A bunch of years later, Star Wars has fixed one of the big script holes in Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Zam Wesell has received a new biography in the next book of starwarsentitled Secrets of the Bounty Hunters. In this book, a script hole from the prequels is fixed. More specifically, of Episode II – Attack of the Clones. the shapeshifter Clawdite Wesell was the bounty hunter sent to assassinate Padmé Amidala. An assassination attempt that was foiled by Obi-Wan Kenobi Y Anakin Skywalkerwhich led to a speeder chase through the streets of Coruscant.
In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the bounty hunter survives the speeder crash and is chased by Anakin Skywalker on foot. However, he manages to escape. Wesell fled to hide inside a Coruscant nightclub, where she was caught by the Jedi duo. Obi-Wan and Anakin take Wesell outside of her for questioning. They want to know who is behind the attack on Padme. However, Wesell is shot dead by Jango Fett just as he was about to confess the information.
What is the script hole in the plot?
Considering that Zam Wesell is a shapeshifter, Star Wars fans have since wondered why she didn’t simply shapeshift after escaping Anakin’s pursuit to hide from the Jedi. Until now, many of us have believed that it was a script hole in the plot. However, there is an explanation behind what happened.
Star Wars fans have long tried to come up with a canonical explanation for this hole in the script. They tried to use logic to explain it. Some suggested that the Jedi would have recognized his clothing, anyway. Others pointed out that the Force could have allowed them to sense his presence, regardless of what the bounty hunter looked like.
The official explanation given by Star Wars
As shared in the subforum of RedditZam Wesell’s biography at Secrets of the Bounty Hunters confirmed the theory that the Star Wars bounty hunter wanted revenge after being discovered.
“Wesell survived the speeder crash and managed to briefly escape from the Jedi. As Clawdite, he could have simply changed his face and vanished into the crowd. But for some, revenge is just as rewarding as a bunch of credits. Wesell couldn’t resist the opportunity to get revenge on the Jedi who had ruined his work. I’m assuming you’ve never tried to sneak up on someone with command of the Force, but let me tell you, it never ends well.”
The Star Wars Wikipedia offers the most realistic explanation to this script hole of Episode II – Attack of the Clones, as the bounty hunter was not originally conceived as a shapeshifter. Wesell’s alien transformation and appearance were created digitally by superimposing a mask over the actress’s face in post-production.
“Wesell was not originally conceived of as a changeling or a shapeshifter. Rather, this concept was developed long after principal photography for Episode II – Attack of the Clones began. As a result, actress Leeanna Walsman was originally unaware of Zam Wesell’s type of species. The alien appearance and transformation was created digitally in post-production by superimposing a mask over Leeanna Walsman’s face.”