To the people who actually read this blog, all five of you: I know what you must be thinking. You are anxiously expecting me to write a review about Endgame or talk about FanX. But this coming Sunday—the nineteenth of May—is THE twentieth Anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I care about this movie enough that this is an occasion worth commemorating with a blog post, if I do nothing else. So if you don’t like the prequels or skip TPM in your Star Wars marathons, come back later.
Now, to business:
When I was a little kid, my family had the Star Wars original trilogy on VHS, but I didn’t care much for watching it. Maybe I was a little young for Force lightning and Darth Vader.
Twenty years ago this week I was wrapping up first grade and on my way to second. Mom and Dad went to see The Phantom Menace by themselves the first time around, and then the second time they took me and my two little brothers (I only had two back then???). Except for a Jar-Jar Binks cup lid I had for a while (more on that below), I didn’t care much for the film.
It was when TPM came out on VHS that it got my attention. The world that it showed me was completely different from the original trilogy: it was brighter, cleaner, and more organic. Being a little girl who grew up watching princess movies, of course, I very quickly became obsessed with the queen, because she had so many beautiful dresses. For a while I thought of The Phantom Menace as its own world, because I wasn’t ready to admit that the boy my age who won the podrace was going to grow up and become Darth Vader (and I was naieve enough to think that Senator Palpatine wasn’t actually Darth Sidious).
When I got older, though, and I guess when Attack of the Clones came into the picture, I latched on to the idea that Padmé was the mother of the beautiful heroine in the other Star Wars movies. I am an adult, now, and I get how the characters in those first two trilogies are connected. My appreciation for The Phantom Menace has matured with me. I don’t care what the critics say about this film or the other two prequels. Let me just share with you some of my thoughts about this particular installment and what it has meant to me over the years.
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The DK Visual Dictionary
I think my real love for The Phantom Menace goes back to this book. Page by page it explains every character, every setting in detail, pointing out the elements of the technology and the cultures. I think it was when I was either in fourth or fifth grade that I did summer library, and this was my favorite book to check out. I spent hours poring over its pages and I immersed myself in that galaxy far far away.
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Jar-Jar Binks and the Gungans
I thought I would talk about these soonest since they are so controversial in the fandom. I was a kid when The Phantom Menace came out. Jar-Jar was a character more or less meant to entertain children, so he entertained me. A little.
As a matter of fact, when the movie came out, Lucasfilm released a series of collectible action-figure cup lids with moving arms. I had the Jar-Jar one. For one summer vacation Jar-Jar was my best friend, and I took him with me everywhere. We had a family reunion that summer, and Jar-Jar and I played with one of my cousins and his plush Pokemon.
As an adult, well, I don’t find Jar-Jar annoying. In TPM itself, Jar-Jar is an interesting character who proves to be instrumental in helping Queen Amidala save her planet.
Also it is my personal opinion that Jar-Jar Binks is a secret super Sith villain is total baloney.
Honestly, the idea of Jar-Jar being a secret mastermind of any sort is repulsive to me. No, I much prefer the version where he is a fool that turns out to be a hero—much more relevant to the story.
It is thanks to the Visual Dictionary I mentioned above that I also have some appreciation for the Gungans. Unlike the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, the Gungans actually have an advanced and sophisticated society. Their use of energy-shield technology is very impressive, and also their weaponry is nothing to sneeze at. They can hold their own against a superior droid army. I’m not saying I hate Ewoks, but I am saying that from a certain point of view the Gungans are cooler.
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Incredible Cross-Sections
Unlike the Visual Dictionary, my school library didn’t have this one. But, funny story: shortly after Attack of the Clones came out, my mom was scheduled to have my baby sister via C-section the day I was supposed to be at a church activity. My parents sent me to spend the night with a church leader who could take me to the activity the next day. The guest room where I ended up had some big picture books in it, including some Star Wars books and the Incredible Cross-sections book for The Phantom Menace spaceships. So that was how I entertained myself before going to sleep, the night before my baby sister was born.
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Coruscant
Coruscant doesn’t have the green, natural feel of Naboo or the rustic atmosphere of Tatooine, but like Naboo the planet-sized cityscape also helped set the tone of the prequel trilogy. In The Phantom Menace we see mainly the graceful spires of its skyscrapers, the landing platform, the Senate building, and the Jedi Temple.
There isn’t much color, admittedly, on the outside, but we do visit Senator Palpatine’s plush apartment in several scenes. The most striking thing about Coruscant in the prequel trilogy are the large windows of the interior spaces. In every view, we see streams of speeders flying back and forth across the sky, reminding the viewer that the characters’ choices and interactions have an impact on the whole galaxy.
Coruscant is an interesting world to revisit in Attack of the Clones, in the Clone Wars series, and in books such as Catalyst by James Luceno.
5. Qui-gon Jinn
Qui-gon Jinn plays an interesting role in TPM because he is already a parent figure to a young Obi-wan Kenobi, and in a weird twist of fortune he takes charge of a stray Gungan, a fugitive queen, and a slave boy—only to find out that the queen is really the one in charge. But Qui-gon isn’t surprised, I don’t think, to find that he is playing a supporting role rather than a lead part in what he believes to be events that are the will of the Force.
In the broader context, Qui-gon Jinn is regarded as a “maverick” Jedi, one who takes the Force more seriously than he does the heads of his own order. He is a cool-headed advisor and teacher. The fandom likes to point out, however, that Qui-gon is pretty salty. I do appreciate his salt. And his wisdom, if you do have to take his decisions with a grain.
In spite of misgivings, Obi-wai is proud to be Qui-gon’s student. And his death is really sad.
6. Trade Federation Battle Droids and Ships
Ever wondered what would happen if a big private corporation had its own army? Battle droids, expendable and easily replaceable, are the brute strength of the Trade Federation, and after for the duration of the Clone Wars they are the bulk of the Separatist military.
The regular battle droids are prone landing in funny scenarios in the Clone Wars TV show, and even in TPM they get some entertaining moments, such as when Jar-Jar gets his foot tangled in the wires of a mangled droid.
The rolling droidekas, however, are much less of a joke.
The Trade Federation transports all of these droids and their ammo in a whole armada of landing ships, battle stations, and tanks, showing off the sheer size of their resources as well as bringing a whole new set of space and ground craft to the Star Wars universe.
7. Musical Score
Of course, would the Trade Federation invasion force been half as cool without the theme music John Williams set to it? The Duel of the Fates is iconic, but The Phantom Menace is two hours’ worth of an incredible score, setting the tones for visits to Oth Gunga and Coruscant, the epic podrace on Tatooine, and the other scenes of the climactic battle at Naboo.
8. Queen Amidala
Underneath the regal regalia and traditional makeup is an iron will and a heart determined to do anything she can to protect her planet and her people. Only fourteen years old at the time, Padmé Amidala Nabierre is a budding politician who is smart enough to know what she is doing, and brave enough to risk donning a disguise to make sure a stupid Jedi doesn’t sabotage her mission. When her mission to Coruscant to find a diplomatic solution to her planet’s crisis ends in more government gridlock, she takes matters into her own hands. What an icon.
Padmé was played by seventeen-year-old Natalie Portman. She had to miss one of the premiere events for TPM because she needed to study for her high school finals. Twenty years on, Portman is a mom with two kids, a published scholar, and an Oscar-winning actress, and she is even more beautiful than ever.
(Also, it is my humble opinion that Amidala is one of the most beautiful names ever).
9. The Queen’s Wardrobe
Trischa Biggar’s costume designs for the young monarch and her escort are regal and drool-worthy.
My eyes pop over the exquisite detail, the rich colors and textures, the fabrics and the embroidery. The stuff, literally, that dreams are made of. Padmé’s other costumes in AOTC and ROTS are great but none of them are equal to these masterpieces.
My favorite pieces are the throne room gown, the travel gown, and the parade gown.
I have a mad amount of respect for anyone who recreates these gorgeous pieces on their own, considering a film’s costume department had unlimited money, workers, tools, and materials to make the work lighter and be paid for it.
10. Shmi Skywalker
The other female lead of The Phantom Menace, Shmi Skywalker is the more underrated of the two, and she deserves our respect just as much. She was a slave, but she was also a single mom who gave everything she had to make a more comfortable life for herself and her son. At Qui-gon’s invitation, Shmi was willing to give up that same child so that he could have a better life, she hoped, as a Jedi. She knew that she couldn’t go with him.
In staying behind on Tatooine, Shmi found an unexpected love in later years and a new family that would also ensure the future of Anakin’s posterity (and I’m super happy for her). She faced a life of so much hardship, but she was still willing to give to others. And though she had only a few short years with Anakin, she raised him to be a good person. Girl power isn’t always kicking butt and shooting blasters: sometimes the real “Force” of being a female is quietly loving, living, and letting go. Shmi is the mother of the Skywalker dynasty and you better remember that.
11. Naboo Spacecraft
The Queen’s starship is one of my favorite Star Wars spaceships—I love the Millenium Falcon but I love this ship more, you know? It is not as fancy as some other vessels we see later in the prequels, but the sleek design and chrome plating sets the standard.
There is an on-board throne room for the queen to hold audience, and also a lounge space and a nice cockpit and entryway. According to the cross-sections book, there is also a small royal cabin for the queen in the front. So it has a little of everything, a simple but elegant transport for a royal entourage.
Naboo’s security forces include their own starfighter squadron, and their N-1 fighters are my dream ride.
For real, though: if I was a pilot in the Star Wars universe, and you had to make me pick between a Naboo N-1 or any other fighter or spacecraft, I would always pick the N-1. Enough said.
12. Obi-wan Kenobi
As Qui-gon’s padawan learner, Obi-wan has already seen some crazy stuff across the galaxy. Being a more by-the-book kind of Jedi, he is really prone to questioning his master’s sometimes bizarre decisions on this life-or-death negotiation mission that is going to change the galaxy forever. He already has some of the sass that we come to love in the other two prequel films and even in his old age, and though wise beyond his years he is fresh and ready to go. Young Obi-wan is a cutie, but in my opinion he is not as good-looking without facial hair as he is with it, which is saying something because I’m kind of picky about beards.
13. The Handmaidens
It is no use speaking of Queen Amidala without mentioning her fearless team of handmaidens. Their duty is to not only attend to the needs of the queen but also to serve as her bodyguards. The monarch of Naboo is a persona, and the royal customs of the queen and handmaidens maintain it. They are the queen’s equals and confidants.
In the time of danger, Queen Amidala employs a Naboo tradition to hide herself as a handmaiden while another handmaiden wears her royal clothes and makeup and confronts the danger directly. There is no other group of female characters in the Star Wars universe, to my knoweldge, that has the same relationship or influence as these incredible ladies. It is fascinating to think of.
It wasn’t until years later that I learned that Sabé, the lead decoy, was actually played by Keira Knightley—another celebrity actress I admire.
I have not yet had the pleasure of reading Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston, but I eagerly await it.
14. Children’s Workbooks
The Phantom Menace came out when I was in my first years of elementary school. Mom bought two TPM-themed learning workbooks for me and my brothers to use. One of them was a counting book, with one spaceship piloted by two wookiees taking a random assortment of beings out for a ride. The other book was an alphabet book, and literally the only line I remember is “Pretty Padmé watches the podrace.”
There was also an ad for Queen Amidala Paper Dolls inside the back cover that I would have killed for—I couldn’t find visuals of the workbooks but here’s the paper doll book.
15. Teachings About the Force
Since I didn’t watch the Original Trilogy until I was older, TPM was my first exposure to Jedi sayings about the Force.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” was a line that stuck out to me from an early age, and it was a favorite saying of mine for many years. I have seen it come true in reality and in other stories many times.
More recently, however, I have been more drawn to Qui-gon’s line, “Your focus determines your reality,” because of how it is such a universal truth.
16. Naboo
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, my favorite planet in the Star Wars universe is Naboo. Hands down. Best architecture. Best fashion. Waterfalls. Lush landscape. Sleek spacecraft design. A secondary “primitive” culture with its own unique technology and design. Elegance in every detail. I would go live there in a heartbeat.
(Although I’d rather not have to pick a fight with any of the lake monsters, if you know what I mean).
17. Darth Maul
There are one-hit wonders, and then there are villains who only live for one movie but were too cool to deserve it. Darth Maul first appears in The Phantom Menace as the mysterious accomplice of Darth Sidious who lurks in the shadows.
Off comes the cape, and he has a double-bladed lightsaber and incredible fighting skills.
I didn’t care that much about Darth Maul as a kid, iconic as he was. But then I went to FanX Salt Lake in late January 2015, and feeling kind of bored at the end of the second day I went to the Q&A panel for the man who played Maul, Ray Park. I decided to get into the Q&A line. I asked Park about how he created the persona of the character. Park answered that he didn’t really have much input from George Lucas to start with, but he modeled Maul on the serious, brooding personas of great martial arts masters.
He also said something about how Sam Witwer built on that persona for Maul’s return in Clone Wars. I got ahead of myself and started to reply to him. Park walked up to the edge of the stage to hear what I was saying: “I haven’t seen all of Clone Wars yet, but I look forward to it. May the Force be with you.” And he shook hands with me, over the edge of the stage.
(I have caught up on Clone Wars through season 5 now—all I can say is wrow).
Also Park’s panel was right after a big Doctor Who panel.
Ray Park in a TARDIS. Your argument is invalid.
Watching a recording of Ray Park from any event, you discover that Ray Park is actually a really friendly guy. He is a professional martial artist, and on his social media feeds he post about his workouts/physical training and going to fan events.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwnrj1nFeDg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
He stays on top of his lightsaber skills. He’s such a nerd: when he found out he was going to be the new villain in Star Wars he celebrated by going to the gym and doing a backflip. At a fan event for the premiere of The Force Awakens, Park got a hold of the Kylo Ren lightsaber—he knows how to use that one, too!
If you get a minute, look him up on YouTube. He’s a regular at Star Wars Celebrations. He is just so nice, such a great guy. Can’t say enough good about him. Also did I mention he is SCOTTISH?
Check out this BTS set photo:
Do I have a greater respect or the character now that I’ve met the man who brought him to life? Absolutely.
18. That Lightsaber Battle
The lightsaber battles in the original trilogy were quite remarkable for their time. But THIS is the lightsaber battle that redefined the Sith, the Jedi, and lightsaber duels forever. Two Jedi against one very hardcore Sith with a double-bladed weapon, accompanied by a mind-blowing musical score.
THE SITH ARE BACK, BABY.
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The Podrace
The Tatooine sequence isn’t my aesthetic, but for what it’s worth the podrace is cool. Here we have a unique array of alien pilots drag-racing in their custom ships, and there are some high-stakes bets on the outcome.
There are some funny and weird moments worth watching. The best part of the podrace is the pit droid that gets sucked into the engine and survives. I seriously love those little pit droid stinkers.
Also Sebulba getting his trash kicked at the end of the race. “POODOO!”
The podrace itself was inspired by the chariot race in the classic film Ben-Hur, a movie I grew up to appreciate later. But for real, the TPM podrace is ten times cooler, at least. (And Sebulba doesn’t die of gruesome injuries, I might add).
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R2-D2
It’s mostly by accident that a character that you could argue is the best ended up being last on this list.
Like Jar-Jar and Anakin, R2-D2 is a hero who is discovered kind of by accident in The Phantom Menace, but he is the first to actually save the day, by repairing the damaged Royal Starship as it escapes the Federation blockade. It is not a royal handmaiden but the queen herself in disguise who takes on the humble task of cleaning the droid afterward.
In another accident during the final battle on Naboo, R2 ends up in the astromech socket of the fighter that Anakin decides to hide in, and they end up going to space and blowing up the Federation battleship together. Just as in A New Hope, and later in Rogue One, R2’s story in TPM is a reminder that sometimes the people who make the biggest difference are the ones you don’t plan on meeting.
I remember once when I was watching A New Hope as a kid, we were at the scene in Yavin-4 where Luke Skywalker is getting into his X-wing. A mechanic mentions that R2-D2 is looking a little beat up and offers to get him another astromech droid. Luke says no, that little guy and I have been on so many adventures together, I wouldn’t dream of it.
My mother, who was watching with me, said, “That droid also saved your parents’ skins a few times, son.” Dang straight.
The Apprentice Chronicles 
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