ChatGPT Writes Star Wars, Part 1: Echoes of the Force
Looking to have some geek fun, I asked ChatGPT to write a new Star Wars movie. I began by asking for a synopsis. Here it is:
“Star Wars: Echoes of the Force” — In a galaxy on the brink of peace, the quiet whispers of a long-lost Force-sensitive tribe known as the ‘Votrex’ begins to ripple across the stars. When an ancient Votrex artifact falls into the hands of an unassuming scavenger on Tatooine, the lines between light and dark blur, and the Jedi and Sith scramble to uncover the secrets of this forgotten tribe. With the balance of the Force at risk, the new generation of Jedi must uncover the hidden truth of the Votrex before the Sith exploit their power and plunge the galaxy back into darkness.
That was interesting enough.
Next, I asked the AI to write the character list. No problem. In the five blinks of five eyes, there it was:
Zara Tano — The unassuming Tatooine scavenger who stumbles upon the ancient Votrex artifact.
Master Jin Corran — A senior Jedi knight investigating the emergence of the Votrex tribe.
Darth Krell — An ambitious Sith lord, who seeks to exploit the Votrex power for the Dark Side.
Rori Voss — A rogue archaeologist with a mysterious connection to the Votrex tribe.
General Leia Organa — The heart and soul of the Resistance, guiding the new generation in their quest.
As a person who’s been following Star Wars from the day I first saw Episode IV in the Seventies, it made me surprisingly happy to see ChatGPT bring up so many actual Star Wars themes, not to mention Leia Organa herself in this description.
Next, I asked for a synopsis of the first scene:
The film opens with Zara Tano scavenging in the dunes of Tatooine, the twin suns setting in the background. Suddenly, she stumbles upon an object partially buried in the sand — a metallic sphere adorned with ancient symbols. As she touches the sphere, it pulses with an ethereal energy, and the air fills with faint, indiscernible whispers. Taken aback, she hastily collects the artifact and heads back to her makeshift home, unknowingly setting off a beacon visible to those sensitive to the Force.
Next, I asked for the first plot twist:
The artifact that Zara found leads her to the forgotten ruins of a Votrex temple hidden beneath the dunes of Tatooine. While exploring the ruins, she activates a hidden mechanism that projects a galaxy-wide signal. This signal not only alerts the Jedi and the Sith but also reawakens a sect of Votrex, thought to be extinct, deep in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy.
I was beginning to see the cracks: That’s how you build an easy first scene and a small turn rather than a twist in the plot. ChatGPT was too straight-forward. It was not suggesting (I replaced the word ‘thinking’ with ‘suggesting’, since AI, as yet, does not think) — it was not suggesting anything beyond a straightforward, simple plot. The kind you see in fairy tales, where A lead to B leads to C leads to the conclusion.
And yet, I wanted to see how far I could take this. So now I asked for a description of the final scene:
In a final confrontation, Zara, the revived Votrex, and a coalition of Jedi and Sith battle to control the artifact. Zara, channeling the collective energy of the Votrex tribe through the artifact, diffuses its power, ending the immediate threat. The final scene shows Zara, standing atop the Tatooine dunes, holding the now-dormant artifact. She looks up to see a coalition of Jedi, Sith, and Votrex leaving in their ships. The camera pulls back, showing a small silhouette standing tall against the backdrop of the galaxy, symbolizing a new era of unity and balance.
This did not feel ‘big’ enough for a Star Wars movie. But I was finally getting to thing I actually wanted from it.
I asked ChatGPT: “Act like a screenwriter. Write the first scene of ‘Star Wars: Echoes of the Force”.
And write it did:
FADE IN:
EXT. TATOOINE — DAY
A harsh, blinding light refracts off the vast sea of sand dunes. We see a small, solitary figure against the endless desert, casting a long, thin shadow — ZARA TANO (late 20s, tough, wiry). She’s scanning the area with a makeshift metal detector.
Suddenly, the detector BEEPS. She kneels, brushing away the sand until her fingers meet something solid. It’s a METALLIC SPHERE, about the size of a fist, adorned with strange, ancient symbols.
She lifts it carefully and dusts it off. As her fingers trace the unfamiliar symbols, they GLOW faintly. She jumps back in surprise but is more fascinated than scared.
The sphere begins to HUM, vibrating with an unseen energy, and a soft WHISPERING fills the air, too indistinct to understand. The wind picks up, whipping her hair across her face.
Zara looks around nervously before hastily tucking the artifact in her bag. She climbs a nearby dune and looks towards her distant, makeshift home, shielding her eyes from the two setting suns. The wind blows harder, the whispering grows louder, but she doesn’t notice.
Suddenly, far in the distance, a small, blue light SHOOTS up into the sky from her bag — the beacon. It disappears as quickly as it appeared. Zara looks on, oblivious to what just happened, and we -
CUT TO:
STAR WARS MAIN TITLE SEQUENCE
FADE IN:
EXT. TATOOINE — NIGHT
As the twin suns sink beneath the horizon, Zara finally arrives at her home, the whispering artifact safely in her bag, her journey now truly beginning.
FADE OUT.
This was actually not a good beginning. You rarely begin with exactly your point.
Even Star Wars movies don’t begin like that. ‘A New Hope’ began with two droids running away, not with Luke Skywalker discovering who he is. It took a while for the plot to get there.
Lord of the Rings began with a birthday and Bilbo leaving, and only hints of a secret about the ring.
Still. I wondered what the next few scenes would be like.
Wondering, I asked. Asking, I stopped wondering.
SCENE 2
FADE IN:
INT. ZARA’S HOME — NIGHT
A rustic, well-worn dwelling. The walls are adorned with scavenged tech, and a small workbench occupies one corner. Zara enters, carrying the mysterious artifact in her hand.
She places it gently on the workbench and steps back, studying it with an intrigued look. The sphere sits silent and dormant, the previously glowing symbols now dark.
Zara reaches out and touches a symbol. The artifact remains still. Disappointed, she moves to turn away, but then she notices something: a faint, rhythmic PULSING. It’s almost like a heartbeat.
A surge of curiosity ignites within her. She pulls out an OLD HOLOGRAPHIC DATA PAD and starts to sketch the symbols, hoping to decode their meaning. She is so engrossed in her work that she fails to notice the subtle, low HUMMING sound resonating from the artifact, growing louder with each passing moment.
Suddenly, her dwelling SHUDDERS, dust falling from the ceiling. Startled, Zara turns to see her belongings shaking. The artifact is glowing again, its pulsing light casting long shadows.
A high-pitched WHINE fills the air, and Zara covers her ears in pain. The wind roars outside, and the night sky through the window lights up with the bright beacon, just like before. But this time, she sees it.
Terrified and awestruck, Zara watches as the beacon fades away. The artifact stops glowing, the humming dies down, and everything falls eerily quiet. Zara is left in the silent aftermath, realizing that her life on this desolate planet has just taken an unexpected turn.
FADE OUT.
SCENE 3
FADE IN:
EXT. TATOOINE — DAWN
Zara, bag slung across her shoulder, artifact safely tucked away, steps out of her dwelling, squinting against the first light of the twin suns. The night’s event has left an impact; she’s determined, ready to unravel the mystery of the artifact.
She heads towards her weathered speeder bike parked a few steps away, but just as she’s about to mount it, she hears a LOW RUMBLE.
She looks up, shielding her eyes against the morning glare. A ship is approaching, cutting through the clear blue sky — a rare sight in these remote parts of Tatooine.
The ship lands a short distance away, and out steps MASTER JIN CORRAN (early 50s, stern, wise), a Jedi in his worn but dignified robe. His lightsaber hangs at his belt, a symbol of peace rather than war.
Zara watches, curious and wary. Master Jin approaches her. She stiffens, clutching her bag a little tighter.
MASTER JIN (A friendly smile) Good morning. I apologize for the sudden visit, but I need your help.
Zara looks at him, the artifact weighing heavy in her bag, as we…
FADE OUT.
SCENE 3
FADE IN:
EXT. TATOOINE — ZARA’S HOME — MORNING
Zara and Master Jin stand across from each other in the open, the morning sun casting long shadows. Zara’s curiosity is piqued but she remains cautious.
MASTER JIN I sensed a disturbance in the Force, an ancient call, originating from here. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?
Zara hesitates, then reaches into her bag and pulls out the artifact, placing it between them. Master Jin looks surprised but quickly masks it.
ZARA Found it in the dunes. It…did something strange last night.
Master Jin inspects the artifact, not touching it, just studying the symbols.
MASTER JIN (Awestruck) This is Votrex…an extinct civilization, rumored to be powerful Force users.
Zara watches him, a mix of fear and excitement brewing within her. Her quiet life was shifting in a way she never anticipated.
FADE OUT.
SCENE 4
FADE IN:
INT. ZARA’S HOME — DAY
Zara and Master Jin sit inside, the artifact on the table between them. A holographic display projects images of Votrex symbols, similar to the ones on the artifact. Zara watches as Master Jin matches the symbols, decoding their meaning.
ZARA Why are you here, really?
MASTER JIN The Force led me. This artifact… it could be dangerous. We must understand it, protect it.
ZARA We?
Master Jin looks at her, solemn and serious.
MASTER JIN Yes, we. The Force has drawn us together, Zara. You’re part of this now.
Zara looks at the artifact, then back at Master Jin, her life on Tatooine becoming a speck in the vast landscape of the galaxy’s struggles.
FADE OUT.
This is where ChatGPT completely departed from good writing.
It was too to the point. It was a one-direction story. There was no wonder or mystery. There was no conflict. There was nothing leading us away from the end. There were no sub-plots. There was only one direction.
Should Hollywood screenwriters be afraid that AI is going to replace them?
Should novelists worry? Playwrights? Writers in general?
Not right now, no. But the day isn’t far — there can be no doubt about that, barring a meteor falling on our heads — when the first hit film premieres, being written completely by an AI. Nor is the day far when a best-selling novel is written by an AI.
It’s going to happen.
Will it take anything from me as an author? I actually doubt that. Because the joy of writing, the therapy of writing, the ecstacy that comes from writing, that feeling of something guiding your hand and getting things out of you that you didn’t know were there — are all in the process of writing.
Will it take money from my pocket? I can see how it could happen. And I can also see how it won’t necessarily happen.
Writing is about the personal process. I will keep on writing. And people will feel free, now or tomorrow, to read or to not read. As it is today.
It is the Way.
— — — —
In my next few articles, I’m going to keep on exploring ChatGPT’s ability to write Star Wars by asking for a few more movies. Subscribe!
