Y’know how Force Awakens is a soft remake of A New Hope? So is Phantom Menace, except it feels like it’s been translated through 16 different languages. Is it possible to shift Phantom Menace closer to A New Hope/The Force Awakens? Of course, adding a superweapon to the plot is theoretically possible (although stupid).

What if Naboo serves the same ‘plot location’ as the Death Star? The movie starts on Tatooine (Tatooine/Jakku), we learn of a captured queen, we rescue her from enemy territory (Death Star/Occupied Naboo/Starkiller Base), there’s a space battle as we escape the enemy (TIE Fighter Attack/Escape from Naboo/Escape from Jakku), we return to a safe area (Yavin IV/Coruscant/D’Qar), there’s a final battle for peace and freedom (Battle of Yavin/Reclaiming Naboo/Battle of Starkiller Base). Of course you’d occasionally cut to what the Queen is up to in the first act.

I feel like you’d have to shift the ‘point of view’ character to Anakin for this to work, taking the place of Luke or Rey as the protagonist. Maybe the Naboo royal starship is just the Jedi’s ship?

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan could serve the same narrative purpose as 3PO and R2, stranded on a planet (with a broken ship), they meet a boy who wishes to help and join them among the stars.