10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 25 Years Later

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is rapidly approaching its 25th anniversary, but upon rewatching it, there are some aspects that are incredibly hard to overlook. While the movie introduced a whole new cast of characters and a new era of a galaxy far, far away, it was critically panned by critics and viewers alike when it was released. While the prequel trilogy as a whole was negatively regarded for some years, opinions have begun to shift, and to many the Star Wars prequel trilogy are some of the most beloved movies.

The Phantom Menace introduced audiences to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, along with other key characters like Padmé Amidala and a young Anakin Skywalker. There was always the looming threat of what audiences knew was coming, but seeing the politics of the Galactic Republic and how they were already being broken down was fascinating. While The Phantom Menace did at times feel like the prequel to the prequels, it’s a vital story for understanding Anakin Skywalker’s character arc, as well as setting up how the Empire’s seeds we planted.

10

Darth Maul Was Cool But Had No Character Development

Maul’s Moment to Shine Would Come in The Clone Wars

The introduction of Darth Maul was one of the most anticipated aspects of The Phantom Menace. Not only did Maul look awesome, but he had something completely new: a double-sided lightsaber. While lightsaber variants aren’t that uncommon now in Star Wars canon, when The Phantom Menace came out, it had never been seen before. Despite all the build-up and anticipation for Maul’s character, he ultimately fell flat. He was a one-dimensional character that only existed to duel and kill Qui-Gon Jinn. Maul also only had three lines in the whole movie, meaning audiences never got to know him.

Darth Maul would get cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the third act of The Phantom Menace, but would later be revealed to have survived more than ten years later in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The animated show allowed Lucasfilm to dive into Maul’s character and has ultimately made him one of the most compelling antagonists in all of Star Wars. His final arc and eventual death in Star Wars Rebels was amazing and was one of the best episodes of Star Wars television to date.

9

Star Wars Failed Jake Lloyd

The Young Anakin Actor Quit Acting Soon After Starring in TPM

Jake Lloyd was just eight years old when he became the first young Anakin Skywalker actor. Lloyd brought innocence and sweetness to the child who would grow up to become Darth Vader. His connection with his mother Shmi, along with Padmé Amidala, was adorable but raised questions about how such a child could grow up to commit untold atrocities.

While Jake Lloyd did his best, with what many call a less-than-stellar script, Lloyd was panned by audiences and critics alike. The reception was harsh, and the actor took the brunt of the criticism. It’s never okay to berate a child, and the torment that Lloyd suffered through made him quit acting by 2001, when he was 12 years old. Lloyd has gone on to have mental health issues, but a recent update from Lloyd’s mother shows that Lloyd still loves Star Wars and is enjoying the latest shows that have been released on Disney+.

8

Padmé Having A Body Double Wasn’t Clear

Even Keira Knightly Wasn’t Sure Who She Was Playing

One of the most confusing aspects of Natalie Portman’s character, Queen Padmé Amidala, was that it was never clear who she was. The final act of The Phantom Menace revealed that Padmé was utilizing a body double, her handmaiden Sabé. In The Phantom Menace, Sabé was portrayed by a young Keira Knightly, who has since said she’s still not sure who exactly she played in Star Wars or when it was her in the elaborate Naboo royal regalia.

Rewatching the movie, it’s a lot easier to spot when the two characters swap places, but it’s still confusing, and is never really explained well. If George Lucas had explained sooner what was happening with Padmé’s character, then this confusion likely wouldn’t be an issue 25 years after the movie’s release. The Phantom Menace wasn’t the only time Padmé used a body double, but in later movies, it was clearer and resolved faster.

7

The Jedi Council’s Blindness Was Incredibly Naive

Their Arrogance Would Be One of The Reasons For the Jedi’s Downfall

When Qui-Gon Jinn returned to Coruscant after encountering Darth Maul on Tatooine, the Jedi Council did not believe that it could’ve been a Sith whom he fought. Ki-Adi-Mundi was adamant that the Sith had been extinguished a thousand years prior. The Jedi’s hubris was always that they thought they were untouchable and that they had nothing to fear. However, if they had taken Qui-Gon’s warning seriously, the Jedi Master may not have died.

This wasn’t a one-off incident either. In fact, the other two prequel movies, as well as The Clone Wars, highlight just how flawed the Jedi Council was. They routinely made avoidable mistakes, which was one of the direct causes of their eventual downfall. Their inability to sense the dark side and even admit that there was a dark side user within the Republic was naïve, and ultimately cost thousands of Jedi their lives.

6

Qui-Gon Jinn’s Dying Wish Was Unfair To Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Jedi Master Forced His Apprentice to Take a Padawan Before He Was Ready

With Qui-Gon Jinn’s final breaths, he made his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi promise to train Anakin Skywalker. At that point, Obi-Wan was still technically Qui-Gon’s Padawan, but he still promised. After being granted the rank of Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan immediately asked to take on Anakin as his apprentice. It’s likely that Obi-Wan wasn’t ready to take on an apprentice, and that he wasn’t the best to train him.

Qui-Gon cornering Obi-Wan with his dying wish was incredibly unfair. Obi-Wan was never allowed to figure out what kind of Jedi he was without Anakin. With Obi-Wan being so young, it didn’t make sense for him to instantly take on a Padawan, especially one who was already so powerful. If Qui-Gon had survived, he would’ve been the perfect teacher for Anakin, but Obi-Wan’s inexperience was a hindrance.

5

Jar Jar Binks Is That Bad, But Ahmed Best Deserved Better

The Actor Found Redemption More Than 20 Years Later

Even 25 years later, Jar Jar Binks is one of the most annoying characters in Star Wars. The character was originally supposed to be the heart of the movie, grounding the story and bringing comic relief; however, George Lucas didn’t recognize that the character just didn’t fit. Jar Jar’s poor audience reception eventually led to his actor, Ahmed Best, getting harassed. Best retreated from the public eye and struggled with constant dark thoughts.

Years later, Ahmed Best would triumphantly return to Star Wars, making an appearance as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq in The Mandalorian season 3. He was revealed to be the person who saved Grogu from the Jedi Temple during Order 66. The character is amazing, and it’s easily one of Best’s finest performances. While Jar Jar Binks is still a sore subject for many, Ahmed Best deserved better than the hate he got, and audiences should be thrilled he got redemption in the franchise that hurt him so greatly.

4

Podracing Was Fun, But Unnecessary

Anakin’s Path Toward Freedom Was Not Needed

One of the oddest parts of The Phantom Menace was the podracing sequence. While it was interesting to see, and showed off Anakin Skywalker’s natural talent as a pilot, it didn’t add anything to the story. In fact, it felt very convoluted. Racing has been seen in other forms in Star Wars and The Phantom Menace’s attempt at it wasn’t nearly as successful as other titles like Star Wars: Resistance, which raced actual spaceships.

Podracing was a means to get Anakin freed from slavery, but even that detail seemed fairly odd. Having Anakin and his mother being slaves felt wrong, especially since Shmi was not freed in The Phantom Menace. Anakin’s past as a slave was hardly mentioned again, and only really came to mind during an arc in The Clone Wars where he, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka Tano meet and fight slavers.

3

Star Wars Wasted the Introduction of Midi-Chlorians

And Still Doesn’t Know What To Do With Them

The Phantom Menace introduced the microorganisms called midi-chlorians, which are supposed to live inside all living things. Those with a particularly high midi-chlorian count were more attuned to the Force and were likely Force-sensitive. Anakin Skywalker was said to have a midi-chlorian count of over 20,000. However, this scientific answer to how the Force exists didn’t sit well with a lot of the mysticism that the Force had been introduced with in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Even 25 years later, midi-chlorians are just being reintroduced in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3. It seems the Empire is using individuals with high midi-chlorian counts to help further Palpatine’s Project Necromancer. While the word “midi-chlorian” has only been spoken once in the show’s third season so far, it’s nice to see this aspect of Star Wars return, even if their purposes still aren’t entirely clear.

2

Character Ages Didn’t Feel Reminiscent of the Original Trilogy

Certain Characters Should’ve Been Aged Up More

When The Phantom Menace came out, it felt odd that so many of these iconic characters were so young. In particular, Obi-Wan Kenobi was only 25 years old in the movie, meaning that he was only 57 years old when he was killed by Darth Vader on the first Death Star. Alec Guinness was 62 while filming A New Hope, so while that age gap isn’t significant, Obi-Wan was portrayed as a much older and wiser Jedi than his age suggests.

Other characters like Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala also felt a little young, especially since The Phantom Menace was obviously setting up the pair to be romantically involved. Padmé was 14 years old, while Anakin was supposed to be 9. This means that Padmé was only 27 when she died soon after giving birth to her twins. Meanwhile, Anakin was only 22 when becoming Darth Vader, and 45 when he died in his son’s arms aboard the second Death Star. Having these characters aged up slightly would’ve helped align the movies with the original Star Wars trilogy.

1

Darth Sidious Didn’t Feel Threatening

Palpatine Focused on Politics in TPM

One of the downfalls of The Phantom Menace was that there didn’t seem to be much danger. The stakes weren’t that high and the only truly menacing individual was Darth Maul. For the big bad of the prequels, Darth Sidious was simply a background character. Throughout the movie, he can be seen directing others. Sidious’ alter ego, Senator Sheev Palpatine, was working in the Senate to get things how he wanted, but there was no real threatening aura coming from the character.

Audiences knew that Palpatine should’ve been scary and intimidating, yet that wasn’t the case. Everything that Palpatine did in The Phantom Menace revolved around politics. While that would eventually lead him to become Emperor, it ultimately fell flat. While The Phantom Menace is far from the perfect movie, it doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets; it establishes a lot of precedent that other Star Wars movies and TV shows have continued to follow to this day. While The Phantom Menace isn’t the best movie, it is one of the most important in Star Wars.