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The Phantom Menace
Movie title: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Movie description: On an unsuspecting planet in the Mid Rim, a young queen fights to defend her people from an aggressive blockade placed by the manipulative Trade Federation. Little does she know that her departure from the planet and acquaintance with a young boy named Anakin Skywalker is about to change the galaxy. And during her plea for help, lurking in the shadows, the Sith prepare for their ultimate rise to power.
Date published: May 19, 1999
Duration: 133 mins
Director(s): George Lucas
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Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.
Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.
While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict…
PLOT SYNOPSIS
Above the peaceful planet of Naboo, a red and white consular-class cruiser approaches the ominous silhouette of a circular Trade Federation control ship. The cruiser’s passengers – two Jedi sent by the Chancellor of the Republic – prepare for their arrival with plans to negotiate with the greedy Trade Federation that has placed a blockade around Naboo in protest of new taxation laws on trade routes.
After landing, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi enter a council room feeling uneasy about the tenuous situation. “I have a bad feeling about this.” Obi-Wan warily states. Meanwhile, Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray learns that the two ‘ambassadors’ sent by the Chancellor are in fact legendary Jedi – strange and dangerous warriors that wield a power known as the ‘Force’ to preserve peace in the galaxy.
In a fit of fear, the Viceroy contacts a mysterious man via hologram and informs the cloaked figure that the ambassadors are Jedi. “Kill them immediately!” commands the ominous being in a sinister voice. It is clear that whoever the Jedi are meant to meet has a deadly agenda.
The Jedi’s star cruiser is rapidly destroyed by gunfire, and after surviving poisonous gas known as dioxis, Obi-Wan and his master Qui-Gon use their lightsabers to defend against deadly droidekas, realizing that the Trade Federation has no intention of speaking with them.
Through evasive maneuvers, the cloaked pair manages to travel through the ventilation ducts and stow away on a Trade Federation carrier ship headed for the surface of Naboo. Once there, the two Jedi decide to travel on foot through the forest, planning to search for the capital city of the Naboo people – Theed.
Running through the forest in hopes of avoiding the attention of too many Trade Federation droids, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stumble into a Gungan native of Naboo named Jar Jar Binks. Though clumsy and scatterbrained, they decide to take him up on an offer to travel to his hidden home in hopes of obtaining a transport that can more quickly carry them to Theed where they can warn Queen Amidala of the Trade Federation’s deadly agenda.
After following Jar Jar and traveling underwater to the hidden Gungan city of Otoh Gunga, Obi-Wan and Gui-Gon are able to gain an audience with the Gungan High Council and are gifted the use of a Tri-bubble Bongo to use as transportation on their journey. After careful persuasion, they are also allowed to bring Binks with them, who they hope will help them navigate through the planet’s watery core, greatly reducing their time to arrive at Theed.
Through their journey though, the threesome quickly comes to realize that many dangerous creatures lurk in the depths of the planet’s core. After an opee sea killer locks its jaws on their bongo, they narrowly escape when a massive sea monster arrives to eat their lock-jawed predator.
Through underwater caverns and tunnels, they continue their travels before losing, and then regaining power to their damaged vessel. Eventually, using the Force as their guide, the Jedi and Jar Jar pass through the core and travel to the other side of Naboo, resurfacing in the waters that surround Theed and arriving at their target.
Without delay, Obi-Wan and his master, followed by Binks, find Queen Amidala and her entourage being escorted by Trade Federation battle droids through the city streets to an execution. Igniting their brilliant lightsabers, Kenobi and Jinn leap down from a walk way and smoothly destroy the droids in one swift motion to free the queen.
Together, the Jedi lead Queen Amidala and her followers to the Theed space hangar in hopes of escaping off world and head to Coruscant where the queen and her people can appeal to the Galactic Senate for relief from the injustices done to her people by the Trade Federation.
But upon arriving at the hangar, more Trade Federation battle droids block their way. Again, Qui-Gon and his apprentice move swiftly and smoothly, destroying all droids in their way without difficulty. Queen Amidala and her followers board a chrome Royal Naboo Starship with the Jedi in tow and race out of Naboo’s atmosphere, hoping to punch through the Trade Federation’s blockade.
Unfortunately, before the queen and her crew can make it past the blockade, the ship’s shield generator is hit. In a flurry of panic, the crew deploys several astromech droids to the external hull in hopes of repairing the damaged circuitry and restoring power to the deflector shield.
Though many droids are picked off one-by-one by Trade Federation battleship turrets, an unsuspecting blue and white astromech named R2-D2 shows incredible skill, bypassing the main power drive in order to restore power to the ship and bring the deflector shield back to maximum. The crew’s pilot, Ric Olié, is then able to quickly maneuver through and past the blockade, triumphantly escaping.
Trade Federation Viceroy Nute Gunray quivers with anger as he realizes the queen has escaped his clutches. More than his anger though, the viceroy is terrified, for he must admit his failure to his lordship – the mysterious, robed phantom menace seen in the viceroy’s holograms. The menacing figure is most displeased at the Naboo royalty’s escape, and introduces his ‘apprentice’ – a tattoed Zabrak named Darth Maul who will hunt down and find the queen.
Worse than this, the queen’s problems are far from over. Not long after passing the blockade, the crew realizes that the main hyperdrive is leaking: there is no way to travel to Coruscant – at least, at the moment. Reviewing the space charts, Qui-Gon identifies a backworld planet within reach where the queen and her escort could land in hopes of repairing the hyperdrive.
After landing in the sandy deserts of Tatooine, Padmé- who is actually the queen disguised as one of her handmaidens – accompanies Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan into Mos Eisley where the Jedi hope to find someone with the parts they need to repair their ship.
Not long after searching, they find a small shop that looks promising and are greeted by a flying Toydarian named Watto, who assures them he has the parts they need. In beginning to discuss the parts, a young slave boy appears to follow Watto’s commands. Intrigued with the beautiful handmaiden, Padmé, the young boy, named Anakin Skywalker, asks her if she is an angel, to which she is taken aback, calling him a “funny little boy.”
Meanwhile, Qui-Gon and Watto negotiate for the parts needed to repair the queen’s ship. When Qui-Gon realizes that Republic credits have no buying power on worlds like Tatooine, he instead tries to use the Force to persuade Watto to allow the transaction, but Watto is strong-minded and unknowingly resists his tactics. Perturbed but not dismayed, Qui-Gon realizes they will have to come up with some other way to buy the parts.
When a sand storm prevents the Jedi and Padmé from returning to their ship, Anakin generously offers for them to come to his home while waiting for the storm to pass. There, in his humble home, Qui-Gon meets Anakin’s mother, Shmi, who tells him the fastest way to obtain the parts is through gambling on podraces.
After the storm, Qui-Gon meets with Watto, having come up with a plan to have Anakin race an old podracer on the queen’s behalf in a dangerous bet. If Anakin wins, they get the parts they need, but if he loses, Qui-Gon will forfeit the queen’s ship to Watto. The greedy Toydarian agrees and Padmé is very upset when she finds out the risk that Qui-Gon has run, but he assures her things will work out – as if he senses the future through the Force.
Later, while Qui-Gon contemplates the events about to unfold, he speaks with Shmi Skywalker, hoping to learn more about her son in whom he can sense the Force is very strong. “Who was his father?” he asks. “There was no father… I can’t explain what happened.” Shmi replies. That night, Jinn determines he must test Anakin’s blood. Sending an analysis of the sample to Obi-Wan who waits on board the queen’s ship, Obi-Wan relays via comlink the shocking results of the sample to his master: Anakin’s blood sample contains over 20,000 midi-chlorians – even more than Master Yoda has!
The next day, the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace has arrived. Padmé nervously follows Jar Jar, Shmi and Qui-Gon into a viewing platform. Anakin shows no fear, only excitement. But when the start is announced, Anakin’s hand-repaired podracer stumbles, the engines sputtering while all around him the other podracers take off in a blaze of motion, leaving him behind.
Fear beads Anakin’s brow as he frantically attempts to re-boot the podracer’s system, unsure why the systems failed. Quickly, the system restarts and Anakin plunges his controls forward, his podracer leaping onto the course, tailing depressingly far behind the competition.
But despite the huge distance he has to make up, Qui-Gon’s strange premonitions about the boy’s abilities prove right. Anakin smoothly and naturally passes obstacle after obstacle, his agile podracer making up ground faster than anyone could have imagined. While other podracers are caught in traps and obstacles, crashing onto the hot sand, Anakin evades every challenge, until eventually, the most decorated and skilled podracer, Sebulba, comes into his view.
Soon, the two are neck-and-neck, and Sebulba begins to show hints of concern. Attempting to crush Skywalker into the side of a rocky cliff, Anakin manages to force himself up a surface ramp high into the sky, before plunging back downward and ahead of Sebulba! As the two race onto the sandy plains that signal the final stretch of the course, Sebulba tries again to crush Anakin’s tiny podracer.
In a stroke of seeming luck though, the pressurized pipes on Sebulba’s racer are hit while leaning into Anakin’s pod – causing Sebulba’s power coupling to collapse and his pod to crash on the sand while Anakin races to victory across the finish line. The crowds rise in huge thunderous applause, amazed that someone finally beat Sebulba!
After winning the Boonta Eve Classic, Watto is furious with Qui-Gon, and acuses him of somehow knowing that Anakin would win. Out of fear of provoking a dispute with the Hutts though, Watto relinquishes the parts and also must free Anakin as a part of the deal that Qui-Gon added to the bet shortly before the race began.
Anakin returns home and, at first, is thrilled to announce to his mom that he is free and can leave Tatooine. But his joy is quickly extinguished when he realizes that his mom’s freedom couldn’t be a part of the deal also – she will have to stay behind. Heartbroken, he almost can’t do it, but Shmi knows that a life with the Jedi will be far greater than staying on Tatooine.
Eventually, Anakin leaves with Padmé, Jar Jar and Jinn, heading to the desert outskirts where the queen’s ship awaits them. But before they arrive, a mysterious black-robed figure leaps from a chasing speeder, igniting a crimson lightsaber and attacking Qui-Gon, who barely manages to ignite his own lightsaber and parry before the attacker can strike him down.
Witnessing the attack from the viewport of the queen’s ship, Obi-Wan directs them to take off and bring the ship around, rescuing Anakin and allowing Qui-Gon to jump aboard just before he is nearly overwhelmed by the dangerous attacker. They manage to quickly escape off world, with Qui-Gon breathing heavily, acknowledging the attack to have come from someone well-trained in the Jedi arts.
Departing from Tatooine, Queen Amidala and her entourage travel to the capital world of the Republic – Coruscant. There, a session of the Republic Senate is held where Queen Amidala pleads her case, accusing the Trade Federation of placing an illegal blockade and causing the suffering of her people.
The high chancellor of the Republic, Chancellor Valorum, at first appears moved to help the desperate queen in her plight. But, after quiet conferral with his counselors, seems to change his mind – stating the issue will require a formal investigation, effectively delaying in hope of emergency action.
The issue is tense- for Amidala knows, as do many senators in the room, that Valorum’s actions are forced by the manipulative bureaucracy he has subjugated himself to – despite any good intentions, he is a weak leader and the senators know it. At the urging of the her own senator, Senator Palpatine, Queen Amidala decides on a risky move: call for a vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum before the Senate.
Her motion, though risky, pays off and the Galactic Senate determines to elect a new chancellor – one that Palpatine predicts will be “a strong chancellor. One that will not let [their] tragedy continue.” After the hearing’s adjournment, three candidates are nominated: Sheev Palpatine himself, Bail Antilles of Alderaan, and Ainlee Teem of Malastare.
Departing from Tatooine, Queen Amidala and her entourage travel to the capital world of the Republic: Coruscant. There, a session of the Republic Senate is held where Queen Amidala pleads her case, accusing the Trade Federation of placing an illegal blockade around Naboo and causing the suffering of her people.
The high chancellor of the Republic, Chancellor Valorum, at first appears moved and willing to help the desperate queen in her plight. But, after quiet conferral with his counselors, he seems to change his mind – stating the issue will require a formal investigation and effectively delaying any hope of emergency action.
The issue is tense- for Amidala knows, as do many senators in the room, that Valorum’s actions are forced by the manipulative bureaucracy that Valorum has subjugated himself to. Despite any good intentions, he is a weak leader and the senators in the hearing know it. At the urging of her own senator from Naboo, Senator Palpatine, Queen Amidala decides on a risky move: call for a vote of No Confidence in Chancellor Valorum before the Senate.
Her motion, though dangerous, pays off and the Galactic Senate determines to elect a new chancellor – one that Palpatine predicts will be “a strong chancellor – one that will not let our tragedy continue.” After the hearing’s adjournment, three candidates are nominated: Sheev Palpatine himself, Bail Antilles of Alderaan, and Ainlee Teem of Malastare.
Despite the success of nearly obtaining a new chancellor that will plead their case, Amidala can feel time slipping through her fingers. The proceedings will take too long – she must come up with another solution that will save her people faster. In an unsuspecting discussion with Jar Jar Binks, she realizes that the Gungan people have an army that might just be the key to saving her people.
Meanwhile, at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Qui-Gon Jinn eagerly brings the young boy from Tatooine – Anakin Skywalker – before the Jedi Council to have his abilities in the Force tested. From the testing, it is clear to the council that Anakin is very gifted in the Force. Yet despite his talent, the council states that he should not be trained to become a Jedi for two reasons. First, he is too old; and second, he is clouded by fear. Not to be dismayed, Qui-Gon himself offers to train the young boy, to which the council is largely undecided.
Before a final decision regarding Anakin’s training can be made, Queen Amidala unexpectedly announces that she will be returning immediately to Naboo. Surprised, Senator Palpatine urges her to wait until the election is over, but she is not to be deterred; her people are dying.
Together, along with Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Anakin, the queen and her entourage return to Naboo and land in the hidden forests to search out the Gungan people and plead for their aid against the Trade Federation.
At a hidden sacred place in the forests, Jar Jar manages to eventually locate his people. Tensions are high as the queen and her followers enter the presence of Boss Nass. The Gungans and people of Naboo traditionally have not gotten along well, and a move by the queen to search them out is intrusive, if not possibly offensive.
As tensions appear to mount in an unfolding inquiry of what the queen and her people want, the queen’s handmaiden, Padmé, surprises everyone as she comes forward and reveals that she is the true Queen Amidala – having used several decoys to impersonate her, but feeling she must be truly honest with the Gungan people to receive their help.
Pleased with Queen Amidala’s genuine request, Boss Nass agrees that his people will help the people of Naboo by enlisting his warriors in a battle on the plains against the army of the Trade Federation. A basic strategy is designed in which the Gungan Army will thereby draw the Trade Federation’s battle droids away from the city while the queen and her select followers will lead a strike team into Theed to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray and force him to admit to the Senate his illegal occupation of Naboo.
Soon, the plan is underway and the Gungan Army faces the Trade Federation’s large army of battle droids on grassy plains outside the city, while Queen Amidala, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and several others enter Theed Palace through the space hangar in order to gain entrance and hunt down the Viceroy.
Before her team can travel past the hangar though, the door to their main entry point opens – revealing the deadly black-robed figure that had attacked Qui-Gon earlier in the desert on Tatooine. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan decide to confront the mysterious attacker while the strike team takes a side entrance to get to the throne room.
With the look of a horrifying warrior, Darth Maul ignites his crimson weapon not once, but twice, revealing he wields a double-bladed lightsaber. With the Force flowing through Qui-Gon and his apprentice, the two ignite their own weapons and quickly rush their opponent, the flash of their blades connecting with Maul’s in rapid succession.
As the Jedi and Sith duel, Amidala and her team continue their hunt through the palace, heading to the throne room while Anakin remains in the hangar, hiding in the cockpit of an N-1 Naboo starfighter just as he had previously been instructed to do by Qui-Gon.
After pushing buttons on the starfighter to use its weapons systems against attacking droids though, Anakin quickly finds the fighter’s engines flaring to life, its autopilot controls lifting him along with R2-D2 to take them into orbit alongside the other Naboo pilots that are attacking the Trade Federation’s control ships.
Soon, four battles are all occuring simulteanously: Anakin flies in space against Trade Federation battleships, the Gungan army fights against battle droids, Queen Amidala hunts for the viceroy, and Kenobi and Jinn duel against the villainous Darth Maul.
Each battle is dangerous and deadly. While Anakin miraculously flies through the hangar of a Trade Federation battleship and is able to destroy it from the inside-out, the Gungan army is quickly surrounded and defeated. Queen Amidala has almost found Viceroy Nute Gunray, but time is running out. Meanwhile, even two Jedi struggle to fight against the mysterious double-bladed warrior as they leap from platform to platform in a massive chamber where even a single mistake could send them plummeting hundreds of feet below to their deaths.
Anakin’s luck in destroying the droid control ship causes the battles droids below to shut down just as they are about to destroy the Gungan warriors. In a move of deception, Queen Amidala is able to draw away the viceroy’s protection and surround him in the throne room. But just as triumphant victory is within everyone’s grasp, Darth Maul pierces his lightsaber through Qui-Gon’s chest while Obi-Wan must watch his master fall- stuck behind a revolving ray shield.
Enraged, Obi-Wan rushes to attack Maul as soon as the shield is deactivated, surprising his opponent in a barrage of ferocious hits, his blue lightsaber swinging wildly. Splitting Maul’s hilt in two, Obi-Wan almost appears to have a chance at defeating the Sith Lord, when suddenly, Maul Force-pushes Obi-Wan, causing him to fall backwards and into the shaft behind him. After falling several feet down into the shaft, he barely managing to grab hold of a projection in the shaft’s wall and cling for his life while his lightsaber is lost – having fallen down the seemingly bottomless shaft and disappearing from view.
The image of Maul’s wicked grin peering down is all Obi-Wan can see as he looks up helplessly trying to find a way to survive. Without speaking a word, Maul taunts him, striking his saber on the edge of the pit causing sparks to rain down on the young Kenobi.
Then, in a moment of sharp concentration, Obi-Wan’s gaze turns as he fixates on something, causing Maul to peer down in confusion. With the Force flowing through him, Kenobi leaps vertically up the shaft in the same moment that he pulls Qui-Gon’s lightsaber towards him. Flipping over Maul to stand in front of him in one swift motion, the Sith Lord is too shocked to react as Obi-Wan already has his master’s emerald blade ignited and swings it through Maul’s abdomen, cleaving him in two.
With one single gasp, Maul’s body falls backwards and deep down into the shaft, his body separating into two pieces at the waist as they twist and fall. Obi-Wan gazes only for a moment before rushing to his dying master.
As Obi-Wan tenderly cradles his master’s head, Qui-Gon speaks his dying last words: “Promise- Promise me you will train the boy. He is the Chosen One. He- will bring balance.” Tearful, Obi-Wan nods to his beloved master that he will indeed train Anakin, as Qui-Gon’s eyes close and he is gone forever.
In a change of scenes, Viceroy Nute Gunray and his Settlement Office, Rune Haako are captured and taken away through the streets of Theed by Queen Amidala’s officer, Captain Panaka. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan presents before Jedi Master Yoda, requesting he be allowed to train Anakin Skywalker to which Yoda admits that the Jedi Council will allow Obi-Wan to do so, though personally Yoda has misgivings about the decision.
Not long after, a celebration is held on Naboo, in which both Gungan and the people of Naboo are together, forming an alliance of friendship after many prior years of tension. Witnessing the event are several Jedi, including Obi-Wan and his new Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, as well as several other Jedi. Also present, is the newly-appointed Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. In a triumphant sign of harmony, both Boss Nass and Queen Amidala hold up a globe emitting brilliantly white energy as Boss Nass jubilantly shouts “Peace!” to the happy crowds in the streets of Theed.
