'' is a
1999 Science Fantasy Film written and directed by
George Lucas . It was the fourth film to be released in the ''
Star Wars '' saga, but it is the first film by chronology of events. Among fans, it is commonly abbreviated as '''TPM'''.
Stranded on the desert planet
Tatooine after rescuing young
Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of
Naboo by the
Trade Federation ,
Jedi apprentice
Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Master,
Qui-Gon Jinn , discover nine-year-old
Anakin Skywalker , a young slave unusually strong in the
Force . Anakin wins his freedom in a
Podrace and leaves home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi contend with a deadly foe named
Darth Maul . Only then do they realize the invasion is merely the first step in a sinister scheme by the re-emergent forces of darkness, known as the
Sith .
Its release on ''. The film's release was accompanied by extensive media coverage and high anticipation. Though given mixed reviews by critics, it was extremely financially successful, grossing
US$ 924.3 million worldwide on a budget of US$115 million. ''The Phantom Menace'' was the highest grossing film of 1999, and the fourth highest grossing film of all-time after its release. It is the highest grossing ''Star Wars'' film ever, without adjustment for inflation.
The budget of ''Menace'' was US $115 million. Filming was primarily done at
Leavesden Studios in
England , with additional location shooting in the
Tunisia n
Desert for the Tatooine scenes and the Italian palace Palazzo Reale, Caserta for the Naboo Palace interior. Filming started on
June 26 ,
1997 , and ended on
September 30 , 1997.
Unlike the latter two films in the series which were shot on
Digital Video , most of this film was shot in
35 Mm , with a few scenes shot in digital video.
''The Phantom Menace'' enjoyed (or suffered from) more media-created hype than any film in history, which made Lucasfilm's modest $20 million advertising campaign, with the distinctive artwork of ''Star Wars'' series artist
Drew Struzan gracing the movie poster and other advertising, almost unnecessary because of the unprecedented interest amongst both fans and the wider community in the return of one of the most successful movie series of all time. However, critical and fan reaction ranged from guarded praise to outright derision.
The much-hyped special effects were groundbreaking in their sheer scope (roughly 2,000 effects shots) and in their quality and innovation, such as co-starring computer graphics characters, completely computer-generated environments, and entire armies of
CGI droids. Despite the impressive effects, ''
The Matrix '' captivated
Academy Award voters, winning the visual effects
Academy Award for 1999 over the ''Star Wars'' film. It was the first time a ''Star Wars'' film did not win that Oscar competition category.
Some aspects of the scripting were also criticized. Special venom was directed at the character of
Jar Jar Binks , who many members of the older fan community regarded as purely a merchandising opportunity rather than a serious character in the film. The idea that Anakin built
C-3PO was also regarded by some as far fetched. In addition, the introduction of "
Midichlorians " (microscopic organisms that allow communication with the Force) in the film has been controversial. Those against it have seen it as a concept that negates the
Numinous quality of the Force. On the other hand, the epic fight scene between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, showcasing astounding
Choreography and
Ray Park 's martial arts skills, is considered by many fans and critics to be a high point of and one of the best lightsaber duels in the entire ''Star Wars'' saga.
There was additional controversy over whether several alien characters reflected '' and ''
Revenge Of The Sith '') these characters appeared less often and without as strong characterizations as in ''The Phantom Menace''.
Another criticism of ''The Phantom Menace'' was the belief that if viewers had no background information about the ''Star Wars'' ''. However, the same could be argued against ''A New Hope'', as, if one were to view it as the first film, all aspects of
Luke's father's life and the story of the fall of the
Old Republic and the Jedi would not be explained. Lucas defended this in the DVD commentary for ''A New Hope'', stating that this style of filmaking is what he prefers, where the viewer can jump ahead of exposition and get to the "heart" of the story.
Despite facing much criticism, ''Episode I'' was easily 1999's most successful movie, earning $431.1 million in
North America and more than $493 million overseas, making the film the second highest grossing of all-time worldwide after its first release. Summer 1999 saw 45 movies open with a new film occupying the number one position at the box office almost every week. A then-record 11 films grossed at least $100 million during the season, when moviegoers spent $3 billion watching movies in theaters, a record at the time.
It is the year 32 ''), and a galactic trade dispute leads the
Trade Federation to blockade the planet of
Naboo in hopes of achieving a resolution.
Chancellor Valorum of the
Galactic Republic secretly sends two
Jedi Knights,
Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Qui-Gon Jinn , to meet with Trade Federation Viceroy
Nute Gunray to resolve the dispute. Unbeknownst to them, the Trade Federation is in league with the mysterious
Sith Lord Darth Sidious , who secretly orders Gunray to invade Naboo with their immense battle droid army and kill the two Jedi who are awaiting an audience with the viceroy. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan escape the assassination attempt by the Federation and flee to the surface of Naboo.
On the planet's surface, the Jedi meet local native outcast
Jar Jar Binks , who brings them to an underwater
Gungan settlement to escape the Trade Federation army. Meanwhile, the Trade Federation invades Naboo and captures their leader, Queen
Amidala . The Jedi meet the Gungan leader,
Boss Nass , and ask him to help the people of Naboo, but Nass refuses and sends them off in a submarine. The Jedi, with Jar Jar Binks in tow, reach the capital of Naboo and rescue Queen Amidala from the Trade Federation droid army. They depart for
Coruscant , the Galactic Republic’s capital planet, to ask for help from the
Senate . A droid named
R2-D2 heroically repairs the Queen's starship as they narrowly escape an attack from the Federation base ship.
However, during the attack, the ship's hyperdrive is damaged and the party is forced to land on the desert planet of
Tatooine for repairs. While searching for needed parts, they befriend young
Anakin Skywalker , a nine-year-old human slave, whose master is
Watto , a curmudgeonly
Toydarian junk dealer. Anakin is a
Child Prodigy gifted in
Mathematics , piloting, and
Mechanics (he has built an almost-complete droid named
C-3PO ). Qui-Gon Jinn senses a strong presence of
The Force in Anakin, and feels that he may be the
Chosen One who will fulfill a prophecy by bringing balance to
The Force . By entering Anakin into a podrace, Qui-Gon orchestrates a gamble in which the boy (alone, since he was unable to include the youth's mother,
Shmi , in the bargain) will be released from slavery and they will win the needed parts for their ship. One night before the Podrace, Qui-Gon conducts a blood test on Anakin to determine his
Midi-chlorian count. Obi-Wan finds that the boy's midi-chlorian count is higher than any other Jedi, even
Yoda . The day of the race arrives. After some stiff competition, Anakin wins the race and joins the team as they head for Coruscant, where Qui-Gon plans to seek permission from the
Jedi Council to train him to be a Jedi. Meanwhile, Darth Sidious has sent his apprentice,
Darth Maul , to kill the two Jedi and capture the Queen. Maul appears just as the group is leaving the Tatooine, and fights Qui-Gon, who then manages to escape on the ship.
battles
Darth Maul on
Tatooine .]]
On Coruscant, Qui-Gon Jinn informs the Jedi Council of the mysterious attacker he encountered on Tatooine. Because of the attacker's mastery of the Force, the Council becomes concerned that this may indicate the reappearance of the
Sith , a long-gone religious order who followed the
Dark Side Of The Force . Qui-Gon also informs the Council about Anakin, hoping that he can be trained as a Jedi. After testing the boy and deliberating with one another, the Council refuses, deeming him too old for training according to the
Jedi Code . They are also concerned because they feel that Anakin harbors a great deal of fear and anger, clouding his future. Meanwhile,
Senator Palpatine of Naboo uses Queen Amidala's situation to his advantage by persuading her to call a
Vote Of No Confidence in
Chancellor Valorum so that he will be nominated as the new Chancellor. After doing so, the Queen decides to return to her home planet to repel the invasion of the Trade Federation. She is frustrated by the Senate's deliberation and lack of action, and feels that by the time Palpatine is elected Chancellor it will be too late. The two Jedi accompany the Queen back to Naboo.
and
Obi-Wan Kenobi battle
Darth Maul on
Naboo .]]
After returning to Naboo, Queen Amidala forms an alliance with the Gungans, uniting the two groups in battle against the Trade Federation. Nute Gunray is ordered by Darth Sidious to wipe out the Gungans and the Naboo. The Gungans march into battle to provide a distraction, which will allow a small team consisting of the Jedi, Queen Amidala, a cadre of Naboo troops, and Anakin (because Qui-Gon feels the boy will be safest with the Jedi) to infiltrate the palace complex and capture the Viceroy. A number of pilots also accompany them, intending to commandeer their
Starfighters from the palace hangar so that they can mount an assault on the Federation ship that is remotely controlling the entire robotic army. Once inside the hangar, the infiltration team is confronted by Maul, who is determined to dispatch the Jedi. They engage him while the others move on; Anakin hides inside a fighter cockpit. In an attempt to help his comrades, Anakin activates the fighter, expecting only to use its guns against the droids inside the hangar, but the autopilot kicks in and takes Anakin toward the space battle. Luckily, R2-D2 is with him. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan duel with the fierce Sith Lord, moving amongst the catwalks of a massive power-generating reactor core. Obi-Wan is briefly delayed, which allows the other two combatants to get ahead of him; he is thus separated from his master and their enemy by a series of cycling energy-field doors. Anakin, once he has inadvertently joined the
Dogfight in space, decides to use the piloting skills he gained podracing to help take down the droid-control ship. His fighter is hit and careens into the Federation vessel's hangar, where Anakin proceeds to destroy the ship's generators with well-placed proton torpedos. This causes the droid army, which had forced the Gungans into a full-scale retreat, to power down in the midst of taking prisoners. Meanwhile, Queen Amidala and her forces fight their way into the palace and capture Nute Gunray. In the reactor core, Qui-Gon reengages Darth Maul singlehandedly, but is slain. Obi-Wan flies into a rage (coming dangerously close to the dark side) and launches a fierce assault on his adversary, but the Sith Lord almost kills him when he
Force-pushes him over the edge of a deep ventillation shaft. Obi-Wan clings to the ledge while Maul taunts him; using the Force, Obi-Wan makes a tremendous vertical leap, flips over Maul's head while telekinetically recovering Qui-Gon's lightsaber, and slices the Sith Lord half. With his final breath, Qui-Gon instructs Obi-Wan to train Anakin to become a Jedi. The newly elected Chancellor Palpatine arrives to congratulate Queen Amidala on her victory, as Nute Gunray is sent away to stand trial for his crimes.
.]]
After the battle, the Jedi Council names Obi-Wan a Jedi Knight. Kenobi conveys his master’s wish regarding Anakin Skywalker to
Yoda , who reluctantly allows Anakin to become Obi-Wan’s apprentice. Qui-Gon is
Cremated , and
Mace Windu and Yoda agree that he was killed by the Sith. Because there are only two Sith ever at any given time (a master and an apprentice), they believe that there is still another one out there.
''The Phantom Menace'' closes with a large celebration of liberation from the Trade Federation on the planet of Naboo. Queen Amidala presents a gift of appreciation and friendship to Boss Nass.
While '', ''The Phantom Menace'''s middle section on
Tatooine , with its series of non-violent bargaining and twists of chance, demonstrates the strongest correspondence to
Japan ese film in the saga. Queen Amidala's escape from an invading enemy and posing as a handmaiden while visiting the lower classes on Tatooine also echoes Kurosawa's film, especially in its emphasis on social consciousness.
The podrace sequence on Tatooine appears heavily influenced, if not lifted wholesale, from the chariot race in ''
Ben-Hur ''. Other films likely to have influenced the pod race are
Nicholas Ray 's ''
Rebel Without A Cause '', which featured actor
James Dean , a partial inspiration for the Anakin character, and
John Frankenheimer 's ''
Grand Prix '', which not only features the Japanese actor
Toshiro Mifune but also features camerawork done by Lucas himself. A common criticism against the entire podrace sequence were the Indycar engine sound samples which were very recogniseable.
The appearance of Darth Maul draws heavily from traditional depictions of the
Judeo-Christian Devil , complete with red skin and horns. These aspects, however, also slyly refer to
Jesus , as Maul's red and black face bears a strong resemblance to the abstract opening sequence of
Martin Scorcese 's film adaptation of ''
The Last Temptation Of Christ '', whose red and black images are evocative of Christ's
Crown Of Thorns . Similarly, the arrangement of horns around Maul's head can be seen as analogous to a crown, creating a dark mirror image of Christ's crown of thorns. These references are especially meaningful, as ''The Last Temptation of Christ'' tells an alternate, speculative history of Jesus in which the Devil tempts him to give up his duty as
Messiah to die upon the cross in order to live out his life with the love of
Mary Magdalene . The ''Star Wars'' film cycle features a similar narrative with Anakin, a
Virgin Birth messiah who is tempted out of fulfilling his duty as "The Chosen One" to destroy the Sith in order to save the life of his love, Padmé. In both cases, the love for whom the tempted messiah abandoned his responsibilities winds up dead, and the messiah must eventually reclaim his
Destiny in self-sacrifice.
Starting with this episode, the ''Star Wars'' saga, especially the first three episodes and even more specifically the third episode, ''Revenge of the Sith'', deal heavily with the character type of the
Mastermind typical to the multiple genres Lucas' work belongs to. The dual character Palpatine/Darth Sidious is the mastermind of the ''Star Wars''
Narrative , controlling and manipulating the events of the films, such as the invasion of Naboo and the impeachment of Valorum, from afar. This character has precedent in countless comic books, movies and novels, but is especially in debt to the arch-villains of serial fiction and films of the early 20th century. The two most relevant characters are
Fantomas ("The Phantom") and
Norbert Jacque 's
Dr. Mabuse , immortalized on screen by
German director
Fritz Lang . Lucas implicitly labels Palpatine, who, like Mabuse, uses mind control and secret identities to shape events on large political and economic scales, as the film's "Phantom Menace," tying him to the
French villain.
''The Phantom Menace'' may also be the most politically charged of all the ''Star Wars'' films in its references. Throughout the films there are various characters whose names and actions associate them with modern political figures and movements. The name of the Trade Federation's greedy leader Nute Gunray can be seen as an amalgam of two controversial and
Christopher Dodd .
The key political decisions in this film revolve around the impeachment of a chief executive-- Chancellor Valorum — in order to elect a new leader of stronger moral principles-- eventual Emperor Palpatine — echoing the attempts of the Republicans to oust President
Bill Clinton from office in
1998 . (It should be pointed out, however, that the movie was filmed in
1997 and the
Impeachment process against Clinton began in 1998.) The motivations of the Trade Federation in the film, moreover, revolve around their refusal to cooperate with the Republic's taxes, tying their economic politics both to the
Reaganomics of the
1980s and the
World Trade Organization , famously protested in the
WTO Ministerial Conference Of 1999 in
Seattle, Washington , which occurred in the year of the film's release. Also, it is likely that Lucas included the
Satirical pun on Reagan's name as payback for the former president's use of key phrases from ''Star Wars'' to rally support for his controversial
Missile Defense System , which even gained the nickname of Lucas' epic project. Despite all these parallels, the Trade Federation forces are not the true threat; they are merely a tool for the true villain, Darth Sidious.
In contrast to the more self-explanatory titles of the other films, the title, "The Phantom Menace," is unusually ambiguous. It is usually suggested that the title refers to
Darth Sidious or the
Sith in general. The title could also refer to the origin of
Darth Sidious ' name, which is the adjective 'insidious'. The
Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definition:
"Full of wiles or plots; lying in wait or seeking to entrap or ensnare; proceeding or operating secretly or subtly so as not to excite suspicion; sly, treacherous, deceitful, underhand, artful, cunning, crafty, wily. (of persons and things.)"
So the 'phantom' in the title of ''Episode I'' could be referring to the Dark Lord of the Sith and ‘menace’ to the meaning of the name 'Sidious.'
Another possible meaning of the title is the perceived threat posed by Darth Maul, who was indeed a menace but appeared and disappeared within a short period of time.
A further theory is based upon the understanding that the central menace of the movie, the Neimoidian dominated Trade Federation's blockade and invasion of Naboo, is itself nothing more than a phantom, a piece of political misdirection wrought by Darth Sidious as part of the machinations designed to bring about the ultimate victory of the Sith, implying that while the Trade Federation (and later the
Separatists ) were the "Phantom Menace", Palpatine was the true menace to the Republic, as indeed he turned out to be. In this sense, the key outcome of this movie is the elevation of Palpatine to the office of Chancellor - an outcome that would have resulted had the Trade Federation's gambit succeeded or failed. The keystone of the plot is the plight of the Naboo arousing a sympathy vote in the Senate. Whilst the heroes are focused on combating the threat to Naboo, they are unwitting pawns in a dark conspiracy of far greater scope.
A fourth interpretation is that the title foreshadows Anakin's eventual transformation into
Darth Vader . This was illustrated in a movie poster which showed young Anakin casting a shadow in the shape of Darth Vader. Within the story, few (other than Sidious) could have foreseen the monumental menace Anakin would eventually pose.
See Also: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (novel)
A book version of the movie was written by
Terry Brooks . It includes three chapters of material created by Brooks and unique to the novel. The first two chapters of the book concern Anakin's next-to-last Podrace and its aftermath, while a later chapter describes an encounter between Anakin and a wounded Tusken Raider in the desert.
Brooks met with Lucas before writing the book and received his approval and guidance, including information about developments to come in Episodes II and III. This can be seen in such passages as the Tusken Raider scene, which ironically foreshadows the death of Anakin's mother in Episode II, and the passage leading up to Anakin's fight with the Rodian child (Greedo), indicating that Anakin's anger derives from his anguish at Padmé's impending departure (foreshadowing the plot of Episode III).
The novelization is especially well-known for a passage describing the history of the Sith. According to Terry Brooks' memoir, ''
Sometimes the Magic Works '', Lucas spent an hour on the telephone with him discussing the history of the Jedi and the Sith. Therefore, the information on this subject provided in Brooks' novelization can be presumed to derive from Lucas himself.
Brooks devotes an entire chapter of ''Sometimes the Magic Works'' to the writing of the Episode I novelization, which was an extremely happy and fulfilling experience for him.
''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'' was released on DVD in 2001. It was the first ''Star Wars'' film to be officially released on DVD. The DVD version of the film had by George Lucas that make the DVD a slightly different version from its theatrical release. However, the changes made for the DVD release do not change the plot of the film in any sense. Some scenes were modified, and some scenes that were not finished by the date of release were added to the film.
There are different variants for the DVD packaging for Episode I. The first, which was done for the original 2001 DVD release, has the film's tag line "EVERY SAGA HAS A BEGINNING" at the top of the front cover of the DVD. When the film was reissued to concide with the DVD release of "Attack of the Clones" in 2002, the tagline was removed and replaced with "WIDESCREEN" for the Widescreen reissue, and "FULL SCREEN" in white lettering for the full screen edition.
Disc 1
- Available Subtitles: English
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by: writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor Ben Burtt, animation director Rob Coleman, and visual effects supervisors John Knoll, Dennis Muren, and Scott Squires (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Disc 2
- Exclusive deleted-scenes documentary features seven new sequences completed just for this DVD release: Complete Podrace Grid Sequence, Extended Podrace Lap Two, The Waterfall Sequence, The Air Taxi Sequence, Dawn Before the Race, Anakin's Scuffle with Greedo, Farewell to Jira
- "The Beginning: Making Episode I," an all-new hour-long documentary film culled from over 600 hours of footage, including an insider's look at Lucasfilm and ILM during the production
- Multi-angle storyboard to animatic to film segment featuring the Submarine and Podrace Lap 1 sequences
- Five featurettes explore the storyline, design, costumes, visual effects, and fight sequences
- Award-winning twelve-part Web documentary series that chronicles the production
- "Duel of the Fates" music video featuring John Williams
- Never-before-seen production photo gallery with special caption feature
- Theatrical posters and print campaign from around the world
- Theatrical teaser and launch trailers, and seven TV spots
- "Star Wars: Starfighter - The Making of a Game" featurette from LucasArts
- DVD-ROM weblink to exclusive Star Wars content
- When Queen Amidala calls for a vote of no confidence, a group of aliens that can be seen in the Galactic Senate resemble E.T.'s race from '' E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial ''. Also visible are a group of Wookiees .
- Famous characters from the original Trilogy that make their first chronological appearance in this movie include C-3PO , Bib Fortuna , Jabba The Hutt , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Palpatine , R2-D2 , Anakin Skywalker , and Yoda . A scene with Greedo was shot but deleted from the theatrical version of the film. The scene is included among the deleted scenes on the DVD release.
- At the end of the credits, following the last notes of "Anakin's Theme", Darth Vader can be heard breathing in the background while the screen is pitch black.
- Aside from '''', this is the only ''Star Wars'' film in which the final scene contains any form of dialogue or monologue. It is only a single word, uttered by Boss Nass : "Peace!"
- Liam Neeson was so eager to be in the film, he did not bother reading the script. However, Neeson reportedly disliked working on the film once Principal Photography began. He later made disparaging remarks regarding working with special effects that were linked to this film, though they were actually directed at ''The Haunting'', which was released the same year. In addition, Neeson was quite pleased with the final cut of the film, and has stated that he wouldn't mind working with Lucas again.
- Taylor Wells was second in line in the auditions process for Anakin Skywalker; he does make an uncredited appearance in the film around the first podracing scene.
- The sound of Watto's wings flapping is a looped recording of sound designer Ben Burtt opening and closing an umbrella.
- Darth Maul only blinks once in the entire film, just after he is sliced in half by Obi-Wan.
- The word "lightsaber" is never used. When Anakin talks to Qui-Gon, he calls it a "laser sword."
- The film's Working Title was ''The Beginning''. During pre-production, it was rumored that it was tentatively titled "The Balance of the Force".
- This film marked the first time that more than two (three for this movie) engaged in a lightsaber duel: Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Maul.
- Jar Jar Binks has been heavily criticized by members of the Afro-Caribbean community for portraying island culture as a caricature of incompetence and clumsiness. Around the turn of the millennium, a popular insult among Haitians was to call the victim a "jar-jar."
- Natalie Portman had to miss the film's Premiere to study for her High School final exams.
- Keira Knightley (daughter of Will Knightley ) and Sofia Coppola (daughter of Francis Ford Coppola ) both have small roles in the film; this movie was the former's film debut.
- "Phantom Menace" was the name of a villain in the Flash Gordon Serials . This was yet another homage Lucas made to such serials from the 30's and 40's.
- The lightsaber Duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul took nearly a month to film.
- When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan rescue Queen Amidala and company from the Battle Droids , Qui-Gon Force pushes one of the droids, and the droid lets out a yell that sounds like " D'oh !"
- Before being cast as Queen Amidala , Natalie Portman had never seen the original trilogy.
- Lucy Richardson, the girl who originally inspired the Beatles song " Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ", worked in the art department for Episode I.
- This is the first ''Star Wars'' film in which no word is fully capitalized in the title crawl.
- Ahmed Best was cast as Jar Jar Binks after Casting Director Robin Gurland saw how loose and lanky he was during a performance of Musical Group STOMP .
- British actor ''.
- The first scene filmed during Principal Photography was Darth Sidious and Darth Maul on Coruscant . This is also the only scene in the film in which Sidious appears in the flesh and not as a Hologram .
- The sounds of the spectators at the Boonta Eve Podrace are sounds of football fans recorded by Ben Burtt at a San Francisco 49ers game.
- All of the Gungan s are based on the Jar Jar Binks CGI model.
- During pre-production, the film's codename was ''Star Wars: Genesis''.
- Nathan Hamill, the son of Mark Hamill (who portrays Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy), makes an uncredited cameo appearance as a Pod Racer spectator and as a Naboo palace guard.
- In the first shot of the planet Coruscant, immediately before Sidious and Maul are shown talking on the balcony, there are several ships flying over the planet in various directions on the screen. One of the ships is the ''''. It is flying from left to right and leaves the screen before the shot ends.
- When Qui-Gon and Watto are discussing the hyperdrive engine, you can see a space pod from ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' sitting in the junk pile in the background.
- Jabba the Hutt is credited in the film's end credits as playing himself.
- Prince Xizor can be seen in the stands at the podrace, as the modeling crew used some toys to populate the stands.
- In the scene on Coruscant where the Queen and company return to her ship to depart for Naboo, a Spinner from '' Blade Runner '' can be briefly seen among the other various aircraft in the background of the landing platform.
- Justin Berfield , who played Reese on '' Malcolm In The Middle '', auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker .
- ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks , George Lucas , ISBN 0-345-43411-0
