does not have the money due to hard times that all farmers are facing, and he leaves after Greedo taunts him. Before he can return home, Skywalker sees a sandstorm in the distance and then notices Arcadia's ship flying towards the storm. The ship eventually crashes after skimming the storm, and Skywalker races out to the crash site to make sure everyone inside is safe. Just as the storm is about to overtake him, Skywalker manages to find away inside the ship and escape the storm. As the sandstorm engulfs the ship, a group of desert hermits watches from a ridge a few kilometers away and believe that the crashed ship signals the arrival of an individual called the Argus.

After waiting out the storm inside the ship, Skywalker begins to hear noises from the hallways outside of the storeroom he is in. He attempts to open the locked door, but it is opened from the other side and he is attacked by Dooku and a group of the Utapau guards. Skywalker tries to explain why he is there, but it is not until Kenobi stops Dooku from attacking is Skywalker able to explain that he is there to rescue them. He is mocked by Dooku for what the Jedi Master believes is pretend heroics, and after Dooku leaves the room Panaka informs Kenobi that the ship’s hyperdrive generator has been completely rendered disabled. Skywalker agrees to try to repair it, as he believes he has enough mechanical skills to do so, and he also agrees to let the ship’s crew and passengers stay on his farm while the vessel’s systems are offline.

Kenobi and Skywalker receive Queen Arcadia’s blessing in regards to the ship’s repairs, and they decided to head for the Lars homestead so Kenobi can request permission from the family to stay. After being briefly chastised by Dooku for what he feels is a dangerous course of action, considering they do not know Skywalker, Kenobi and Skywalker arrive at the homestead where they are confronted with skepticism from the Lars family. Owen Lars, Skywalker’s stepbrother, is completely opposed, but stepfather Cliegg Lars and mother Shmi Skywalker-Lars agree to let the Utapau crew stay at their home. A few minutes later, Owen Lars chastises Skywalker for trusting outsiders and the two get into an argument, but it is broken up by Skywalker-Lars who comforts Skywalker about the always-tense situation with his stepbrother.

The next morning, the crew of the starship, along with Skywalker, Arcadia, Binks and the Jedi, all wake up early to get a jumpstart on the Lars family’s chores, specifically Skywalker’s. Cliegg wakes up to find Arcadia working on a cooling unit, and she tells him about how the chores are already being worked on. Owen angrily tells Cliegg that Binks is working on his chores, but Cliegg sends Owen back to work with the Gungan, prompting an argument between Binks and Owen.

Meanwhile, on Utapau, numerous citizens of Ogana begin the Rebellion in Ogana, attempting to resist the Federation occupation force. As citizens and battle droids clash, a group of political and military leaders, including Ogana Governor Sio Bibble, political and economic advisor Horace Vancil, Chief Architect Hugo Eckener, and Lieutenant Chamberlyn, meet in secret to discuss the formation of an anti-Federation rebel movement that they call the Veermok Resistance. Chamberlyn informs them that he and his men have captured a Trade Federation protocol droid, TC-14, and reprogrammed it to gather information from the Federation base. Chamberlyn commences the operation once he has the blessing of the other resistance leaders.

On Tatooine, Skywalker and Kenobi work to repair the queen’s crashed starship. The two discuss their own personal histories, such as Skywalker’s time as a swoop racer on Tatooine, before Skywalker reveals that he knows Kenobi is a Jedi, due to having seen Kenobi’s lightsaber. The two speak about Jedi philosophies before Skywalker makes a mistake in his repairs, setting his efforts back a few hours. Back at the homestead, Arcadia is also continuing her repair work when she meets a member of the Utapau Security Forces named Logan Amator, who she seems to be somewhat interested in.

Development
Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One went into production in late 2007. Author Brandon Rhea began his chapter-by-chapter release on November 20, 2007 for TheForce.Net and TheStarWarsRP.Com, and November 25, 2007 on the Star Wars Fanon Wiki, although there was a hiatus from release until early January 2008 as Rhea felt he did not know where he was going with the story. Rhea’s original intention for his work in the Alternative Star Wars Saga, of which The Chosen One is part of, was to leave the canon prequel trilogy intact and begin the re-imagining of the saga with a story called Episode IV - A New Beginning. According to Rhea, “so many ideas for a [re-imagined prequel trilogy] came to me that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity”, so he began work on The Chosen One.

During the development, Rhea decided to make the Neimoidians, who were the antagonists of the canon Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, a more ruthless species. It was decided that they would be slavers, an idea that Rhea formulated after watching a re-edit of The Phantom Menace titled Balance of the Force where the taxation of trade routes as the basis of the plot was changed to a slavery issue. There are differences between the two ideas, however, as Balance of the Force alludes to slavery existing throughout the Republic, whereas Rhea changed it so that slavery was only being used by Republic corporations outside of Republic territory.

Release
From November 2007 to January 2009, segments of The Chosen One were posted in article form onto the Star Wars Fanon Wiki. In this format, the work was released under the GNU Free Documentation License meaning that, so long as credit was given to author Brandon Rhea, anyone could freely distribute the work and post it on other websites without permission from the author. Beginning on January 23, 2009, Rhea began to release the novel's individual chapters as files using Portable Document Formatting. Using this format, each chapter is individually downloaded and viewed through PDF Viewers such as Adobe Acrobat, and the files are released under a fair use license.

Table of contents
Part One: Discovery
 * Prologue - The Key
 * Chapter One - Federation Hospitality
 * Chapter Two - Invasion
 * Chapter Three - Otoh Gunga
 * Chapter Four - Escape
 * Chapter Five - Allusions
 * Chapter Six - Tatooine
 * Chapter Seven - Annikin
 * Chapter Eight - Ordinary World
 * Chapter Nine - Discovery
 * Chapter Ten - Empires of the Future
 * Chapter Eleven - The Ophuchi
 * Chapter Twelve - Prophecy
 * Chapter Thirteen - What You Take With You
 * Chapter Fourteen - Shadow Hunter
 * Chapter Fifteen - Choices

Reception
Although still currently in the early stages of release, feedback for The Chosen One has been relatively positive. Andrew Barton, author of fan photonovels such as The Drewton Legacy, said that the first two chapters were “huge improvements” over the first draft versions, and that merging the first two chapters of the original draft into the current Chapter 1 “made the beginning scene feel less like [The Phantom Menace]”. Barton did, however, criticize the addition of Ussej Padric Bac and the Order of the Whills in the prologue, stating that it “didn’t feel like Star Wars”. Rhea has responded by saying that the elements of the Order of the Whills are elaborations on canon source materials. Brent Krajewski, an administrator on TheStarWarsRP.Com role-playing forum, disagreed with Barton. Krajewski stated that it was "quite fun to read, seeing little E.T. observing the Battle of Yavin as it plays out canon wise". Krajewski also felt that the idea of history being interpretative was "a coy way to insert [the Alternative Star Wars Saga] into [Expanded Universe] canon", and he was also "happy to see [Rhea] weave [Ussej Padric Bac] into a story set roughly 3,000 years after [Ussej's] 'death'." Hunter Manuel, a user on the Star Wars Fanon Wiki, also approved of the use of Ussej Padric Bac.

Unit 8311, editor of the Completely Unofficial Star Wars Fanon Newsletter, the unofficial newsletter on Star Wars Fanon, the Star Wars wiki of fan invention, expressed the opinion that the Invasion of Utapau storyline lacked in originality. Unit 8311 stated that the Invasion of Utapau is "frankly not very original". He went on to say that Invasion of Utapau storyline is "an interesting read and spin on a canon element" provided the reader is "not very interested in originality".