Movies Like Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Frequently asked about Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Common questions people search for, with answers written by us at MoviesPack.

• Who is the Phantom Menace the title refers to?▾

  The title refers to Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord operating in the shadows as Senator Palpatine of Naboo. While the Trade Federation blockade and Darth Maul serve as the visible threats, Sidious is the unseen manipulator engineering the entire crisis. He orchestrates the invasion of Naboo to create a pretext for removing Chancellor Valorum from power and getting himself elected Supreme Chancellor, advancing his long-term plan to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy.

• Why did the Trade Federation blockade and invade Naboo?▾

  The Trade Federation, under pressure from Darth Sidious, blockaded Naboo in protest of Senate taxation of trade routes in outlying star systems. Sidious then coerced Viceroy Nute Gunray into a full ground invasion, using the Federation as a pawn in his larger scheme to destabilize the Republic. The true purpose was to manufacture a crisis that would allow Sidious, posing as Palpatine, to be nominated and elected as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

• What are midi-chlorians and why do they matter to Anakin's story?▾

  Midi-chlorians are microscopic life forms that reside within the cells of all living things and communicate the will of the Force; a being's Force sensitivity is correlated with their midi-chlorian count. Anakin Skywalker has the highest midi-chlorian count ever recorded — higher even than Master Yoda — which leads Qui-Gon Jinn to believe he is the prophesied Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. Anakin was also conceived without a father, suggesting to Qui-Gon that the Force itself may have caused his birth.

• Why does the Jedi Council refuse to train Anakin at first?▾

  Yoda and Mace Windu sense that Anakin has too much fear — specifically fear of losing his mother, Shmi, whom he was forced to leave behind on Tatooine still enslaved. The Jedi believe attachment and fear are pathways to the dark side, and Anakin's emotional state makes the Council reluctant to approve his training. They ultimately allow it only after Qui-Gon's dying wish that Obi-Wan train the boy, and Obi-Wan's vow to train him regardless of the Council's decision.

• What is the significance of Darth Maul being cut in half — does he survive?▾

  In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan bisects Darth Maul at the waist, and he falls into a reactor shaft, appearing dead. However, in the animated series The Clone Wars (considered canon), Maul survived by clinging to life through his rage and hatred, eventually being found by his brother Savage Opress on a junk world where he had gone mad and fashioned crude spider-like legs from scrap. He was later restored, given cybernetic legs, and continued to be a recurring villain, eventually dying at Obi-Wan's hands on Tatooine during the events of Star Wars Rebels.