Star Wars

The Phantom Menace | Star Wars The Phantom Menace

With the possible exception of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, "Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace" has been heralded as the most anticipated movie of all time. I suppose that is claiming a lot, as some of the past "most anticipated" movies include "Gone With the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz", and "Cleopatra". Each movie was preceded by a great deal of hype and many news reports and updates. But what distinguishes "Phantom Menace" in the minds of many of today's heralds -- undoubtedly -- is the fact that we had to wait 16 years for it. Everyone knew George Lucas wanted to produce the film, but he put it off year after year.

When I first saw "Star Wars" (now known as "Episode IV, A New Hope") in the summer of 1977 (seventeen times, although some people saw it far more often than that), many of my older friends told me the movie was only part of a larger story. They deduced this from the fact that a crawler had been used at the beginning of the movie, much like the old serials which used to play in theaters as preambles to main features. And eventually we found interviews and news articles about the Star Wars phenomenon which indeed promised more episodes. But one of my unanswered questions that year was, "Where is the first episode?". Everyone said there was no first episode. The movie simply picks up in the middle of the story.

Of course, now we know that Lucas had envisioned some sort of backstory for the first movie, and he borrowed some elements from the projected conclusion for the overall story for the first film because he didn't know if he would be able to make the sequels. Hence, when the desired sequels became reality, Lucas had to change the story somewhat to avoid repeating himself (although some people criticized "Return of the Jedi" for using another Death Star). But by 1983 everyone wanted to know when we'd see the long-rumored, much-discussed prequels.

Through the years I heard through different sources that Lucas was very dissatisfied with the then current technology for creating movies. His special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic, had brought on a whole new wave of innovations and extensions of older FX techniques and technologies, but Lucas claimed he wanted to be able to do more. The PC revolution of the 1980s -- at first considered little more than a joke by many computer professionals -- eventually helped achieve the kind of technology that Lucas and other film-makers needed. Well, that's the official story. I've also heard that Lucas became burned out on the whole business and wanted nothing more to do with it. And I've heard that Lucas had decided he wasn't going to tell any more of the story through film because the books were doing the job for him. And so on and so forth.

We knew a few tantalizing details about the backstory through glimpses provided in various books and movies. The emperor's real name, Palpatine, was published in the very first novelization (which came out before the movie). The fact that Palpatine had orchestrated the overthrow of the ancient Galactic Republic was therefore known to many of us. And Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker (in "A New Hope") that Darth Vader had once been his pupil, and had helped the emperor hunt down the Jedi Knights.

Lucas even gave us a few hints about matters as they would be revealed in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi". When Owen Lars, Luke's "uncle" spoke with his wife, Beru, about Luke's ambitions to leave Tattooine, she told him, "Luke's got too much of his father in him." Owen's reply of "That's what I'm afraid of." completely swept past the audience in 1977, but when the movie was re-released in preparation for "The Return of the Jedi", the audience I was sitting with voiced a collective, whoa. We didn't realize what he meant until after Darth Vader revealed in the second movie that he was Skywalker's father.

Obi-Wan speaks of his arrogance in "The Return of the Jedi" when explaining matters to Luke. "I thought I could be another Yoda," he says. The old man doesn't come across as very arrogant (which is a tribute to Sir Alec Guinness' acting), but in retrospect I see that Obi-Wan was indeed very arrogant in "A New Hope". He assumed Luke would go with him to Alderaan (okay, he probably had advance notice from the Force). He simply reworked the thoughts of the Imperial Storm Troopers in Mos Eisley spaceport as if they were clay. Does a Jedi have the right to alter another being's mind? Apparently the end justifies the means with these guys.

Obi-Wan's confession to Luke in "Return of the Jedi" reveals that he is capable of twisting or misrepresenting the truth -- he is simply presenting facts from a different point of view, he says, but it was obviously crucial (in his point of view) to withhold from Luke the full truth about his father. Why? What was Obi-Wan afraid of? We're told a little. That Luke and his twin sister were hidden from their father when they were born. They were apparently a threat to him, but could also have been trained to serve the Sith Lords.

The mystery of the Sith was never really explained, either. We knew from a few news clippings (and from the books) that Darth Vader was the dark lord of the Sith. Who were the Sith? We still don't know exactly. They seem to have been a secret order of brigands opposed by the Jedi Knights, but that is still a cloudy issue even based on what we've learned from "The Phantom Menace".

So, years before Lucas announced he would indeed make the long-desired prequel trilogy, people already knew a fair amount of background. Or at least the hints were there. Thus our anticipation should have been channeled toward learning how these hints would be rationalized in the movie. Instead, I have found myself confronting many disappointed people. What did they expect? "Something better than what we got," is all I'm told. I cannot imagine how "The Phantom Menace" could have been a better movie. It introduces the Skywalker family in a rather syrupy fashion to be sure, but we know there is a beginning. I kept wondering for years how the Force could have been so amazingly strong in their family if the Republic and the Jedi had been around for twenty-five thousand years (the thousand generations that Obi-Wan referred to).

"The Phantom Menace" also introduces Palpatine in a sympathetic role. Those of us who wanted to find something sinister about him may have done so, but he comes across throughout the movie as a very caring and genuine representative of the Naboo in the Senate. He projects warmth and a radiant confidence in good that one wants to trust. I've seen a number of people compare him to the stereotypical used car salesman, oozing slickness and saturated disguised evil. Yes, I get that impression, too -- but only because I know already who he is.

One of the more interesting aspects of "The Phantom Menace" (for me) is the fact that we get to see a healthy, functional world. Tattoine is a backwater or cesspool, a place that welcomes only the unwelcome. The forest moon of Endor is a primitive world whose inhabitants have some curious traits and powers (you'd have to see the Ewok movies to see what I mean), but it's not a fully functional part of the Republic. Naboo is a modern, civilized planet. There are, of course, the "primitive" Gungans who live in a symbiotic relationship with the humans, but even they have a rather sophisticated society and architecture which speaks of ancient traditions.

The revelations about Republic politics are interesting as well. I wondered how the Jedi were structured. Now I know they are set up like a multi-level marketing company, with a full sponsorship program. Yoda was the Master who trained Qui-Gonn Jin, and Qui-Gon Jinn was the Master who trained Obi-Wan Kenobi, who in turn trained Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader). The Sith Lords are a rival MLM company. There are always two, a Master and an Apprentice. One must wonder how large the Jedi catalogue of Light Sabers and Breathing Apparati must be. Is it extensively revised each year? Yoda probably has an extensive organiztion of Jedi agents working under him, and he gets credit for all their deeds, just like in an MLM scheme. The Jedi retirement plan obviously paid off handsomely for Yoda: we found him on his own planet in "The Empire Strikes Back".

Some people have asked what the purpose of "Phantom Menace" is supposed to be. I guess they can be forgiven not understanding how the old serials work. I've enjoyed collecting some of the old serials on video through the years, and have watched "Flash Gordon", "Radar men from the Moon", and others. The first episode always sets up the main story line. The major characters are introduced and the mysterious bad guys make their first appearance. Where the Star Wars movies depart from the old serial format is that they don't end with cliffhangers. The serials usually threw the hero or heroine into some life-threatening situation and ended, causing the audience to want to see what happened the next week. That's too impractical with movies, however, as Lucas cannot release the films that quickly in succession.

"Phantom Menace" has been compared by some people to "Ben Hur". The problem with this comparison is that Ben Hur's story is completely different. He doesn't help his adoptive father topple the Roman Empire and replace it with a new government. Hur, in fact, remains faithful to the good side throughout the movie. His struggles and challenges are personal, not epic. His actions won't decide the fate of a people or a group of nations. But Anakin Skywalker is most definitely "The Chosen One" who will restore balance to the Force. The fate of worlds indeeds hangs on his actions. The whole concept behind Star Wars thus diverges from Ben Hur from the very start.

It has also been said that "Phantom Menace" is nothing more than a two-hour podrace. Yes, it is that, but it is much more. A number of people have asked why we had to sit through a twelve-minute podrace at all. I understood from the very beginning that we had to see Anakin Skywalker prove himself to be outstanding in some remarkable fashion. The podrace shows us just how strong with the Force he really is. Qui-Gon says you have to have Jedi reflexes to race pods. Watto, the junk merchant who owns Anakin and his mother Shmi, says that Anakin is a credit to the human race -- implying that humans don't do so well in flying pods. And it may be significant that Watto is immune to the Jedi mind tricks -- like the Hutts, who previously owned the Skywalkers, he cannot be manipulated into releasing the slaves. How could you have a boy so strong in the Force be a slave? Make the slaveowners immune to at least some of the Force's powers.

The slavery on Tattooine has been the source of much comment as well. Where are the slaves in "A New Hope"? There are none, so far as we can determine. That's true. So some people have moaned and wailed about the discrepancy, but others have speculated that Anakin eventually returns to free his mother and in the process frees all the slaves. And will Shmi Skywalker die? How does Palpatine turn him to the Dark Side of the Force?

We are told something of the grave peril which faces the boy when the Jedi Council tests him. They sense his fear -- the fear of losing or being separated from his mother. Anakin has never known any other parent. He was conceived by the midi-chlorians, the minute symbiotic creatures which collectively bind all living things together and permit them to hear and utilize the Force. His bond with Shmi is therefore very strong. If Palpatine learns of this weakness, he may be able to use it to great effect. Shmi almost has Dead Meat written all over her when Anakin leaves with Qui-Gon.

A number of people have questioned the whole business of the dispute with the Trade Federation. Why even bother to show it? First of all, it is clear that Palpatine (as Darth Sidious) was manipulating events so as to arrange for his election to Supreme Chancellor. Imagine how many of the delegates must have been subtly nudged by Palpatine into casting a sympathy vote. Would it not be easier -- when attempting to affect the minds of many strong-willed Senators -- to work with sympathy rather than antipathy or complete apathy?

Secondly, Palpatine may have wanted to get rid of the Trade Federation. What were these guys doing with a droid army anyway? They controlled whole planets according to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon (in the scene where they decided to land on Tattooine). The Trade Federation thus represented a very powerful obstacle to Palpatine's long-range plans. By incorporating them in his early maneuvers, he would either assure himself of their loyalty or else be able to manipulate them into weakening their position within the galaxy. The end result may have been a setback for Palpatine's secondary plans, but he still achieved his primary goal of becoming Supreme Chancellor.

The intrigues launched by Palpatine in "Phantom Menace" are only the first step toward creating the Galactic Empire. He'll need to undermine the Jedi and perhaps another powerful component of Republic society. And it seems that the Force is with him in many ways. The Jedi have become grossly arrogant and powerful. They thought they had destroyed the Sith a thousand years before. What if they had? Is Palpatine the last heir of a long line of Sith survivors, or did he uncover some ancient archive and learn their secrets through long and intense study -- an avocation which was fed by his hitherto unrealized ambitions?

Queen Amidala will remain a central character to the backstory. She is destined to become the mother of Luke and Leia. How does she end up leaving Naboo for Alderaan? We'll have to wait and see, but it's been said that a planet will be destroyed in one of the next two movies. It seems reasonable to guess that Naboo's days are numbered. Amidala may have to take refuge with Bey Antilles of Alderaan (or someone else -- how does the Organa family get worked into the story?).

And what about Jar Jar? Oh, the things I've read and heard about Jar Jar. One man's idea of comedy is another man's idea of boredom. I've heard a lot of people don't feel Jar Jar is funny. Well, I and the audiences I sat with laughed at him, so that's funny enough for me. A lot of people laugh at the three stooges, but I find them to be boring. A lot of people feel it's okay to laugh at another person's (perceived) failings. Ridiculing and belittling others seems to be the number form of entertainment with some people these days. I don't subscribe to that philosophy myself. So, if one person doesn't enjoy Jar Jar, I don't take that as a sign that no one will enjoy him. And if one person appreciates him, I don't assume that everyone should.

But Jar Jar is in fact quite integral to the story line. Without Jar Jar there can be no alliance between the Naboo and the Gungans. How can the Naboo ask the Gungans for help if Jar Jar isn't there to tell Queen Amidala about the Gungan warriors, or to lead her party to the Gungans' Sacred Place? Jar Jar also provides Qui-Gon an opportunity to demonstrate "Jedi reflexes" in a very crucial conversation. That tongue-whipping business where Jar Jar sucks up the fruit isn't just there to amuse the kids -- it's to show the audience that a Jedi has special abilities the normal population don't possess. So, when Qui-Gon tells young Anakin you must have Jedi reflexes to race pods, and he grabs Jar Jar's tongue, he drives home his point.

Jar Jar adds other subtle touches to the story. In making the transition from Naboo to Tattooine he mentions that the sun is "murder on me skin". He helps to emphasize the great heat of Tattooine. Jar Jar isn't central to the story, but he is important. He isn't just a random attempt at humor thrown in to amuse the kids. He represents and aspect of galactic culture that may be a bit different from the human side but is still a part of the overall mixture. The Gungans (and other "primitive" races like them) are as important to the Republic and its leaders as are people like the Naboo. Jar Jar shows they can play a role in the Republic's life, no matter how bumbling they may seem, which contributes to the overall well-being of everyone. The only real weakness in the Gungan story is that we are told about rather than shown the symbiotic relationship between the Naboo and the Gungans.

I liked the special effects. I didn't feel the movie dwelt on them too much at all. For years we've wanted to see movies which could portray fictional worlds in a highly realistic way and now someone has gone and created one. And what is the general response to the achievement? Complaints, complaints, complaints. Maybe there can be too much CGI in a movie, but Lucas did not use too much in "The Phantom Menace". He may not have pleased everyone, but he pleased me, and as far as my movie-going experience is concerned, that is the most important factor I need to consider.

Michael Martinez
Jan 24, 2001