What Could Have Been: The Phantom Menace

Taking a look back at how The Phantom Menace might have ended up if not for these changes. ​​George Lucas’ original script for The Phantom Menace was very different, featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi as the primary protagonist for most of the film with Qui-Gon Jinn only appearing later as a supporting character. Find out what could have been for this iconic film and how it could have shaped the Star Wars franchise. Thanks for watching What Could Have Been!
⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:40 Absence of Qui-Gon Jinn
1:00 Starring Obi-Wan Kenobi
2:15 An Older Anakin Skywalker
2:54 Anakin Uses The Force
3:49 Flying With Padme Amidala
4:27 Jar Jar Binks is Not An Idiot
4:40 Gungan Discrimination
5:32 The Duel of the Fates
6:25 Victory Parade
6:53 Lawrence Kasdan's Absence Explained
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​​#starwars

[@TheLiamster]

I definitely think that the change of Anakin to be a teenager instead of a child should he’s been kept. It would make the character much better and also explain why he was “too old” to be trained as a Jedi

[@oliverhaake7552]

I said the exact same thing from the start. Think of an actor like young Edward Furlong playing Anakin. And he was about the right age at this time. What a missed opporunity!

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

@@oliverhaake7552 Furlong was 21 in 1999 and already drug addicted.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

George Lucas wanted to show that even Darth Vader was once an innocent naive boy loving his mom, that anyone can become evil.

[@oliverhaake7552]

@@user-xx6vy9ri8p The movie was shot in 1998 and when did the age stop an actor playing an older or younger character? I cannot say if Furlong was already in a bad state the years before, but I guess there could have been other actors around of the same capabilities as Furlong. And Furlong could play good persons as well. If I think of his character in T2 or even in American History X. He could play this type of character who has the possibility to be good or evil.

[@keitht24]

See this is the thing I can't stand about criticism of the prequels. Anakin being a kid doesn't hurt the story in any way. In fact almost none of the alternate versions I've seen fans come up with are better than George Lucas ideas. His overall story was good. The problem was his execution of that story. His dialogue & lazy directing style is the problem. A better director & a couple of screen writers would've cleaned up his dialogue & better directed the action, pacing & actors.

[@ThatGuyErazo]

I appreciate Qui Gon having more screen time and story around him, as well as Obi Wan being more of a reluctant older brother figure to Anakin. But the age gap between Padme and Anakin really is just too much, and a teenage Anakin would've been much more fitting. It also would've made the thought of him being too old to be a Padawan much more plausible.

[@jerryballstein]

I mean why even include the “too old” shtick again, it served no real purpose in the movie

[@Henry14arsenal2007]

Padme is supposed to be 14 in the movie (was 15 when cast, 16 by the time of shooting).

[@pyropulseIXXI]

How is a 5 year gap too much? That is nothing. 18 year old girls sleep with 30 year old men all the time. And the romance didn't even start until 10 years later, when Anakin was 19, so wtf are you even talking about? Oh no, a 24 year old woman is too old for a 19 year old male; are you smoking crack?

[@bluesaberproductions8991]

@@jerryballstein I think the idea was that he's already attached to his mother, and that would cause problems. The Jedi Council did sense this in TPM, and in AOTC he DID end up disobeying orders to go save his mother and (when he failed) he committing an atrocity in his anger.

[@ottomanpapyrus9365]

no shes not

[@StudioMod]

I always thought that having Anakin be this older kid, like 17 or so, would have made a great opportunity for romance between him and Padme, as he's this rugged, down to Earth, charming young mechanic who prefers living life in the moment. It also would have given his moonlighting as a racer a much stronger AKIRA-type vibe that would have really made him stand out as a lovable, roguish character. If he took care of his mother instead of her taking care of him, it would have cast his character in a much more interesting light come time for her to die. He would blame himself much more for leaving her to fend for herself and his rage would be more relatable later on...

[@ImVeryOriginal]

Congrats, you just put 10x as much thought and narrative chops into the story than Lucas ever did.

[@nigelstafford635]

Nice! Sounds good. Here’s me now wishing you wrote the script.

[@highlanderc]

No. Lucas wants the rage to be against the Jedi not himself.

[@Ruylopez778]

Except that one of the main themes in Star Wars is nature v nuture, and if Anakin was 17, he wouldn't have the same kind of dependence on his mother, and neither would we see how he needs a father figure (Qui-Gon) not an older brother. The time jump also means Anakin will have had time to train, Palpatine will have had time to make his clones, Shmi will have had time to have been freed. There's also an obvious deeper link in how Anakin and Padme contrast each other. Padme uses diplomacy and cooperation, while Anakin relies on his instincts and ability - which he had to as a slave boy. It means that Anakin relies on his power (and therefore ego) instead of negotiating or compromising. In AOTC, we see how Anakin is eager to distance himself from the slave boy Padme met, and the shame and inadequacy of his former life. Now both Anakin and Padme understand the burden of political/Jedi life, and stifling pressure. She is also indebted to him for how he risked his life (twice) for her gain, and then saved her from assassination. While she wants to establish a rebel alliance, he relies on his own intuition and own powers. The whole principle behind Star Wars is that people can choose to do good or ill. There are no bad people; every person has a line and two sides of themselves. Anakin was driven to the dark side because of his arrogance, greed, ego. Anakin was manipulated by a father figure, as Palpatine drove a wedge between him and the Jedi, who repeatedly undermined him. Anyone who wants Anakin to turn because of 'PTSD from the clone wars' or a love triangle, or guilt over his mother doesn't understand the saga. And anyone claiming your post is 'much better' hasn't bothered to actually think about the creative choices Lucas made. Having said that, you are entitled to your subjective opinion.

[@StudioMod]

@@Ruylopez778 That is literally the worst take I've ever read. You've essentially given an explanation for the plot, filled it with validations by appealing to random, disconnected things, then said it's "better" with a bow on it. It could have easily worked the other way without the ridiculous and forced subplots about a "father figure" which is debatable. Moreover, Obi Wan was more of a father figure, not Palpatine, so that's conjecture. And that was never the original intention anyways as they were "friends" according to Obi Wan in A New Hope. And your diatribe about the "contrast between Padme and Anakin"? Complete mumbo jumbo you pulled from your behind. And finally, "Nature Vs Nuture"? I mean, if you were writing a school project you could probably argue that it's there, but that's mostly projection from you. It's not The Wire, it's Starwars. You quite literally just said nothing of meaning and over exposed yourself as a mindless fanboy. Stay away from the pen 🖊️

[@4dmind]

What makes Darth Maul almost running Anakin over with the speeder so sinister is that you get the impression that he is so hateful that he simply does not care who the boy is, and that he is simply in his path, and that he is with his foe and therefore why not run him down.

[@MLife1000]

I agree ☝️ Ditto 💯

[@rickwilliams967]

That makes absolutely no sense with the movie. The whole point of having Maul attack Obi Wan and Qui Gon was to get Anakin to get trained to eventually be Palpatines new apprentice. Horrible writing.

[@MrBrianpdj]

@@rickwilliams967naw not at all, kill the child Mail knows Palpatine would replace him with. Mail would run over Anakin, killing him Obi-wan and Qui-gon. Then tell Palps “oops, seem the boy died due to the Jedi’s interference.” Palps … “what a pity”

[@and8091]

It's almost as if Darf Maul is a bad guy that does bad things.

[@DuoXCity]

Or maybe Anakin was just between Maul and Qui-Gon, and he didn't care? I dunno seems like it makes larger scenes less important by trying to make every little action have a hidden meaning.

[@bl3343]

Things I like about this previous draft... 1. Making Anakin older 2. Jar Jar 3. Anakin and Padme spending more time together 4. Anakin's actions being more deliberate Things I prefer about what we got... 1. The prophecy: I know it's a cliche, but the reason I think it works is that the Jedi's misinterpretation leads to their downfall. I like the complexity of the good guys being just as responsible for the Galaxy's fate as the bad guys. 2. The Gungun/Naboo relationship: I think it was smart of Lucas to keep that part of the story simpler as it is not supposed to be the focus. Also, this would have made Padme less likable which would make it difficult to relate to the love story (which ended up a problem anyways because of the age gap). 3. Maul: I get people wanting Maul to be more like the Clone Wars version, but I think what we got works best. The reason he is more talkative and developed in The Clone Wars is because he has spent so much time with nothing to think about but revenge. 4. Qui Gon: the more of this character, the better. It makes more sense for Obi Wan and Anakin to have the relationship we got given how it ties to Vader's resentment of Obi Wan.

[@NinjaFlibble]

5-6 years is really not that big an age gap between adults. And since that's when their romance starts, I don't think it's really so bad.

[@thegoodgeneral]

Why is the age gap between Anakin and Padme a problem? He's a 9 year-old boy who develops a crush on a 14 year-old girl. When they meet again and become lovers, he's 19 and she's 24.

[@brendancurtis7848]

An older version of anakin pulling off that hyperspace stunt would’ve been cool asf. Hearing how much cool shit got cut genuinely annoys me.

[@ricopena2053]

JJ Abrams must have read that script because Han Solo does that in episode 7.

[@pirateraider1708]

Just imagine this: When they pull that off, they plunge into the ocean, which saves them from a fatal crash. Then someone with them points out that if there was land beneath them, or if they were even half a nanosecond off, then they'd be dead right now. Then he whacks Obi-Wan and Anakin in the head, saying "Never! Do. That. AGAIN!"

[@swepsonrdable]

​ 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😢🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@waldotheranger3987]

@@ricopena2053 Yeah. It just makes a hell of a lot less sense

[@markharmon4963]

​@Pirate Raider Aye, things should never be TO easy for a beginner. An admonishing with a little hint of respect from a respected elder would have been just right.

[@TheChadTI]

Qui Gons part was expanded when Liam Neisan expressed interest. George rewrote it for him.

[@madgavin7568]

Just as well, because Qui-Gon was easily one of the best parts of the film.

[@TheChadTI]

@@madgavin7568 Agree.

[@Darth-Zannah]

Do you have a source for that?

[@davidjames579]

Qui Gon was supposed to be an old man, like Alec Guinness.

[@nicklarocco4178]

I think Maul having so few lines is part of his mystique. Like Boba Fett what made Maul so fascinating to viewers were the mysteries surrounding him. The original draft does sound a bit like a soft-reboot of A New Hope honestly. I'm glad Qui-Gon became a more major character, but the original space battle sounded way cooler.

[@grayfox6518]

He has less than 6 minutes of screen time only counting the films and he's a character that's stuck with me for more than two decades. Less can be so much more for certain characters because actions speak louder than words. Qui-Gon is also a character that's grown on me more as time has gone on.

[@cameleopard42]

Just because The Force Awakens was a soft reboot, doesn't mean you can throw that at any Star Wars thing you dislike without the slightest clue what it means.

[@damonappel]

Indeed. The idea of Anakin using the Force to come out of hyperspace... because Ben tells him to...is too much of a callback to Luke in the Death Star run.

[@jacksonelh]

why is it good that qui-gon was such a major character? the prequel trilogy at its core is supposed to be about anakin and obi-wan. why spend most of the first movie developing this character of qui-gon and his relationship with anakin when you could be spending time developing the relationship between OBI-WAN and anakin? and then they kill qui-gon off immediately. that is so weird to me.

[@grayfox6518]

@@jacksonelh I think George Lucas created Qui-Gon for the purpose of showing how hypocritical and stuck in their ways the Jedi Council were. He is an outlier Jedi who finds unorthodox ways of doing things, but still achieves results. While the Jedi were right about Anikan's immediate future, Qui-Gon was right in seeing the eventual potential of Anikan in destroying Sideous. Qui-Gon also shows us how arrogant Obi-Wan is at a younger age and how he was not prepared enough to train Anikan as his apprentice. Qui-Gon being killed off early was done by George to show that Anikan's training would not go well under Obi-wan's tutelage. I think had Qui-Gon trained Anikan, things would have gone much better because Qui-Gon is more patient than Obi-Wan and willing to listen without persecution. I suppose George could have done away with Qui-Gon as a character and we would have gotten what many people wanted in a more Obi-Wan focused movie, but I think that removes much of the depth that George added to Obi-Wan by making him a flawed character. In George's version we get an entirely new perspective and a new character to appreciate. I think people dislike Qui-Gon because it robs Obi-Wan of a standalone film and people's perceived identity of Obi-Wan which differs from how George perceives the entirety of Obi-Wan.

[@GamerFish234]

My problem with this script is that Qui-Gon is diminished as a character. He was by far the best thing about The Phantom Menace, and him being somewhat of a rogue among Knights really sets up the plotline of the Jedi being too caught up in their own power to see the real threat, ultimately causing their own undoing.

[@MacDarf]

Being the best part of a bad movie is way worse than being a meh part in a good movie.

[@GamerFish234]

@@MacDarf debatable. I still think that not only was he the best part of a bad movie, but he was genuinely a good character overall. Making him into a meh character would ruin his entire character, he’d be a pointless character with no purpose just to die. With what we got, we actually have a character worth a while.

[@GamerFish234]

@@t_hetty1758 I mean yes, but still. It’s conflicting.

[@secretsquirrel6718]

Best part was DARTH MUAL

[@ryleypalmer]

And the fact everything he keeps mentioning that would’ve been good are just events rehashed from episode 4.

[@ImCptnAwesome]

2:54 Anakin uses the Force to podrace, he just doesn't know it. Qui-Gonn said something like "he appears to have good reflexes because he can see things before they happen through the Force." I like that, it's subtle.

[@oldmate86]

Making Anakin older is the main thing that needed to happen and making Jar Jar purposefully capable instead of poor comedic relief.

[@chrism1503]

Jar Jar could still have been comical without being a moron. (Like Han Solo, for example.)

[@oldmate86]

exactly @@chrism1503

[@omorales81]

I’m so gratified to hear someone else talk about Anakin’s age. I’ve been screaming about it for 25 years: the romance with Padme doesn’t work in TPM. It works if he’s 13-15, a rebel without a cause, a risk taking grease monkey and thrill seeker… with elegant Padme as his counterbalance.

[@skywalkerorder2170]

There was no romance in The Phantom Menace, Anakin had a crush on Padme since Phantom Menace and when they get reunited 10 years later that's when the first hints of a romance starts, with Anakin being awkward yet bold in his first scene with Padme. Anakin and Padme were simply just friends in Phantom Menace.

[@omorales81]

@@skywalkerorder2170 Now think about how much more compelling it would’ve been to explore that romance going back to TPM. Something irresistible for both characters that are raging with teenage emotions.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

@@omorales81 19 and 25 is still that age.

[@MrInsaneA]

@@omorales81 not that compelling. much more compelling to have a young child be taken away from his mother and develop freudian and jungian complexes because of this, and then having the relationship with padme exacerbate that...leading to vader. your version is just a reskin of han and leia. with anakin it goes much deeper.

[@Thvndar]

The got together when he was 19 and she was ~31 , that's not exactly unheard of, just look at Achraf Hakimi

[@ImCptnAwesome]

I like the Phantom Menace we got better. Fun fact: Benicio del Toro was cast as Maul, but dropped out when Lucas cut most of Maul's dialogue. But I love how Ray Park did the character, just this demon who barely speaks and moves like a ninja. The duel with Maul is fantastic.

[@CyBromancer7562]

I like a lot of what was going on here. I would definitely keep Qui-Gon In a bunch of the film, making his death more impactful, and the lessons he taught obi-wan and pass down to anakin. It would have been nice to see more chemistry between anakin and padme, who I think should have been more closely aged together, and interactions between anakin and obi-wan. Also, more Darth Maul lines would have been great, as in the clone wars and other media he doesn't act like this silent assassin. Also, Jar Jar binks being a funny but not annoying charfacter with real traits of seriousness and courage when needed would obviously have been a well-liked character by me. As for the medi-chlorians and backstory of the force, I am mixed about that, I wouldn't care if they made it more scientific or mystical overall, though I guess the latter if a jedi was describing it. Anakin being a more confident character during the battle scenes and who can prove his force powers in other ways would also show people his potential and not just an annoying kid.

[@antonbrereton2692]

Agreed on Darth-Maul and Jar-Jar and especially on keeping Qui-Gon to maximize the impact of his death. I think keeping Obi-Wan as a younger padawan also would allow for a potential attraction between him and Padme, which could give a more Camelot-type tension that contributes to Anakin's eventual downfall. I think it would also have been an interesting point if, either in the pod-race and/or in the final battle, Anakin demonstrates his Force powers, but in a frightening way (like crashing someone else's pod). So, he saves the day, but the concern is that he will be hideously dangerous if left to his own devices. Can't get on board with the midichlorians, though. Ugh...

[@a.wenger3964]

Why Lucas insisted on people seeing a kid Darth Vader is beyond me. Probably wanted to sell more toys or something. The character's humanity could have been set up so much better with a teen/young adult actor.

[@nathonso_edits]

Does sound a little better, but tbh I like that Obi Wan is more of a brother figure and kind of has training Anakin forced on him, makes it so that Qui Gon was the mentor Anakin needed but didn't get, it also makes the end of revenge of sith more painful with the 'you were like a brother Anakin, I loved you' the bond between brothers I would argue is stronger than father/son relationships

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

A bond between brothers is stronger? It honestly depends on the father, son, brother, no?

[@MrSpitfire06]

@@user-vi4xy1jw7e Brothers bond allows to have a more equal bond between them than a mentor figure, so it creates a unique thing in the Jedi ranks, because even Obi-Wan sees Anakin as its equals, he do not feels above him, despite being his master at some point. This also creates a better point of divergence between the two, because two brothers can be really different, it doesn't imply a path to follow instructed by the mentor, and it allows for a better dichotomy in the OT, because now that the brother bond is broken, all of what is left, is only ressentment between the two and that's where the master-pupil bond is exagerated between the two. It's kind of like when a friendship is broken and you only see the most caricatural thing to then represent it. So overall, I think it's better that Obi-Wan was more of a big brother than a mentor.

[@davidpowell9218]

The change from Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon as the mentor who discovered Anakin worked better for the story. However, it also created a plot hole in Return of the Jedi that once again made Obi-Wan less than truthful about how things played out. He told Luke that he discovered Anakin and was amazed how strongly the force was with him, and then took it upon himself to train him as a jedi. The original script is in keeping with this account. The change made that whole scene in ROTJ as awkward as "Vader betrayed and murdered your father." Also, with Qui-Gon as Obi-Wan's mentor, clearly Yoda was not "the Jedi master who instructed" him, as he told Luke in The Empire Strikes Back.

[@jonathancampbell5231]

@@davidpowell9218 ObiWan never says that he was the one to discover Anakin in RotJ.

[@davidpowell9218]

@@jonathancampbell5231 "When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot. I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong." Not exactly the story we got in The Phantom Menace, is it?

[@ethanmagdaleno5332]

Minus making obi wan older and taking qui gon out, that first draft sounds pretty great

[@Chris-ni2pc]

That draft of the story sounds really good

[@navyreviewer]

I want to see the version showing Maul walking back to his ship on Tatooine, in his black robes, after flipping off his bike to fight Qui-gon. Didnt notice the bike kept going and wasnt seen in the over head shot did you? Yeah, he definitely had to walk home. 😅

[@jedironin380]

One would hope that the speeder bike would have stopped automatically when the rider came off, much like motorcycles (eventually) and jet skis do now.

[@codyflynn7864]

Its hard for me to admit this because The Phantom Menace is so near and dear to my heart...but I agree. Especially about The bit about Anakin being older. Makes sense. I love Qui Gon (favorite jedi) that would be my only complaint about seeing less of him in the concept film.

[@madgavin7568]

If there's one thing George Lucas did correctly in TPM, its rewriting Qui-Gon to have a much more prominent place in the film courtesy of Liam Neeson.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

The reason we didn't see the Clone War through all trilogy is because life of heroes didn't depend on it and it wasn't war for their survival as in OT, it was polotical game controlled by Palpatine from both sides. Separatists were destined to lose and Republic - take over whole Galaxy to become Empire, the ultimate purpose of the clone army was to eliminate the Jedi. Therefore only important parts were the setup for the war, how it started and how it ended.

[@Timelord2001]

I think you're right about pretty much everything, and that Lawrence Kasdan should've been contacted much earlier, so he'd have been willing to do it.

[@skylerwilson5378]

Would’ve preferred a mix of the two

[@donwyoming1936]

Jedi Knight Obi-Wan & teenage Anakin was what many of us expected. There had to been a love triangle for the plot to actually work, whether it be Obi-Wan or Bail Organa.

[@TheMonkeyThatDoesYourJobBetter]

Even with this alternative script, this wasn't really the story I envisioned back in the day. It was said that Obi-Wan was trained by Yoda, and that Obi-Wan and Anakin were both war buddies. When Obi-Wan described Anakin as, "the best star pilot in the galaxy", I wasn't envisioning a dorky little kid who was a former pod racer. I was envisioning a very prestigious pilot who happened to meet Obi-Wan in the middle of this crazy war. Obi-Wan senses that he's strong in the force, and took it upon himself to train him in the Jedi arts. Then in some form or fashion Anakin becomes drunk with power, and logically turns evil. Also every time I watch the original trilogy versus the prequels... I see Darth Vader from the original trilogy and Anakin Skywalker from the prequels as two completely different characters. Literally the actors Jake Llyod, or Hayden Christensen doesn't come into my mind when I'm watching Darth Vader in the original trilogy.

[@ewanbrydon4050]

My 'head canon' version of this was always almost identical to what you've described. It made sense to me. I still think it makes more sense than what we got, which is a large part of why I've always had trouble accepting the prequels. I just can't see the characters in the prequels as being the same people (in-universe, obviously) as the same characters in the original films.

[@TheMonkeyThatDoesYourJobBetter]

@@ewanbrydon4050 Right, and just a disclaimer I respect the fans who enjoyed the prequels. I also appreciate some cultural phenomenon that it brought. But I personally wasn’t too impressed with the how they handled the back story of Darth Vader.

[@grif3820]

Same here, it's so difficult to see Anakin and Darth Vader as the same character for me too. Just takes some suspension of disbelief I guess.

[@onemoreminute0543]

But it's still all true... ...from a certain point of view. And with Darth Vader and Anakin being two completely separate entities... that's kinda the point.

[@poocrayon4588]

Yeah the whole chosen one story line was totally uneeded. Even though I enjoyed the prequels they never really showed Anakin with enough gravitas to make it seem like he turned into darth vader of the OT.

[@davidgeisler9885]

I’ve always felt anakin should have been older in TPM. Closer in age to Padme to support their future romance and older to make him flying a fighter more realistic. And I too don’t like the accidental way Anakin destroys the control ship and that the battle droids stop working without the control ship

[@mrillis9259]

He should have been a teenager because now the he's too old as an 8 year old is weird that the Jedi only take babies.

[@Golfstar17]

Or have padme as a child queen. Leave her diplomacy for part 2, when her and Anakin are teens. Have her as a helpless child, with diplomacy done by, say, and aunt or uncle.

[@davidgeisler9885]

@@Golfstar17 yes but in a modern sophisticated society like Naboo is presented as a child queen seems ridiculous

[@chrism1503]

He didn’t even need to be that much older. Couple of years. 12 instead of nine would have been enough (Padme was 14).

[@urfaes6878]

If you had read Terry Brooks' novelization, it would've been a bit closer to what you want. For example, Anakin destroying the command ship was the first instance he realized the command ship reactors are that way. On screen, poorly handled. Novelized? Anakin, literally, finally touches the Force and was like, "Oh..." and allowed the Force to guide him, aka, your Skywalker moment.

[@JosephWolfson]

Padmé and Anakin taking down the blockade would be awesome! It would add so much!

[@Darthsmoothie]

I remember being worried in the mid-90's by some of the things George Lucas said about the upcoming prequel trilogy. Someone asked him if he felt boxed in by having already made so many statements about the past and he said that he didn't because he didn't necessarily have to interpret those statements the way that he had meant them before. It turns out that my worst fears have been realized. Though I had a good time with TPM for a while and still "like" it, I am overall greatly disappointed by it. Most of that for me is because it forever changed (and I think ruined) the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin. In Obi-Wan's statements to Luke he says that HE was the one to discover Anakin and that HE had been the one blown away by him and that HE wanted to train him. TPM flipped ALL this so that Obi-Wan didn't want anything to do with him and really only took him on because his dying master asked him to and he had given his word. I like Qui--Gon as a character but his being shoehorned in there ruined it all. I think the story is much better with Obi-Wan and Anakin becoming best friends at the beginning rather than it being more like step brothers who were forced together against both their wishes. We see no bonding between the two, then in AOTC their relationship is nothing but strained. We see them be buddies for 20 minutes in the beginning of ROTS and then they're back to being at odds with each other. Yes, we have The Clone Wars but movies should not need supplemental material. Also, Obi-Wan's regret in ANH would have been that much better because it wasn't that his master asked him to do it but that HE took the task on. His statement almost implies a situation where Obi-Wan, as a Jedi, apparently had a choice but may have been advised to pass Anakin on to a more seasoned master to train. It kind of puts a little bit of brashness and pride to Obi-Wan's younger self, which is commensurate with his statement to Yoda "Was I any different when you taught me?" to Yoda's statements about Luke being reckless. We never really saw the reckless Obi-Wan, and, of course, Qui-Gon's inclusion also changed the dynamic between Obi-Wan and Yoda, who was clearly the original master of Obi-Wan instead of simply being the Jedi Kindergarten teacher. Not that I'm a good writer (I had wanted to be for a while) but I've written out some rough drafts of what I thought I had wanted to see in the prequels and I hate to say it and I know they would need TONS of work, but I like my ideas better (though they were really just flesh-outs of Lucas' pre-supplied backstory). I guarantee that Star Wars is WAY too important to me as a 50 year old father of 4 (I was at the theater at 4 years old in '77) but this makes me very sad. If I ever own Disney's successor and buy the rights to Star Wars, I'm doing another canon flush and only the original three will remain with everything else being redone. If anybody doesn't like that, well...I"m sure you don't have anything to worry about :)

[@ash9280]

Obi-Wan is definitely reckless in the prequels. Case in point, the scene where he jumps out the window to grab that droid that was killing to kill Padme. Obi-Wan does this because he wants to one-up Anakin. Hinted in a conversation that they had before. OBI-WAN It's too risky... and your senses aren't that attuned, young apprentice. ANAKIN And yours are? OBI-WAN Possibly.

[@jaydenc367]

Obi Wan never said he discovered Anakin though and he was blown away by Anakins Midichlorians count and he eventually did want to train him. So no TPM did not flip any of that. Qui-Gon was not shoehorned in and it did not ruin anything. Nah it is better the way it is and they were not forced together they both agreed on it. Yes we do with some scenes on Tatooine and Naboo with them talking and interacting with each other. No it is not strained. Not really they are mostly good friends until Anakin turns to the dark side. And the prequels do not need it The Clone Wars just makes it better. Well he still did take the task on himself so it is good enough as is. We did actually, he did act impatient at times in Episode 1 and he got reckless fighting Maul after he killed Qui-Gon Jinn, he was also reckless in Episode 2 during the scene where he jumps out the window to grab that droid that was trying to kill Padme. Not really as Yoda still taught Obi Wan at some point as the Jedi kindergarten teacher and it was not even clear that Yoda was the original master of Obi-Wan as Obi-Wan never even called Yoda his master or main teacher.

[@onemoreminute0543]

In ANH, Obi-Wan also said to Luke that there was a student of his named Darth Vader who betrayed and murdered Luke's dad... Obi-Wan was already an unreliable narrator from the start.

[@thecrokodial2224]

​@@onemoreminute0543I chalk that up to metaphor, with the 'Darth Vader' he talks about being the dark side in Anakin, eventually overthrowing the good in him, or 'killing' him.

[@poocrayon4588]

The whole chosen one bit fucked up the relationship for me as well. Anakin should have just been a really talented Jedi who Palpatine got to. Anyways, I'm just glad I got to see Star Wars as a kid before any prequels or god forbid, Disney crap ruined a lot of the mystique.

[@jef_3006]

A lot of those would have been better unchanged, but Qui-Gon's bigger role, and Padme's role in the finale, are much better in the final version, I think, and that's enough for me to say I'm happier with the movie we got. The finale of Phantom Menace is the only time we really get to see Padme leading her people, and the fact that she has her own mission, with it's own challenges, and is able to overcome them, adds a lot more weight to claims of her competence. And I think she NEEDS to get that in Episode 1, because there weren't many opportunities for it in 2 or 3. Having her spend the finale piggybacking with Anakin would have made her feel a bit too close to being a damsel, to me.

[@dorianleakey]

This doesn't make sense to me, she would have fired the guns that ended the threat to her planet.

[@vivideevee23]

-9 year old accidentally blows up an entire control center- 15 y/o blows up control center with the help of Padme and squadron during a well coordinated attack.

[@a.p.entertainment8660]

Thanks for the breakdown. With you, I think having Qui-Gon as the father figure and being ripped away from Anakin in the "Duel of the Fates" - leaving him with the older brother relationship with Obi-Wan is far more effective for Anakin's turn. The Duel of the Fates fight is simply epic. I don't think showing them using the force more would have made it better. We needed to see PRIME Jedi/Sith go at it with the saber combat. I think having the Queen of Naboo go into a space fight with a random teenager from Tatooine would have been laughable. I do agree that he should have been 5 years older, and the love triangle would have added to the drama of the turn in Ep 3.

[@randomflagg7331]

I think Lucas second guessing himself was a hint of his sensitive nature. Hes not the super confident person many believe him to be, his first draft was more acceptable but once he started trimming pieces its like he was running away from himself.

[@madgavin7568]

There were some changes Lucas made for the better though. Making Qui-Gon more prominent, making Maul more mysterious and having Obi-Wan as the reluctant mentor were the right decisions. I will admit the original script was overall better, its just with the aforementioned changes I mentioned TPM would have been an even better film. However making Padme prejudiced against a Jar-Jar who is actually heroic and not a bumbling fool would make her a bit unlikable as a character. The Midichlorians will always be controversial addition as some fans hate the concept while others like it.

[@drlca6601]

I don't hate midichlorians, but god damn, they are dumb from a storytelling/aestheic/worldbuilding point of view. The Force, IMO, works much better as space magic than something to do with particles in one's bloodstream. Obi Wan's description in Ep. IV pretty much sums it up and need no further explanation. Even so, I just ignore them, as its only really mentioned briefly in the film and never brought up again afaik, and for good reason.@@madgavin7568

[@dorianleakey]

​@@madgavin7568they could have had something a bit in between with Padme. If she doesnt value the Gungan then does at the end, without being a massive overt racist it would work well. Liam Neeson may be the only reason we like Qui Gon, if someone else does the interesting stuff he did, it would matter less if he was a small part

[@nathanlloyd2651]

Would love to see you do a video for each movie!! Great content 😁

[@hemaccabe4292]

The biggest mistake with Phantom Menace was that they didn't have Hayden instead of the little kid. The scene in the shop could have been hot young attraction instead of cringe crush. The highlight of the movie, the podrace, comes off as an amusement park ride instead of Darth Vader earning his spurs in a vicious, deadly Ben Hur like race which in turn would have explained better why the Jedi Council was leary of this kid. The climax on the Trade Federation ship would have seemed heroic, not stupid.

[@travismiddleton8218]

Hey man great video. Just found your channel. Keep doing those what could have been movie scripts. They're so interesting to hear :)

[@robertbeckman2054]

I agree with your assessment. It pains me to think of what we got instead. It hurts, growing up seeing the original trilogy in the theaters, only to wait 15/30 years to get the prequels/sequels that we got. Damn.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Are those Chelsea boots?

[@Allbr3x]

Anakin being older/more refined and JarJar less a clown would have been a welcome addition. Everything else I really have 0 issues with.

[@M567dk]

Honestly, this was a way better script than what we originally got. Still I rather have the Qui Gon having more screen time with an older Anakin than a kid Anakin. With Anakin Older in this version of the story, then it would have save time, Truma and money towards the original kid. Also I am so in for a more heroic Jar Jar in this script.

[@William-the-Guy]

Anakin should have been a teenager if for no other reason than to have the same actor play him in all 3 movies. But making Obi Wan into his older brother figure who was not ready to be a mentor was a great change. That made it fit with the original trilogy when Obi Wan expressed regret over his failure with Anakin, that made Obi-Wan mentoring Luke into his second chace, not that he IS ready. Havign Padme and Anakin work as a team in the lat battle would have been much better, it would have made them having a close relationship much more plausible.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

TPM shows why Anakin is so important, his strong attachment to his mom, why Obi-Wan wasn't right teacher to him, why he hates Tatooine, Jedi rules, Palpatine becoming chancellor, world building, etc...And of course, podracing and Darth Maul.

[@alih122]

You get it! Most of the other clowns don’t

[@johnhoran9840]

@@alih122 I'd agree with you guys if Jar-Jar had his IQ bumped up by about 25%.

[@xenofett7008]

This early draft sounds a hell of a lot better and more consistent then what ended up on screen. Gary Kurtz presence would have been a huge help here too. George's first instincts were the better ones. I always felt Obi-Wan should have discovered Anakin and Anakin should have been around 15 in Episode 1. Oh and I agree, the moisture farmer look to the Jedi bugged me as well.

[@russellharrell2747]

Yeah the first draft sounds much better than what we got. I love Liam Neeson but Qui Gon was an unnecessary addition.

[@wjtowers]

Gary Kurtz and Lawrence Kasdan were the perfect grounding to George’s big ideas

[@poocrayon4588]

Right I mean Obi Wan is meant to be hiding yet he's dressed as a Jedi? and a Jedi also looks exactly like the farmers of a remote planet that Obi Wan ends up on?

[@johnaraya3761]

would have loved to have seen this version

[@sashapatsel7170]

I'm so glad we got the version we did. Never thought I'd hear someone say "man, I wish we got less Qui Gon" 🤦‍♂

[@jdleviathan6319]

I’d love to see a little scene where Darth Vader and darth maul are fighting and Vader just shouts “this is for trying to run me over as a kid”

[@gunstargizmo]

It would've been awesome to give Maul more dialogue, but the problem is that Ray Park isn't an actor so his lines were kept to a minimum and the lines that Ray did speak were dubbed. There weren't many martial artists who could fit what Lucas wanted with the character and even fewer who could actually play the part.

[@rayphoenix7296]

Coming from someone that likes the version of Episode I that we got, I actually like this version of the script more. It is more similar to the original trilogy and it does an awesome job at painting a picture of what Obi-Wan was like prior to the events of the original trilogy.

[@jadehathaway4336]

The final version we got Wasn't so bad and it's still awesome and great to this day just like the other two

[@JohnnyOmnia79]

This is incredibly interesting. It's got a lot of the points I've made over the years regarding ep 1. I think this would have been an overall better movie. Maybe add a little more Qui-Gon. Somewhere in between what we got and what you described was in the first draft. Since George is such a fan of editing his own work. Once Disney has finally finished tanking the brand, maybe he can buy it back at a discount and make the; STAR WARS PREQUELS "SPECIAL EDITIONS". And not totally eff them up this time around.

[@sylviamontaez3889]

that would result in a lot of recons tho

[@a.wenger3964]

Disney already made back all the money they bought star wars for, so it's probably never going to get sold.

[@JohnnyOmnia79]

@Syliva, OK. So? I think we're all pretty used to retcons and changes in what's cannon and what's not at this point. It would all be worth it to have a GOOD version of the prequels.

[@JohnnyOmnia79]

@A W, I'd like to see those numbers. If they've made so much money off of Star Wars, why are they so scared to do more movies and only churning out TV shows now? TV shows which, with the exception of Mandalorian, have also not been well received. And at the point it seems Mandalorian is also on the decline. From what I've seen/read, b/t Marvel and Star Wars flops and the legal battles in FL, Disney is not in its best spot financially. They might not be quite ready to sell yet but never discount what could happen down the road if they can't right the ship soon.

[@JohnnyOmnia79]

Also, also. Who wouldn't want to be able to scrap the new sequel trilogy in favor of Heir to the Empire / Thrawn Trilogy. Honestly at this point no one would really care if they recast Mark, Harrison and Carrie. As long as they found ppl who were close enough, (Sebastian Stan, cough, cough) it would be a vast improvement over the trash that is the sequel trilogy.

[@jameswarner5878]

The story I came up with when I was a kid was that Anakin was Obiwans ilot because Obiwan isn't a pilot. He senses how strong Anakin is and decides to train him.

[@RichYan33]

I heard as early as 1978 that there was a love triangle between Obi Wan and Anakain and Padme in the unmade first three chapters. That was the thing that would turn Anakin to the dark side.

[@idiot_city5244]

Padme wasn't even a thought back in 78 lol...

[@DenverStarkey]

anakin and padme were NOT that far apart in age as you suggest , just their actors were. anakin is 10 and padme is 12 in the story. that's not much diference, but it is a reversal of the woman usually being younger than the guy. now as for the actor's ages , i believe natalie portman was 15-16 while filming the first movie and she turned 17 when the movie hit box office. while Jake lloyd was actually 10.

[@AmosDohms]

I had thought it was 9 to 14, but either way it's not as big as most people seem to think.

[@XanthosAcanthus]

K, this is way better. They should have kept all of this, but keep the earlier use of qui-gon to keep the reluctant master aspect. I think obi-wan should still have been a knight. It's not uncommon for two knights who were formerly master and padawan to be sent on important missions together as we see in the clone wars. Someone should write a what if novel to flesh this out. As long as the overall story, themes, and ideas are maintained, i wouldn't mind seeing the more complex ideas he originally had explored to see how that would have looked. I think I understand why he changed some of this stuff. He most likely did it simply to streamline it to make it more suitable for younger audiences. To me, George will always be a genius, but sometimes he gets in his own way or maybe he just doubts himself.

[@billwales4861]

It seemed that the Obi-Wan vs Maul fight was more interesting in original version. Obi-Wan, hanging by his fingernails, certainly didn't think Maul had the "high ground" so it would be useless to try !

[@IanZainea1990]

1:13 I've heard this criticism before. But looking at it from another point of view. It can show how little regard for life Maul has. He's so focus on catching the Jedi to attack them that he doesn't care who gets hurt along the way

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

💯

[@frankm9529]

Lol "Padme has a crush on Obi Wan" I knew the revenge of the middle management was canon

[@chadbane167]

imo it's quite a mixed bag, with Anakin being a little older (not too much so as to keep him as the somewhat reckless young adult he was in the next movies) that could make his relation with Padme more comfortable and relatable, and that added with them both in the N1 starfighter could make for some way better development than what we ever got in the prequels. But as for the love triangle i honestly think that's a horrible idea with Obi Wan's general (yes ik about Satine lol) respect for the Jedi way, and also just the fact that he's so much older than Ani and her. I'm also not a fan of Qui Gonn's potential scarcity since he was already not in the story for very long and his death would be even less dramatic. Anyway if anyone bothered to read all this just remember it's my opinion and i respect yours.

[@dannyneufeld8846]

"Obi-Wans respect for the jedi way" He literally attacks unsuspecting people from behind without warning and goes on reckless adventures to save people he's built an attachment to. He doesn't respect the code any more than Anakin does.

[@chadbane167]

@@dannyneufeld8846 i said general for a reason, and can you tell me about the events ur referring to bc i dont remember such things

[@dannyneufeld8846]

@@chadbane167 so, first he linges at an unsuspecting General Grievous who has his back turned to strike him with his lightsaber, in the battle of Saleucami in TCW, he does it again in the Obi-Wan show, where Darth Vader doesn't even have his blade out. He goes on the reckless adventure to save Satine from Darth Maul in season 5 of TCW, because he loves her, despite the Jedi council not supporting this decision, he even said that he would have left the jedi order for her. This doesn't sound like respect to me.

[@chadbane167]

@@dannyneufeld8846 now that I think about it you're right lol, but I still think the idea of a love triangle between them is a terrible one, for one thing because of his age and also the fact that he doesn't seem the type to damage relations with Ani over love

[@dannyneufeld8846]

@@chadbane167 yeah, you're right about that

[@keithaguilar1354]

16 to 18 year old Anakin. Obiwan is a full fledged Jedi paired with an older Jedi Master due to the seriousness of the issue at hand. Obiwan and Qui-Gon could have both been trained by Yoda with Obiwan being his most recent protégé. Everything would have matched up with the original films. CP-3O could have been a Naboo droid in the palace thus his quirky protocol personality.

[@thecanilianempirelopsidedt3893]

I feel like alot of the changes came when the idea was put onto a table in front of a team. Of course when multiple people are involved- there are two ways to go about it. 1.) Simply say, "This is my script so either get on board or get out." Or 2.) Too many additional ideas being included which requires original material to be cut out.

[@aresnir2725]

That description of early version of fight with Maul really reminded me of the same level in Lego Star Wars video game, when we also fight with droids and Maul throws objects at us.

[@MrRodro3000]

I love this rough draft version, I have been arguing all of these changes, (age gap, teenage Anakin, more aggressive plot) for the past 25 years with other Star Wars fans. Small details in storylines have huge effects on movies. Something as simple as changing all the Jedi outfits from brown to black would have completely changed the tone of the movie. I think George Lucas was to focused on making a movie for his kids and selling merchandise which led to him giving a G-Rated movie.

[@BabyPowderedDiaperBoy]

I DEFINITELY prefer the rough draft of the script as opposed to what we ended up getting in the end for the movie. I feel like the one that Lucas initially wrote was far better in terms of storytelling and character development, and was a good jumping-off point for the prequels.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Agreed!

[@Jasandiz]

The addition of Qui-Gon must be the best change. I loved the character and dynamics he allows... but if you think regarding how to construct a plot, Qui-Gon IS now the protagonist of Episode I. He is the only character you follow through the entire film. And that is not supposed to happen in a film with the hero monomyth. You should follow Anakin and Obi as in the first script or, at least, Anakin. In Star Wars you can argue Leia is also a protagonist, but even if you consider Luke the sole protagonist, you got him introduced in the film pretty earlier than Anakin in E1. We owe this to Marcia Lucas, then George's wife and one of the best editors in film History, who removed a lot of filler to allow the protagonist to be introduce sooner. Episode 1 sometime lack of this coherence, althoug is a funny film with a lot of original lore (much more than the sequels). The rest only other change I would get was removing the Padme-Jar Jar dynamics. I understand it makes the alliance with the Gungans more powerful in terms of impact, but also, you are making the lead female a racist and no one likes that

[@Elemental_Entity]

Dude, I am lovin your content. Subd.

[@Schnyger]

On one hand, I think it's a shame Kasden didn't take a swing at the script. On the other hand, from my understanding, it was Kasden that removed virtually all of the world-building and context from The Force Awakens. So who knows.

[@licowumaccabee7789]

It may have come down to those removed as regurgitated to the original Trilogy especially now Knowing how Kennedy moved so wickedly behind scenes concerning everything from George etc..

[@MauricioGonzalezFilms]

Young Anankin not showing "jedi skills" in Ep1? The boy could maneuver and pilot like a pro, as easily as he could blink and fearless. That was his force skill he could sense his way. Han Solo in the Falcon shooting him off of Luke during Death Star battle at the end of Ep4, he's shocked he didn't sense it coming.

[@3AMREVIEWS]

I heard about jar jar being the big baddie for this trilogy, but it got changed because everyone hated him

[@justthereed5593]

This… is just so much better than the movie we got. Unbelievable.

[@quigonjoe4245]

Definitely should’ve mixed the two scripts together

[@AdrenalineConcept]

Georgey boy missed a trick big time which really screwed up Star Wars, although Disney has taken it to new lows never thought imaginable. There was little to connect with the characters in Episode I, so come Episode II there was little care already - then suddenly we're 10 years forward or something. Had it started with Anakin being older and not going so deep into a back story would have been a wiser move. George was too busy marketing CGI, than valuing Star Wars to pass onto a new generation.

[@thegoodreylo4749]

Imagine thinking Disney is doing worse than Lucas

[@arytaco5380]

@@thegoodreylo4749 Corporation over art? Yeah, I’ll take the latter any day.

[@thegoodreylo4749]

@@arytaco5380 This ain’t art. It’s a mess.

[@joncarroll2040]

I honestly think the bigger issue is not Anakin's age but the fact that Natalie Portman does not come off as a 14 year old (she was around 16 at the time of filming). Two years is a big difference when you're talking about the early teens and you could be forgiven for thinking Padme is alot older than she's supposed to be. It really undercuts not just the Anakin Padme romance, but also how out of her depth Padme is really supposed to be in the story and the surprise when she turns it around at the end of the story. I think younger Anakin really works for what they were going for, showing the character at his most innocent and optimistic...something you wouldn't have gotten with a thirteen or fourteen year old. Beyond that though the prequels really suffer from too much happening off screen. There was a lot more narrative ground to cover than three films could really do justice to. Its not a coincidence that the prequels were re-appraised by fans after Clone Wars came out and added the additional context that the theatrical experience was missing.

[@ayaankhan-eh1xy]

2 years isnt really a big difference after 14

[@5BBassist4Christ]

I like the concept of Anakin and Obi Wan being older, but you can't recast Ewan McGragor. Beyond that, Qui-Gon is too great to be reduced, and Darth-Maul is best as a silent assassin type.

[@multikody6481]

I am someone who really likes the Phantom Menace, but there are definitely some cool things in this original script that I like better than what we got. Stuff like how the gungans are portrayed, Anakin actually using the force, and Anakin and Padme working together during the Battle of Naboo are really interesting and should've been in the actual movie. I also like how Obi-Wan is the lead character in this version, especially seeing as how he doesn't do much in the final version. Only downside is that we don't get as much time with Qui-Gon, making his death less impactful.

[@madgavin7568]

Lucas did make the right decision by making Qui-Gon have a prominent presence as he was an interesting character.

[@Noob_Guy2k]

Another great video onfg man ur awesome

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Thanks again!

[@SteveMerlo]

I honestly believe that if Lucas truly wanted to capture the spirit of the original trilogy he should have done the prequels right after he finished Return of the Jedi. His ideas were fresh at that time and would have worked much better.

[@hyperboreen4854]

Cool story but the FX tech was lacking for what he wanted to show.

[@somebuddyX]

I definitely think this version sounds better. I always felt like something was missing from the released version and now I know why.

[@alexplorer]

It seems trivial, but if I had to point to a single decision that sent the entire prequels down the path they took, it would be the Jedi robes. You touched on it early in this video. Why are knights dressed like monks? The inspiration for Star Wars and its entire purpose was to re-create the space opera adventures of the Flash Gordon serials and others from that era. I always imagined the prequel heroes to have similar costumes: Something sleek and retro-futuristic. You see some of that in Ralph McQuarrie's early artwork for the original film, but you can also find it in the conceptual designs for the prequels. However, once Lucas settles on Jedi in robes, everything about the Jedi shifts and the gears start to grind in an audience full of cognitive dissonance about what they're seeing: Are Jedi knights or monks? They can't fight in their robes, so they have to cast them onto the and awkwardly collect them between scenes. Monks can't have romantic relationships, so there's a weird asexual chemistry of saving the princess and not getting a kiss (unlike the Luke/Leia exchange or the flirtation with Han), and then we're supposed to believe somehow Anakin is able to slip away from an order of mind-reading monks to sleep with the queen every night? And when she gets pregnant no one even suspects Anakin? The monk version of the Jedi caused so many problems for the prequels, and it really feels like it can all be traced back to the costume altering the role rather than underscoring the idea that they are Jedi KNIGHTS. (Note that the Clone Wars cartoons often appended armor to the cinematic costumes. No one saw the Jedi as proper knights, and subsequent creators retroactively modified the costume to correct for the mistake Lucas made.)

[@EbonyManta]

Saving the princess and then not actually having a sexual relationship comes more from knighthood than monkhood, actually. One of the ideals of chivalry was a dedication to a lady, for whom the knight quests and serves and has a theoretically platonic relationship with it. People being people, that wasn't always the case of course, most famously in the case of Lancelot and Guinevere. Honestly, Anakin's love for Padme leading him to ruin sounds like something straight from an old chivalric romance/tragedy.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

I like the fact that they're monks. I have no cognitive dissonance over it. Lol

[@poocrayon4588]

Yeah I always expected Jedi's to dress normal or like Luke in RotJ. I assumed Obi Wan was wearing that big ass dirty robe in Star Wars because he was trying to look like a hobo and blend in with the farmers. Why wear his standard Jedi costume if he's trying to hide?

[@cbake5641]

I will never understand the critiques of Episode 1, it is a great film. It's like poetry, it rhymes.

[@Bulletsandblockbusters]

Haha I can’t tell if you’re joking

[@craigbrison4241]

This is so much better than what we got. The things that happen when you surround yourself with people that won't say no.

[@mikekelley2877]

Midi Chloriens were actually part of the original concepts of the force in the 70's, I don't know why Lucas waited 20 years to introduce them, but they were there in the beginning; also, making Anakin as young as we got, helped make the separation from his mother, all the more difficult for him.

[@Bullshirt1983]

Lucas is a master plot writer, apart from the script and delivery, every idea in the trilogy is fascinating. He should have had someone else write the script and direct.

[@craigbrison4241]

He should've hired someone to tell him no and stop. As soon as empire exploded and he got divorced he became a narcissist.

[@chrism1503]

Everything isn’t narcissism.

[@cszmax]

I always thought as a kid way before the prequels came out that moisture farmer Owen was a Jedi in hiding hence why he was wearing the robes. There could’ve been a great dynamic between he and his half brother Anakin like that of Luke and Han Solo. Imagine if they both were students of Obi Wan?

[@houseofthesupermen377]

That would've been cool, but made Owen's death in A New Hope kinda weird.

[@briansilva3344]

Plus there was speculation about Owen and Ben being brothers.

[@robertodell9193]

I always assumed that was just standard male attire throughout the galaxy, like a jump suit or a business suit.

[@tmattmat1641]

I think that those robes are used because are so common and disposable, the jedi are against attachments, including material attachments. So maybe Jedi chose the most simple and common robes (like the ones of a simple farmer) to reflect that.

[@kaleomariz1000]

This is really said. Obi-WAN would have been much closer to what he was in the prequels: a wise and powerful Jedi. Why is it that George does some terrible things to his own creation?

[@nicholaskasper6468]

Gotta agree with you! I would have liked this other storyline much more!

[@midknightfalconfan]

"Anakin never used the force in Episode 1" Hello...pod racing? No human can do it besides Anakin.

[@volbound1700]

I always wanted to remake this one and the main item to change would be Anakin. I would have him around 18 and being a pilot in the Naboo Air/Space Force. It lines up better with how Obi-Won describes Anakin in a New Hope.

[@annandune]

This sounds so much better.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

older anakin would have been great especially that final battle team up. I still wouldave kept the prophecy but make it more like a "oh this story again?" Kinda deal with the jedi. Maybe because they always have prophecies the chosen one is nothing special protecting the galaxy all the time so to them they choose to disregard it and it would also show how "corrupt" the jedi have become. Qui gon jinn being part of the whole movie was a good change. A more talkative maul is always nice. The less goofy jar jar i think would have helped him way more in the long run.

[@LAdivad]

This would have improved the film a ton! Much better script! I agree - this is TPM we should have gotten. While it's kind of sad that we lose the larger part that Qui-Gon has, I believe he feels more important in the movie we got because the rest of the film suffers so. In the script you talk about, I doubt the character would have been missed.

[@RealElMaximo]

I like the idea of Padme being Anakin's gunner in the final act. We've always gotten indications that Luke inherited his piloting expertise from his father, but this also indicates that Leia inherited her marksmanship from her mother.

[@basilforth]

6:51 "What did you use to polish that table? That sheen is ridiculous!"

[@MrJGamer]

2:18 I have to point out, the age gap between Anakin and Padme isn't really that great, as it's only 5 years after all. In Phantom Menace, Anakin is 9 and Padme is 14. In Attack of the Clones, which is set 10 years after, they are respectfully 19yo and 24yo. To me that sounds like a normal couple in Attack of the Clones, considering their "romance" didn't really start yet in Phantom Menace. On another point, when it comes to Mace Windu saying "He's too old", it does make sense considering Jedi start their training anywhere between ages 4-8. So Anakin indeed was too old to become a youngling, but just old/young enough to become Obi Wan's padawan, ofc having to still learn everything a youngling would.

[@robertodell9193]

That kid is NINE? He looks like he's 5!

[@MrJGamer]

@@robertodell9193 Does Padme Amidala in turn look 14 in Phantom Menace? Not really xD

[@mperez1616]

@@MrJGamer no natalie was 17 when they were shooting and jake was 9 thats why its looks wierd the way it is i get natalie is short but her face is really mature. i thjink 9 is too young 12-13 is perfect lines up with padme

[@TheRealMonkeyrogue]

The only upside I see to AI generated art. One day, we'll be able to see this.

[@Stuffmusic1864]

My favorite part of the original draft is when, the second before Maul is killed, Obi Wan’s Lightsaber changes color.

[@JuicedCazyD]

Im pretty sure anakins ability to fly ships and pod race at such a young age is pretty evident that he although perhaps subconsciously uses the force in TPM

[@gabrielhersey5546]

If I could go back and make only one change to the script I’d have started with Ani and shmi already on Naboo living at Padmes castle. When the invasion starts at the beginning the reaction of the senate sends in a team of Jedi who quickly sneak into the palace and all of our heroes are together. They can spend the full film running around a locked down captured palace trying to retake the palace and communicate with the republic star ships. A much more stream lined version with a lot more character chemistry options having everyone together more often and motivated to the same goals Ani Padme and her officers Obi wan r2 3po are a pretty good collection of personalities and chemistry. Final fight against maul Republic vs trade federation shoot out space battle. Roll credits

[@mrillis9259]

Your suggestion is to make episode 1 a bottle episode?

[@BlargeMan]

Doesn't sound like it would work.

[@mitchellstronczek5460]

I was 11 when I saw this movie and I still think it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s like one long dream sequence

[@BCWasbrough]

My dreams can be random and incoherent too.

[@Deep_Armageddon]

Holy hell. That would have been, atleast, an INTERESTING movie. Much better than the one we got. Problem still persists in the SCRIPT. Which Lucas penned himself, while afterwards admitting he is not very good at writing dialog. So yes this sounds like a way better movie, i think the script still would have killed it, at least for me.

[@hunterkiller1440]

"This turn of events has been unfortunate." - script editors reading the final TPM script

[@benlowe1701]

Whilst I like the idea of complicating the relationship between the Gunguns and the Naboo, doing so my making Padme overtly racist towards a *less* annoying and heroic childlike Jar-Jar, might have made her rather unlikable. Perhaps if they'd leant into her relative youth and inexperience, and made her naive to the problems of her homeworld, thereby making her leadership role in the destruction of the Federation an arc of hers. Having teenage Anakin makes much more sense, and honestly I love the idea of the two piloting a ship together. The sequel Trilogy had its problems, but Finn and Rey blasting Tie-Fighters together when escaping Jakuu - and subsequent attempts to give the other all the credit for their escape - is one of my favourite moments in all of Star Wars.

[@chrisandrews3979]

It does sound like a better version of the film. The prequels would have been much better films if Lucas did not direct them. That was his biggest mistake. He just wanted to rush though filming them, wasn't interested in getting good acting performances and rarely gave actors a second take. He was much more interested in going digital and the technology behind the film and would have been better suited in the producer role.

[@AdrenalineConcept]

Spot on here.

[@JohnFourtyTwo]

The problem was not him directing and writing, it was he didn’t have anyone to question him or help guide him like the original trilogy. He was surrounded by yes people in the prequels and he didn’t have someone like his ex-wife Marcia to help him with the story like she did with A New Hope by fixing the Deathstar battle, killing Obi-Wan, and a few other instances that made the difference of A New Hope from being a boring silly sci-fi dud with no hope of a sequel to the magnificent franchise it quickly became.

[@chrisandrews3979]

@@JohnFourtyTwo For sure being surrounded by yes people was also part of the problem but that was Lucas's own doing. Same goes for the script, yes he should have had the dialogue touched up. But that goes back to what I said, he wasn't as interested in the details like that. I agree with most of your points but him directing was the biggest problem. Any errors during filming his answer was to fix it in post rather than to reshoot it. To begin with Lucas is a creative genius, but he is not a good director, its never been his strength. Add to that all the points I said before, it would have been far better to get someone else to direct. Even Spielberg offered to direct atleast one of them.