Star Wars Episode I: The Beginning (the movie as marketed as Star Wars: The Beginning)
Directed by
Irvin Kershner
Produced by
Rick McCallum
Story by
George Lucas
Screenplay by
Lawrence Kasdan and Jonathan Hales
The film opens with a Republic Cruiser heading to the peaceful planet of Alderaan where the planet is being blockaded by the Galactic Traders. Aboard are two Jedi Knights, young Ben Kenobi (Ben Kenobi is the trilogy’s protagonist) and Qui-Gon Jinn who are disguising themselves as Republic Ambassadors but through the use of security cameras, the Viceroy of the Traders, Nute Gunray and tells this to his leader, Darth Vader who orders for their execution. First, their ship is destroyed and the Neimoidian Troopers try to kill them but Ben and Qui-Gon ignite their lightsabers and kill them all and escape down to Alderaan.
On Alderaan, Queen Organa and Prince Bail discuss with the council the disruption of their communications fearing an invasion but before they know it, the Galactic Traders arrive on the city streets and take the castle by storm and arrest them all. Ben and Qui-Gon who snuck aboard two smaller transports meet up and save them. Queen Organa and Prince Bail agree to go with them to Coruscant to meet with their representative, Senator Palpatine. They take off on their royal starship, which Vader finds out about and chases them down on in his Sith Infiltrator. Ben and Qui-Gon use the ship’s only defense with are turrets but Qui-Gon manages to defeat Vader by damaging one of his engines but he is injured in the process.
The crew and Bail say that because of the mysterious ship, the Hyperdrive was destroyed in the process so they’ll need to find a replacement. Ben finds a planet where they can a Hyperdrive, Tatooine. Bail disagrees going there but after some talking with the Queen they decide to go there. On Tatooine, Qui-Gon stays on the ship to Force Heal while Ben disguises himself as a Alderaan Farmer and Prince Bail suggests taking the Queen’s handmaiden, Padme, and her protocol droid, C-3PO with him which he reluctantly agrees. They travel to Mos Eisley Spaceport where they find a junk shop run by a creature named Watto and his only employee, a young boy named Anakin Lars. Ben first meets Anakin when he accidentally almost knocks something over and Anakin helps him out and the two feel a Force Connection with each other. Ben in this scene is also shown to be a noob at Force Mind Tricks before Episode IV where he was a pro at it.
After not getting the hyperdrive, Ben, Padme and C-3PO go to a diner, but Padme and C-3PO wait outside since “No Droids Allowed.” Ben, being in a not so pleasant mood gets himself in a fight with a racer named, Sebulba. Anakin comes in to knock off the fighting but Sebulba swears revenge. Ben thanks the boy and he takes them all to his homestead out in the desert where they meet his mother, Shmi Lars, and his older brother Owen Lars. Ben, Padme, and C-3PO also get a glance at Anakin’s project droid, R2-D2. Meanwhile, Darth Vader has learned of the Queen and the Jedi going to Tatooine has talked to his master, Darth Sidious about his plans and Sidious instructs him to go there and capture the Queen and the Prince and kill the rest.
At the homestead, Ben and Anakin bond some more, and Anakin discovers he’s a Jedi and being inexperienced with his teachings, he tells Anakin about the Force which he’s amazed by. And once talking of Podracing comes up, Ben gets the idea of making Anakin race for Watto to get them the money they need, which he agrees upon. Ben signs Anakin up for the race which is the next morning, but to their surprise, Sebulba is in the race and faces off against Anakin. But Ben tells Anakin to use the Force, let go, and trust him to which he does and wins the money and the race.
Afterward, the hyperdrive is taken to the ship and Ben asks Anakin if he wants to come with him to Coruscant to become a Jedi Knight but he has a heart to heart talk with his mother because he wants to make her proud and he’ll come back for her and Owen some way and somehow. She agrees and he leaves with Ben. But when they leave, a probe droid finds them and Ben cuts it down and they run for it. But Darth Vader attacks them and Ben duels the Sith Lord. Qui-Gon feels the Disturbance in the Force and Anakin’s presence and rushes out to meet the boy and they go to the cockpit and rescue Ben.
The crew finally arrives at Coruscant and they meet Senator Palpatine and President Valorum. The group separates so they can do their own thing. Anakin is brought before the Jedi and tested and Queen Organa, Bail and Palpatine go to the Senate. Ben and Qui-Gon discuss the whereabouts of Vader to the Jedi Council led by Mace Windu. Yoda would be there but he’s away saving a planet from being sucked into a black hole. Ben then confronts the Council about Anakin and suggests that he should be tested because of his friendship with the boy and he’s a lot like him. Mace reluctantly agrees and Anakin is tested but is assigned to Qui-Gon as his master much to Ben’s frustration.
Meanwhile, Palpatine is taking action with Queen Organa and Prince Bail and has manipulated Queen Organa to order “A Vote of No Confidence” to replace President Valorum which she does before the Senate and the Voting begins.
After feeling homesick and discussing it with Bail, Queen Organa decides to return home with Ben, Qui-Gon, and Anakin. Before leaving, Ben and Qui-Gon get into an argument over Anakin and Qui-Gon relents him over and Anakin is left in the dark between the two Jedi. On Alderaan, Darth Vader returns to the surprise of Gunray and his followers and he says that the Queen is returning and they need to put all their effort into using their blockade by taking down all of Alderaan. One of the Queen’s councilmen and his men find out and decide to launch an attack on the blockade using all their pilots.
Upon arriving on Alderaan, the Queen’s Starship is caught in the crossfire of the space battle of Alderaan and the Queen is badly injured in the battle. Prince Bail takes over and orders a return to the palace. Inside they meet with the Queen’s councilmen and they take the Queen to a med bay where she dies. But no time for mourning, everyone meets with the Pilots and they discuss the plan on how to defeat the blockade by taking down the main control ship. Padme volunteers to lead the pilots because she is the REAL Queen and makes a speech to inspire the pilots and Anakin volunteers as one of the pilots and everyone else joins in.
Anakin, Padme, and all the pilots take to the sky where they all fight the Neimoidian Fighters while Ben, Qui-Gon, and some Alderaan Fighters sneak aboard the main control ship to help deactivate the turrets and turn the tide. But Darth Vader finds them and duels Ben and Qui-Gon. Ben and Qui-Gon duel Vader into the engine rooms of the control ship where they reach the airlock of the ship where Qui-Gon and Ben are separated when Vader force pushes Ben into a laser shield barrier and Vader stabs Qui-Gon in the chest.
In space, things aren’t going so good until Anakin is hit and goes flying into the hanger and Qui-Gon feels Anakin’s presence and calls to him saying to use the Force and he fires at the Main Reactor destroying it. At the duel, Ben duels Vader and wounds his legs and cuts off his left arm. He knocks Ben into the airlock and activates it. But Qui-Gon uses his last bit of Force to close it. Ben jumps up and drags Qui-Gon to the hanger, back to the shuttle where they share a moment where Qui-Gon asks Ben to promise Ben to train Anakin for him and he dies. Ben then escapes the main control ship and Vader escapes into space. The blockade also is defeated but only two remaining ships retreat into space, one containing Gunray and his followers.
The film ends with Anakin returning to Alderaan with Padme and everyone congratulates him, Yoda finally appearing and meeting Ben and allowing Ben to train Anakin, Qui-Gon getting cremated and Padme knighting Ben as her Jedi Guardian and giving Anakin the name, “Anakin Skywalker.”