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Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

In a deleted scene, shown on the movie's DVD release, when Anakin and Qui-Gon initially leave Mos Espa, walking back towards the ship, Qui-Gon senses he is being followed. Turning with his lightsaber ignited, he cuts down one of Darth Maul's probe droids which had been tracking him. It is here that Qui-Gon realises he may be in danger and therefore insists he and Anakin get back to the ship as quickly as possible.

To get to the filming locations of Star Wars can be a fun task. Here will be explained where some of them are. Remember that it's a space movie, so most of it is filmed in a studio. However, the outdoor scenes were mostly filmed in Tunisa and Norway. Also remember that there are many different ways of getting to the locations. Each expedition must take into account how many people are going, whether they have a car or travel with train or Louage, what time of the year will they be going, and so forth.

Mos Espa

It is filmed just 15km north of Nefta Tunis. The road leading from Nefta can easily be found from the hotel Mirage on the north side of the town. Around 30 meters from the hotel you will see a sign pointing out of the town saying "tourist attraction". The road was built for the filming of The English Patient. In 1997, a small set was built to represent the town where Anakin grew up. There are two sets very close to each other: the smaller one is almost completely destroyed after many years of sand storms, but the larger set still stands (though it is falling apart fast). The most recognisable part of the set is where Queen Amidala among others first enters the town. There Jar Jar Binks says the famous quote "iky iky goo" when he steps into some, ahem, dirt.

More about how to get to the filming locations can be found at http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Filming_locations

Although the striking image of Darth Maul was often used in promoting the film, leading to many peoples assumption that the title was referring to him, The Phantom Menace is really referring to Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious (meaning the threat that nobody can see).

As Palpatine is clearly the puppet master of the whole movie - orchestrating the Naboo invasion whilst befriending the Queen, playing both sides against each other for his own political gain, and introducing Darth Maul from the shadows, it is he who should be considered the chief villain of the piece - the true Phantom Menace.

Simply by receiving the transmission from Naboo their location is revealed. It is most likely that the location is identified when the signal is acknowledged as having been received on Tatooine and this confirmation (along with location) is sent back to Naboo. The location would then have been passed on to Darth Maul.

Another possibility is that the (hyperdrive) engine of the Queen's ship leaves some kind of unique chemical trail that can be tracked. As the Trade Federation has blocked all other transport to and from Naboo, this trail should not be hard to follow. This is a less likely option, though, because if chemically tracking a ship was possible, then the Empire could have easily found the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back by following its trail after it vanished from sight.

In the comic series STAR WARS TALES, there is a story in which Darth Maul is ordered to kill a Jedi Master living in a forest, but he is thwarted when he faces the Jedi as he can only hit him with the butt of his lightsaber. Furious, Maul returns to his master and modifies his saber by adding another blade to the end. He returns to the Jedi and with all the same moves is once again standing with the butt resting on the Jedi's chest, but to his surprise Maul presses another button and the Jedi is killed.

During their confrontation, Obi-Wan cut through the saber hilt, possibly closer to one end than the other, damaging the mechanism for one blade but not the other. It is also possible that Obi-Wan cut the lightsaber directly in the center (as it appears to be in the movie) and since it has two ends that can be activated seperately, there is probably some divider in between the both halves. Maul simply held on to one end, and lost the other half, which automatically deactivated upon releasing. The fight was so fierce that he could not pick up the other sword to use it in the battle.

Shmi, Anakin's mother, tells Qui-Gon that there was no father and that she raised her son all by herself. She means this literally: at one point she got pregnant and really did not know how it was possible.

In "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," it is revealed by Palpatine that a legendary Sith Lord had the power to create life. It is hinted that Anakin was created by this Sith Lord. It is also possible that Palpatine, who is hinted as being the apprentice of the aforementioned Sith Lord, caused the pregnancy himself. An early version of the screenplay makes this clear, in an exchange wherein Palpatine tells Anakin, "I arranged for your conception...you could almost think of me as your father." This more specific declaration was eventually dropped, possibly to avoid feeling like a retread of the famous reveal of Luke's parentage in Empire.

This movie makes a stronger allusion to the fact that Anakin was conceived by the Light side of the Force itself (as spoken out by Qui-Gon), as a way to defeat the Sith and bring balance to the Force. This sort of "divine" conception in order to create a redeemer is a popular theme seen in many cultures, like Christian religion (Jesus was said to be conceived this way) and Roman mythology (Romulus, founder of Rome, and his brother Remus, were supposedly fathered by Mars, the God of War).

The answer is yes. Darth Maul faces Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet of Naboo towards the end of the film. Darth Maul and Qui-Gon have a duel when Obi-Wan is unable to assist and Maul catches Qui-Gon by surprise, thrusting the lightsaber into Qui-Gon's chest.

For its home video release, several scenes have been added by George Lucas, particularly during the podrace. There is also an extended scene following the landing on Coruscant. A detailed comparison between both versions with pictures can be found here.