George Lucas Originally Envisioned a Jedi Twist to End The Phantom Menace

A caller interrogation celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace flips everything we cognize astir the film, and franchise, connected its head. Though it yet didn’t travel to fruition, George Lucas primitively conceived that the roles of Jedi Master and apprentice would beryllium changed astir successful the film, with the apprentice taking connected his Master’s sanction successful the end.

In the movie itself, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) is simply a Jedi maestro and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is his apprentice. When Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon makes Obi-Wan committedness to bid young Anakin Skywalker, which helium does, mounting up everything other we cognize successful the trilogy. However, during development, conception and storyboard creator Iain McCaig revealed Lucas had different idea. Neeson would play Obi-Wan, McGregor would beryllium Qui-Gon, and erstwhile Obi-Wan died, Qui-Gon would instrumentality his sanction arsenic a tribute.

“It’s absorbing however things evolve,” McCaig said successful an extended interrogation with the authoritative Star Wars website. “For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan and the younger Jedi was named Qui-Gon. It was precise poignant that astatine the end, arsenic Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeats Darth Maul and stays with his Master arsenic helium passes away, helium not lone takes connected his Master’s quest, but helium takes connected his name. Qui-Gon becomes Obi-Wan. That’s wherefore erstwhile you spot Alec Guinness in A New Hope, helium puts his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a sanction I’ve not heard….’ Because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And close astatine the end, George changed it.”

It’s hard to adjacent ideate the movie playing retired similar that aft 25 years, but let’s deliberation astir it a bit. If Alec Guinness was primitively Qui-Gon, it mightiness marque that aboriginal infinitesimal in A New Hope play a spot better. “Oh, right, that wasn’t my existent name,” etc. But the aboriginal infinitesimal betwixt Obi-Wan and Darth Vader connected the Death Star would’ve made little sense. Vader/Anakin would’ve primitively known Obi-Wan arsenic Qui-Gon—and adjacent if helium was named Obi-Wan the full clip they trained together, the alteration adds nothing. It conscionable muddles things up.

Flipping the characters does, however, marque for a much absorbing mentation of The Phantom Menace though. Imagine watching the movie and seeing “Obi-Wan” die. Everyone would’ve been shocked. But, ultimately, making the alteration surely feels similar the close move.

There are a ton of different chill stories successful the McGaig interview, specified arsenic however helium came up with a plan for Darth Maul, truthful caput implicit and check that out. But also, fto america cognize what you deliberation astir this. Did Lucas marque the close choice?

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