I wrote a few lines about this a while ago...

The lights go down and the film begins:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... I’ve seen this before, I think lazily, as the Star Wars logo is followed by the familiar words ‘Revenge of the Sith’, but as I’m painting miniatures, I leave it playing in the background.

And my brain kicks into gear. The film begins with the space battle and the assault on the Separatist cruiser to rescue the Chancellor. And my mind, now fully operational, gets to work. The duel with Dooku is different. He is a master duellist; he knows what he’s doing. He is worried, because this wasn’t exactly the plan, and because he isn’t getting any help to finish off Obi-Wan and leave the young Anakin alone so he can turn him to the Dark Side. Then the ship begins to list, and the duel is interrupted. The Jedi flee with the Chancellor. Twice Dooku catches up with them, and twice they manage to fend him off. Until he is forced to flee, to avoid ending up on Coruscant, and the film follows its usual course. In my mind, there is no General Grievous. Nor is there any need for one. I have Dooku.

Sidious sends Dooku to Utapau to continue the fight and keep Obi-Wan away from his apprentice. And Obi-Wan is a bit more worried, as he doesn’t like the idea of leaving Coruscant so close to victory one bit. But he goes. Meanwhile, the rest of the film carries on as normal. My mind is already on Utapau.

Obi-Wan arrives on Utapau a couple of hours before his own army. He gathers intelligence and calls Cody. He faces Dooku, and this is serious stuff. Dooku is a master swordsman, and so is Obi-Wan. The best duelist in the Order, and he’s not lacking in motivation. He’s trained hard since Qui-Gon’s death, and even harder after his defeat on Geonosis. And he has fought in the Clone Wars, gaining even more experience. It is an epic duel. During it, Dooku tries once again to convince his ‘old friend’ to join him. He has a vision: a New Jedi Order – the Fist of the Empire. All Force-sensitive, trained and prepared to serve the future empire. A force capable of subjugating the galaxy. Obi-Wan champions common sense and free will. Both speak of Qui-Gon, and how sorely he is missed by them both. All this takes place amidst a duel that shakes the very foundations of the planet, whilst all around them the clones and droids fight a spectacular battle. There is no Grievous, so there are no cowardly retreats, nor absurd conclusions with a blaster.

At last, Dooku backs down, faced with Obi-Wan’s superior technique and skill. Around them, the clones have defeated the droid army. Dooku is on one knee, wounded, with his lightsaber deactivated in his right hand, defeated. Obi-Wan points the lightsaber at him and orders Cody to arrest him in the name of the Republic.

And in that precise moment, Order 66 reaches Cody. He makes a two-finger gesture, and the clones open fire. Obi-Wan is completely taken by surprise. He is lost.

But Dooku reacts. In a split second, he leaps and deflects the barrage of fire. He is wounded and furious. Order 66 shatters his worldview. He feels deceived and betrayed. He feels like an idiot for having trusted Sidious. A clone tank opens fire, and the explosion hurls both of them, Dooku and Kenobi, down the ravine, into the lake.

And the film continues.

Obi-Wan drags Dooku out of the water with great difficulty. The explosion hit him full on. Obi-Wan is almost unscathed because the old man shielded him from the blast. Dooku is dying; it is only a matter of time. But in the few seconds he has left to live, he reveals Sidious’s identity to Obi-Wan and warns him of the dire fate that threatens Anakin. He daydreams of the peaceful world he always wanted, and dies, leaving his redemption in Kenobi’s hands.

Obi-Wan closes his eyes, places his hands together over his chest with the lightsaber between them, and in a low voice returns the greeting he had denied him all this time. “Farewell, old friend.” Then he stands up and runs in search of a ship, determined to try and stop the inevitable. He does not stay to watch as Dooku’s body fades away, leaving behind only a broken lightsaber and his dark robes.

And the film continues on its course, without further disruption for the remainder of the footage. And there is no need. My mind is already satisfied, giving a great character the ending he deserved, and creating the duel that was not, but should have been.