ChatGPT Writes Star Wars, Part 2: Shadows of the Old Republic
In my ongoing quest to play around with ChatGPT I asked it to write a second Star Wars movie. This is what it came up with:
“Star Wars: Shadows of the Old Republic” — In the golden era of the Old Republic, two young Jedi Knights stumble upon a Sith artifact that reveals a shocking secret from the Sith Empire’s past. As they explore the mysteries of this artifact, they inadvertently awaken an ancient Sith Lord trapped in a Force-induced stasis. The Knights must now put their training to the ultimate test, confront their inner demons, and prevent the re-emergence of the Sith Empire.
Sounds interesting. Can you come up with a list of characters, please?
Knight Karis — A young, idealistic Jedi Knight with a strong connection to the Force.
Knight Soren — Karis’ fellow Jedi Knight and close friend, pragmatic and cautious.
Lord Thranos — The ancient Sith Lord awakened from a Force-induced stasis.
Master Elara — A wise Jedi Master who guides the young Knights.
Senator Mirr — An ambitious senator with secret allegiances, adding political intrigue.
It’s interesting to see how ChatGPT collects all the data that’s out there on Star Wars, like the uber-comprehensive wikis, and is able to pull Jedi knights, Jedi Masters, and Senators out of thin air to weave a story that at least makes sense.
I wanted to see how far I could take ChatGPT’s abilities. So I asked for a synopsis of the first scene:
“Star Wars: Shadows of the Old Republic”
The movie opens with a thrilling lightsaber duel between Jedi Knights Karis and Soren in a lush, alien forest, their vibrant lightsabers clashing amidst the vegetation. After a victorious but friendly conclusion, they discover a buried Sith artifact, half-concealed under the roots of a gigantic tree. As they unearth it, an eerie darkness descends upon the area, and the whispers of an ancient Sith Lord fill their ears. Shaken, they return to their ship, carrying with them the ominous artifact.
All right, then, ChatGPT, let’s see how good you are. Give me the first big twist of the movie.
Upon investigating the Sith artifact, Knights Karis and Soren unwittingly release the trapped Sith Lord Thranos. However, to their surprise, Thranos does not immediately attack. Instead, he reveals that he was imprisoned not by Jedi, but by other Sith, hinting at a deep divide and a shocking power struggle within the ancient Sith Empire.
The thing about creating twists, is not the surprise of it all. (In fact, absolutely anything can be set up to be a surprise, but let’s not go down that avenue right now). The true thing about twists, when done well, is that they reveal that the story you’re reading or watching is actually about something bigger and deeper that was there all along.
The point of a twist is not surprise (I never expected my faithful butler was the murderer), but added depth (my faithful butler is actually part of an ancient sect that believes that my family has secrets that are thousands of years old).
That depth is then felt throughout the story from that point on. And if you go back in the story, you’ll see it was there all along.
Moving on, I asked our friendly neighborhood AI for a synopsis of the final scene:
Knights Karis and Soren, backed by their Jedi allies, engage Lord Thranos in a fierce battle. However, it is not brute strength but the revelation of the Sith’s internal betrayal that causes Thranos to falter, resulting in his defeat. In the end, Karis and Soren stand in the ruins of the battle, the Sith artifact in their hands, looking out at the horizon as the sun sets, reminding audiences of the constant struggle between light and dark.
Just as twists are about depth, the final battle is never about a binary decision of who wins. You guessed it, it’s about depth again.
The best stories have not only two forces meet, but two ideologies meet. If the two ideologies are clearly good and bad, then the good winning will reinforce my belief that things can turn out well and that justice wins. If the bad wins, then my belief system is slightly out of balance and I come out questioning whether good will win. Perhaps I need to do something, to act and change the world?
If the two ideologies are actually equal and both have a place in our society then it’s a much deeper question. For example, is family more important or are one person’s needs more important?
Neither of those approaches for a last scene appear in ChatGPT’s writing.
It seems that ChatGPT4 needs a writing lesson. But worry not, it’ll get that and a lot more with every day that passes.
And we will see an end scene ourselves over the next few years: Will AI replace us or help us?
Which of these will make a better story?
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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!
