FIRST TIME WATCHING *STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE I*

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

"Meesa like him, meesa love him!" Jar-Jar sheds a tear somewhere, vindicated at last after 25 years, having found ONE person who feels this way 😂. Also holy shit is Alicia observant, she noticed the swap between Padmé and her handmaid immediately. My face blind ass could _never_ .

[@piotrjeske4599]

Love often ends bad for Lords of the Sith.

[@bromodragone8405]

I like Jar Jar.

[@hannessteffenhagen61]

I like Jar Jar

[@Tm-dn9ob]

It probably helps that when this first came out both actresses were relatively unknown… where as they’re both well known nowadays

[@nerddwarf]

Keira Knightly has said in an interview (2020 I think) that: 1. In full make-up, their own mothers were getting them confused 2. The script was so secretive, Keira Knightly wasn't sure if her character was Padmé or Sabé

[@claypigeon7063]

George Lucas himself confirmed that Anakin is the Chosen One, not Luke. “Anakin Skywalker was the key to destroying the Sith and bringing balance. Luke was the hand that turned the key.”

[@PrinceJoseHerrera]

and like Maul said poetically from TCW “he is the key to everything!” Ahsoka “to bring balance to the force?” “To destroy he has long been groomed for his role as my master’s new apprentice!” later to rebels “Tell me is it the chosen one…” Old Ben “he is…” “He will avenge us…” which is honestly awesome and comes full circle to Maul’s arc and life building up to this moments of knowing what’s going down from beginning to ending.

[@itsthatmemelowell]

Anakin my king🙏he the chosen one ong

[@itsthatmemelowell]

​@@PrinceJoseHerreraTCW maul is so fucking goated

[@PrinceJoseHerrera]

@@itsthatmemelowell he really is, took the darksaber and death watch by force and killing satine right in front obi-wan but tragically lost his brother Savage in the process with their duel with Sidious and then finally the siege of Mandalore battle with Ahsoka was just 🤩 blow my mind!

[@Z1Blue]

Yup case Anakin/Vader kill the emperor, while Luke just gets fried a good minute by the emperor, till Vader saves him.

[@RyuuHotaku]

The funny thing about Maul trying to run over Anakin with a speeder is that he had no clue who this kid was or anything about him at that time, he just saw this kid next to the opps and said "aight imma just splatter this lil shit while I roll up" 🤣

[@UltimateGamerCC]

he simply figured it was a new Jedi Recruit, better to splatter him now than to deal with him later.

[@werepyre45]

Based Maul

[@Roach_Dogg_JR]

Gods drunkest driver

[@mickyflint]

"don't know this kid but he's with the jedi so fuck it."-Maul

[@georgev3433]

In KoToR 2, there’s a character who was basically a former Jedi Assassin who flat out says one of the best ways to kill a Jedi is to shoot the padwan first. If they have a force connection the pain transfers over, it puts the Jedi in “oh shit” panic mode, and makes them more focused on saving the other instead of themselves. Maul 100% using that tactic.

[@attackinglizard3429]

34:10 fun fact, in this scene Ewan and Ray (the actors for obi wan and Darth maul) were moving so fast, they had to slow down the footage to make it presentable on screen

[@ThoraxetheImpaile100]

Not so much presentable as believable.

[@Avenger85438]

Like Bruce Lee.

[@phntmthf5505]

@@ThoraxetheImpaile100to be fair, there’s a point at which people are moving fast enough it’s really hard to track what’s happening

[@PrinceJoseHerrera]

True that especially this part 34:14 right here where Ewan blocks both Ray’s strikes from front and back reminds of that deleted scene with Anakin vs Dooku where he lets go of his lightsaber hilt in order to avoid Dooku from cutting his hand off 35:28 also FYI it was intentional for Maul to be caught off guard and defeated by Obi-Wan in order to set up his return in TCW to which I’m so excited to see what there reactions are going to be about that later on ;)

[@phntmthf5505]

@ oh, Maul’s return wasn’t planned this far ahead

[@jonmercano1138]

Regarding Jake Lloyd: He publicly claimed he quit acting because he was mocked and recieved negatively as Anakin, even hounded by press and bullied at school. It made him dislike Star Wars. His mom has recently clarified that he was actually shielded from a lot of the backlash and while there was some bullying in high school, his retirement from acting was mostly due to family drama at home. I assume he just wanted to keep the family situation (as well as his mental health situation) private. His mental health started to deteriorate in high school and got worse for years. He got arrested for wreckless driving and ended up being transferred from jail to a psychiatric facility, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. His mom also clarified there’s family history of the latter, so the Star Wars stuff likely wasn’t as a big a factor as might be believed. He went to a mental health rehab for an 18 month stay. Last I heard in March 2024, his mental health has been improving with support from his mom, and he actually does like Star Wars and has even been enjoying some of the new stuff. His stay should should be about over by now. So while there’s definitely a problem in the fandom with how some people react to characters and the actors portraying them, it’s good to know Jake wasn’t as affected by it as previously thought.

[@V15.12]

Lol

[@jimberjamber8540]

^^^THIS I'm so sick of everyone blaming the fandom for Jake's condition and then comparing it to the fandom "bullying" people now. It's all nonsense.

[@bromodragone8405]

At the end of the day, it's always the Fans' fault when it comes to Star Wars.

[@Heiryuu]

I do think the bullying of actors in bad rolls or acting as bad characters needs to stop. It’s not their fault. bullying the directors and writers on the other hand… I’m kidding. Don’t bully, just boycott. Your wallet is louder than your words anyway.

[@bromodragone8405]

@@Heiryuu If a bad movie or show was enough to kill Star Wars, it wouldn't have made it out of the 70s. Yeah, I think the Prequels are superior to the OT.

[@SpookyGhostGoku]

ALICIA CALLING THE DECOY AND PADMÉ SWAP _IMMEDIATELY_ IS ACTUALLY INSANE, WHAT???

[@brianjohnson5272]

A womans intuition is not to be underestimated.

[@Fauxknight]

I could never tell them apart, didn't even imagine it was possible.

[@alsorensen2484]

Alicia has advanced Observation Haki

[@nerddwarf]

​@@Fauxknight Their mothers couldn't tell them apart

[@justinfarias255]

Also she studied film soooooo not surprised actually

[@thedeadman6658]

Fun fact: The parade song played at the end is actually The Emperor's theme played at a higher pitch and faster speed. Also at the end of the credits you'll hear Vader's breathing.

[@mickyflint]

reminds me of how songs can become much more intimidating or happy if you swap it to its oppostie key.

[@LiquidPanda971]

Fun Fact: In movies during fight scenes, the fights are shot slower then sped up in editing to make it look more real. The two actors playing Obi-Wan and Darth Maul-Ewan McGregor and Ray Parks(yes Ewan did his own choreography in this fight)-were so good at their choreography and fighting, that they were fighting too fast, and the editing team had to actually slow down the footage to make it believable to be watched/followed. So as hard as you think they're going in the movie, they were actually going harder.

[@thediam0nddrag0n78]

Humans are not capable of comprehending those fights

[@MisterHPlays]

Extra praise for Ewan for keeping up with one of the most established stunt actors of the time

[@IngiannOceanstryder11]

@@MisterHPlaysEwan is that guy 👌

[@Gat-Man55]

A shame we don’t see this kind of passion with newer Star Wars fights

[@brianjohnson5272]

The force was with them!

[@phntmthf5505]

Fun facts about this movie: 1. Early scripts had Liam Neeson as a Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi and after his death his apprentice Qui-Gon Jin would take on his name and then later become the Obi-Wan we remember from episode 4, thus lending more weight to him saying he hadn’t heard the name in a long time. 2. Liam Neeson has gone on record saying that he was so excited to be in Star Wars that when he was offered a part he just accepted immediately, but if he had read the script first he would have turned down the part. 3. The novelizations of the Prequels has let us know that all the lightsaber fights in these three movies are *much* faster but were filmed at a normal speed so that people could understand the fights. 4. Ray Park, Darth Maul’s actor, is very skilled in Wushu martial arts and channels that in his fight choreography.

[@Mrryn]

Knowing that about Liam Neeson wishing he had a bigger role makes me hope that he is at least happy knowing how beloved Qui Gon is. To the point where a lot of people see him as among the quintessential Jedi with a personality and philosophy that is considered what was truly needed among the masters of the time. And honestly glad he had a chance to reprise the role, even just for a bit, in Kenobi.

[@ryanwight9116]

The final duel is called the “Duel of Fates.” It determined who would’ve troubled Anakin, even the song for it was called “Duel of Fates” Nothing against Obi-Wan, but it Qui Gon had been the one to train Anakin the story of the series would’ve been VERY different

[@noahorakwue2653]

I heard Dave filoni say the same thing in an interview

[@leonrussell9607]

​@@noahorakwue2653don't listen to dave filoni

[@hughmungus8701]

@@noahorakwue2653 As far as I know that's where the information comes from. Lucas told Filoni and Filoni repeated it in an interview or special or something.

[@darrenheideman2546]

I don't know, I think Palpatine would still have gotten Anakin under his sway. It would've been more difficult, but I believe Palatine would succeed in the end.

[@darrenheideman2546]

​@@noahorakwue2653 Filoni is a hack.

[@joshuamattingly1232]

“You were right about one thing Master, the negotiations were short.” Oh Obi-Wan, master of Trolling

[@rayanderson5797]

Jedi Master Snarky

[@Roach_Dogg_JR]

No wonder anakin tried to kill him. Bro has probably been roasted for a decade

[@neisan92]

@@Roach_Dogg_JR I mean he did finish him off with one big roast at the end of the prequals...

[@dafuzzbear7711]

@@Roach_Dogg_JRTbf Anakin would roast Obi-Wan a lot too.

[@dyproxus1806]

4:05 That’s a padawan braid actually. When a Jedi is in training beside a master like this, the student (padawan) grows out their hair in such a way to mark their status. Once they become a full Jedi, the braid is ceremonially cut.

[@legionaireb]

I love that a scene from the generally ignored Tartakovsky Clone Wars has been so adopted by the rest of the continuity.

[@maciekzelichowski1411]

*Sith Code* Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. *Jedi Code* There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force.

[@TAGfrost]

The Code of Balance "Passion fuels my blade, yet restraint guides my hand. Through the dark side, I strike with precision, never indulgence. Through the light side, I speak with compassion, never weakness. In battle, I wield temperance; in peace, I embody faith. The Force is my ally, its duality my strength. I walk the line between shadow and light, united in purpose." This code reflects the disciplined use of the dark side for controlled combat and the light side for trustful diplomacy, embodying harmony through intentionality and balance. Based on the Light Side Sith.

[@Wiscocrisco]

its crazy how well Sidious groomed Anakin, one of his first words to him "We will watch your career with great interest" literally from the point he saw Anakin he was planing

[@LightBusterX]

One would say the plan began way before that time, with Sidious' master, Plagueis...

[@Wiscocrisco]

@LightBusterX the "Grand Plan" as in creating the Empire was in the works WAY before Plagueis. Plagueis had no clue about Anakin because as far as he was concerned his experiment failed, but once Sidious saw Anakin he knew he had a trump card

[@dweller132]

"That's Natalie Portman!" *Is actually Keira Knightley*

[@alexiaNBC]

To be fair, they do kind of look alike

[@tykekai3555]

@@alexiaNBCSo alike, that supposedly even their moms got them confused for each other.

[@AusSP]

Is it, though? Isn't it Natalie Portman for any scene in which she's not playing the other role? Googling it, apparently it's Portman/Padme here, up until she's being escorted by the droids, Keira Knightley/Sabe in the black dress from Tatooine to Coruscant, Padme in the tan and white number while on Coruscant until they get to Naboo. Then it's Sabe on Naboo. Then it's Padme in the final celebration scenes.

[@Jackson-ub1uv]

Just like the simulations

[@megaboy767]

Also, Padmé Naberrie (Amidala is a surname all queens get when they're elected. Yes, they're elected) was 14 by the time of this movie, while Anakin Skywalker was 9, Obi-wan Kenobi was 25 and still a Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam arrow-to-the-knee son) was 60.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

The bullying Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd (Jar Jar and young Anakin) got from "fans" for years after this movie was disgusting, Lloyd especially. I hear he's doing better, though.

[@giggukardaguy9077]

Yeah the media really are scum

[@claw_3465]

This does require a source, but i heard from somewhere that Ahmed Best said fans were fine but most the hate was from the media, tho again this does need a source

[@giggukardaguy9077]

@claw_3465 I think he did that in an interview about when he came back to a bridge and remembered ten years prior he was their to potentially end his life

[@Jekv-877]

He's doing better now? paranoid schizophrenia does not have a cure. He's still mentally unstable. 🤦

[@Laserbeak316]

Ahmed Best got to be a Jedi in an Order 66 flashback of the Mandalorian. So I’d say he’s doing very well.

[@filipvadas7602]

Fun fact: Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman (Padme's double & Padme herself) looked so similar while in costume that even their own mothers sometimes struggled to tell them apart. They would apparently even pull pranks on the rest of the cast by swapping costumes from time to time during production lol

[@Kirdex90]

In the "Empire Strikes Back" react video you wondered why C-3PO was put in the cell with Chewbaka when they all got captured in Cloud City. Now that you've seen this one I can say that there's a comic that reveals Vader had him sent to the cell once he realized who the droid was in hopes that C-3PO wouldn't end up getting destroyed.

[@mrbaldy1665]

Any time I see that panel suddenly on social media i tear up a little

[@aptspire]

With the "Chosen one" part: It's Anakin that drops Palpatine in the pit, so the prophecy is correct. However the prophecy doesn't specify how they get there.

[@sarafontanini7051]

or how long it takes for the chosen one to bring balance

[@drcatspaw]

"Balance" is usually not good for those in power. Funny how the Jedi didn't think that through.

[@lordcommanderralathor6491]

And in doing so destroys the apprentice, Darth Vader, his other half causing the true death of the Sith. And there was no way that Palpatine survived, balance was restored until the Vong and Abeloth appeared.

[@2ndlegend125]

I always thought the best conclusion for the prophecy was that Anakin has a family whose lineage would fight against the dark side for generations. The Dark Side isn't like a malevolent god named palpatine that needed to be destroyed. It just comes back whenever a force user gets a bit edgy. It would make Anakin's most important act having a family. Fits with the family theme of all of Star Wars.

[@Heiryuu]

@@drcatspawso according to George Lucas. The light side of the force is actually the force in balance. It’s not yin and Yang. It’s natural order and corruption. So the force being in balance is the Jedi in power helping people and ensuring order is upheld.

[@jonmercano1138]

You love Jar Jar! Yay! 22:30 NO SHE DID NOT! Shmi didn’t bet herself and her son on the races! *Their previous owner Gardulla the Hutt did!* Shmi was forced into slavery as a child. •you actually saw Gardulla. She was the other Hutt behind Jabba 27:01 Holy shit yes! YES ALICIA! PERFECT! I’ve never seen anyone understand this so well so quickly!!! 35:51 Anakin _is_ the Chosen One. He’s the one who ultimately wipes out the Sith. He returns to the light and kills the Emperor. Luke may have been the catalyst, but Anakin fulfilled the prophecy. Just took a lot of years and some genocide 😅 Jar Jar was banished because “boom the gasser” he blew up an oven, “then crashin the boss’s heyblibber” then he crashed Boss Nass’s personal luxury submarine. Admittedly, all that, on top of his general destructive clumsiness, kind of makes his banishment understandable. Padme’s decoy Sabe was played by Keira Knightly. Funny fact, they looked so alike, their parents would get them mixed up when they came to set 😂 It’s been retconned that technically Anakin _rebuilt_ 3P0. He found his parts You might be shocked to know this, but apparently only one racer is confirmed to have died in this. The one who crashed in the cave. Although apparently another just disappeared in the middle of the race and no one knows where they went, so maybe 2 deaths.

[@hardensoul7248]

Keira Knightley’s likely first role before Bend it like Beckham and Love Actually.

[@kagato3]

it was pretty much always been implied 3P0 was being rebuilt. Many of the cannon novelizations of the movies and story books about them mention that 3PO is centuries old as well as there being many named 3PO models in the movies.

[@benschultz1784]

Ewan MacGregor was a massive Star Wars fan growing up, as he's the nephew of actor Dennis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles (Luke's wingman) in the Original Trilogy. B1 Battle droids were designed to look like the skeletons of their Nemoidian designers, while droidekas (destroyer droids) are designed to look like their Colicoid makers.

[@marinesinspace6253]

Fun fact, Dennis Lawson warned Ewan MacGregor that doing Star Wars could be a problem for his career, but ultimately encouraged him to take the role.

[@Ozai75]

Wedge is the only non "Main" characters to survive all three films.

[@graphicsblacksmith]

Fun Fact: Samuel L. Jackson's lightsaber in the prequel movies has the word "MotherFucker" engraved onto one side of it but the lightsaber that he uses is flimed in a way that the camera's won't see the engraving on flim.

[@Nintendoggy]

I believe not the entire word was written but only the initials : BMF. But I could be wrong.

[@SanguineDoe]

31:50 The song in this scene, Duel of the Fates, is one of the most iconic songs in Star Wars. Its name represents the idea that this isnt just a fight between Sith and Jedi but a fight to decide Anakin's fate, and the fate of the Galaxy through him.

[@rickymoranjr9609]

the lightsaber fight between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul still gives me chills, especially with the musical score

[@attackinglizard3429]

Fun fact, Ewan and Ray (the actors for obi wan and Darth maul) were moving so fast they had to slow down the footage

[@rickymoranjr9609]

@@attackinglizard3429 good to know

[@generaldreagonlps6889]

The music is great. There is also some dude who made an acapella version of it doing all the instruments with his voice. It's pretty funny.

[@TimothyGod]

​@@attackinglizard3429was that not for ep 3?

[@loreking486]

@@TimothyGod They had to slow down Duel of the Fates, Battle of Heroes I'm not sure, but Ewan and Hayden did the choerography for it.

[@rickymoranjr9609]

the Pod Race in this movie was awesome and the crash scenes still make me flinch especially when that one pod crashes in the cave

[@rainbowprism6242]

Amount of background biography each racer has is still bigger than characterizations of Acolyte characters.

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

Darth Vader in Episode 4, flying his TIE Advanced in the Death Star trench: "Man this takes me back, it's just like the Boonta Eve."

[@rickymoranjr9609]

@@HaganeNoGijutsushi same here, good times good times

[@Nintendoggy]

Especially sad with the deleted scene where you see a shot of the dude's family.

[@Vfanatic1]

So funny thing about Alicia's comment about using a lightsaber to cut the tail off Obi-Wan, that actually IS a part of the lore that when a Padawan becomes a Jedi Knight they have it cut off by a lightsaber. Also regarding Luke having a kid, he does have one in the (sadly) non canon Expanded Universe who is strong but not as strong as Luke due to circumstances but he was certainly strong enough to be around him for important battles.

[@derrickbias3406]

Best story heard about Liam Neeson; A sandwich shop heard Liam was nearby in Canada(?) filming and the shop made a sign stating Liam loves this shop. Imagine one day the shop worker looking up to help their next customer and see Liam Neeson lean in and say, "where's my sandwich?". I think that's how it went. I mainly remember the post featuring Liam posing in front of the shop with two of the workers. Edit; I had a faint memory spark. The shop sign said "Liam Neeson eats for free here". That's why Liam showed up asking for his sandwich.

[@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184]

I just heard the "Where's my sandwich" in voice from "Taken" lol 😅😂😊

[@RyuuHotaku]

I just imagine him interrogating them about how they knew he would like their sandwiches like he did with Ted about Trix 🤣

[@kagato3]

@@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184 "I have a particular sandwich order."

[@jonmercano1138]

If I may speak on my guy Jar Jar and the whole situation. First I wanna recommend the podcast miniseries _The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks._ I don’t agree with that title, but that’s my only issue. It’s basically what I’m saying here but much more in depth. TL,DR: There was strong backlash to Jar Jar and his actor Ahmed Best, who took it very hard. He almost ended his life. Thankfully he’s gotten much more positive reception, especially in recent times. He didn’t deserve the negative treatment. Jar Jar was never intended to evoke offensive things, but unfortunately it wasn’t that simple. Jar Jar was received very negatively. A lot of people just found/find him annoying, and that’s understandable. But he was also perceived as being ^racially offensive. His actor, Ahmed Best, took this very hard. Despite what some like to say to either say he shouldn’t have or to shift blame to Lucas, it wasn’t “just a job” for him. He wasn’t just directed the way Jar Jar was written, he put in a lot of effort and even had some input. He was very proud of his work as Jar Jar. Getting to be a significant character in a new Star Wars movie was like a dream come true, and it sounds like the lead up and the filming was an experience he greatly enjoyed. What he says especially hurt was black people’s reactions and how they talked to him, basically saying his performance was shameful. This lead to him going to a bridge and almost going over, but he hesitated and realized that meant he still valued his life. Thankfully he’s seen and received lots of love for himself and Jar Jar in modern times. He even got a standing ovation when he appeared at a SW Celebration. And he’s been given a new character to play. ^Jar Jar was referred to as a Jamaican or Rastafarian minstrel-like character from his movements and speech. Ahmed spoke on these things. He’s pointed out this was mostly said by white -people- reporters who clearly haven’t met jamaicans or rastafarians. Minstrel shows had no inspiration on Jar Jar. _"There were absolutely no intentions of the character being perceived that way. People ask me, 'Did you know it was going to be this way? Why didn't you stop it?' I didn't stop it because there was nothing to stop."_ The main inspirations were Buster Keaton (32:15) and Jerry Lewis. His movements were based off Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master. His speech is based off of a funny voice he would do for his little cousins. I’m certain he said his uncle did it too. And in the 2010s Lucas revealed Goofy was also an inspiration. Unfortunatley there is some precedent for the perception being kind of valid. Jar Jar is a clown character, inspired by famous clowns. Black people were unforgettably racistly depicted as dumb and clown like speaking broken/imperfect english, and even black characters in more recent times serve as clowns. So a black person playing that kind of role didn’t/doesn’t come off right. •It even connects back to Goofy! An animator in 1930 wrote somehing in a memo that doesn’t sound great! Look up Art Babbitt What is Goofy? You should find an article from The Independent with what the memo said. Thanks early Disney racism! So Jar Jar was not at all intentionally racist, but unfortunately some factors and connections resulted in him being perceived that way. Regardless, Ahmed shouldn’t have had to deal with the hardship he did.

[@mckenzie.latham91]

I know several black people who pointed out to me the character literally talks like a character from roots and then played several scenes from the old tv series where they have the same drawl and vocal performance as the character “yessum” and “Weesa” etc. etc. Again black people were not impressed with Jar Jar and so trying to say “it’s just white people saying that” isn’t going to play out well with the black community Ironically the cartoon series managed to make the Gungans more robust and tweaked their speech/manerisms enough that they don’t come off like this in clone wars and etc. Which shows the problem was always lUCAS AND HIS DIALOGUE The same way people criticized how Lucas wrote the Nemodians (TRADE FEDERATION) as asian coded

[@DanGamingFan2406]

After having experienced a decade of watching people hate on the Prequels non-stop to the point it became a meme as well as rarely seeing anyone besides myself openly stating they enjoyed the Prequels (granted, considering I know the results of doing so, I can understand why Prequel-lovers usually kept it to themself), it's just so nice to see people openly and genuinely praise and enjoy these moves.

[@elextrano7597]

The same jerks that trow shit at the prequels were the guys that defended the sequels

[@shogunender8752]

I enjoyed the pre sequel trilogy for the lore and the overall story but certain dialogue choices were not good. I also think the clone wars holds the pre sequels even higher than it should be for me personally because of how amazing and fleshed out it allows those movies to be after the clone wars.

[@elextrano7597]

@shogunender8752 for me it worked so much better as a Tv series... tho the movies have an special place in my heart

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

My original experience of the prequels was as a teen (I was 13 when TPM came out) and without Internet to tell me what to think. Attack of the clones was the one that disappointed me the most; the ending picks up but until that the movie is just pretty boring. Phantom Menace disappointed me some (I especially found some stuff like the excessively smooth look of the spaceships a bit jarring) but I didn't hate it overall. No particular love for Jar Jar but it wasn't a deal breaker. And I loved and still will absolutely defend Revenge of the Sith as a top 3 SW movie. Putting aside the cheesiness of some scenes, I think it's overall a fantastic tragedy and, for all the attempts made by the sequel trilogy, the best Star Wars movie at actually having some sort of political message, though not a particularly deep one.

[@JanoszHU]

I grew up on the prequels and the clone wars, and they are so good, like sure it is arguable that the original trilogy was better overall, but the prequels were also so so good. A lot of people now realizing that the prequels wasn't that bad as they originally thought, as the sequel trilogy showed them that it can be worse. For the prequels what separates them from the original trilogy is that they tried to put more lore and more detail in the background, like the political part of it, or the midiclorians as a way of meassuring the force, or the technological things like you can see which ship becomes which in the original trilogy, like the ARC-170 and the Z-95 later became the X-wing, and details like that what makes the prequels much more and much different from the Original trilogy, but in a good way. It adds so much to the world, expanding it.

[@DarthVader0001]

31:01 The choral lyrics to the piece “Duel of the Fates”comes from my country of Wales. When translated from Sanskrit to English, the lyrics from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace's 'Duel of the Fates' read as "Under the tongue root, a fight most dread, and another raging, behind in the head." This comes from a medieval Welsh poem called Cad Goddeu (The Battle of the Trees) Lyrics: Korah Matah Korah Rahtahmah Korah Rahtamah Yoodhah Korah Korah Syahdho Rahtahmah Daanyah Korah Keelah Daanyah Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Korah Korah Matah Korah Rahtahmah Korah Daanyah Korah Rahtahmah Nyohah Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Syadho Keelah Korah Rahtahmah Korah “Cad Goddeu” (translated from Welsh into English: The Battle of the Trees) is a medieval Welsh poem preserved in the 14th-century manuscript known as the Book of Taliesin. The poem refers to a traditional story in which the legendary enchanter Gwydion animates the trees of the forest to fight as his army. The poem is especially notable for its striking and enigmatic symbolism and the wide variety of interpretations this has occasioned. John Williams: "The great sword fight at the end of the film - the decision to make that choral was just the result of my thinking that it should have a ritualistic or quasi-religious feeling, and the introduction of a chorus might be just the thing. ... The medium of chorus and orchestra would give us a sense that we're in a big temple."

[@GAdmThrawn]

It's funny, as I have heard from other "reactors" and KZbin movie critics have described the Sanskrit chant as just a repeated line that holds no meaning in Sanskrit. They have compared it to The Mantrix Revolution (the third one I think) that also uses a Sanskrit chant in their final fight but was given meaning. Learning that the chorus in Duel of the Fates actually does hold meaning is interesting.

[@Tomha]

I forget how old I was when this hit the theaters, but as much as I loved the movie as a kid, Qui-Gon's death legit bothered me as a kid cause he had such a presence (to me) that he had to stay. That his death and not even returning as a Force Ghost disrupted the entire story I thought I knew was unfolding. I couldn't imagine how the story would continue without him. It was like to my kid brain "What if Luke died in the first movie?"

[@megaboy767]

Ah, Alicia, you are gonna loooove episode 3. We get to see a lot of "babies" in the jedi temple, and even get to see Anakin play with them. Yep, it might even make you shed some tears. Yep.

[@SentiNel090]

How rude, they're called younglings, thank you very much!

[@zerxis654]

god she aint ready for episode 2 and 3

[@MaxHDAvenger]

Yeah definitely not ready for episode 2 and 3

[@shotaaizawa1206]

Anakin is a good master jedi

[@Imanidiot-n2t]

Lol

[@Jmasterturbo2]

17:00 sad fact: yea, he was indeed bullied, at the time he was the second least like character in the movie, kids would make lightsaber sounds whenever they saw him. he also had to do an absurd 60 interviews a day for when this first movie was being promo'd. He quit acting dislikes George Lucas, and maybe hates Star wars as a whole now. In 2008 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, in 2015 got arrested for reckless driving, resisting arrest and driving without a license. Not long after losing his sister he suffered a psychotic break while on the highway. He was then admitted into a hospital then put inpatient program at a mental health rehabilitation facility in March 2023 and have a scheduled 18 month stay. As he would have left in the Summer of this year, here's hoping for the best on his recovery.

[@OmegaS-117]

Just a little fun fact The actor who plays Obi Wan his uncle was the actor who played Wedge in the Original Trilogy

[@sleepingbee8997]

40:40 You're absolutely right about "Space Drama." A lot of science fiction absolutists will insist that Star Wars is not Sci-Fi but actually "Space Opera" because it's not about technology and societies, but about characters and relationships.

[@MrGrimm22]

11:38 God dang!!! Now that was a genuine scream. I forgot for moment there that Alicia has a fear of the ocean

[@christophervanoster]

She did the r2 scream lol

[@Cloningmaster55]

1138 nice early George Lucas film right there

[@ghostspider2056]

“Angels” are probably the mermaid equivalent to space travellers.

[@leonrussell9607]

No, there actually is a species called angels in star wars

[@TheMandalorianGhostYT]

Yeah, they're seen in one of the earlier seasons of clone wars

[@leorojas6390]

Go watch the Blue Shadow Virus arc in Season 1 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

[@isengarde9490]

Just, y'know, a little less murdery.

[@ghostspider2056]

If you mean the Diathim, they’re a species confused for angels. I didn’t mean that they weren’t real, I meant they are similar to how Mermaids are perceived by sailors with mysteries and legends build around them, regardless if they’re real or not in fictional stories.

[@deopping]

For the record when JarJar says "Pitty hot" about Padme, for him that means "pretty cool" or "pretty helpful" so what he was saying was like, "she's been very nice and helpful, pretty cool"

[@TheLightbane]

Never in my life did I think I would see a reactor LIKE Jar Jar. 35:40 Little interesting titbit, Maul actually SURVIVED being cut in half and got cybernetic legs to replace his bottom Half.

[@docplays6508]

Ewan Mcgregor is Obi Wan’s actor in the prequels. Also when Qui Gon (Liam Neeson) and Obi Wan dashed really quickly, they used Force Speed. Another thing: the reason the Jedi say that Anakin is too old to be trained as a Jedi is because he is old enough to remember his mom, because the Jedi always recruited babies or toddlers before they could grow attached to their parents

[@Batmandarknitexx]

28:38 it was that moment Anakin realized he hit the jackpot by flirting with the Queen. You can practically see the dollar signs in his eyes lol

[@josh_miester_x511]

Ah, The Phantom Menace. The introduction of my beloved B1 Battle Droids, and the coolest sith to exist after Vader, Darth Maul, and his introduction of the Saber Staff.

[@dvader518]

Roger Roger.

[@Cloningmaster55]

The Sith from the Old Republic games are up there with them like Revan, Malgus, Nihilus, Vitiate and others even though they may or may not be canon anymore but I don't care

[@josh_miester_x511]

@Cloningmaster55 oh I agree 100%. Perhaps I should have said "one of the coolest sith".

[@Indurok]

When I was in high school, I purchased the "Ultimate Edition" soundtrack of this movie, and I would listen to it on the way to and from school. John Williams is the best film composer ever.

[@DrakeAurum]

Generally I'm not keen on this movie, but it does include several things that are awesome. * Fully trained Jedi making full use of their Force powers * The Pod Race * Liam Neeson as the best Jedi * Duel of the Fates

[@andrewjones6583]

Ngl Palpatine was ballsy as hell just being around Jedi despite being a Sith. The only reason he even got away with being around them so much was due to him having a very rare force ability that allows him to hide his force sensitivity. He was so good at it that even his own master just barely sensed him back when he found him

[@alexpena4091]

And than there's all the haters saying " how could the council not sense Palpatine right next door to their temple " insert whining and crying noises Just like everything else Palpatine masterfully planned out his moves

[@Ender-bg2hx]

Also I recommend watching the Clone wars micro series by the guy who animated Samurai jack cause that shows the full potential of force user skills that the limitations of the live action couldn’t capture well ESPECIALLY Mace windu going ham on super battle droids with only his hands and the force. And yes Jedi as quick af.

[@kse3]

Fun fact, the soundtrack was released two weeks before the movie. The track listing included "Qui-Gon's Noble End" and "Qui-Gon's Funeral".

[@memeticproperties4517]

I like the prequels, but I agree that they could be easily improved. What's sad is that George Lucas knew this, and wanted someone else to direct them, because he knew he wasn't good director. He called up his friends like Steven Spielberg to ask them to do it, but no one wanted to because they saw Star Wars as George's thing, and wanted him to be the director. If Lucas got a different director like he wanted to and got the dialogue/script cleaned up a little bit, the prequels would have been much better.

[@piotrjeske4599]

DARTH Jar-Jar the real Sith Master .

[@TarisSinclair]

Meesa Darth-Darth Binks, all-a yousa gonna die!

[@samwallaceart288]

Jar Jar on that Tides of Chaos fr

[@MrGaleanon]

10:00 Naboo is more water than rock. Ive got no idea how the planet has a magnetosphere at all, but there's water all the way into the core.

[@Silber7]

Saltwater is very conductive at least Question would be how the land is stable at the surface 🤔

[@MrGaleanon]

@@Silber7 it doesnt matter how good something is at conducting a charge, molten metal spinning like a top creates a charge.

[@MrGaleanon]

@@Silber7 The mantle is creating internal friction due to its flows and movements, that friction creates static electricity that becomes the planet's magnetosphere.

[@alexpena4091]

Kamino is entirely a water planet but I bet it has a magnetosphere

[@MrGaleanon]

@ is the water imported or native? If native, why do they breathe gas?

[@piecheese1214]

It just occurred to me that Ciaphus Cain is very Jar Jar-coded, what with the whole "I did a lot of badass stuff completely by accident but everyone assumes I'm a tactical genius" schtick.

[@ataldr4802]

I was not prepared for that god their intro 😂

[@aardvarkqq]

7:46 reminds me of the story where an old lady walks up to carrot top and tells him he looks like that comedian carrot top.

[@ulysses9488]

The fact a 'trade federation' has a seat in the Senate is wild

[@aptspire]

Stellaris Megacorp moment

[@robertbryant4669]

It's not as far-fetched as you're making it out to be. Historically, trade organizations have always had a voice in politics. Many of the senators in Rome were also tradesmen, and the same holds true for modern Parliamentary and Congressional bodies. In Dune, CHOAM (the intergalactic bank) and the Spacing Guild have seats in the Landsraad, the governing body of the Imperium.

[@ulysses9488]

@@robertbryant4669 Oh trust me, I know, stuff like the East India Companies were hugely influential. But Rome isn't exactly the strongest example of a healthy democracy haha, despite how much I love it.

[@robertbryant4669]

@@ulysses9488 Who said anything about a healthy democracy? Has there ever been such a thing? The whole point of the Senate scenes in the prequels is that it's anything but a healthy democracy.

[@spaceshiplewis]

NRA, Automobile, Big Pharma.

[@NErDy-pr1jf]

People hated Jarjar at first but now there’s a popular theory that he was originally planned to be a twist villain mastermind but that got scrapped due to negative reception in this movie. When you’re done I suggest looking into Darth Jarjar theory.

[@ramoncunningham71]

If you watch the Clone Wars animated show it gives you a lot more of the story of the war itself and more insight of his progression of turning into Darth Vader.

[@ryanwight9116]

What I love about the Prequels is it shows how skilled these Jedi and Sith actually were. Without a doubt the best lightsaber duels were in the Prequels Unfortunately, we went from insane lightsaber duels to swinging baseball bats

[@thesyndrome43]

It's always interesting to see the different take on lightsaber duels between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy, because the original is actually much closer to real life fencing with smaller, more efficient movements that try to min/max your offence and defence, whereas the prequels went very flashy and impressive, which is awesome to watch but actually really impractical IRL.

[@alshabib5849]

@@thesyndrome43 The impracticality and overly flashy nature is actually good thematics. The Republic and by extension the jedi had basically just existed in a honor guard roll maybe at best fighting some weirdo with a vibro sword once every decade or so so their practice of lightsaber fighting was ceremonial and academic rather then efficient. While we know outside of the setting the differance is due to hiring better choreographers, the difference when we get to OT era is that the fights are now between people who are fighting wars, not on parade.

[@kratosGOW]

Hey Alicia! Both “Jedi” and “Sith” are their own plural. Meaning: there’s no “Jedis”, it’s Jedi whether you’re talking about an individual or a group.

[@darrenheideman2546]

For all the CGI effects, there were a great amount of practical effects used. Shots of the waterfall at the royal palace, a stream of salt poured against a black screen. Some of the shots of the crowds at the pod race, painted Q-tips.

[@KoboldGamer]

A few things I want to say. 1) Anakin was the chosen one, if you remember on episode VI, it WAS him that destroyed the emperor, not Luke. At the end of the day he fulfilled the prophecy. 2) I saw the movie opening weekend. The last 15 minutes are absolutely peak/GOAT star wars. That duel of the fates was the absolutely coolest thing we had ever seen like EVER until that point in star wars, maybe science fiction as a whole. My best friend owned the sound track just so we could listen to the fight song (duel of the fates) over and over. They really really went overboard, in a good way, for the fight choreography. What makes it crazier is the actors for Obi-Wan and Darth Maul are actually going SLOW, they purposefully slowed down their moves so they could be seen for the movie. In practice they were being lightning fast. We wanted to be jedi so friggin bad. 3) The prequels, but especially this first movie, kicked off an entire new era of star wars, especially in the merchandise, there was so many star wars video games for N64, Playstation, my favorite was Pod Racer. 4) Jar-Jar is almost universally hated, and I get it, and to an extent I agree, but I would say his humor works in small batches. There is a spot for hard comic relief in star wars, but it needs to be done in small doses, but in this movie it's every 5 seconds he's on screen he's fucking something up. Honestly, if he stayed on Naboo and doesn't show up until they come back to the planet, he would have been better received. As for Anakin's actor, yeah his acting was pretty meh, but it's a child actor working around a bunch of CGI. 5) To somewhat build on point #4, the entire series of prequels got hate for being a CGI mess, which again, I kind of agree. In the original release, and I can't tell which one you are watching, Yoda is actually done by a puppet. Later they replaced him with CGI. I much prefer the puppet yoda, though I understand why he's later replaced with CGI (which will quickly make sense to you soon enough). I actually love The Phantom Menace, one of my favorite star wars films, I honestly probably watched it more than any other.

[@thedarkknight2221]

30:32 Duel Of The Fates is one of the greatest tracks in music history! You hear that and you immediately get prepared for the fight for life.

[@Lekuster93]

Yup, R2 is a certified veteran 🥰

[@path5657]

22:29 Ani being a slave doesn't necessarily mean his mother gambled his life away or sold him into slavery.. If his mother was already a slave when she was pregnant, Anakin would've automatically become her owner's property when he was born. That's the way slavery works. Slave owners would actually buy people that they thought would be good for producing more slaves. It's pretty messed up.

[@mr.carcharodontosaurus7119]

episodes 7,8,9 dont exist btw

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

Luke actually does the force speed too in episode 5 to escape the cryo chamber. They try to avoid using it because it's easy to not stop in time and run into a wall.

[@filipvadas7602]

1. The final lightsaber duel with Duel of The Fates going full blast is unironically so good it legitimately bumps this movie up a whole tier for its duration. ( Ray Park, the guy who plays Darth Maul, was also the stunt coordinator for the fight. He and Ewan McGregor actually got SO GOOD at it that Lucas apparently told them to *slow it down* cause it was so fast it looked unnatural. Meaning what we see here is them *pulling their punches* ) 2. While these movies are a mess, many of casting choices were even then recognised as fan favorites. Ewan McGregor is *absolutely perfect* as young Obi-Wan and that has not changed whatsoever. 3. I think that even while looking at these movies with nostalgia goggles, the problems are obvious: excessive CGI, stiff dialogue, needlessly long runtime, humor that interrupts the plot etc. Its basically what the original Trilogy would have looked like of George hadn't recieved pushback from everyone involved. The actors literally threatened to tie him up and force him to read his own dialogue out loud id he didn't let them ad lib most of it lol Here tho, he got no such feedback and the result is a much weaker movie. Its basically what happens when a creator is let loose with noone to reign them in.

[@TheRussian13]

Obi-Wan is played by Ewan McGregor. Fun fact: Ewan's brother Colin McGregor was in the Royal Air Force and his nickname became Obi-Two.

[@wendigo9114]

The jedi are honestly so arrogant. Because when anakin was predicted to bringing balance of force, they assumed the elimination of the Sith, not the downfall of the Jedi.

[@Avenger85438]

That is what it meant. Anakin becoming Vader was a mistake on his part that the whole galaxy paid for.

[@Karthig1987]

Hmmmm why would Jedi in a way that's a happier outcome to them I wonder

[@musicaluprising924]

I am so glad that you guys are enjoying Star Wars! I grew up watching the movies and The Clone Wars, so this franchise means a lot to me! About the rat tail: in the Jedi Order, it symbolises that the wearer is a Padawan (a Jedi student). Once the Padawan has proven themselves to be a competent Jedi, they are knighted by the Jedi Council and their braid is cut off by the lightsaber of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. The actor who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in episodes 1-3 is Ewan McGregor.

[@tetsuya225]

I'M AMAZED YOU CAUGHT THE SWITCH! I WAS A KID WHEN I WATCHED THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND I DIDN'T CATCH IT UNTIL THE REVEAL!

[@revangomez1087]

What's crazy is in the book, Vader recognizes C3P0 and actually gives him to Chewie. He remembers his mother telling him when he first brought Threepio's parts to their home, that "if you're not prepared to care for something, you don't deserve to have it." When the officer in charge saw him give up the droid, he asked why he was giving it to a prisoner, Vader thought of how Chewie went crazy trying to save Threepio's parts from getting melted down and told him, "I'm giving the wookiee what he deserves." So technically speaking, Threepio belongs to Chewie, not Leia or Luke.

[@RogueHippie13]

So, fun music fact: The vocals during the Naboo Celebration is actually the same as the vocals from the Emperor's Throne Room from Episode VI, just in a different key. It's literally his victory hidden within the good guy's victory, hence "The Phantom Menace"

[@SicSemperCogitarius]

The thing about the Sith Master's identity, thanks to a combination of years of merchandising and an enormous expanded universe off of the original trilogy, the Emperor's name had been known for years before the prequels, so most long time fans recognized Senator Palpatine immediately.

[@Kramers79]

Behold, the Gungans with one of the rarest tools in the whole galaxy...freaking shields! Always good to see someone see Jarjar passed the comedic relief on the surface. All the love for the clumsy Gungan!

[@kaiserslim2751]

I really enjoyed seeing you guys pick up on some of the details in this movie with the decoy Padme and the little pan over to Palps after they ask which Sith was destroyed. I cannot wait to see your reactions to the rest of the Prequels!

[@jardockjarvannia7954]

This was my childhood trilogy as far as Star Wars, And I loved Jar-Jar, Pod Racing, this whole freakin' movie, still my favorite of the series.

[@SpectrumAnalysis]

Before Anakin: Thousands of Jedi, two Sith After Anakin: Two Jedi, two Sith. He did bring balance... THROUGH GENOCIDE. Then he killed the last two Sith thanks to help from his son. Not balance, but light instead. Anakin is the chosen one but... From a certain point of view(tm)

[@trebacca9]

"I'd rewatch the last 20 minutes" is pretty much exactly the mood, you get it.

[@magnus4945]

I love episodes 1 thru 3 the most! the prequels were so awesome

[@Anonymous-lv4di]

She likes Jar Jar! She's gonna LOVE the prequels

[@Steve-sf8fv]

4:52 Liam Neeson is playing himself

[@DelphanGruss]

This is unironically the most hyped anyone has EVER been for Jar-Jar and Baby Anakin

[@superkid3188]

It’s very telling that people insist the Star Wars fandom has never been toxic, when this is the very fandom that accused Lucas of ‘raping’ their childhoods for making the special editions and prequels.

[@JamesRT1291]

31:57 that music during the duel, is called Duel of Fates. It’s my favorite music from the Star Wars Franchise

[@FA-4112]

The best part about Phantom Menace is that Darth Maul had no idea who Anakin was, he just decided to try to nail this random child with his bike on his way to fight Qui-Gon

[@Mecha_mage]

People can say whatever they want about this movie. But I tell ya, tiny tiny child me saw this in theaters and was jaw-droppingly ENAMORED by the last 20 minutes. Space wizards dueling, starship fights, big robot armies, I was enthralled.

[@joshritz7067]

"Obi-Wan is him!" Is one of the best summerizations of the series

[@TheGreater-ScopeVillain]

Fun fact, if you listen closely, the parade music that plays at the end of the movie is actually a happier/sped up version of *The Emperor’s Theme* from Return of the Jedi, subtly showing that the only person who really won here was Palpatine, who is also known as “The Phantom Menace”, this movie’s title.

[@smartalec2001]

The ending song during the victory parade, 'Augie's Great Municipal Band', is an upbeat, up-tempo, major-key version of 'The Emperor's Theme' from Return of the Jedi. Complete with a happy child chorus providing the vocals, instead of a sinister deep chorus. Just in case there was any doubt as to who's really winning, here.

[@joshuagaither4866]

Aight, little random fun fact, but one of Padme's hand maidens is actually Keira Knightly. 👀👀

[@jish55]

So fun fact, when Obi Wan and Maul were going 1 on 1, Lucas had to slow the recording down because he thought people wouldn't believe how fast the two actors were actually going.

[@multikody6481]

That's crazy that she figured out the decoy thing so early!

[@sawkman2092]

Crazy fact, the song that played in the parade at the end is a remix of Palpatine's theme from Return of the Jedi. Really comes full circle.

[@08zachattack]

The double for pad me was Keira Knightly. And another cool trivia is that Liam Neeson is an actual swordsmen as well as the bad guy in the next film. So they would actually have to hold back significantly while fighting.

[@Mark-d7s2g]

Two fun facts: Darth maul is played by ray park, who also played toad in the original X-Men movies and Samuel Jackson specifically requested his lightsaber be purple.

[@jacobhogan3208]

Watching this in theatres in may was so amazing.

[@alexanderren1097]

A lot of people were disappointed when this movie first came out but one thing we were NOT disappointed with was “Duel of the Fates” the music playing during that final duel against Darth Maul

[@Roach_Dogg_JR]

One cool detail about the pod race is that anakin’s pod is so much smaller than everyone else’s because he basically tied two engines to a seat with zero safety systems, and that’s why he is able to catch up after being so far behind. He is probably unknowing using the force to help him react faster than any normal human could.

[@Mansplainer2099-jy8ps]

_"He is probably unknowing using the force to help him react faster than any normal human could."_ Not probably, Qui-Gon tells us he does.

[@ShadowCatGambit]

After you've watched the movies, I encourage you to look up more about Qui Gon Jin, and why he is the best jedi in these original films. There's a short on KZbin that summarizes pretty well why he was a "true" jedi, especially against the jedi counsel. Ever notice that he never had a seat? He understood the force and the meaning of "jedi" better than anyone in this film, and he was able to trust in Anakin when no one else really could.