The Phantom Menace:

A boy born into slavery on a backwater planet meets some strangers who are actually warriors marooned on his planet after a battle in an intergalactic Space War. The boy is intrigued by the strangers and the idea of life away slavery. He helps them repair their damaged spacecraft so they can return to the War. The boy leaves his life of slavery with the warriors and is introduced to the vastness of the galaxy. He joins the War effort and is trained by the warriors.

Well... that's maybe shorter than it needs to be, but that's the kernel of story in Phantom Menace that I do like and think could actually be quite good if executed differently than TPM. Reminds me of the White Mountains of the Tripod Trilogy for those that have read them.