MOVIE: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
STARS: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, Frank Oz
DIRECTOR: George Lucas
WRITER: George Lucas
SCORE: John Williams (who else?)
COMPANY: Lucasfilm, Ltd.
STUDIO: Twentieth Century Fox
STAR RATING (* to *****): Are you kidding? This is Star Wars! **********

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

A man by the name of George Lucas created a movie which smashed box office records to pieces, created a worldwide following of dedicated fans, spawned two sequels, and made at least one actor an international star. And he promised to someday do it again.

Then, one day two months ago, he did.

Now I know how the British would feel if King Arthur suddenly rode into Buckingham Palace in full armor and said, "Well, I'm back, just like I said I would be." Lucas made good on his promise, and now we have a completely new Star Wars movie (and two more on the way) to enjoy, examine, and speculate about. Actually, speculate is about all we can do, since West End Games so inconveniently went out of business right before Episode I came out, leaving us with no Episode I Sourcebooks of any kind. However, we can take it all in stride and do what the laypeople do: instead of worrying ourselves about Darth Maul's Lightsaber skill or Qui-Gon Jinn's Control, we can discuss what has happened, and what will happen next.

This article is intended to be a through examination of Episode I and everything related to it. I will leave no stone unturned, no lightsaber unexamined, until I can confidently say that I have gone over just about every important issue put forth in Episode I. (For those of you who care nothing about this, you have my permission to skip to the next article. Go on, scat!) Together (the reader and myself), we will discuss (well, we can't really discuss, since you're just reading this, but I'll talk and hopefully you'll listen) everything that The Phantom Menace has to offer. Incidently, if you haven't seen the movie yet, DON'T READ THIS!!!!!! (I don't want to spoil it for you.)

To make sure I have your attention, I'll begin with everyone's favorite subject: Darth Maul. As the most popular character to be introduced into the Star Wars galaxy, he is probably the most widely discussed character as well. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Darth Maul, some of which I don't think will ever be cleared up (after all, we still don't know that much about Boba Fett, for example). Who is he? What race is he? How did he get that kick-butt lightsaber?

While, since the aforementioned death of West End Games left us with no way to know exactly what race Darth Maul is, there has been much speculation on this point. According to one speculator, the Sith are actually a race and Darth Maul represents a member of said species. This theory holds little weight, however, since Qui-Gon would have identified Maul as a Sith immediately if this were true -- as well as the fact that Vader (and Sidious, for that matter) would not have gotten so far up in the Sith organization, being humans, if the Sith were an independant race. Besides, if Sidious truly is Palpatine, it is well known that Emperor Palpatine was very racist against species other than humans, so why would he subject himself to become part of an organization made up of another race?

I prefer to believe that the Sith are an organization, somewhat like the Jedi, and that Darth Maul is a member of a previously unknown race. There have been a few theories centering around Darth Maul's species, as well, the most prominent being the one which, though not very feasible, suggests that perhaps Darth Maul's race has the ability to live beyond wounds which would be fatal to most species. This theory offers that Maul's race might be like the Barabels, which can regenerate lost limbs, but to a greater extent, which would mean that Darth Maul might not really be dead. This theory, though interesting, is probably mere conjecture, however.

The subject has also come up that Darth Maul may be cloned in the next movie, or in the third one, which is rumored to take place during the Clone Wars. While this is a possibility, I believe that Lucas killed him because he was through with him, and did not intend to use him anymore. Still, he can always surprise us later on. It has also been suggested that the Queen's handmaidens, who look so much like her (the bodyguard in particular), are actually clones themselves. An intriguing idea, to be sure, and not one without merit. The only thing that hampers this theory is the fact that clones at this time tended to go mad, and I do not believe that a potentially crazy person would be entrusted to guard the Queen. We may find out more about this later on.

Other than Darth Maul, there are some other intriguing characters who grace the screen during Episode I. Qui-Gon Jinn is one of these. To me, Qui-Gon is one of the most fascinating characters in the movie. A Jedi master, rebellious but noble, who is supremely convinced that Anakin is the key to everything that will come, Qui-Gon is certain to be one of those characters whose legend lives far beyond his minimal screen time in the entire saga. I myself believe that Qui-Gon's tale is not finished yet -- although he is dead, he could still return as a ghost, like Obi-Wan did in Episodes V & VI. After all, Liam Neeson recieved top billing for The Phantom Menace, but Alec Guiness was far from the first billed in the original Star Wars.

Amidala herself is also a mystery. We know, of course, that she will eventually marry Anakin and become the mother of Luke and Leia, but what happens to her in the meantime? Most of all, I am curious about how she will die -- some people have suggested that she may die in childbirth, but I don't think this is true, since Leia remembers her a little. I have narrowed it down to two possible ideas: she could (a) be killed by the Emperor's forces when he tries to turn Anakin to the Dark Side, or (b), be killed by Anakin himself, after he has turned to the Dark Side, and is trying to find his children. Obi-Wan did say to Luke in Episode VI that his mother hid them from Anakin after he became a Dark Jedi. These are just theories, however, and what happens may be completely different.

I also have some theories about what role Anakin's mother, Shmi, will play in the Episodes to come. Guessing from what I have gleaned from Episode I, and a little imagination, I have come up with a theory. Yoda seemed to dwell very strongly on Anakin's fear for his mother, and we know that Anakin will turn to the Dark Side... so could it be that he is turned because something happens to his mother? Perhaps Palpatine has her killed, and, in a rage, he goes after him, but instead of killing the Emperor, he is instead turned by his anger into a servant of the Dark Side. It may happen this way, especially since something like this seems to be what all of the foreshadowing in The Phantom Menace seems to be pointing to.

Have we seen the end of the Trade Federation? Perhaps not. Although it is unlikely, they could be the force through which Palpatine takes control of the galaxy. Then again, they might not. I am convinced, however, that there are more Sith warriors who have not been introduced yet, and will show up in later Episodes, possibly even Episode II, to join forces with Sidious and strengthen his hold on the galaxy. George Lucas has said that Mace Windu will get into a lightsaber duel in Episode II, and he has to have someone to duel with, doesn't he? Of course, he could duel with Sidious, but that would probably give away the Darth's identity, which none of the good guys know at this point.

One of the most fascinating theories, however, came from Mieir, and concerns Darth Sidious. Although the theory of Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine being two different people is given little weight, this one is so intriguing that it might actually be true. During Qui-Gon's funeral, Yoda and Mace Windu, the two most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, stood right next to Senator Palpatine and felt nothing, or at least made no comment about it. It could be, of course, that Palpatine is so powerful that he has discovered a way to mask Force sensitivity. An alternate explenation, however, could be that Senator Palpatine is NOT the man who later becomes Emperor Palpatine. It could be, if Palpatine and Darth Sidious were two different people, that Sidious kills Palpatine and takes his place, then declares himself Emperor. This would explain how Palpatine shows such a profound lack of Force sensitivity, as well as the fact that Lucas does not seem to have gone to very much trouble to hide the fact that Sidious and Palpatine are the same person (if, indeed, they really are at all); and I, for one, do not think that Lucas will let the entire trilogy go by without at least one big surprise, equal to Luke finding out that Vader was his father in Empire Strikes Back. In the words of Bryan, "It's just too obvious." You think that idea is crazy? Well, if you had told someone, right after A New Hope came out, that Darth Vader was Luke's father, they would have thought you were crazy, too.

Here are some facts and unusual things we have noticed about Episode I:
- In the movie credits, Darth Sidious is not cast, but on the website, Darth Sidious' name can be found next to Ian McDiarmid (who played Palpatine, if you weren't aware).
- Although the part of Anakin will be played by a different person in Episodes II & III (possibly a third person in III), the parts of Queen Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi will be played by the same actors throughout all three movies (Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor, respectively).
- Episode II is due to come out in the summer of 2002, and Episode III in 2005. The reason there will be so much time in between episodes is because Natalie Portman, who plays Queen Amidala in all three, is going to college and will only be filming in the summer.
- Natalie Portman was accepted by both Yale and Harvard (her parents have not chosen to reveal which one she will be attending).
- Terence Stamp, who plays Chancellor Valorum, played the villainous General Zod in Superman II.
- Amhed Best, who provides the voice for the computer-animated Jar Jar Binks, was required to act out all of his scenes personally, so that the animators would have lifelike movements to copy. Later versions of each scene containing Jar Jar were filmed without Best, so the animators could insert the Gungan.
- The novelization, by Terry Brooks, contains many scenes which are not in the film; for instance, the novel starts out with a podracing sequenece, in which Anakin loses to Sebulba.
- According to the Episode I Storybook, Yoda and Mace Windu hold equal positions in the Jedi Council.


This is the cast list according to the Episode I website (www.starwars.com/episode-i):

Liam Neeson .... Qui-Gon Jinn
Ewan McGregor .... Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman .... Queen Amidala/Padme Naberrie
Jake Lloyd (I) .... Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid .... Senator Palpatine (Darth Sidious)
Pernilla August .... Shmi Skywalker
Oliver Ford Davies .... Sio Bibble
Hugh Quarshie .... Captain Panaka
Ahmed Best .... Jar Jar Binks
Anthony Daniels .... C-3PO
Kenny Baker (I) .... R2-D2
Frank Oz .... Yoda
Terence Stamp .... Chancellor Valorum
Brian Blessed .... Boss Nass
Andrew Secombe .... Watto