I know people will see this and think I'm crazy for giving a 5 star rating but if you're willing to spend a bit of time reading the rest of this analysis, I think you'll be able to understand why I believe The Phantom Menace should be called a masterpiece. But remember that I'm not forcing you to agree with me, I'm simply putting my thoughts into words and I hope that discussion of this film will be done in good faith after two decades of unfair and absurd hatred. Also I'm not some genius for appreciating this movie, it doesn't take much intelligence to look at a film fairly. While I do believe a lot of people are stupid when it comes to the prequels, it's not really about them being dumb or anything. They've just been fed the same nonsensical points over and over again, it's not fair to judge their intelligence overall if they've been forced into an echo chamber with a door made of ignorance. I'm just some guy who likes this film and I really want others to see my point of view. There are people who don't actually like the prequels for their own fair reasons so I'm not attack them here to be clear.

First I'll start out with the plot, the opening crawl gets to the point and perfectly sets up the conflict of the film. The Republic has imposed taxes on trade routes and the greedy Trade Federation, who have a near-monopoly on shipping and have their hands in all forms of industry, protests these taxes by stopping all trade to Naboo by forming a blockade around it. While the people of Naboo starve, the Republic bickers amongst itself and fails to do anything meaningful to stop this evil act. The Supreme Chancellor secretly sent two Jedi as ambassadors to try and settle the problem peacefully, which implies that the Republic is so ineffective that it has to constantly rely on Jedi to solve all of their problems.

This is clearly not how a government should be run and this is not how the Jedi should be spending their time. The Jedi are a spiritual group who should be seeking wisdom, inner peace and spreading knowledge and peace across the galaxy. But in this era of unbridled corruption, they're reduced to errand-boys/girls who solve political squabbles. This heavy involvement in the political landscape started a decline in the Jedi Order, they grow arrogant and become more concerned with power rather than their original goals.

As I've mentioned before, the Trade Federation has a near-monopoly on shipping goods and have their hands in all forms of industry. This means they essentially control import and export in the galaxy and on top of that, they have their own private army to "protect commercial interests". They are based off of both the British and Dutch East India Companies who both had their own private armies and undermined government with blockades too. If you want to know just how nightmarish the Trade Federation's blockade really is, imagine if Amazon had their own private army and they shut down all trade to your city, you are totally isolated and supplies are dwindling. Eventually, everything will run out, there'll be chaos and the government is doing nothing to help you. This is exactly what is happening in the movie but on a planetary scale, which makes it so much more worse.

You can see why Queen Amidala is so desperate to get rid of the blockade. Her people are dying and the system that is meant to help her is doing nothing to stop the blockade, they're just quarrelling like children as if nothing much is happening. All she can do is wait hope that the two ambassadors sent by the Supreme Chancellor will actually solve the problem. I seriously don't understand how people just write off the opening crawl for this film specifically as "boring" or "stupid" when I've managed to pull quite a bit of information from it. And don't get me started on the complaints about tax disputes being central to the conflict, it's not unrealistic at all, don't you remember how America as we know it was birthed? The British Empire imposed major taxes on the colonies and these taxes started a dispute which evolved into a boycott and escalates in war that ends in American independence. It's really disappointing when people just ignore this and scream "unrealistic" especially when there are countless examples of tax disputes eventually building up to full on war. Also something as minor as the death of Franz Ferdinand lead to two world wars, just like how this little conflict on Naboo lead to the Clone Wars, the Empire and the Galactic Civil War. Do these people not know basic history? Anyway, enough about the opening crawl and on to the rest of the movie.

I'll go over the plot of the film and occasionally I'll stop to take a closer look at certain scenes in the film. We begin with the usual panning down to reveal a ship and a planet. In this case the ship is a Republic Cruiser carrying Jedi ambassadors and the planet is Naboo, trapped within the Trade Federation's blockade. This opening seems more dull when compared to the others in the original 6 (talking about this beginning bit with seeing ships and a planet, it gets interesting once the cruiser is blown up and that happens within the first 5 minutes) but it's like that for a reason, to the Republic it's just another minor dispute and nothing much to be worried about. It subtly tells us that neither the Republic nor the Jedi are truly ready for the return of the Sith. There's also more to it than just that, the way the camera pans from space towards the planet implies an outside force is coming in to solve the problem. The ship being ill-equipped shows the weakness of the Republic and the holes in the blockade and its ships show weakness. It tells us that this blockade is just for show, there's something more sinister below the surface. "Critics" call Lucas unsubtle and say things like "show don't tell" but they've constantly failed to pick up on any visual storytelling and then proceed to blame the movie for their own ignorance.

The crew on the Republic cruiser request permission to land and the Viceroy of the Trade Federation allows them to board while reminding them that the blockade on its own is perfectly legal, another failing of the corrupt Republic. The two Jedi are escorted to a suitable room for negotiations and the Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi speaks up about the danger he senses far away but his master, Qui-Gon Jinn doesn't sense anything. We then have Qui-Gon advising Obi-Wan that he should be mindful of the future "but not at the expense of the moment". Very wise advice that Obi-Wan takes on later on in the film, but Obi-Wan's fear of the future is also proven right once Maul appears on Tatooine. Here we are shown that even a Jedi as great as Qui-Gon has flaws, his focus on the present results in not considering the future. Later on, Qui-Gon tells his apprentice that he is a "much wiser man" than him and that he believes he will become a "great Jedi Knight". This is why Qui-Gon is such a great Jedi, he was able to realise that Obi-Wan's concerns were right and commended him for having them. Learning goes both ways in a true master and apprentice relationship, just like a circle. Remember the idea of circles, they are important later on in this analysis and in the analyses of the other Lucas-era SW films I'll soon do.

Let's back to where we were in the film, Qui-Gon assures his apprentice that the negotiations will be short whilst also calling them cowardly. Once Nute Gunray finds out that Jedi have been sent to negotiate with them, he tries to send his lackey to distract them while he contacts the true mastermind behind this blockade, the mysterious Sith Lord Sidious. And of course the lackey is afraid to meet with the Jedi and sends a protocol droid called TC-14 to distract them, proving Qui-Gon's judgement of their character correct. The next bit has been criticised by some because they believe the protocol droid should've poisoned the drinks she served to the Jedi. But they fail to remember that all she had to do was distract them by reassuring the Jedi that the negotiations will take place. Nute Gunray has no intention to kill them until he was told to do so by Sidious. When she arrives, Obi-Wan questions why they are taking so long and Qui-Gon tells him that he senses "an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute". There is something far more sinister going on beneath the surface that we find out about soon and his line also expands on the idea that the Jedi becoming an intrinsic piece of the Republic is ultimately a bad thing, a planet is starving and it is seen as a trivial matter even to the Jedi.

We cut back to Nute Gunray who has just made contact with Sidious, who instructs Gunray to begin an invasion of Naboo which leads to Gunray asking if such a thing is legal and Sidious fires back "I will make it legal". The way Sidious speaks and the way the Neimoidians react to Sidious clearly shows the power dynamic, the Trade Federation is such a large and powerful corporation but they are nothing compared to a Sith Lord who has the power of the Force. It mirrors ANH when Vader says "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force" but here it is more subtle, Sidious doesn't need to state this for us to know that he is more powerful than them. We are shown that Gunray is fearful and wants to make sure he doesn't anger Sidious.

Gunray releases poison gas into the room with the Jedi and sends some battle droids to "destroy what is left of them", his lack of knowledge on the skills of Jedi leads him to believe such a simple trick is enough to kill them. But he is still cowardly enough to have armed droids go over to dispose of the corpses and his subconscious fears of the two Jedi surviving are quickly realised once the battle droids are wiped out. The Jedi get to the room containing Gunray and Qui-Gon uses his lightsaber to begin cutting the door open while Obi-Wan defends him from blaster fire. When the droidekas arrive, we see the pair use a technique called Force speed/sprint to escape. People have a problem with this ability not being utilised during the duel against Maul but I'll talk more on it when we get there.

The two Jedi go into the vents (sussy ik) and find out that the Trade Federation are getting ready to invade Naboo. Qui-Gon lays out his plans to warn the Queen and contact Supreme Chancellor Valorum by hiding out in separate ships and regrouping once they land. If one is found, the other is still free to warn the Queen. Obi-Wan jokes about the situation but is the only one who found it funny indicating a need for growth to move up from being a Padawan. The Queen contacts Nute Gunray believing that the blockade will finally be stopped but to her surprise, the ambassadors never even arrived according to Gunray. This is clearly concerning to her but she stays strong and doesn't show her fear to the enemy and ends her call. The paranoid Neimoidians are fearful of the possibility she anticipates an attack so they move to disrupt all communication on Naboo.

We then transition to a beautiful shot of Theed (https://imgur.com/DoU2FFg), the capital of Naboo, and we learn that the Queen and her advisors attempt to tell Senator Palpatine about the situation but the signal is lost and they have been cut off from the Republic. The people of Naboo are now isolated and unable to call for help while the Trade Federation's droid army secretly marches towards them. An advisor to the Queen, Sio Bibble says "A communications disruption can mean only one thing, invasion", the Queen responds with "The Federation would dare not go that far" and the head of security, Captain Panaka backs up her statement "The Senate would revoke their trade franchise, and they'd be finished". Some "critics" believe that Bibble is an idiot for assuming they are invading but remember that the blockade has been there for quite a while, we don't know how long but it has been there for some time and now their communications are jammed.

It's the only logical conclusion here, the only reason why the Queen and Panaka believe that it isn't likely is because they don't have full context. They don't know the real reason for the Trade Federation's blockade, they have no idea about the Sith Lord pressuring the greedy Nute Gunray to act. The Queen wants to continue to rely on peaceful negotiations but Bibble believes it is pointless, they've lost communication and to their knowledge the ambassadors haven't even arrived. Panaka tells the Queen that his security team is no match for an invading droid army and the Queen continues to stick to peace, "I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war". She is determined to make sure she doesn't have to send people to die but sadly, the Republic is too corrupt to react properly.

The droid army land in the forests of Naboo and Gunray contacts the droid captain, warning him of the possibility of the Jedi sneaking aboard one of the landing craft. He also adds a line about not underestimating the Jedi, learning from his foolish mistake when he believed poisonous gas was enough to be rid of them. The Trade Federation's MTTs are shown mercilessly knocking down trees and striking fear into the local wildlife as the army begins its march towards Theed. We meet with Qui-Gon again as he runs away from the MTTs and we are introduced to a clueless local just standing as nature is being torn down. Qui-Gon saves the local's life and the local begins to follow him. Before I continue with the story, I must take a stop here and expand on what's going on here.

In all of George Lucas' films, the theme of humanity's relationship to technology is always present. In THX-1138, technology is used to enslave humanity in a hollow consumerist nightmare. Technology there is shown at its worst, a tool to control and dehumanise people in a soulless and consumerist world. In American Graffiti, we see the relationship between people and their cars during the end of the 50s era and the dawn of the incoming British Invasion kickstarted by The Beatles. The cars there aren't shown as inherently bad but for certain characters the negatives end up outshining the positives. We'll talk about the original trilogy films and the other prequel films once I get to analysing them but in TPM, we are shown how corporations like the Trade Federation use technology without a care for what they destroy as long as they gain material wealth. Back to the plot now.

Qui-Gon questions the local's intelligence and the local responds by telling the Jedi that he is capable of speech. The Jedi replies with "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent", this line is important for later (Midichlorians). The local insists on staying with Qui-Gon and reveals his name, Jar Jar Binks and tells the Jedi that he will be his servant. The Jedi doesn't want a servant but Jar Jar insists as it is the rule of his Gods. Obi-Wan rushes into the scene and the droids chasing him are destroyed by his master. The two Jedi quickly run away to stay out of sight when more droids show up and Jar Jar catches up to tell them the safest place he knows, Gunga City. Jar Jar even calls it a "hidden city", a little reference to one of Kurosawa's classics and Lucas' main inspirations, The Hidden Fortress.

The Jedi request to be taken there but the Gungan refuses, he's been banished and he fears "terrible things" if he were to ever return to his childhood home. They are interrupted by sounds of the Trade Federation's droid army ploughing down trees as they move through the forest, Qui-Gon uses this to his advantage to tell Jar Jar that the sounds are "a thousand terrible things headed this way" and Obi-Wan adds on by exaggerating the inhumanity and brutality of the droid army while keeping eye contact. But he takes a quick glance at his master for approval(https://imgur.com/a/VaWPcrZ) and then returns to keeping eye contact with the Gungan. Here we see Obi-Wan cleverly use Jar Jar's fears to his advantage in a better way than his master, showing that negotiation is a strength for the young apprentice.

The Jedi are lead to a lake and Jar Jar tells them the city is hidden beneath it, he jumps in and the two Jedi follow after putting on breathers. We get a fun little homage to the James Bond film, Thunderball (https://imgur.com/a/NQbiBeF). Jar Jar leads the pair to the beautiful Gunga city, a city made up from many connecting spheres. These spheres add to the idea of circles I mentioned when talking about the master and apprentice relationship between the two Jedi but now is not the time for me to elaborate on the circles, that comes much later. So just remember to keep them in mind until I get there.

The trio arrive and we get a good but also brief look at the city before they are stopped by a warrior of the Gungan Grand Army, Captain Tarpals. The Captain has two warriors surround Jar Jar and takes him and the two Jedi to the Gungan leader, Boss Nass. He is told about why the droid army is here by Qui-Gon, they want to attack The Naboo and Qui-Gon wants to warn them. Boss Nass responds by talking about how he doesn't like The Naboo because he thinks they're pompous and that he thinks they see the Gungans as stupid. Obi-Wan tries to reason with Nass, "once those droids take control of the surface, they will take control of you" but Nass waves off any concern by telling the young Jedi that the droid army doesn't know about the Gungans. While negotiation is a strength for the young Padawan, he still has a lot to learn about it.

Now here is a very important line from Obi-Wan, "You and The Naboo form a symbiont circle. What happens to one of you will affect the other, you must understand this". Yet again the idea of circles has been brought up and the way it has been brought up gives a clue as to what I'll elaborate once I finish going over the plot. And trust me, this "remember the circles" thing I'm doing will pay off so hard.

Qui-Gon uses a mind trick to get some transport from the Gungans, here we see how his morals are defined. He will not use his powers to manipulate the Gungans into joining a war they want no part in but he will use his powers to get transport so he can get from point A to point B. Nass offers him a Bongo, a Gungan submarine, so he can go through the planet's core and quickly reach Theed. The two Jedi bow and thank the Gungan leader but there's a problem, they need a navigator. Here Qui-Gon uses his wit and tells Nass about Jar Jar's life debt to him. This results in Jar Jar's ironic freedom from one place of possible captivity in the Gungan prison to another as Qui-Gon's "servant".

It reflects Anakin's journey somewhat, from a literal slave to a "servant" of the Jedi (We'll talk about both characters' connection to Palpatine in this sense in the AOTC analysis). Without Qui-Gon's intervention, Jar Jar would've been stuck in a Gungan prison his entire life and Anakin would've been a slave his entire life. Under Qui-Gon, Jar Jar has his own autonomy but when Qui-Gon needs to use his status as Jar Jar's master, he will. Scenes such as this one and later on when Qui-Gon takes Jar Jar of all people out to Mos Espa with him. He has absolute faith in the will of the Force and his own instincts so if he feels like he must take Jar Jar, he will. Anakin under the Jedi has to go solve political squabbles, not for the will of the Force but for the will of the Republic. It leads into his reunion with Padme and the blossoming of their romance which has dire consequences for the galaxy at large. But enough about this for now, we haven't even met Anakin yet.

The Jedi duo and Jar Jar leave Gunga City in their new Bongo and head straight for Theed. Obi-Wan raises the question of why Jar Jar was banished in the first place. Jar Jar responds by sheepishly telling the Padawan that he was banished due to his clumsiness. Jar Jar is essentially an outcast in his world for simply being different and a little bit weird. His development later in the film helps to show that everybody has a place and their own intrinsic value to add to a community, he goes from bumbling fool to uniter of races. So far Jar Jar has helped the Jedi find out about the Gungans and he's also gotten them a transport to get to Theed much faster than they would've done without him.

As they travel through the core, a large fishy monster stalks them silently before striking at the perfect moment and catching the Bongo with its tongue. It holds the Bongo in its mouth and begins to swim away but as quickly as it found prey, its own predator catches it and this predator of a predator secured its meal, freeing the trio and letting them go on their path. It's important to note that the two Jedi are calm and collected while Jar Jar is panicking. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have been trained to control their fear and not let it control them but Jar Jar clearly hasn't. Qui-Gon's line after the event ("there's always a bigger fish") shows that he understands that no single person can be the best, there'll always be someone better out there somewhere. The line also enforces the idea that he trusts in the Force to guide him and that he understands that the Force is so much bigger than him, he may not always understand it but having faith in it is enough for him.

We cut back to the Trade Federation's control ship and see Gunray telling Sidious that the invasion is going as planned so far. Sidious explains that he has the Senate "bogged down in procedures" so that once they're able to try and come up with a solution, they would have no choice but to just end up accepting the Trade Federation's control over Naboo. He also adds on by explaining that Queen Amidala is "young and naive" and that "controlling her will not be difficult" because he knows that her youthful age makes her naive, no matter how intelligent she is. Even now, she is being naive in believing that the Trade Federation "wouldn't dare go that far" and that The Naboo "must continue to rely on negotiation. But throughout the film, she will have experiences which teach her that sometimes she must take the initiative and go for action. Gunray's lackey asks about why he never told Sidious about the missing Jedi and he cleverly explains that there's no no need to report that to Sidious until they have something to report, which means he hopes his droids find and kill the two Jedi.

Jar Jar asks where they're headed and Qui-Gon reassures him by telling him that the Force will guide them but Jar Jar doesn't believe in the Force. He sarcastically hypes it up, "Oooh, maxi big da Force" and turns to Obi-Wan to say "well that smell stinkowiff". He's essentially saying "The Force is so great huh? Well, that's bullshit", he's just like Han here. Totally unaware that the Force is real and that it guides him through life. Jar Jar's clumsiness works to his advantage, keeping him safe from harm and destroying all adversaries just like how the Force guides Han through dogfights in space. Jar Jar grew up isolated from the galaxy at large, so he has no idea that the Force is real and Han grew up in a time without Jedi to show him the power of the Force.

The Bongo begins losing power and halts to a stop, Jar Jar immediately loses any hope of surviving but Qui-Gon again reassures him, "relax, we're not in trouble yet". Obi-Wan gets to work and begins to try and restart the Bongo's power system while Jar Jar lists all the problems they have right now "monsters out there, leak'n in here, all sink'n and no power! When yousa think'n wesa in trouble?!" but the two Jedi ignore him. Obi-Wan gets the power back on and they're face to face with a large fishy monster, Jar Jar begins screaming frantically and Obi-Wan begins to steers the Bongo away from it. Qui-Gon places his hand on Jar Jar's shoulder and uses a mind trick to calm Jar Jar down. Here we see that "there's always a bigger fish" yet again as Obi-Wan narrowly evades a larger monster which ends up eating the smaller one that was chasing our heroes. Qui-Gon tells his apprentice to "head for that outcropping", yet again we are shown the older Jedi's trust in the Force and his instincts.

The Trade Federation's droid army (https://imgur.com/7tmrTtl) has made its way into Theed (https://imgur.com/5zKLsgt) and is closing on the Queen. Before going any further, I'm quickly stopping to tell you something about Naboo. Many of the buildings have these dome-shaped roofs and guess what domes look like? That's right, the idea of circles is brought up again and there'll be more where that came from. We then get a wide shot of the Queen standing alone (https://imgur.com/bXLV4KM), watching the droid army march towards her palace. In this shot she is isolated and in the distance, looking insignificant which just like how she is isolated from the Republic and her plight is seen as something far off and insignificant. The politicians would prefer to argue about taxes instead of actually trying to solve this planetary crisis. The camera slowly pans in as we, the audience are the ones to sympathise with her struggle. We get another shot of her and this time, it's up close so we can see her look down in shame. She's ashamed in the system that failed her and ashamed in her own naivety for allowing such an invasion to occur.

The next shot is from her POV, we watch the droid army flood the streets through the window with her. It seems as if all hope is lost, she is now a spectator just like us. Gunray and his lackey arrive and a droid commander informs them that they have captured the Queen. But that's a bit strange, didn't we just see the Queen stand freely? They couldn't have gotten a decoy right? Here we see that despite not expecting an invasion, the Queen was smart enough to have a decoy ready to trick her enemies and to give her the freedom to make decisions without pressure as indicated by times when the decoy looks to the real Queen in her handmaiden disguise for advice. We then get a quick bit with the two Jedi and Jar Jar arriving in Theed. Back to the palace and we see the Queen in a completely different outfit, our second clue that a decoy is being used. Gunray explains to Sio Bibble that he intends to have the Queen sign a treaty to legalise the invasion but the decoy Queen says she won't cooperate. This means that if the treaty is signed, it would be done by force and that means it would be invalid.

Some people think this is a flaw in the film but that's the point, Sidious wants the Trade Federation to make a complete mockery of the Republic so he can slip into power as a force against corruption. Imagine if Amazon was secretly being backed by a politician and invaded California. Then they forced its governor to sign a treaty to legitimise it and the federal government is just bickering like children. The slow reaction and the fact that such a nonsensical treaty was even able to be made will allow the politician who created the situation to grab power by framing himself as the enemy of corruption and a man of honesty. But Sidious' plan has one extra bonus because he's Senator Palpatine, a politician from Naboo and that means he can secure a win with sympathy votes. His plan is so good that even when things go wrong (the Queen escaping), he can twist and manipulate things into his favour. People like this have power when ignorance is so widespread.

Gunray has his droids escort the Queen and her cohorts to a camp, we leave the palace and see different groups of people being escorted to different camps. The Trade Federation's AATs stand menacingly to intimidate the people into complying. The two Jedi and Jar Jar sneakily follow the Queen's escort along until they can get the jump on them. We see some Jar Jar antics along with the Jedi decimating the droids using their skills. Captain Panaka, the head of security, has his team pick up the blasters from the droids. A smart move to make sure they can help the Jedi in any way. Qui-Gon explains that he and Obi-Wan are the ambassadors, the negotiations never took place and that they must contact the Republic. But their communications are down so Qui-Gon asks if they have any transport and Panaka tells him they have to head to the main hanger.

Qui-Gon tells them that the Queen must leave Naboo, she'll be killed if she stays. But Bibble and Panaka believe that Gunray needs her to legalise the invasion, this is what happens when ignorance is widespread, they fail to see the bigger picture unlike Qui-Gon who says "there's no logic in the Federation's move here". While he doesn't know why they are doing this, he at least knows that there's something much bigger going on behind the curtain. The Queen believes that the choice of staying or attempting to leave are both dangerous paths and turns to a handmaiden, Padme. This handmaiden, who is the real Queen, responds with "we are brave" to show that she has faith in her decoy's judgement. Bibble decides to stay to make sure things don't get much worse and the others are able to rescue some pilots and get into a ship.

They leave the planet but the blockade is still a threat, their shield generator got hit and now four astromech droids have to go up and repair it. They get shot one by one until only one remains, this one is able to put the shields back online and is the cause of their survival. But there's a problem, they don't have enough fuel to get to Coruscant and their hyperdrive engine is leaking. Obi-Wan cleverly suggests to land on Tatooine for repairs, "it's small, out of the way, poor, the Trade Federation have no presence there" but Panaka has doubts. Qui-Gon explains that it's controlled by the Hutts, which doesn't help Panaka's fears until Qui-Gon explains that the Hutts aren't looking for the Queen which gives them the advantage.

Sidious asks if the treaty has been signed yet but Gunray explains that she's "disappeared" and that "one Naboo cruiser got past the blockade". Here we see that they didn't realise that the Queen was in the ship they were firing at until they found out that she never arrived at the camp she was sent to. Sidious wants the treaty to be signed but Gunray thinks it's impossible now that she's left the planet but the Sith Lord introduces Gunray to his apprentice, Darth Maul. Gunray believes things are getting out of hand now that there's two of them and his lackey shows signs of regret, "we should not have made this bargain".

The droid who fixed the shield generator is presented in front of the Queen and we learn he is called R2D2. The decoy Queen tells a handmaiden called Padme, the real Queen, to clean him up as a sign of gratitude. For some reason there are people that complain about this even though it shows that Padme is willing to do "poor people work", proving that she is a good leader who understands her people. Also if she was the one handmaiden who never did any work there would people would be able to tell something is odd, she's keeping her cover. Qui-Gon asks the decoy Queen for permission to head for Tatooine, Panaka believes going there is still too dangerous but Qui-Gon tells her to trust his judgement. Padme is cleaning R2D2, which shows that she isn't above doing the dirty work and that she wouldn't ask others to do things she wouldn't do herself, then Jar Jar begins to start a conversation with her. She asks if he's a Gungan, another subtle way to show that the two cultures of Naboo haven't interacted much. She asks how Jar Jar ended up on the ship and he explains what happened in the film so far briefly, letting the really young kids and the balding neckbeards in the audience catch up with the film. They land in the outskirts of Mos Espa, a settlement in Tatooine, to make sure they don't attract attention. Obi-wan tells his master that they need a brand new hyperdrive engine and they both feel a disturbance in the Force, Qui-Gon tells his apprentice to make sure the Naboo don't send any transmissions to their homeworld. Qui-Gon, Jar Jar and R2D2 head out but Panaka tells them to take Padme with them, the Jedi doesn't believe it's a good idea but "the Queen wishes it". Another little hint that Padme is the real Queen. Also Padme's outfit here is reminiscent of R2D2 because both are central to the plot of the first films in the two respective trilogies, both characters act as the targets of the villains' search (https://imgur.com/a/RVTxqJN).

They head into Mos Espa, Jar Jar steps in shit and for some reason obese neckbeards complain about this. But it's just a little lighthearted joke for the younger viewers and it doesn't overstay its welcome, the camera just continues to move on with Qui-Gon and Padme while Jar Jar comments "icky icky goo". You have to accept that on the surface, TPM is more kiddy because it needs to fit with young Anakin's optimistic spirit. The film has a dark underbelly just like how Anakin has that bit of darkness within him, it'll all be exposed later in the next films. If you're unable to understand simple themes like this, then don't watch films at all because it's a waste of time for you.

Qui-Gon suggests they go "try one of the smaller dealers" and they end up at Watto's Junk Shop. This is so that he can keep a low profile and not draw attention to himself. Qui-Gon tells Watto what he needs and the shopkeeper calls in his slave to keep watch while he takes Qui-Gon through the junkyard to get what he needs. For some reason people have a problem with them going to Watto first but it would kill pacing to have them wander around and the Force guided Qui-Gon there first. It's almost as if the film has consistently shown that his faith in the Force pays off. The slave suddenly asks Padme if she's an angel and her response is "what?" in an amused tone. He talks about how he's heard pilots talk about angels and how they're the most beautiful creatures. Padme responds by calling him a "funny little boy" and asks him how he knows so much. For some reason people think this is flirting and reasonably think that a 9 year old hitting on a 14 year old is weird but it's not flirting at all. Anakin lives in a shithole where everyone is old and/or rough-looking and this is probably the first time he's seen someone who looks normal. Padme responds the way she does because it's funny that he called her an angel with 0 self-awareness about how weird it is to say that to a stranger but she understands he's a kid and doesn't mean anything bad by it.

Anakin responds to Padme's question by explaining that he listens to all the traders and pilots who come to Mos Espa and he goes on to explain that he's been a pilot all his life but he's never been able to leave. Padme asks him how long he's been here and we learn that Anakin and his mother were sold to Gardulla the Hutt but ended up with Watto after the Hutt lost a bet on podracing. Padme is shocked, "you're a slave?" and here we see Anakin suddenly become angered and firmly declares "I'm a person and my name is Anakin." We see that darkness come out, he absolutely hates being looked down upon but Padme calms him down by explaining that she "doesn't fully understand" and it's "a strange place" to her. She explains her perspective without invalidating Anakin's perspective and it ends in mutual understanding, a skill she'll display again later on.

We get some more Jar Jar antics before going to see what's happening with Qui-Gon, Watto says that he's the only one here who has the right parts and to him it seems stupid to buy new parts when a new ship is cheaper. The reasons Qui-Gon doesn't get a new ship are, 1) complete strangers coming into town and getting a ship will attract too much attention, 2) if he does get a ship that can fit everyone, he would have to get everyone inside without drawing attention. If they are recognised by anyone, Jabba will take them as prisoners and put them for ransom for the Trade Federation to pay. The two Jedi would be killed and everyone else will be taken back to Naboo. Also they can't go and hire a pilot because these pilots do business with the Hutts and this large group of strange people is very suspicious, it's not the same as ANH where Han just has to take an old man, a 19 year old and two droids to Alderaan. One is taking a Queen and her cohorts and the other is just taking a few locals from point A to B. Also a smuggler is likely to sell out the Queen for instant rewards, the only reason why Han never sold out Luke is because he's just some random kid and not some important leader.

Back to the plot, Watto asks how Qui-Gon will pay for the ship and the Jedi responds by telling him he has 20,000 Republic Credits but Watto doesn't accept. Republic Credits are worthless in the Outer Rim so Qui-Gon tries to mind trick Watto into accepting them but it doesn't work, "I'm a Toydarian. Mind tricks don'ta work on me, only money". The reason why it worked on Boss Nass but not Watto is because Nass is weak-minded, he feels insecure because he believes that The Naboo look down on Gungans as lesser. But Watto is firm in his need for proper payment and will not back down, so the mind trick doesn't work on him. Qui-Gon returns to Padme and we hear Anakin finishing a conversation with Padme, "I wouldn't have lasted long anyways if I wasn't so good at building things". We also get some more Jar Jar antics happening in the background as Qui-Gon tells them they're leaving and they leave but not before Padme tells Anakin she's glad to have met him. Watto tells Anakin to clean the racks so he can go home.

Qui-Gon uses his communicator to ask Obi-Wan if they have anything valuable in the ship to barter with but there's nothing much. The Jedi master then says he's sure "another solution will present itself", yet again showing his faith in the Force. Also Watto letting Anakin go home after one last task shows that Watto's shop has breaks, so it's logical to assume that Qui-Gon and the others are heading back to the ship for a bit to try and come up with a way to get out. We get some more Jar Jar shenanigans, which results in him getting into trouble with a local and Anakin ends up arriving to get him out of trouble. Anakin and Qui-Gon greet and the young boy explains that Jar Jar picked a fight with a dangerous Dug called Sebulba. A sandstorm starts to form and a local fruit-seller tells Anakin to get home quick. The others want to go back to the ship but Anakin advises them not to, it's too dangerous and they could just stay at his place until the storm's over. The boy introduces his guests to his mother, Shmi.

The boy brings his new friend Padme over to his room to show off the droid he's rebuilt from scraps, C3PO. The droid having no covering symbolises how everybody in the story is vulnerable to the manipulation of the Sith, he also only realises he's naked when it's laid out to him by R2D2. His eye is also put on him by Anakin, another person giving the droid the full picture. Also C3PO's eyes are circles too. The backstory of this protocol droid is important, it's an obvious parallel to Frankenstein and it's also a parallel to Rotwang from Metropolis. Frankenstein brings a "monster" to life using spare body parts but he ends up being the real monster. Rotwang started off with the noble goal of bringing his loved one back to life but it lead him down a dark path where he ended up bitter and resentful towards humanity, he even lost a hand to accomplish his goals. Anakin's attachments and mission to save his loved ones will lead him into his own hell (becoming Vader). In AOTC he loses an arm when trying to kill someone who put his loved one in danger and at the end of ROTS, he is alone, bitter and has no purpose other than servitude. And who does he serve? None other than the devil figure of this story, Palpatine. Before this film's existence, C3PO's physical appearance was just a little nod to the android Rotwang creates but now it's a nod with a much deeper purpose.

Anakin tells Padme that when the storm is over, he'll show her the podracer he's building and we get to see R2 and 3PO's first interaction. Back in the ship, the decoy Queen and the others listen to a message from Bibble. When the message ends, Obi-Wan tells them not to send any replies. Obi-Wan communicates with master and is told that it sounds like bait to trace them. We then cut to a pretty Coruscant at night and see the two Sith talk about how they've traced the Queen on Tatooine. Some people think this is a flaw in the movie but it's not, receiving the message means that they can trace what planet you're on and actually replying means that they can track your precise location. It's why Maul needs probe droids when he arrives on the planet. Sidious wants Maul to kill the Jedi and bring the Queen back to Naboo to really drive in the idea that the current Supreme Chancellor is incompetent and corrupt. He also unknowingly helps to fuel Maul's demise by boosting his ego, "they will be no match for you". Also these probe droids are more circles to add to the list.

Shmi explains that slaves have transmitters in their bodies and that any escape will result in the slave being blown up. Padme is shocked that there's still slavery in the galaxy and Shmi reminds her that the Republic doesn't exist on places like this. Anakin brings up podracing, Qui-Gon says Anakin must have Jedi reflexes if he's a podracer and demonstrates said reflexes by catching Jar Jar's tongue and making his annoyance at the Gungan's poor table manners clear. Anakin sternly asks "you're a Jedi knight aren't you?", he was perceptive enough to notice Qui-Gon's lightsaber. Qui-Gon responds by entertaining the idea that he killed a Jedi and took their lightsaber but Anakin believes that "no one can kill a Jedi". A dark bit of foreshadowing and Qui-Gon acknowledges that even Jedi can be vulnerable, "I wish that were so". Anakin tells Qui-Gon about his dream where he became a Jedi and freed all the slaves then asks Qui-Gon if he's here to free the two Skywalkers. But the Jedi says he's not here for that, Anakin doesn't believe that. Anakin's belief that the Jedi is here to free him and his dream about being a Jedi is establishing that the young boy can see glimpses of the future through the Force, a very important power that helps lead him to his downfall.

Qui-Gon sees that there's no fooling Anakin and tells him that they were on their way to Coruscant and Padme explains that they had to stop here because their ship was damaged. Anakin thinks he can help by fixing the ship because of his expertise in repairing things, Qui-Gon tells him that he believes the boy but first they need new parts. Jar Jar brings up that they only have worthless currency to trade and Padme feels like the junk dealers must have a weakness to exploit. Shmi brings up gambling and the podracing events and Qui-Gon calls greed a "powerful ally". Both he and Palpatine use greed as an ally but there are big differences, Palpatine uses the greed of the Trade Federation for the selfish lust of power and Qui-Gon uses the greed of Watto for the selfless goal of aiding the Queen's mission to save her people. Palpatine saying "The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way" in ROTS is partially true but he's wrong on why, true Jedi like Qui-Gon don't seek power and instead seek to help others and find enlightenment.

Anakin brings up that he has a podracer again, he could join the race tomorrow to get them the money but Shmi believes Watto won't let him do it. But the boy brings up that Watto doesn't know about this new podracer and that they could just lie and say it's Qui-Gon's. Shmi doesn't want Anakin to race and Qui-Gon agrees before asking if there's any Republic allies out here. Sadly there aren't, Anakin reminds his mother of her own words "the biggest problem in this universe is nobody helps each other" and Padme says they'll find a way without putting Anakin in danger. Shmi realises there's no other way and she even says "he was meant to help you". Enforcing the idea that "nothing happens by accident" (a quote from Qui-Gon later in the film), the Force has some sort of agency and can move things a certain way (I'll elaborate on the Force later).

The sandstorm has passed and they head into Watto's shop again and Padme voices her concern about the podracing plan, "the Queen will not approve". Qui-Gon tells her that "the Queen doesn't need to know" and she says she doesn't approve. Another hint that Padme is the real Queen and it also shows that Qui-Gon can be quite stubborn when he believes he is following the will of the Force. Watto questions how Qui-Gon can sponsor Anakin with a worthless currency and the Jedi shows off the J-type 327 and Watto is impressed. He then asks what Anakin will race with, the last podracer he had was smashed up and Anakin says it's because Sebulba cheated. Qui-Gon says he won a podracer by gambling, Watto believes that the winnings should be split 50-50 but the Jedi works his way around to make sure Watto will accept the deal no matter what. Watto will have to pay the entry fee now and if they win Watto gets everything except for how much it costs to buy the parts and because they're buying said parts from him, he gets it back anyway. It's the perfect bet and Watto knows it too.

Qui-Gon makes contact with his apprentice again and the Padawan asks what'll happen if the plan fails but Qui-Gon believes that a ship with no power isn't gonna get them anywhere anyway so taking this risk is worth it. But there's also something he senses about Anakin. Shmi approaches the Jedi and the smiles they give each other codes them with a husband and wife relationship, Qui-Gon is the father figure Anakin has needed all this time and by the end of this film he's lost both paternal figures. They look on to Anakin work on his podracer's engines and talk about the boy. Qui-Gon can see that he's selfless, "he gives without any thought of reward" and Shmi backs it up "well, he knows nothing of greed". Then they discus the boy's powers he has "special powers" and those powers seeing things before they happen, "it's a Jedi trait". Shmi believes her son "deserves better than a slave's life" and Qui-Gon mentions that if Anakin was born in the Republic, he would've been identified early due to his unusually strong connection to the Force. He then asks who the boy's father was but there was no father, it was immaculate conception. A virgin birth, pretty obvious that it's drawing parallels to Jesus but people don't push further with this idea at all. Think about what happens later, the Christ-like figure in this story falls from grace and becomes an Anti-Christ. Jesus redeemed humanity with his sacrifice but Anakin has to redeem himself first in order to save the galaxy. A politician twists and distorts a religious figure in order to justify more war, it reflects reality but some decide to be ignorant to this. I'll go more in depth with this bit in the other films.

Friends of Anakin come out to see him, one is amazed at the sight of R2D2 and another asks how he got so lucky. Mos Espa is a pretty rough place to grow up in. Anakin tells them he's gonna enter the race tomorrow but they laugh at the idea and most of them leave. Jar Jar is helping Anakin repair the podracer and the boy warns him not get close to the energy binders, touching the beam will make you go numb "for hours" in the place it makes contact. The Gungan of course fails to heed the warning and ends up with a numb tongue. He ends up getting his hand stuck in one of the engines and Anakin is getting ready to test his podracer. Padme is the only one to notice Jar Jar and helps him out, this further shows that she is a caring ruler who is able to humble herself and actually go out of her way to help others when nobody else is. With his numb tongue, he is somebody without a voice and Padme helps him out of a bad situation. The voiceless is freed from captivity and ends up having a voice, later on his words will become very important but we'll get there soon.

The podracer works and Anakin cheers "it's working! It's working!" as his mother watches on from the balcony with a bittersweet look on her face. She's glad that it's working but she's also afraid of her son crashing in the race. The score here also captures Anakin's pure joy and when Shmi is in focus, it shifts expertly to capture her concern. Then we get a transition to night and Qui-Gon is having a conversation with the boy. The boy asks if all the stars in the sky have a system of planets, the Jedi responds with "most of them". Anakin then asks if anyone has been to all of them but Qui-Gon doesn't think so. The optimistic and cheerful Anakin wants to be the first to "seem 'em all". It's Anakin's bedtime now and the Jedi takes a blood sample before telling him to go to bed and sleep well. He then transmits the blood sample to Obi-Wan to get a midichlorian count and the results are over 20,000 which is higher than any Jedi's, even Yoda. Qui-Gon isn't sure what to make of it yet and Shmi, who was watching in the doorway, leaves after Qui-Gon notices her. I'll talk about the midichlorians later but I'm glad they made obese neckbeards mad.

A previously unseen ship lands on Tatooine and Darth Maul is the one to emerge from it. He sends off probe droids to find the Queen and we cut to the arena, the Jedi and Watto are discussing the gamble with each other in the hanger for the podracers. Watto has faith in Anakin's skills but he doesn't think the boy will win, he bets heavily on Sebulba because "he always wins". Qui-Gon takes that bet, if Sebulba wins then Watto gets Anakin's podracer but if Sebulba doesn't then the boy and his mother will be freed. Watto refuses so Qui-Gon changes it to just Anakin and Watto pretends to think about it before pulling out a chance cube, "We'll late fate decide, huh?". Pay attention to his hand and watch how he shows off the cube. Normally it's meant to have 3 blues and 3 reds but when you pay attention, you can see it has 5 reds and Watto just shows off the dice in a way that makes it look normal. If it lands on red, Qui-Gon wins Shmi and if it's blue he wins Anakin. But Watto doesn't anticipate Qui-Gon using the Force to cheat too by making it land on blue. His reaction is very aggressive because he knows Qui-Gon had to cheat to get blue but if he makes a fuss about it, the only cheat that would be proven is his own.

Anakin's friend (Kitster), has faith he'll "do it this time" and Padme is curious about what Anakin will do. She learns that the boy has never even finished a race, let alone win one but Qui-Gon has faith in Anakin. We then get a quick little bit with one of Maul's probe droids searching around Mos Espa before going back to the race. An announcer with two heads lists the names of the contestants, one speaks Galactic Basic (English) and the other speaks Huttese. There's a little fart joke with Jar Jar (cope), Shmi telling her son to stay safe and Sebulba messing with Anakin's podracer before taunting the boy. Qui-Gon helps Anakin into his podracer and gives him some important advice, "Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Use your instincts". He wants the boy to focus on what he's doing and what's in his control (his piloting of the podracer), not his fears and what's out of his control (possibility of losing) and to have faith in his own abilities. He wants Anakin to let the Force guide him as he races around the track.

Padme calls Qui-Gon "far too reckless" and tries to say the Queen wouldn't approve but he interrupts her in an arrogant manner, "the Queen trusts my judgement, young handmaiden. You should too". His faith in the will of the Force is far too strong for him to be concerned about what others think of his actions. If the Force wants him to go through with this plan then so be it, no one can sway him from following through. Padme thinks he "assumes too much", he believes that the Queen will approve of his actions here but he doesn't realise that the Queen is right there not approving his actions. In this disguise, Padme has to learn to follow as Qui-Gon is clearly the one in charge here. She is naive and only knows of her home while the Jedi knows many things and he even knew what podracing was because of a trip to Malastare, she could easily expose herself as the Queen to overrule Qui-Gon but sitting back and learning from him is wiser.

The race itself is phenomenally executed and also pays homage to Ben-Hur (1959) and Grand Prix (1966), the latter of which Lucas himself was an assistant cameraman for (https://imgur.com/8JIkO47). Tense high-speed racing, Sebulba's cheating, Tusken interference, the ear-pleasing roaring of engines, a final clash between rivals and swift finish to cheering and pure joy from Anakin and his allies. This race has it all and it'll be remembered as something truly special. Also comparing it to Ben-Hur's chariot race reveals some stuff, Judah Ben-Hur's reasoning for being in the race is to get revenge for the supposed imprisonment and death of his mother and it foreshadows Anakin's reason to return to Tatooine in the next film. Both characters are taken in by a member of the government after being freed from slavery but Ben-Hur was free long before his race.

Also their reasons for racing contrast, one is for selfish vengeance and the other is for a selfless act of kindness. Both characters slowly lose themselves to their selfish missions, "you have become the very thing you swore to destroy" and "it's as though you had become Messala". But Ben-Hur is able to let go to become selfless and forgive meanwhile Anakin fails to do so and is trapped in a personal hell (Vader) until his son shows him a selfless and unconditional love he can return back and become Anakin once more. Anakin's podracer is blue and yellow and Ben-Hur's chariot is blue and gold, Sebulba's podracer is orange and black and Messala's chariot is red and black. Both good-aligned racers are going up against a crowd favourite who is an enemy of theirs, Messala allowed Ben-Hur's family to be imprisoned and Sebulba almost killed Anakin and destroyed his podracer in the last race. Messala and Sebulba are also both cheaters in their respective races, Messala has spikes on his chariot to take down others while Sebulba meddles with other podracers pre-race and throws things at others.

The heroes celebrate Anakin's victory, "Good going, Ani!" - Jar Jar, "We owe you everything, Ani." - Padme and "You have brought hope to those who have none. I'm so very proud of you." - Shmi. Anakin helped to save Naboo by risking his own life in a deadly race without any thought of reward at all, he's uncorrupted and pure. Watto pays his buddies for winning the bet and once Qui-Gon appears before him, he says Qui-Gon swindled him and he's sure that the Jedi somehow knew Anakin would win. "I lost everything", Watto's intense greed caused him to pour money into betting on Sebulba's victory and now he's lost that money, the hyperdrive engine and a skilled slave. Qui-Gon gives Watto good advice "whenever you gamble my friend, eventually you'll lose" but the Toydarian protests, "you can't have him. It wasn't a fair bet". The Jedi cleverly brings up the Hutts because if they are brought into the bet, the only cheat that would be exposed is Watto's rigged chance cube. Either way Watto loses but with the Hutts, he'll have to face some sort of punishment for trying to go back on a bet like that. One of Maul's probe droids goes by and Watto gives in, "take him".

We then cut to ship and the parts have been brought over with the help of some local camel-like animals. But Qui-Gon is going back for "some unfinished business" and Obi-Wan rudely asks why he sense that they've picked up "another pathetic lifeform". A rude insult against Jar Jar and also Anakin, who he hasn't even met yet. Obi-Wan still has to humble himself somewhat to see the inherent value in everyone like Qui-Gon does. Qui-Gon tells him that the "pathetic life-form" is the boy who got them out of this mess and he tells his apprentice to install the new parts. The Jedi gives Anakin the money from selling his podracer and the boy gives it to his mother. Then he hears some very good news, he's "no longer a slave". The boy is shocked, his mother tells him that now he can make his dreams come true and she asks Qui-Gon if he'll take Anakin with him to become a Jedi. Qui-Gon confirms it and tells her "our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident". The Force has a will of its own and it lead Qui-Gon to Anakin, the Force clearly wants Anakin to be trained but ultimately, it's up to the boy himself to choose his path.

Qui-Gon kneels down in front of Anakin and tells him that becoming a Jedi "is not an easy challenge" and that even if he succeeds, "it's a hard life". Anakin still wants to become a Jedi, he asks his mother if he can go but Shmi tells him that it's his choice. Qui-Gon tells him to pack his things and he's excited to go but he stops and turns back, "what about mom?". The boy is very caring and concerned about the wellbeing of others but Qui-Gon wasn't able to free Shmi, "Watto wouldn't have it". Anakin wants Shmi to come with them but she says her "future is here" and that it's time to let go. But Anakin doesn't want things to change, his mother has to tell him "you can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting". A little nod to the iconic binary sunset scene in ANH and this line is also referenced in AOTC when Anakin is on a speeder racing to find his mother while the twin suns set. He can't stop her death, just like how he can't stop the suns from setting. Shmi thanks Qui-Gon and he promises to watch over Anakin before walking up to her and comforting her. Again this film has these two shot like a couple, Qui-Gon as the father taking Anakin to the next step in life and Shmi as the mother who has bittersweet feelings about saying goodbye to her son. Qui-Gon even comforts her like a husband would. Also with the death of a father figure and separation from his mother, Anakin is left with Obi-Wan and he is somebody who didn't want the boy until he was obligated to keep him. Yes, Obi-Wan bonds with him later on but that sting of being unwanted would be hard to forget for Anakin.

Anakin activates C3PO and tells him that he's going away and the droid wishes he was "a little more completed". The boy leaves before he's finished fixing him, visually symbolising how Anakin leaves Tatooine too early. He still needs to develop for a few more years before he's truly ready to go, and that lack of development leaves him exposed and vulnerable in the next films. C3PO being covered in a rusty grey plating in the next film symbolises how life on Tatooine has moved on without Anakin. By the time Anakin returns, it's too late to get that development. The POV shots from C3PO's perspective also add to the idea of Anakin leaving too early. From the droid's POV Anakin looks much smaller which shows that he still has some growing up to do. Shmi watches on as her son and the Jedi leave but Anakin stops right in the middle of them. Both his mother and his newly found father figure mean something to him, he looks at both before running back to Shmi who hugs him, "I can't do it mom. I just can't do it". He's afraid to leave and step into a bigger world, "will I ever see you again?". Shmi responds by asking him what his heart tells him, he says he hopes to see her again and she comforts him, "then we will see each other again". He promises to come back and free her but it's a promise he tragically fails to keep. His mother tells him not to look back and sends him on his way with Qui-Gon, she watches on with a bittersweet feeling of pride in her young son.

We then cut to Maul who receives the location of Qui-Gon from one of his probe droids, he then hops onto his speeder and races towards his prey. Maul almost runs over Anakin but Qui-Gon warns the boy just in time and now for the first time in a thousand years, the Jedi and the Sith battle. Maul is this physical manifestation of evil, a devil-like man fuelled completely by hatred and shrouded in mystery. The ship flies low to allow Qui-Gon to escape from this new enemy. Darth Maul is the first one to give the Jedi any real trouble in battle. Battle droids? Cut them down. Droidekas? Easy to escape from. Maul? One bad move and you're dead. Qui-Gon is clearly out of breath after fighting Maul, indicating that the old master's fighting capabilities are waning with age. Anakin asks what they're gonna do about Maul and Qui-Gon tells him that they'll be patient. He then introduces the boy to his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin greets him in a cute manner. The start of a long and complex relationship begins here in this ship.

We then cut to a stunning view of Theed Palace at night (https://imgur.com/rrLF6Fl) and inside the palace, Gunray is trying to sway Bibble to his side but fails. "This invasion will gain you nothing. We're a democracy. The people have decided." but it falls on deaf ears, Gunray has his battle droids take the governor away. A droid with officer markings comes before Gunray to tell him that they've begun searching the swamps for "rumoured underwater villages". Obi-Wan was right, they've taken over the surface and they're coming for the Gungans. What affected one half will now affect the other. Ultimately, people must stand united to defeat evil and protect each other.

Padme walks into the main room, Jar Jar, R2D2 and Anakin seem to be asleep. She plays the recording of Bibble's plea but before she has any time to dwell on it, she notices Anakin who's actually still awake and looking very sad. She asks if he's ok and then brings him a blanket to keep warm. Anakin comes from "a warm planet" and "space is cold", Tatooine was warm because of his mother's love and space is cold because they're apart and he misses her. Both Anakin and Padme are considerate of others, he notices that she looks sad and she vents out her sadness over the situation on Naboo while the boy listens. He then presents her with a japor snippet necklace he made for her, it's supposed to bring good fortune. She tells Anakin that there'll be many changes once they reach Coruscant but her care for him will remain the same and he says he cares for her too, the problem is that he misses his mother. Again, their relationship in this film isn't romantic at all, Padme is caring for him because he's a kid who needs help and he also saved her and he cares for her because she's the first stranger to show him any kindness. Their care here is platonic and they only have romantic feelings for each other after being reunited 10 years later when they are both adults. The most adult feeling Anakin might towards Padme is just a harmless crush, simply thinking "she looks pretty". Padme takes a motherly role here in order to comfort Anakin, Lucas is expertly sowing the seeds of an Oedipal Complex in the young Skywalker.

Anakin is in the cockpit with the ship's pilot who describes Coruscant in a light manner to him, "the entire planet is a one big city". He even points out things like Chancellor Valorum's shuttle and Senator Palpatine waiting for them. Anakin only sees the higher levels of Coruscant, symbolising his more optimistic and hopeful mindset in the film. But in the next film, we descend into the lower levels symbolising that Anakin's youthful innocence is lost and replaced with a teenage moodiness. Coruscant's design takes heavy inspiration from the film Metropolis' titular city, which means all the themes of class divide is implicitly present in this film. You wouldn't even need to see Metropolis to get this, cultural osmosis does the job for the regular audience member. This also means that a more attentive mind will quickly figure out that lower levels and an underclass exists without even seeing them until the next film.

They land and are greeted by Palpatine and Valorum, the first dressed with blues and the other in a boring brown. Palpatine gives a warm and heartfelt welcome but Valorum gives a drab and cold welcome. The Senator for Naboo is very clever in playing this concerned and friendly man who honestly wants to help out because will make the Queen vulnerable to his manipulations. Especially since Valorum sounds so bored and insincere, it's too easy for Palpatine to frame himself as an honest man trying to help the people. We then get a pair of POV shots from Anakin's POV, one with him looking to the left to see the duality of Padme and the Queen and the other to the right to see the duality of Valorum and Palpatine (https://imgur.com/a/NnXdTSD). These POV shots convey the idea of veiled power, Padme will become the Queen by exposing herself later on and Palpatine will become Supreme Chancellor after winning the election caused by a vote of no confidence in Valorum. The ones with real power here are the ones who are hiding their true selves, Padme is disguised and Palpatine is too. Qui-Gon towering behind Anakin is also an image of veiled power, the little slave who will be revealed to be the chosen one. With Qui-Gon selflessly sacrificing himself to protect a son later in the film, it foreshadows Anakin's return to the light when he selflessly sacrifices himself to save his son. It's why they are the only two Jedi to be cremated on screen, Anakin is finally able to let go and embody Qui-Gon's way of living. The cremations are also mirrors of each other with Qui-Gon's head on the right and Anakin's head on the left, these two funerals are the beginning and end of the circle of the 6 film saga.

Palpatine leads most of the group towards the air taxi but the two Jedi stay behind with Valorum. Qui-Gon wants to speak to the Jedi Council immediately because the situation has become "much more complicated". Anakin turns to face Qui-Gon and stands halfway between Qui-Gon and Padme, echoing the scene on Tatooine where he chooses to leave. Padme here takes the role of mother again, replacing Shmi (stop clapping Freud) and Anakin goes to seek comfort by following Padme. The boy is too attached to his mother and still can't let go yet.

They head to Palpatine's office, which is covered in reds while the man himself wears blue. In these films, blue and red don't always mean good and evil, they can also fit reason and passion. Palpatine's blue clothes suggests that he's using reason to help stop the crisis on Naboo but the reds everywhere are indicating that he's pretending and in reality he's playing on passions to climb up the political ladder. The passion of the Queen, who is desperate to save her people and his own passion for ultimate control over all. Palpatine speaks of "greedy, squabbling delegates" who have "no interest in the common good". Then he tells the Queen that there's "little chance" of the Senate actually doing anything but the Queen believes that Valorum is hopeful. But Palpatine responds by telling her that Valorum has no real power and that he's "mired by baseless accusations of corruption". Notice how he says baseless, he's not directly accusing Valorum of corruption but he's feeding the idea of the Chancellor being corrupt to the Queen so that she'll be swayed to call for a vote of no confidence.

She asks what options they have and Palpatine brings up the vote of no confidence, they'll be able to vote for a "stronger Supreme Chancellor" who can "control the bureaucrats and give us justice". But the Queen is not amused Valorum has been Naboo's "strongest supporter", so Palpatine cleverly traps her in a box by telling her the far worse option. Submit a plea to the courts, the problem is that they take "even longer" to decide things and the Naboo are dying. They have to act fast to stop the Trade Federation but Palpatine plays on her fears and tells her that they're gonna have to accept the invasion for now, which leads her into becoming more determined to save her people because waiting around is something she cannot do. Palpatine has successfully played on her passion and he's one step closer to greater power.

The Queen's attire here is also based off of the Whore of Babylon attire worn by the android copy of Maria in Metropolis (https://imgur.com/a/Er53HAy). Also the Queen has two hooded handmaidens shrouded in red standing behind her, reminiscent of the Royal Guards that will guard Palpatine once he becomes the Emperor. As the Whore of Babylon, the android leads people astray, creating senseless conflict and corrupting others to sin. It is important to note that she she appears with this outfit in front of society's elites and in TPM, the Queen is the one to cause conflict amongst the elites in the Senate by calling for a vote of no confidence. But where did these two characters learn this from? From the devil figures in their respective stories, Rotwang created the android and taught it to do evil while Palpatine is the one who whispers into ears to sway people to do evil. Also the Queen is sitting in the middle of the sofa with a circle behind her head, this circle resembles a halo. This halo symbolises her good intentions but her outfit is a hint towards the results. And hey, another circle to that pile of circles.

We then cut to the Jedi temple, with its spires that tower over all. The tallest spire is in the centre and it contains the Jedi Council Chamber. They quite literally sit on an ivory tower peering down on the people below. They are sitting on a mountain of their own arrogance without even knowing it. We get three scenes in the film set in this chamber, one in the brightness day and two later on in the darkness of night. The two Jedi we've followed stand before the council with some news. Qui-Gon tells them that he fought someone "trained in the Jedi arts" and that he believes this mysterious fighter is a Sith Lord. But it seems impossible, according to Ki-Adi-Mundi they've been extinct for a thousand years and Mace Windu believes they couldn't have returned without the Jedi knowing. This indicates some form of arrogance and complacency within the Jedi Order, they foolishly believe they know everything and passively uphold the decaying and corrupt system as a form of police. Yoda is somewhat more aware than the others by actually acknowledging that it's possible for the Sith to return, "hard to see the dark side is". He understands that the Jedi are not perfect, despite being blinded from the truth too. Windu pledges to find out who Maul is and wishes them luck, "may the Force be with you".

Obi-Wan proceeds to leave but Qui-Gon stays in the same spot, Yoda asks if he has anything else to tell them which makes Obi-Wan stop and stand in front of the door. Qui-Gon believes he's encountered a "vergence" in the Force, Windu asks if it's around a person and Qui-Gon tells him that it's a boy. Vergence could mean divergence (a divide) or convergence (a unity), this vagueness fits into the themes of duality and unity present in the film. The duality between the Jedi and the Sith, the duality between the Naboo and the Gungans, the duality between light and dark, etc. The themes of unity include the two peoples of Naboo coming together to stop the occupation, the two Jedi fighting their Sith opponent in unison, Qui-Gon putting his faith in Anakin's podracing skills, etc. Also the 6 films have dualities between each other like a Skywalker watching the twin suns in AOTC and ANH, but the two scenes have different meanings. And these 6 films have to unite to tell the whole story.

Qui-Gon explains that the boy has the highest concentration of midichlorians seen in a life form and believes that the midichlorians themselves brought him into existence. Windu brings up the prophecy of the chosen one who will "bring balance" to the Force and asks if Qui-Gon believes it's Anakin. He tries to says he doesn't presume to believe so before being interrupted by Yoda, "but you do. Revealed your opinion is". Qui-Gon requests for Anakin to be tested, which puts a concerned look on Windu's face and Yoda believes Qui-Gon wants Anakin to be trained as a Jedi. Qui-Gon believes that finding the boy was the will of the Force and he has no doubts about it. Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yoda look to Mace Windu, indicating that they trust his judgement and he asks for Anakin to be brought before them.

We then move to see Anakin who wants to see Padme, he is let into the Queen's room but Padme is off on an errand right now. The Queen, who has just finished changing asks who it is before a handmaiden tells her and then Anakin tells her why he's here to see Padme. He's on his way to start his training as Jedi and he feels that he might not see here again so he's here to say goodbye and the Queen tells him that they'll tell her for him. It's important to note that the Queen here isn't the decoy and in fact Padme herself. She returned her position as the Queen on Coruscant and was the one who was with Palpatine in his office. And in this scene, Anakin trying to say goodbye here but not being able to directly symbolises his inability to let go of his attachments.

We move to the Senate meeting but few things before we carry on. The Senate Building has a dome shape at the top, this dome fits in with the idea of circles. Add the fact that the Senate Chamber is a circular room filled with thousands of circles and this idea of circles is expanded on more (https://imgur.com/a/IhfSvpU). It's still not time to elaborate yet, so make sure to keep them in the back of your mind. The Senate consists of thousands of systems but not all people are represented, the Gungans don't have their own voice until after this film and worlds like Tatooine exist outside of the Republic. There's millions of slaves in the galaxy and the Republic doesn't do a thing about them if it's outside of their systems, they passively allow oppression to take place simply because they can't see it. The Queen's attire is a passionate red, indicating that she's thinking mostly with emotion and not reason. Her current outfit is heavily inspired by Mongolian Warrior Queens who were fierce and ruled within Mongol Empire alongside and sometimes even instead of their male counterparts (https://imgur.com/i1B5jBH). This foreshadows her return to Naboo because she'll learn just how flawed the system is in this upcoming Senate meeting. All she can do now is go to war and her choice to go back to Naboo doesn't contradict her character at all. While she does prefer peaceful solutions, she knows that there'll be times to take action.

Now we're moving on to the Senate meeting, a very important scene that's much better than you'd think. Valorum calls up Palpatine to speak and the Senator tells his fellow politicians that a "tragedy" has occurred and it started in this very chamber with the taxation of trade routes which has now resulted in Naboo suffering under "the oppression of the Trade Federation". The Trade Federation's Senator, Lott Dod calls Palpatine's statement outrageous but Valorum requests him to stop talking until it's his turn. Palpatine then presents the Queen who stands up to address the Senate. She tells them that she's here under "the gravest of circumstances", the Trade Federation's droid army has invaded Naboo but before she can speak any further, Lott Dod objects this claim, "there is no proof!". He wants a commission to be sent to Naboo to prove it. Then the Senator of Malastare, Aks Moe comes forward to agree with him and even calls Lott Dod honourable. Aks Moe has clearly been bought out by Trade Federation lobbying and is just one of many Senators who allow these corporations to run amok with no real consideration for the law.

Valorum is about to state whether or not a commission will be made but his Vice Chairman, Mas Amedda stops him and begins to whisper things to him. Palpatine begins to do the same to the Queen, "enter the bureaucrat. The true rulers of the Republic". He points out how quick Valorum is to bend to the will of the bureaucrats while also making sure that the Queen doesn't realise she has the devil whispering in her ear (https://imgur.com/a/uUlDGJT). He even tells her that the bureaucrats are on the payroll of the Trade Federation and that "this is where Chancellor Valorum's strength will disappear" before slithering away like a snake. The expression on the Queen's face is a mixture of despair and anger but she is able to compose herself because she has to stay strong and get the best outcome for her people. Valorum agrees with the commission and requests the Queen to delay her motion to allow said commission to find out the validity of her accusations against the Trade Federation. But she is defiant and determined to make sure her people are free.

She will not defer, she's here to stop this attack on her world's sovereignty now because she was not elected to watch her people suffer and die while the Senate casually discusses the invasion in a committee. Her passionate words grab the attention of all the Senators and with all ears on her, she calls for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership. The chamber is filled with the chatter of the Senators, some agreeing with the Queen and others disagreeing. Valorum is left speechless and Amedda steps up to call for order. Palpatine then begins to whisper into the ear of the Queen, now a strong Chancellor will be elected and they won't let this tragedy continue. Palpatine has successfully played the unexpected arrival of the Queen on Coruscant to his advantage, her strong love for her people has moved enough hearts to have an election for a new Chancellor. This scene is less than 3 minutes long and for some reason the obese neckbeards cry about how long it is or that kids wouldn't get it. Underestimating a kid's intelligence, especially here, is just a self-own. Back when I first watched this film, I was about 8 and I understood this scene as "Queen wants government's help but government doesn't care so Queen wants to put in new leader who cares and Palpatine is sussy". I didn't need to understand all the little nuances to get the basic ideas being conveyed to me and I wasn't the only kid who understood this scene, there's much more of us than you'd expect. The reality behind this is that I am not smart for understanding this, because it is intended to function in a way children can comprehend. It is the adults who don't understand it that are stupid for. I mean seriously can these people not stay awake for 3 minutes and actually pay attention to the film they're watching, do they need someone to crack a few jokes in this scene to wake them up?

Also Terence Stamp's dull performance as Valorum is meant to represent the emptiness of the people in charge, he sounds uncaring, always seems distant and is ignorant of the issues around him. Lucas having Stamp perform in front of a piece of paper instead of Natalie Portman helps elevate this idea because it makes him sound even more insincere. One final thing before we move on, Stamp who was just about 60, wanted to join the film because he had a crush on Portman who was a minor at the time. Actors sign contracts when joining a film and when Lucas finds out why Stamp joined, he can't kick him out. All he can do is make sure the two never meet and that's why Stamp was salty about the film all these years later, he wanted to molest Portman and Lucas made sure he couldn't. There's also the fact that Valorum is based off of Bill Clinton. Clinton would claim to help African-Americans but he ended up bending over to the private prisons and ended up signing the 1994 Crime Bill. That law was very harmful to Black people in America because they would be arrested and put in prison at an unnatural rate, usually for minor crimes. For example, Black and White people both have very similar numbers of their people smoking weed but Black people are far more likely to be arrested and punished for it. And because of private prisons, prisoners are exploited and worked like slaves for greedy businessmen. Hey, I wonder if this movie is making any comments on America at all. Also no, me criticising a Democrat doesn't mean I'm a Republican or what ever. Nute Gunray is named after two Republicans, Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan and Lott Dod is named after Trent Lott (Republican) and Chris Dodd (Democrat). It's pretty obvious why Lucas named representatives of such a huge corporation after these real world politicians.

One more thing before we move on, Lucas intentionally mirrors the Nayirah testimony in this Senate meeting. A 15 year old girl testified that Iraqi soldiers were killing Kuwaiti babies during their invasion of Kuwait and this testimony was used by President H. W. Bush and many US Senators as a justification for getting involved with the Gulf War. But later on, it was revealed that Nayirah was the daughter of the Kuwait ambassador to the US and her testimony was completely false. She was essentially a pawn used by the America government to give them more influence and power in the Middle East. And America was the reason why Iraq was invading in the first place, Iraq was in debt to Kuwait because of the Iran-Iraq War and America was prolonging the war by aiding both sides (supplying Iraq while also secretly selling to Iran) so that neither side could really win in order to make sure America can have more influence and power over the Middle East (hey I wonder if Palpatine has anything similar up in store for the galaxy). They invaded Kuwait so they could get rid of that debt just like how the Trade Federation ended up invading Naboo to get rid of trade route taxes. Padme in this film is a 14 year old girl who testifies that the Trade Federation invaded her planet and Palpatine uses this testimony to gain more power in the Republic by manipulating Padme into calling for a vote of no confidence. It's not exactly the same but that's the nature of fiction, the differences between what happened irl and what happened here exist because Star Wars is a story first and foremost.

Obi-Wan believes that Anakin won't pass the Jedi Council's test because he's too old but Qui-Gon promises his apprentice that Anakin will become a Jedi. Obi-Wan asks him not to defy the council and we learn that it's not the first time he's defied them. But Qui-Gon is stubborn, the Force tells that Anakin must be trained and Qui-Gon will see to the boys training no matter what. Obi-Wan tells him that if he would just follow the code, he'd be on the council and this time the council won't just go along with Qui-Gon's actions. Qui-Gon tells his apprentice that he still has much to learn and we cut to Anakin being tested by the Jedi. Mace Windu holds a screen with different objects on it and Anakin has to guess what they are. Yoda asks Anakin how he feels and the boy says he's cold, he was cold on the way to Coruscant too. The old Jedi then asks Anakin if he's afraid and the boy says he isn't. But Yoda says he sees through him, Mace Windu tells him to be mindful of his feelings and Ki-Adi-Mundi tells the boy that his thoughts dwell on his mother. This test quickly devolved into an interrogation of the boy. He tells the council he misses his mother and Yoda responds with "afraid to lose her, I think, mmm?". Anakin is confused, he doesn't understand why that's relevant at all. Yoda speaks again, "fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering" and Yoda senses a lot of fear in the boy. Anakin must let go of his attachments but ultimately he's too afraid to and instead of helping him learn to let go, the Jedi just expect him to do so without any real consideration of his circumstances.

We cut to the Queen looking out of the window, watching the people of Coruscant go about their lives through the night. Jar Jar, who is concerned, asks her if she thinks the Naboo are gonna die and she says she doesn't know. He then wonders if the Gungans will "get pasted too" and the Queen says she hopes not. The Gungan then tells her that his people won't die without a fight, they're warriors with a grand army. Then he says he thinks the Naboo doesn't like the Gungans because of said army. Panaka and Palpatine enter with some news Palpatine is one of the nominees who'll possibly succeed Valorum as Supreme Chancellor. The Senator calls it a surprise but we, the audience, know that he's been planning to climb the political ladder for quite a while. Yeah, a less attentive viewer wouldn't pick up on Palpatine being Sidious until ROTS but that doesn't hinder this film because each film complements each other in such a way that finding out with the characters works too, you realise all these different manipulations and it all comes together.

Palpatine promises to end corruption if he's nominated and the Queen asks who else has been nominated. Panaka responds with Bail Antilles of Alderaan and Ainlee Teem of Malastare. The Alderaanian delegation doesn't seem to be corrupt but the Malastare delegation clearly is due to how quickly they came forward to defend the Trade Federation so this election is really Palpatine vs Antilles. Palpatine tells the Queen that he feels confident that this situation will give him a strong sympathy vote and declares "I will be Chancellor". But the Queen is afraid that by the time Palpatine is able to do anything, there'll be nothing left to save. Palpatine is willing to destroy his own homeworld for the sake of power, there is no boundary he will cross. He tells the Queen that he understands her concern but the Trade Federation has possession of Naboo unfortunately. So she tells him that this is his arena and that she has to return to her arena, Naboo. Palpatine questions this decision and asks her to be realistic, they'd force her to sign the treaty.

Palpatine wants this though because if she is made to sign that treaty, it would guarantee him as the winner of the election. The treaty would make the situation on Naboo far worse and it'll help Palpatine sell his anti-corruption narrative better. After having his homeworld brought to its knees with nobody doing a thing, he will be the one to stand up and make sure nothing like that happens again. The Queen declares that she will not sign any treaty and that her fate will be "no different" than that of her people. She then asks Panaka to ready her ship and they begin to leave with Palpatine staying behind and pleading her to stay "here where it's safe". But she is adamant on going because the Republic "no longer functions" and she prays that Palpatine "will bring sanity and compassion back to the Senate". She then leaves and Palpatine has a very subtle look of satisfaction on his face. The Queen has unknowingly played into his hand yet again, he's able to win like this thanks to the faults of the system.

We then cut to the Jedi Council Chamber once again, the two Jedi we've followed through the film are standing in the centre with Anakin and Ki-Adi-Mundi says that the Force is strong with the boy. Qui-Gon asks if Anakin will be trained but Mace Windu, who sits in an arrogant manner reminiscent of Han Solo (https://imgur.com/a/2ANDRu0), responds with "no, he will not be trained". Windu personifies both the best and the worst of the Jedi Order in its current state, he's unwilling to change the system and detached but he's also a loyal and brave leader. Ultimately, his faults aren't fully his own but the results of a thousand years of complacency within the Jedi Order. Qui-Gon is shocked, "no?" and Anakin is trying to hide the angry look on his face. They're not even giving him a chance to prove himself, "he is too old" to be trained. Qui-Gon wants them to see that Anakin is the chosen one, but they turn a blind eye to it because of their code. Yoda states that Anakin's future is "clouded", a clear contrast to Qui-Gon who's focus is on the present. The Jedi tell Anakin he is afraid but in reality they are afraid too, afraid of him possibly turning to the dark side. They haven't even given him a chance yet, all they have to do is accept him and help him get over his fears in order to alleviate their own but years of complacency has left them unwilling to allow change. Also we see that Yoda learns from his mistakes later on, moments like criticising Luke for always focusing on the future show that he learnt from Qui-Gon's views.

Qui-Gon then tells Yoda that he'll train Anakin himself and Obi-Wan looks surprised, Qui-Gon wants to take the boy as his Padawan apprentice. But Yoda points out that he already has one in Obi-Wan and it's impossible to take on multiple at one time, Windu chimes in with a reason "the code forbids it". Qui-Gon tells them that Obi-Wan is ready and Obi-Wan agrees "I am ready to face the trials". Yoda arrogantly responds by telling them that these decisions are only for the council to make, but Qui-Gon still has faith in Obi-Wan's skills. He believes his apprentice is "headstrong" and "much to learn of the Living Force" but he's still "capable". Qui-Gon even goes as far as saying that Obi-Wan doesn't have much to learn from him anymore. But Yoda stops the back and forth, "young Skywalker's fight will be decided late." and Windu believes that it's not the time to go back and forth right because the Senate is voting for a new Supreme Chancellor and the Queen is returning to Naboo. This will "put pressure" on the Trade Federation which "could widen the confrontation" and Mundi chimes in, it could "draw out the Queen's attacker". So Windu wants the two Jedi we've been following to go back to Naboo with the Queen and find out who "this dark warrior" is because it's "the clue" they need to unravel the "mystery of the Sith". Yoda wishes them luck, "may the Force be with you" and the two Jedi and Anakin quickly bow before leaving. Here we see that the Jedi are still able to function, they wisely sent the two Jedi already familiar with the conflict, one of whom already fought the "dark warrior", and sent them back because it's likely that he'll be on Naboo too. But it also shows a fault in them too, they're far more concerned about the election instead of the fact that the chosen one is standing there right in front of them. The Jedi Order's ties the the system has mired them in so much political squabble that they've become completely out of touch, Anakin's arrival has been prophesied for thousands of years and none of them bat an eye.

The next scene is on the landing platform they arrived on, Obi-Wan thinks Anakin is dangerous and Qui-Gon responds with "from your point of view". Qui-Gon is the only one who doesn't seem to sense the danger from Anakin but that's because his focus on the present, Anakin has done no wrong and there's no reason to judge him based off of possible bad deeds in the future. He tells Obi-Wan that the council will decide Anakin's future and that should be enough for him, then he tells his apprentice to get on the ship. This whole time, Anakin was hearing the conversation and we even see him slightly in frame for a part of it. I've seen some people criticise the fact that you can see him as a sign of shoddy filmmaking, it's not a mistake left in the film.

It's intentional and for some reason these people seem to suddenly forget things like blocking exist to visually tell a story. The focus on the two Jedi who discuss Anakin's fate while the boy is just behind them playing with R2D2. It's somewhat similar to the scene in Citizen Kane with the titular Charles Kane playing outside in the snow while his parents and a banker discuss his fate while he's unaware and unable to choose, the difference is that here Anakin is hearing the discussion in front of him. Also both Kane's and Anakin's actions are reactions to the deeply wounding event of losing their mother. I'll speak more on the similarities between Anakin and Kane in the AOTC analysis. Having Anakin barely enter the frame makes him look small and insignificant, he has no control over whether or not he'll be accepted into the Jedi Order. Lucas's signature style is to emulate a documentary feel, not having everything look neat and perfect for the camera blurs the line between fiction and reality, it makes you subconsciously connect with what's going on because your brain perceives it as real. Also, if you've actually watched Citizen Kane, you'd notice that the Lucas era Star Wars films are using the acting style of this era and you'll realise that the acting of the prequels aren't bad at all. Back to the film, the first thing Anakin says to Qui-Gon here is that he doesn't want to be "a problem". He knows nobody wants him here except for Qui-Gon, how do you think this affects him when Qui-Gon dies and the Jedi train him out of obligation instead of their own free will?

Qui-Gon comforts him by telling him that he won't be a problem, he then tells Anakin that he isn't allowed to train him so he wants the boy to watch him and be mindful. He then tells him "your focus determines your reality", a very profound piece of advice. The Jedi Council's focus on the possible dangers of Anakin lead into making them a reality and Anakin's focus on his visions of Padme dying led into her death. Qui-Gon is warning Anakin about presumptions and wants the boy to focus on the will of the Force. He then tells Anakin to stay close to him to be safe, Qui-Gon is bringing Anakin with him because Anakin has nowhere else to go. Qui-Gon is the only one that wants him around so he feels that he can't trust anybody else to protect the boy.

Anakin then asks Qui-Gon what midichlorians are and the Jedi explains it to him. Midichlorians are "microscopic lifeforms" that exist "within all living cells" and we are "symbionts" with them, "lifeforms living together for mutual advantage". Without them, life couldn't exist and we would have "no knowledge of the Force". They "speak" to us, telling us "the will of the Force" and "when you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you". Anakin doesn't understand and Qui-Gon tells him that "with time and training", he will understand. Qui-Gon tells the Queen that he and Obi-Wan will continue to "serve and protect" her and she welcomes their help. But Palpatine seems to be afraid that Gunray wants her dead and Qui-Gon promises her that she won't be killed. Jar Jar is excited to finally go home after all these events and they head back to Naboo.

Before we move on, there's a few misunderstandings some "adult" viewers have about midichlorians that need to be fixed. They're not the Force itself, just the means we communicate with it. They're like little middlemen living in your cells that the Force talks to you through. And the will of the Force can come to you as a gut instinct, you still have free will, the Force is just nudging you to go a certain way and you can choose to follow through or not. Examples would include Anakin not jumping down for Padme and going with Obi-Wan to fight Dooku in AOTC, not following with his gut instinct and Han Solo returning to save Luke from Vader's TIE Fighter, following through with his gut instinct. Everybody has a connection to the Force, no matter how small. The Jedi judging whether or not someone is worthy to be taken on by them because of their midichlorian count is meant to be seen as wrong, they're only accepting people who can be powerful instead of anybody who seeks enlightenment. I'll talk more about the midichlorians later on, so let's get back to the story.

Sidious asks Gunray if he's secured the planet and Gunray believes he has "complete control" of Naboo. Sidious tells him that he'll make sure the situation in the Senate stays the same and tells Gunray that he's sending his apprentice, Darth Maul to assist them before ending his transmission. Gunray's lackey is afraid, "a Sith here?", because they have no idea why they'd need Maul. Maul could be there for purposes like killing them in case they snitch or forcing them to do other things and it's too late for them to say no to Sidious now. Also the council were wise to send the two Jedi back to Naboo now that we know Maul will be there but they've also arrogantly assumed that just two Jedi are enough to kill Maul. Nobody has challenged the Jedi for a thousand years and that has left them vulnerable, yeah Maul ends up losing but one more Jedi coming along would've made all the difference. Qui-Gon could have survived but the council were too concerned with the elections, downplaying the possibility of the Sith surviving so they can watch an election and fail to notice anything strange about Palpatine.

In the cockpit, the pilot teaches Anakin about the different buttons in the ship and the boy points out the function of two of the buttons which impresses the pilot, "you catch on pretty quick". Anakin's skills as a mechanic and a podracer serve him well in learning the controls of ships that are completely alien to him, useful for when he pilots an N-1 starfighter during the battle in the end. We then cut to the Queen's room in the ship and Panaka believes that as soon as they land, they'd be arrested and she'd be forced to sign the treaty. Qui-Gon agrees and he's not sure why the Queen is going back. But she is firm, "I will take back what's ours" but Panaka tells her that they have no army. Qui-Gon tells her that he can only protect her, not fight a war for her. Jedi are protectors of peace and are not warriors, something the Jedi Order goes against by fighting in the Clone Wars later on. The Queen calls Jar Jar, a decision that seems questionable to everyone included the Gungan and she tells him that she needs his help. Padme is still currently the Queen and her purple outfit shows that she combined the passion for her people (red) and the logic of reconciling with the Gungans (blue) to work together and save Naboo. Asking Jar Jar for help shows that she is willing to humble herself for the greater good.

They arrive but there's only a single Trade Federation Lucrehulk ship, the blockade is gone. But that's because they control the planet, all civilians are in camps and they have enough fighter ships within the Lucrehulk to protect themselves. That one ship left over is a control ship for the battle droids, who work as a hivemind. The heroes know they've probably been spotted and Obi-Wan says they don't have much time. They land in the forest and Jar Jar heads to Gunga City while the others wait for his return, Qui-Gon believes "the Gungans will not be easily swayed" and that they can't use their "power" to help the Queen in that case. Qui-Gon could mind trick Boss Nass but there's a huge difference between using this power to get transport and using this power to bring a whole group to a war they did not ask for.

Obi-Wan then apologises for his behaviour earlier because, in his own words "it's not my place to disagree with you about the boy". He's also grateful that Qui-Gon thinks he's ready for the trials. Qui-Gon says he's been a good apprentice and that Obi-Wan is "a much wiser man" than he is, he also foresees that Obi-Wan will become "a great Jedi knight". Here we see the differences between the Jedi and the Sith, both have a clear master-student relationship but the Jedi apprentice is allowed to have their own thoughts while the Sith apprentice just obeys their master.

Jar Jar emerges from the swamp to tell them that the Gungans are all gone and he thinks some fighting happened. Obi-Wan asks if they think they've been taken to the camps and Panaka believes that it's far more likely that they were killed but Jar Jar doesn't think either possibility is true. Qui-Gon asks Jar Jar if he knows where they are and Jar Jar tells them about a "sacred place" they go to when in trouble. He then guides them to it. It's also important to note that Padme is back in her handmaiden disguise again and that the Queen here is a decoy. The decoy Queen's outfit is black and red, indicating the passion to save her people but the logic of humbling herself isn't there. Captain Tarpals presents the Queen to Boss Nass, Jar Jar nervously says hi and Nass asks who he's brought with him. The decoy Queen speaks, she's come before him in peace but Nass blames the Naboo for the Trade Federation's army and says they're all bad. The decoy Queen tells him that she wants to form an alliance but Padme steps forward and reveals that she is the real Queen, she apologises for the deception and proceeds to plead for his support. Everyone is shocked and Qui-Gon gives Obi-Wan a little smile. Notice that Padme's outfit here is purple, her passion and logic have come together to create compassion, an unconditional love that will last forever. She acknowledges that they "do not always agree" but their "two great societies have always lived in peace" and that's worth something. The Trade Federation has destroyed their worlds and if they don't act fast, they'll lose it all.

She then begs Nass to help them and she along with her allies drop to a kneel and humble themselves before him, "our fate is in your hands". Nass contemplates this while the other Gungans are confused, then he begins to laugh. "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans? Mesa like dis", Obi-Wan smiles after learning a lesson in negotiations from Padme. Nass then says they maybe they can be friends and everyone cheers. Humility and compassion has lead to two races reconciling and forming an alliance. And Jar Jar really was the key to all this, Qui-Gon's compassion for life made him take Jar Jar along for the ride, which lead him to Anakin and his ability to humble himself allowed him to trust in Anakin's piloting skills to get them the parts they needed. Obi-Wan and Padme have both learnt to find value even in the most insignificant of things, the bumbling fool Jar Jar and the slave boy Anakin.

We cut to Gunray telling Sidious that their patrols have already found the Queen's ship and it won't be long before they find her. Sidious believes that the Queen is making an "unexpected move" because "it's too aggressive" so he tells Maul to "be mindful" and "let them make the first move". Maul just responds with a simple "yes, my master" and it shows how the with the Sith, the master is not to be questioned, only obeyed.

We then go back to our heroes who are at the edge of the swamp/grass plains and a Gungan lookout tells Anakin that Panaka is back with allies. The boy then runs to tell Padme and Boss Nass gives Jar Jar the rank of "Bombad General", a role the silly Gungan isn't suited for. But it isn't given without reason, he is the one who brought two peoples together in a time of need. Nass then goes to join Padme's strategising team, Panaka explains that "almost everyone's in camps", about 100 police and guards have formed "an underground resistance" and he's brought back as many of the leaders as he could. But there's also some bad news, the droid army is much larger and stronger than expected, he doesn't think they can win the battle.

But Padme explains that the battle is a diversion, the Gungan army will draw the droid army away from the cities while they sneak into Theed using the secret passages near the waterfall. Once they're in the main entrance, Panaka will create a diversion and everyone else can sneak into the palace and capture Gunray because without him, "they will be lost and confused". She asks Qui-Gon for his opinion, he says that Gunray will be well guarded but Panaka thinks the only challenge is getting into the throne room. Qui-Gon brings up that many Gungans will die in this battle but Nass says that they're ready to do their part. Padme already considered the Gungan lives at stake and explains that they'll send all their pilots to take down the droid control ship. Qui-Gon calls the plan "well-conceived" but also acknowledges that it has "great risk" because the weapons on the N-1 fighters might not even be strong enough to penetrate the shields. Obi-Wan mentions an even bigger danger and that danger is Gunray escaping and returning with a new droid army. Padme responds by telling him that why they can't fail to get him, everything depends on it.

We then cut back to Gunray, who is speaking with Sidious again. The Sith Lord thinks that the Queen is more foolish than he thought and Gunray tells Sidious that he's sending all troops to meet the Gungans who are assembling near the swamp, Gunray also calls the Gungans primitives. Sidious believes it will work to their advantage, Gunray asks if he has Sidious' approval to proceed and Sidious approves, "wipe them out. All of them". This is how the Sith function, anything that is against them must be eradicated and all must serve them. Nothing must stand in their way of their quest for ultimate power.

The Gungans get ready for battle, they march into the grass plains and set up a shield, this shield will force the droids to fight close-quarters instead of blowing them up from afar. The droid forces arrive from behind a hill and try their tanks against the shields but to no avail. We then cut to Theed with Panaka and Padme using red and blue lights to give each other signals, it's important to note that Panaka has the blue one and Padme has the red one. Qui-Gon tells Anakin that once they find a safe place for him to hide, he has to stay there. Panaka then causes the diversion that allows Padme, the two Jedi and a few police/guards sneak in. Gunray is afraid, "I thought the battle was going to take place far from here. This is too close". They arrive to capture the main hanger and the pilots get into N-1 fighters to take down the control ship. Qui-Gon tells Anakin to find cover and the boy hops into the remaining N-1 to hide. The pilots arrive but the control ship sends out its own fighters to combat them.

We cut back to the grass plains and the droid commander realises it's pointless to fire at the shields so more droids are deployed to have close-quarters combat. The droids are activated and they march into the shielded area, the Gungans try to hold their own against the horde while Jar Jar is up to his clumsy antics. Back in the hanger, all the droids are taken down and Panaka's team is with them again. They begin heading to the throne room and Qui-Gon tells Anakin to stay in the N-1 because it's safe. When they reach the door, they're in for a shock. Maul is standing there, menacingly (intentional joke). Qui-Gon tells them that he and Obi-Wan will handle Maul and Padme brings her team to take the long way. They would only hinder the Jedi here and staying will just give Gunray the chance to escape, they have to push forward their own way. Droidekas appear from behind, keeping Padme, Panaka and the others at bay. The two Jedi duel with Maul and R2D2 and Anakin take out the droidekas after Anakin accidentally turns on autopilot. The Naboo strike team are free to race to the throne room and Anakin flies off to battle.

Maul is quick and his double-bladed lightsaber allows him to fight the two with ease. He's vicious and any mistake while fighting him could cost them. Padme and the others fight their way through the palace. Anakin figures out where the autopilot is taking him and R2D2 and the Gungans continue to wage war against the droid army. Jar Jar's antics continue and his actions seem clumsy and foolish but they result in battle droids being taken down, showing that the force guides him through this battle. Also a lot of his antics here in the final battle are homages to Buster Keaton. The deflector shield of the control ship is too strong and our heroes are losing N-1s, Anakin asks R2D2 to get them off the autopilot because it'll get them killed. The astromech suggests Anakin should go back to the hanger but the boy disagrees. We return to Padme who's still fending off battle droids, Panaka shoots a window and he along with Padme and a few soldiers use extension guns to climb up the wall while the others stay to fend off the droids.

The two Jedi continue to duel with their enemy and he kicks Obi-Wan down several levels. Maul and Qui-Gon continue to duel while Obi-Wan catches up, they end up in a hallway with deadly rays turn on and off as a protection measurement since this is Theed's power generator. The rays turn off and the two duel through the hallway until they activate again, Maul is trapped at the end, Qui-Gon is just behind him and Obi-Wan is at the beginning. Qui-Gon drops to his knees and begins to meditate to focus on the present and not worry about the future, taking the advice he gave to Obi-Wan at the beginning of the film. Maul paces aggressively, constantly focused on Qui-Gon with the thought of killing him filling his mind. Obi-Wan is much behind them, highlighting his inexperience and he stands there impatiently.

One of the droids manages to hit the Gungan shield generator, which leaves them vulnerable. They immediately retreat as the Trade Federation's tanks gun them down. Jar Jar's antics continue and result in some of the tanks being taken down but it's not enough to win. We move back to the palace and Padme's team is surrounded by droidekas, forcing them to surrender. In space, Anakin is hit and makes an emergency landing inside the control ship. The systems are overheated and droids are coming to surround him. Obi-Wan reignites his lightsaber, anticipating the moment the rays are deactivated but Qui-Gon stays still right until it deactivates, he quickly springs back into action and duels Maul. Obi-Wan runs through the hallway but is stopped right at the last ray when it reactivates right in front of him, the reason Obi-Wan didn't use Force speed is because it would tire him and it would distract Qui-Gon from fighting Maul. Qui-Gon would have to worry about not accidentally killing Obi-Wan while swinging at Maul, it would give the Sith the perfect chance to kill Qui-Gon.

The Jedi master and the Sith match each other blow for blow as Obi-Wan watches helplessly, unable to help his master. Qui-Gon makes a critical error which allows Maul to aggressively overpower and stab Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan screams in horror as his master drops to the floor. The Padawan is angry but tries to compose himself as Maul waits for the rays to deactivate again to catch his next prey. Jar Jar and the Gungans surrender, it seems like Jar Jar is being cowardly but it's better for his people to be taken prisoner instead of being culled. He had to put his people's pride down to protect their lives. Battle droids escort Padme and her team to Gunray who gloats, "your little insurrection is at an end" he wants her to sign this treaty and "end this pointless debate in the Senate". But a voice calls out to him, "Viceroy! Your occupation here has ended". It's the decoy Queen and her team and they shoot a few battle droids before running away. Gunray then falsely believes that Padme is the decoy and sends his remaining battle droids after the decoy Queen and he's left alone with little security and his prisoners. Padme takes out hidden blasters from her throne and hands them out to her team who take out the leftover droids, they jam the doors and capture Gunray. These blasters being hidden inside the throne isn't contradictory to her more peaceful approach to things because we've already seen that she will use violence when she believes there's no other way.

We return to the duel and the rays deactivate, allowing Obi-Wan to aggressively take on Maul. He's able to cut the Sith's hilt in two, leaving him with just a single blade. But Maul's skills are too much for him as he's sent flying and ends up hanging on the edge of a pit and he's lost his lightsaber. Anakin's situation is much better though, he's finally got power back, his shields are up and he's gunning down battle droids. He accidentally fires two torpedos that end up going down the hallway and into the reactor room, blowing it up. The control ship crew are confused, there's a problem with the main reactor but nothing outside is powerful enough to hit through the shield. Anakin makes his escape as the other pilots watch on confused at why one of their own is heading out of the control ship, Anakin cracks a podracing joke and a pilot notices him flying out of the control ship. Think about how this contrasts with Luke's attack on the Death Star, Anakin is immature and just fools around and lucks out while Luke is mature and chooses to let go and have the Force guide him to victory. There's also another reason why this choice was a good one because Anakin unintentionally kills here then in the next film he kills out of a need for revenge and then in the film after that, he kills in cold-blood. Hints of Anakin's descent into darkness are woven into many moments, even silly moments like this. The pilots of Naboo cheer as they fly back to base and the control ship's destruction causes the battle droids on the ground to deactivate, connecting them as a hive mind means that the loss of the control ship causes the army to stop. These battle droids and their hive mind brain symbolise consumerism and how it traps people in an endless cycle of worshipping products, the fact that the Trade Federation is a massive corporation adds to this theme. The Gungans celebrate and cheer knowing that they won't be dying today.

Maul taunts Obi-Wan and the young Jedi composes himself to take his master's advice. He focuses on the moment and uses his instincts to use the force and take Qui-Gon's lightsaber. He leaps up and catches Maul off-guard slicing him in half and his two halves fall down the pit. This power generator and this final room are filled with with circular imagery. The pit is a circle too and it has circles within itself. It's almost time to elaborate, keep patient. Obi-Wan using his master's lightsaber to defeat Maul visually symbolises that he is truly ready to move up and become a Jedi knight, it also shows how lessons are carried over by those who inherit them. The pit also symbolises hell and can be seen as the Abyss in Obi-Wan's journey. He almost falls to it but he is able to rise up and remerge victorious while Maul gets sent down. And yes I know about TCW but it's not relevant here.

Obi-wan rushes to Qui-Gon and he tells his apprentice that it's too late to save him. He asks Obi-Wan to train Anakin and the teary-eyed Jedi responds with "yes master". Qui-Gon is certain that Anakin is the chosen one and that he will bring balance, he tells Obi-Wan to train him again before dying in Obi-Wan's arms. The scene is executed in a way that codes them as father and son, an important thing to keep in mind. Qui-Gon was like a father to both Obi-Wan and Anakin, essentially making the two brothers and Obi-Wan is thrust into a world he is not ready for. He has to try and be that father figure for Anakin who only really sees him as an older brother, leaving a gap for someone nefarious to fill in. Also the back and forth between the four distinctly themed battles are there to highlight the importance of each battle, what affects one battle will affect the others. Each battle is a duel of fate (yeah) that'll determine the fate of the galaxy at large, it's intense because a loss on any front is devastating. If Gunray escapes, it's over, if the droids kill the Gungans, an entire race has been genocided, if the fighters pilots lose, Anakin would die and if Maul wins, all the bad outcomes will come true.

We then Gunray being taken back to the Senate to "explain all this" and Panaka believes Gunray will be punished severely for it but we know the Republic doesn't do much against them given that they're just as powerful in the next film. The system is corrupt, Gunray kept his position and also has a grudge against Padme. Palpatine arrives on Naboo to congratulate Obi-Wan for his bravery against Maul and he tells Skywalker that they'll watch his career with "great interest". Palpatine is the nefarious person who'll fill in the gap and become a father figure for the boy. Padme congratulates Palpatine for winning the election and Palpatine says that Padme should be congratulated instead for her bold stance against the Trade Federation. He then adds on that together they'll bring peace and prosperity to the Republic. Palpatine is already fuelling the propaganda machine, making himself out to be the nice guy looking out for others, a pursuer of justice and an enemy of corruption.

We then cut to Obi-Wan kneeling before Yoda who confers the level of Jedi knight but he doesn't agree with Obi-Wan taking in Anakin as his Padawan learner. Obi-Wan tells Yoda that Qui-Gon believed in the boy, Yoda acknowledges that Anakin is the chosen one but he's afraid of the dangerous that could come as a result of training the boy. Obi-Wan is adamant, he gave Qui-Gon his word and he will train Anakin... even without the Jedi Council's approval. The Grand Master sees that Obi-Wan has adopted some of Qui-Gon's defiance and that he doesn't need that, so he gives in and allows Obi-Wan to take in Anakin as an apprentice. The reason he gave in is so that the council can keep an eye on Anakin, he'll be trained either way and it's better for him to be trained under their supervision. This scene is also in the sunset to symbolise the closing of a chapter (Qui-Gon's life and the Naboo crisis) and the dawn of a new one (Anakin's training Jedi and racial reconciliation within Naboo).

The next scene is under the darkness of night, it's Qui-Gon's funeral and the Jedi is being cremated. Anakin asks Obi-Wan what'll happen to him now, because Qui-Gon was the only one who wanted him around. Obi-Wan tells him that the council has given him permission to train him and he promises that Anakin will be a Jedi. Windu tells Yoda that there's no doubt that Maul was a Sith and Yoda reminds him that there's always two Sith, no more, no less. A master and an apprentice and Mace asks which one was destroyed. The camera the pans over ominously to the right, before stopping to focus on Palpatine. Anakin is on the left and the two standing between him and Palpatine are Obi-Wan and Padme (https://imgur.com/a/rtlOfIe). They're Anakin's only real line of defence against the Sith now that Qui-Gon is gone.

We cut to a celebration that occurs some time later, it's cheerful and very colourful. A Gungan musical parade marches through the streets, the Naboo cheer for them, children wave flags and the Jedi watch on. Sio Bibble gives the Queen (Padme) a purple sphere representing peace and she presents it to Boss Nass who holds it up and exclaims "Peace!" as cheering continues. Padme's attire is angelic and little Anakin has become a Jedi Padawan. The final shot is the group standing together with Nass in the centre, showing off what can be achieved through collaboration, peace. But there's also a dark side to this final scene too, because in the end this was an even bigger victory for Palpatine. The scene references the film, The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and in both films an important funeral is immediately followed by a celebration (https://imgur.com/a/1fnojuT). In TPM, the funeral is Qui-Gon's and the celebration is of Naboo's freedom but what nobody knows at the time is that they are celebrating their own eventual downfall and in The Fall of the Roman Empire, the funeral is Emperor Marcus Aurelius' and the celebration is the procession of his son Commodus, who's rule is regarded as the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. Also the celebration music in TPM is essentially a happy version of the Emperor's theme in ROTJ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hofrEQPmvY), they're all dancing to his tune and they don't know it. The celebration here also pays homage to the parade in Ben-Hur which celebrated the titular character's adoptive father, Roman consul Quintus Arrius (https://imgur.com/a/1DcsdWB). But there's a difference between the two here because Palpatine, the new father figure for Anakin, is being celebrated unknowingly. This celebration's darker side, represents perfectly how a democracy can fall and become a dictatorship thanks to people becoming ignorant.

Now it's almost time to elaborate on the circles, this will also cover midichlorians too. Let's recap the basics of midichlorians, everybody has them inside their cells, they are a middleman in communicating with the Force (they're not the Force itself) and with enough training, one can focus to communicate with the midichlorians in order to use the Force. Also people are superorganisms, organisms made up of many smaller ones. We host billions of microscopic life that we have symbiotic relationships with, they help our bodies perform necessary tasks in exchange for a place to stay (our bodies). There are two types of Force, the Living Force, which is your own energy you make by simply being alive and the Cosmic Force, the energy of the universe. Everything that has ever lived feeds into the Cosmic Force, binding everything and communicating to us through the midichlorians. This implies that it has a will of its own and it can influence life. But there are these beings called the Whills (obvious word play on will) that feed off of the Force and they are the ones sending signals when they feel something is out of balance. George Lucas has stated that we are kind of like cars for these beings, they push us in different directions for their own needs. Their need is for the Force to be in balance so that they can thrive. But this raises questions about free will, are the characters really in control of their own action? And no, the characters do have free will. Things like Qui-Gon feeling that the Force wants him to take Anakin isn't the Whills mind controlling him to do so, they're just nudging him to follow that path and ultimately he decides whether or not to follow through. We exist in a symbiont circle and without one half, the other cannot exist. These different circle motifs appearing through out the films represent different rings/levels of life, things as large as the universe and as small as microorganisms form circles. It's a thing that unites us all despite all of these different things having their own methods of interpreting reality, we understand reality in a different way to dogs and we believe that we are the highest because of our ability to speak. There's circles within circles within circles, planets within galaxies within universes, cells within organs within humans, etc. Qui-Gon's words to Jar Jar at the beginning of the film, "the ability to speak does not make you intelligent", holds true. We like to believe that we are the smartest but "there's always a bigger fish", something greater out there that we can't fully comprehend. There's many types of consciousness, the Whills don't think like us, animals don't think like us, plants don't think like us, etc. The reason why childish fans are upset at midichlorians isn't because they can't understand them (it's not hard if you bother to think about them) but it's because the concept asks you to humble yourself and take pleasure in knowing that you're part of something greater, we are all individuals working together in a community, this is also why the 4 battles all happening together is a genius move, it highlights this idea. And you can't really bring yourself to do that if you're in your 30s and all you've done with your life is have power fantasy LARPs as a user of the Force. Some people think the world revolves around them but they don't realise they can't exist without everything else that is there, everything is connected together to form this world. I'm not smart for understanding midichlorians, I just took the time to think about why Lucas created the concept and anyone can do this, not just me. This use of science to enhance the mysticism of the Force doesn't ruin it at all, it stops being an imitation of Taoism and expands on the ideas to become its own thing. He is taking an idea and pushing it further, when an idea is being pushed further you're meant to try and understand why it's being pushed instead of kicking and screaming like an infant.

Duality in this film is constantly referenced, two Jedi (Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan), two Sith (Sidious and Maul, two Queens (Padme and decoy), two Neimoidians (Gunray and lackey), two peoples (the Naboo and the Gungans), two slaves (Anakin and Shmi), podracers with two engines, an announcer with two heads, Mauls double-bladed lightsaber and even at the celebration, Yoda is beside a Jedi who looks like a fleshy and scarred version of himself. This theme of duality is talking about how there's always two parts to something. Like with the two peoples example, the Gungans are seen as lowly and primitive while the Naboo are seen as highly and advanced but it doesn't matter how advanced the Naboo seem to be because one cannot exist without the other. Their separation is why they were vulnerable to attack in the first place, without trust for each other, they weren't able to come together and stop the invading army before they were able to take over. Jar Jar seems to be a clumsy buffoon but he was able to prove himself by helping the two peoples reconcile and work together. Palpatine appears to be a kindly Senator who wants to help but in reality he's the cunning Sith known as Darth Sidious.

Fun fact, each of the prequel films on their own have more practical effects than the entire original trilogy combined. The only reason why the "too much CGI" argument exists is both because of marketing, it makes sense to flex that you're doing the next big thing and because of childish fanboys looking for ways to try and discredit the films and Lucas himself. If you don't believe me, here's a Google Doc that shows all the practical work that went into the prequels (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yqMLYXJ_WFm9p_DL7hOYaUGFp2F7D9QK). Palpameme has done a really fantastic job collecting images of what happened behind the scenes, showing the ILM crew working on many practical aspects of the prequels. There's a lot more than you'd expect.

I'll debunk the claims of the Gungans and the Neimoidians being racial stereotypes here (Watto will have his allegations debunked in the AOTC analysis). We'll start with the Gungans, people like to use Jar Jar's foolishness and mannerisms to claim he and the Gungans are racist depictions of Jamaicans. But they fail to realise that the Gungans are shown to be brave, intelligent (look at their city and weapons) and Jar Jar is really the only one to be shown as a fool. No one calls a group of people brave and intelligent to try and spread hate about them. The Gungans having their own dialect is because they are an isolated group, isolated groups tend to make their own dialects in order to strengthen the sense of community within said group. Also, it would make much more sense to say the Naboo are Northern Italians and the Gungans are Southern Italians. If you look at the situation in this angle, it fits much better. Ahmed Best was offended by claims that Jar Jar was a Jamaican stereotype because Best himself is from the Caribbean area and of all people, he would know if his people were being made fun of.

Now for the Neimoidians, their accents do sound vaguely East Asian but that's not what Lucas was trying to imitate. He asked Gunray's actor, Silas Carson, to mix his natural British accent with hints of a Thai accent. This was to make an accent that fitted the noseless Neimoidians because it would be weird if they had an accent that uses the nose. Also if you try and claim they are meant to represent East Asians, you should actually think of why Lucas might do such a thing. If you take such allegations seriously, then the Trade Federation would represent Eastern Collectivism and Naboo pre-reconciliation would represent Western Individualism. One turns society into a hivemind and the other turns society into hyper-individualists. And once the Naboo and the Gungans unite, we get the perfect middle ground, we get a united community that retains individual thought. But doing this would mean they can't use it to dunk on Lucas.

People have noted how this film predicted the Iraq War pre-9/11 and call it dumb luck but what they don't realise is that Lucas was looking at the Vietnam and Gulf War and he also looked at how America played both sides of the Iran-Iraq War (very useful for AOTC). He looked at the past and recognised certain patterns and displayed them throughout the prequels in order to make comments on America's role as the number 1 power in the world. The reason why people ignore the fact that this prediction exists because Lucas was intelligent is because they've believed that the prequels were dumb and awful movies because of "critics" I'll be talking about soon.

One more thing before we go and make fun of some "critics", I have a video (https://youtu.be/mLuBlT4vyo0) that works a way to promote this analysis. It would help if you hit the like button, subscribe and maybe even comment too (I'll heart your comment)! Make sure to watch all the way through, it's just a minute long, because it helps with the algorithm. Sorry if this is kinda begging but it is what it is, gotta find ways to spread this.

Now here's the funny stuff, we're gonna be laughing at some of the "critics" of this film. But remember that I'm not telling you that you can't watch them anymore ore anything, this is just what I think and you should choose to think what you think.

The First one is Mr Plinkett (Mike Stoklasa of RLM), his review (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5919C8DE6F720A2D) is full of utter bullshit. He intentionally takes things out of context and lies constantly. At times it sounds like parody but even out of the Plinkett persona and as regular Mike, he still makes the same nonsensical points. Also the Mr Plinkett persona is one of the most unfunny characters I've ever seen. If you hate Jar Jar and love Plinkett, you're a hypocrite because Jar Jar clears that fraud easily. When I went over the film, I disproved a lot of his shit so there's no point in trying to go over his review bit by bit (if you want a full takedown of Mr Plinkett then check out this video https://youtu.be/6N0ND3IGH24), I'll just make fun of him for only finding one real mistake in the film. He realised that the opening crawl called Obi-Wan a Jedi knight instead of Padawan, what riveting criticism. Also he takes clips from this behind the scenes video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da8s9m4zEpo) out of context to make up lies about Lucas having yes-men and not listening to anyone else. He knows he's a liar because when Lucas is collaborating with others, he either mutes it and talks over it or he cuts the clip so you don't see it. An example would be 55:57-56:24, Mike acts as if Rick McCallum is dickriding Lucas but he ignores the context of McCallum criticising the rough cut version of the final battle in TPM and only focuses on McCallum and Lucas agreeing on toning it down. Mike also complains about the final battle being "too complicated" so idk what his issue is with McCallum agreeing with Lucas's take on needing to tone it down. It's just pathetic and sad to see him try to make Lucas look as bad as possible, it's a childish obsession. This man was 33 when this video came out, imagine being that old and being this petty about these films because they're not the same as the movies you saw as a kid. Everyone else just sucks off Mike so their bits are mostly shorter but just as comedic.

Nostalgia Critic (https://youtu.be/akx4KUP38Ek) is up next, he begins to babble immediately. Somehow he "knew" from the first trailer that it "was gonna be a bad movie" because of "logical deduction". He doesn't elaborate on this, we're meant to believe he was intelligent enough to know it was gonna be "bad". He also downplays Lucas's involvement in ESB and ROTJ while also saying that others made ANH good. Keep this bit in mind because I'll talk more about ESB and ROTJ later and I'll even link a video that debunks that claim about ANH. He also lies about Lucas doing nothing between ROTJ and TPM, he literally helped direct a lot of scenes of the Indiana Jones films and other things too. He doesn't understand the politics of course, this is definitely a voice of reason that you should listen to! He also complains about how Queens can't be kids when there's literally hundreds of cases where kids were reigning monarchs. There's even cases of literal infants being monarchs, you do realise that Padme has advisers surrounding her just like what real life monarchs have right? Also yes, you can elect Queens. Have you ever head of an elective monarchy? Doug also engages in bullying Ahmed Best and Jake Lloyd, this is a 2015 video btw. Ahmed Best didn't come out about his suicidal tendencies because of the bullying until 2018 but Jake Lloyd already had his life totally ruined before and earlier in 2015, we saw him on the news being chased by the police. This loser doesn't even have the decency to think about what he's saying. The only thing that matters to Doug here is to shit on TPM as much as possible and he doesn't care about the fact that he helped ruin a kid's life. He complains about the virgin birth and midichlorians in the same breath. He complains about something mystical then also complains about TPM being too scientific. Doug isn't the only one to do this, these idiots don't know how to be consistent with their arguments. He calls the film racist, another slanderous lie pointed against the film. He sucks off RLM without directly naming them lol. The story is "too complicated" for children according to him but he was 18 when TPM came out so idk how he'd know this. I watched the films when I about 8 and I understood what was happening. I showed the films in chronological order (the right way) to my youngest brother when he was 7 (he's 9 now) and he understood it the same way I did back when I first watched it. You don't have to be a genius to understand these films, you just have to be open to engage with them in good faith. He also says it's "interesting" to see kids my age grow up and "realise that the original three films were much better". But I and many others still prefer the prequels overall. I legitimately place all 3 of them above ESB in terms of quality and I'm not hating on ESB at all, the Lucas era films are all 10/10 to me.

Chris Stuckmann (https://youtu.be/EUXx-A5khOw?t=668), remember guys "these are eyes that analyse movies". He then proceeds to show off that he's never heard of the 180 degree rule (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bba7raSvvRo), 27 at the time of making this video btw. All he had to do is a quick google search to find out what it is instead of having to make me explain why a race around a circuit shouldn't be breaking this rule constantly. Also, his complaints about the shots being the same are very stupid, if you actually watch the podrace, you see all sorts of shots but then again, the point of these videos is to "get Stuckmannised" and buy his book. Moving on.

IHE (https://youtu.be/_KNuYEVc2Ho)_ is next, I'm kinda scrapping the bottom of the barrel with this video because of how old it is but it's comedic how pathetically sad he sounds in it. He sounds like a child who's been told to go to bed at 9pm. His only criticism is "it's bad" and not why he thinks it's bad. He just shits on George Lucas for the whole video and then in his TLJ review he gets angry at people shitting on Rian Johnson. I'm not condoning any harassment of Johnson but this double standard is really funny. I also dislike the fact that his "review" of TPM is the second most liked review of the film on Letterboxd, he says stupid shit like Jar Jar looks like pre-vis CGI and that the podrace was self-indulgent. He's just talking out of his ass here lol.

Cosmonaut Variety Hour (Marcus idk his last name) (https://youtu.be/YPvEJjNNPp4), he starts the vid by sucking off Mike and also I'm only gonna talk about the TPM portion of this vid. He calls the Plinkett reviews the best analysis of the prequels, it was hard to figure out what he was saying at first because he was throating Mike's cock too hard. Quite funny how Mr Plinkett's review is "incredibly in-depth" to him, you'll notice that he steals a lot of Plinkett's "jokes". He also says that you have to be "brainwashed" to like the prequels and talks about how the merch brainwashed him into loving the films as a kid. But I didn't have that much prequel merch and I still loved them, so idk what his point is unless he's trying to quietly call Lucas greedy. But Lucas isn't even greedy at all, why did he give his Disney money to charity? And the merch is only so prolific because Lucas wanted to fund the films himself so that he wouldn't have to go and get money from some studio exec who's gonna end up dictating his work. Lucas got lucky with ANH because Alan Ladd Jr was the rare type of exec, a guy who let the artist do their thing. But Lucas wanted to make sure Fox couldn't fuck around with his story so he got the merch rights and used that money to fund ESB, if he didn't sell merch, ESB would've been a shitty copy of ANH and Star Wars would've faded away. I know that some of the merch is very ludicrous, things like the Jar Jar tongue lollipop, but they were crucial to making Star Wars what it is today. He complains about people liking the prequels while disliking Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad (2016), which is very stupid. I do agree with him on it being annoying that there are some who say the prequels are redeemed because the Disney films are bad because they're using the prequels as a weapon instead of loving them. I don't like a lot of the Disney era content but I don't behave like this. He also says "Star Wars should be simple" but also complains about Palpatine's goal of amassing power to be too simple, again we see prequel haters fail to be consistent. Trust me, this "Star Wars should be simple line will bite him in the ass even harder in the next parts. Marcus is a grown adult man who thinks that admitting he didn't understand the plot of TPM for 20 years of his life isn't embarrassing at all. His voice is also really annoying and condescending, I'm sorry but you don't get to speak in such a condescending manner when you don't know what you're talking about. Yeah, onto the next one.

Sardonicast (YMS, IHE (hi again) and Ralphthemoviemaker) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpC75FsTKgI) IHE isn't that good imo and YMS has only one truly great video (Kimba vs Simba) imo and Ralph has more braincells compared to his two counterparts. All they do in this is just say "prequels bad, prequels boring, bad script, dumb plot", no substance. Also they say that they watched the prequels in the wrong order and that they couldn't be bothered to pay attention because they were "so bad". One of them (I don't care to scroll through a long ass video filled with babbling to remember which idiot it was) said that they turned on the subtitles and just started laughing because subtitles are funny for some reason. Clearly these are people who looked at the movie fairly and should inform your opinion of it.

Confused Mathew (https://youtu.be/pobw4VL8DhI), absolute bottom of the barrel. "Why is the Republic trading with itself?", I mean seriously, is there a single braincell in his head? France sells croissants to Poland, WHY IS THE EU TRADING WITH ITSELF? This is the level of intellect people have when they argue in bad faith. It's quite sad to see that there are people who've unironically taken stupid points like these as expert criticisms.

This is why I dislike so many film review youtubers, especially the original ones, RLM and Nostalgia Critic. There are a bunch that I love of course, but that's because they actually bother to think about why artists do what they do instead of complaining about artists not doing what they, the fan, wants. The whole point of art is to express yourself, Lucas and many others don't exist to please you. Star Wars contains Lucas's beliefs and soul and that's why it worked. You can say stupid things like Star Wars was a success in spite of Lucas but this isn't true at all, here's the video that debunks the claim that Marcia Lucas saved ANH (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olqVGz6mOVE). Nerdonymous has very hard evidence that the claims are false and even proves that Rocket Jump Film School and others intentionally lie by taking quotes out of context or lying about certain events in order to tear down George Lucas. Sadly, Nerdonymous hasn't uploaded in quite a while but he did say his next video was gonna be about disproving the claim that Lucas didn't have much involvement in ESB and ROTJ. I'll disprove those claims here, Lucas had the same level of creative control he had during the prequels the whole time, he also did most of the scripts for ESB and ROTJ. Kasdan's work was mainly Yoda's dialogue and a few other bits of dialogue here and there, important work but people overstate how much he's done. "Over the three Star Wars films, he saw a trajectory. The Empire Strikes Back was the second act, and traditionally, the second act is when things start to go bad. George had made his (most important) decision when he hired Irvin Kershner to direct, even though Kershner and I were acting as his tools." - Lawrence Kasdan Also Lucas did ask Kasdan to come help him with the prequels on multiple occasions but Kasdan was annoyed about the fact that Lucas kept on rejecting his ROTJ ideas. His ROTJ ideas weren't exactly great though, he wanted Luke to use the Death Star to blow up the Imperial HQ and declare himself "President Of The Universe". The people who claim that Kasdan did the heavy lifting for ESB and ROTJ have done no research and only make this claim just to spire Lucas. Also, Carrie Fisher went over TPM's script and liked it but she did tweak a few lines of dialogue, Lucas never stopped collaborating with others. Prequel haters ignore things like this because it goes against their narrative and makes them look stupid.

I can't be bothered to find anymore people, they just suck off Mike and they don't add anything stupid like these other guys. But let's get serious again, this shit affects not just Star Wars but art in general. Anybody can record a video full of lies and peddle it to the masses, and if you just accept these lies then you end up losing your own autonomy. Just a bot hearing the same thing over and over in an echo chamber. I'm not demanding you like these films, I just want you to look at them fairly and assess them with real thought. If you still don't like them after that, that's fine and you're allowed to think that way. Thank you for reading this analysis and I hope you come back for the next one.