Was the possibility of putting Asajj Ventress into the movie ever considered?

This might be just me, but at the beginning of the movie, Grievous seemed to especially not like Obi-wan. If so, what was his grudge against him? [Grievous hates all jedi because he belives them to be responsable for the destruction of his home-planet. They are also responsable for his binding to a mechanical suit and for his wheezing breath. He may have directed this hatred more the Obi-wan because he is further up the Jedi chain than Anakin.]

Something that I was confused about: in the later movies, Vader supposedly can't breathe for long without the respirator in his suit. However, in this movie, there has to have been several minutes from the time Obi-wan leaves him lying on the ground, to the time Palpatine arrives, and the time that the medical ship arrives. Later, when his armor is being put on, he lies on the table before his mask is put on, and has to be breathing on his own. If he could breathe on his own right after his accident, shouldn't he have been able to twenty years later (after his injuries have probably healed somewhat)? [After the battle on Mustafar, Anakin's basically keeping himself alive through sheer force of will more than anything else; once rescued, he's being helped by the Imperial medics and the Emperor's own power. His lungs have been badly seared - he's still capable of breathing, but much less efficiently than when he was healthy - the respirator built into his suit compensates for those injuries. Twenty years on, when Luke removes the helmet to see his father's face, Anakin's body has been nearly fried by the Emperor's Force lightning - he's already dying. Taking the helmet off might accelerate that, but he's happy to sacrifice what would only be a few more minutes of life to see his son with his own eyes.]

Does the scene where Anakin arrives late to the meeting (when Obi-Wan tells him he has to spy on Chancellor Palpatine) take place right after Anakin talked to Yoda about his dreams? I'm wondering if there was a small time span because it seems like Yoda should have been there if the Jedi Council was discussing the assignment. However, if Anakin arrived right after talking to Yoda, Yoda should have also been late getting there. [You're assuming that Yoda was meant to be at the meeting. Not all meetings involve all members of the Council. Had Yoda been intended to be present, in all likelihood the meeting would have been delayed until the Grand Master arrived, whereas Anakin's absence would be less of a big deal.]

When Obi-wan says that Anakin saved him for the ninth time instead of the tenth, because the business on some planet doesn't count, what is he referring to? [He is referring to an incident on Cato Nemoidia, the home planet of the Nemoidians. It's not shown in the film, but, if I remember correctly, it is told in the novel Labyrinth of Evil.]

When Yoda tells Darth Sidious that his faith in Vader may be misplaced, is it because he thinks, at the time, that Obi-wan can bring Anakin back? [It's a possibility, but, to be honest, it's considerably more likely that Yoda's referring to the fact that he thinks that Obi-wan will be able to kill Anakin.]

What are the different levels of Jedi, in order? I know that in this movie, Anakin is a Knight but not a Master. [Right at the very bottom, you have the younglings, who appear to have no particularly official title, but who have been variously referred to as Jedi Initiates, Jedi Students and occasionally Jedi Hopefuls. As they age and are apprenticed to a Jedi Master or Jedi Knight, they become a Padawan, travelling with their mentor. Once a Padawan is deemed ready by his or her mentor, they will enter a series of trials, at the end of which they will have the rank of Jedi Knight conferred upon them (in certain cases, where a Padawan has performed some act of extraordinary heroism, this may be taken in lieu of the trials, an example being Obi-wan Kenobi, who was promoted to Jedi Knight after his defeat of Darth Maul). The remaining official rank is that of Jedi Master, which is most commonly conferred on a Jedi after they successfully train their first Padawan to Knight rank, but may also be awarded by their peers after some particularly grand act or major advancement in the Force. While not technically possessing a higher rank, the twelve Jedi who sit on the council can be considered to possess higher authority within the Order. Finally, an unofficial but acknowledged position within the Order is that of Grand Master, considered "first among equals" in the council, held by Yoda at the time of the fall of the Old Republic.]

I read somewhere that there was one plot hole between the 3rd and 4th episodes that the filmmakers forgot to fill in when making the 3rd movie. I tried to click on the link, but it wouldn't work, so could someone please tell me what the plot hole was? [This is very much a matter of opinion. As with any film, some people consider there to be multiple plot holes, whereas others don't. One thing that Lucas did originally say would be explained was the erasure of Kamino from the Jedi Archives (as discovered in the second film). This ultimately didn't happen, which some have claimed represents a plot hole in the series, whereas all it really is is an omission of information (which was ultimately dealt with in the book "Labyrinth of Evil" anyway). It's really down to how people look at it and what they consider to be a plot hole.]

This is really a question for all of the Star Wars movies. Is it always necessary to commit murder to become a Sith? It seems that most of the characters who have turned to the dark side have committed murders around the same time—i. e. Count Dooku killed Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas around the time he became Darth Tyranus, Anakin killed Count Dooku (and was an accomplice in the killing of Mace Windu) right before he became Darth Vader, and Luke, had he turned to the dark side, would have done so by killing either Darth Vader or the Emperor. If murder really is a necessary prerequisite for becoming a Sith, whom did Darth Maul and Darth Sidious kill? (I know that Sidious killed Darth Plagueis, but he was already a Sith apprentice by then, so that couldn't have been the murder that turned him to the dark side.). [No, it's not an absolute prerequisite. Sith are obviously very dark by their nature, so murders tend to follow in their wake, but it's not essential to become one. A murder may well advance them towards the Dark Side, thus improving their eligibility for Sithdom, but it's not absolutely necessary.]

Before the movie came out, I saw a picture of Anakin standing in the hallway (with white walls) of the ship that is in the beginning of A New Hope. Was this in a deleted scene? [No, it was purely a publicity shot.]

How did Palpatine find out that the Jedi Council wanted Anakin to spy on him? [He simply guessed. He's a master at manipulation and scheming. Anakin's come to see him, he's uncomfortable, Palpatine has to know that the Jedi Council have their concerns about him. The council asking Anakin to pass on information about his movements is a logical move on their part; they simply underestimated Anakin's personal loyalty to the chancellor and how well Palpatine can read Anakin's emotions. His uncomfortableness was a dead giveaway.]

Why do some think that Darth Plagueis or Darth Sidious created Anakin? I don't see why Plagueis would bother training Sidious, or why Sidious would train Maul, if either of them could use the midi-chlorians make a very strong apprentice. Also, Shmi is a poor slave living in a small town in Tattooine, so why would either Plagueis or Sidious have any reason to be interested in her? [Because while they could use the midi-chlorians to create a powerful apprentice, they can't use them to grow that apprentice to adulthood in the blink of an eye. Sidious needs an apprentice to do his bidding and advance his agenda in the meantime; he's not going to sit there twiddling his thumbs while he waits for Anakin to grow up. As far as choosing Shmi Skywalker, they need to choose a host mother who's not going to come to the attention of the Jedi. If the Jedi pick up on Anakin shortly after his birth, then they will simply take him away and raise him from scratch, which would ruin him for Sidious' purposes. They need Anakin to grow up a bit, develop attachments that can be manipulated to turn him to the Dark Side, so picking a humble slave on an out-of-the-way world is a perfect choice.]

Who does the voice of the droid towards the end, the one that tells Bail, Obi Wan and Yoda that Padme has lost the will to live? It sound like Jimmy Smits to me but I can't be sure. [That role was played by David Acord, assistant sound editor on the film.]

This continuity error is mentioned on the Star Wars Wikipedia, but I was wondering if anyone might have an answer. Anakin is 22 or 23 years old in this movie, and Obi-Wan says that no one has ever been on the Jedi Council at that age. However, Depa Billaba is seen on the council in Episode I. If Depa's master, Mace Windu, is 40 then and considers Depa to be like a daughter to him (according to http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Depa_Billaba and the novel "Shatterpoint"), he is probably at least 17 or 18 years older than her. That would mean that she is in her early 20's in Episode I. Wouldn't Obi-Wan know that someone else before Anakin had already been on the Council at that age? [It's simply an error. While efforts are made to keep the expanded universe materials such as the books and comics consistent with the films, there is inevitably the possibility of inconsistencies creeping in. By Lucasfilm rules, the only inviolate canon are the movies themselves - information gleaned from other sources that contradicts the movies is automatically considered to be incorrect, even if it appeared prior to the film in question. The movies say that Anakin is the youngest ever to sit on the Council, so that's what's considered to be the canon. Billaba may appear on the council in Episode 1, but whatever information suggests that she is, in fact, younger than Anakin is to be considered incorrect.]

Is it known whether Darth Plagueous' power to "create life" worked on people that were already dead (other than himself)? I'm asking because Vader believes that he and Palpatine can figure out how to use the power, so it seems like he wouldn't be worried when he hears that Padme is dead. [The strong implication is that it doesn't. He's described as being able to "prevent those he loved from dying", which is a little different from actually bringing them back from the dead. There are also references to manipulating the midi-chlorians in order to create life, which appears to refer to the ability to create a new organism (as may possibly have been done with Anakin himself), rather than any form of resurrection.]

Is it known whether Mace Windu's body disappeared, as Yoda's and Obi-wan's did when they died? [There's no definitive answer to this one, however, the key to the bodily disappearance appears to be the training that Yoda refers to at the end of the film, when he makes reference to Qui-Gon having found his way back via the Force. There's no indication that anyone other than Yoda and Obi-Wan have ever studied this, so, in all likelihood, no, Windu's body didn't disappear.]

Why didn't Darth Sidious have Tyranus destroy the Jedi? [It's a question of appearance. Sidious needs to discredit the Jedi, make it appear as if they've turned against the Republic so that he can use their clone troops to eliminate them without major public outcry. He can't let the Seperatists take them out; it would have the potential effect of making them martyrs, plus it would effectively mean letting the Seperatists win the war, which would jeopardise his political position. Tyranus's public persona is the leader of the Seperatist movement, so he could hardly be used to lead the clone troops; the public would never accept a supposed change of heart of that nature. Nor could Tyranus simply eliminate the Jedi himself - he's powerful, but not powerful enough to single-handedly take them all out. Sidious ultimately needs an apprentice who can be seen to be loyal and who can lead the clone troops to eliminate the Jedi without awkward questions about said loyalty. Either way, Tyranus is out of the question; with Sidious' plan coming to fruition, Tyranus is no longer useful to him, except in that his death can be used to bring his successor closer to the Dark Side. Anakin, who fits the required role perfectly, is the one that Sidious has really been waiting for to help him finish the job.]

I read that Bail Organa was going to have a female aide/assistant in this movie, but George Lucas wanted her removed because the actress who played her posed for Playboy magazine. Was her name still in the credits, or are there any scenes where they forgot to or couldn't remove her image? [The character that you're thinking of wasn't an assistant to Bail Organa, but was a Senator named Bana Breemu, who was working covertly with Organa, Padme and several other Senators to persuade Palpatine to attempt a diplomatic solution to the war. While Bai Ling, the actress who played Breemu, did pose naked for Playboy, Lucas has always denied that this was the reason for the cuts, stating that the subplot involving the group of concerned Senators was cut from the film several months prior to her Playboy appearance. The deleted scenes in question were included on the DVD release - if Lucas was really that concerned about her Playboy appearance, he could easily have left them out.]

Both David Bowers and Jerome Blake play Mas Amedda in this movie. Are there any noticeable differences in appearance between each actor playing him? [No. The make-up required for the character is extremely comprehensive, covering the entire face in prosthetics. As such, any differences would be hidden by the make-up.]

Are Palpatine and Dooku's real first names known? They're not Dantius and Jard - those are "fanon" names made up by fanfiction writers. See http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dantius_Palpatine and http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jard_Dooku. [No, they aren't. Official sources at Lucasfilm have stated that those characters have never been given first names, and, in all probability, never will. The names given in the previous incorrect answer are nothing more than fanon made up by Supershadow, an online "personality" who has the unfortunate delusion that he is, in some way, George Lucas' right-hand man and general muse. Try his site at www.supershadow.com some time - it's hilarious reading, in a mildly sad way.]