Probably not. You bring up a good point, but I just can't explain why the Death Star trench run is always exciting, and the pod race often gets boring. Once again, especially the extended version on the DVD as opposed to the real version. With that in mind, the Death Star trench run gave very brief introductions to the pilots you'd be seeing during the battle, whose feats you'd continue to see throughout the battle, which determined their characters and made you feel attached to them. Except for Sebulba and Anakin, I never felt compelled to care about anybody in that race. When you add in that stupid introduction ceremony that slows the pacing to a crawl (hmm, interesting that Mr. Fast and Intense seems to have a knack for bringing the pace to a complete standstill during key moments), it becomes even more ridiculous, since he's now actively trying to get you to care about these characters, but it's even less effective (and much more annoying) than the very brief pilot introductions during the trench run. Just some food for thought.