This in-depth argument/speculation was emailed by BM.

Enough with the cloning this and that, and basing it off the books and comic books. George Lucas has stated he doesn't care if the other media conflict with his stories (This came from his version of the Sith, and Dark Horse Comics version). So forget Thrawn popping in, and forget what you read about the Mandalores in "Tales of the Jedi" too. This is Lucas' baby, and he'll do whatever he wants with it.

Expect not just another Sith (10-12 years later in Episode II, Sidious would have time to get another apprentice), but perhaps Dark Jedis. I read somewhere that producer Rick McCallum said they're may be more evil Jedis out there. The next Darth will have a vicious name (In SIDIOUS, In VADER, Maul....). And Sidious' master was Darth Bane, so it'll be something vicious. (Rage sounds good, but probably not likely).

Could Maul be Mace Windu's apprentice? Or at one time? Look at their lightsabers in the Visual Dictionary. An apprentice will make his lightsaber like his master, and Windu and Maul's look very, very close.

We're also forgetting Obi-Wan will lose his lightsaber (Qui-Con's old one) and have to reconstruct a new one. But why isn't Anakin's similar to Obi-Wan's? If you look in the Visual Dictonary, Anakin's is closer to that of Yoda;s (Yep, he has a lightsaber), and Obi-Wan's looks similar to that of Ki-Adi Mundi.

I think if Naboo had cloning technology, we'd have seen it in Episode I (Or a hint of it).A couple of rumors I heard is that the Mandalore Warriors will take over Tatooine, and the Trade Federation will desolve into the Imperial Empire. Battle Droids are dropped because they are too expensive, too easy to destory and "turn off" , and laws from the Republic make it illegal to produce droids that kill (IG-88 is one of the few droids that is still programmed to kill, and 4-LOM is simply a glitch in its programming. It wasn't built to kill).

Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, Jan Dodonna, and the Corellian leader (Name please?) will become the main threat to Palpatine's rulership and will most likely be hunted down, thus forming the Rebel Alliance. Maybe we will FINALLY see some Bothans too...

I can't see Episode II ending very dark as originally planned, although the Empire will be formed toward the end. Anakin and Amidala will wed at the end, possibly similar to the award ceremony in Episode IV : A New Hope. I do think however the seeds will be sown, and Yoda will probably escape to Dagobah or fake his death (Wouldn't Vader been after him first since he and Mace rejected him to be a Jedi, unless he thought he was already dead).

What are the Clone Wars? I did hear years ago that it was a plot to clone Jedis, but more now I believe with cloning Stormtroopers by the Trade Federation (I see them being destroyed in Palapatine's New Order, which includes the destruction and enslavement of non-human races. We don't see an Neimordians in even the Special Edition, do we?). Also the Clone Wars involve the Mandalores, in what was rumored to be an epic, Braveheart-esque battle.

Who is Boba Fett? Is it Kister, Anakin's friend in Episode I? Fett may have been a slave (Explaining why his ship is called the Slave I). Maybe Kister even grew distant and angry , worked for Jabba (As he does til his "demise") but become vengeful against the Jedis after the kill his family and friends in the battle with the Mandalore (Or he's tricked to believe that happend).

Shmi will probably die in the next one, and he may believe a Jedi did it. C-3PO may witness her death, stating it was a dark robed character with a lightsaber. Anakin is not aware at all , at least from Episode I, about anything of the Sith. Thus , it will make him believe the Jedis are betraying him. I don't think Episode II will be called "The Clone Wars" since they don't have a HUGE part of the overall movie, although it is important. I can't even begin to speculate what it'll be called, since I never saw "The Phantom Menace" coming. Are Palapatine and Sidious the same person? Although in the book it seems they aren't,

I don't think Lucas would have done the infamous shot of Palpatine when Mace questions who was destroyed, the master or the apprentice. I think it was pretty much said with that shot that Palpatine IS Sidious. Almost like a good kid like Anakin can also be the evil Darth Vader.