Question: Why didn't Maul take his cloak off when he fought Qui-Gon on Tattooine? It just seems kind of odd because it would probably (1) make you hotter as you move around in the sun and (2) make it harder to move around.
Question: I've read that Prince Xizor was thought to be at the pod race. I know that he's probably not there in the movie, but does anyone know if putting him in was ever considered?
Answer: The model of the pod race stands in the long shot used mostly colored Q-tips (cotton buds) as audience members, but tiny Micro-Machines action figures were also used, including the figures of Prince Xizor and Boba Fett. They can't be seen in the film, but you can see a close-up of the model in the "Making of" book.
Question: Is there any reason for Darth Maul only blinking once (like an ability that his species has to keep his eyes open for a while), or does the movie just happen to only show him blinking once?
Question: How did the droid in the beginning of the film know that Qui-gon and Obi-wan were both Jedi?
Chosen answer: Because word had arrived that two Jedi were arriving to handle the peace negotiations. When the two delegates then arrive, and both of them are wearing the distinct Jedi robes, with lightsabers in their belts, it is not exactly a difficult conclusion to draw.
Question: What is the relationship between the Trade Federation and the Senate? I mean I know that the Senate is supposed to be made up of representatives from planets in the Republic. But the TF also have representatives there. But the TF isn't just one planet is it? I thought that it was a company/organisation as such that encompassed lots of different planets (like the Federation in Star Trek)?
Chosen answer: The Trade Federation started out as a loose confederation of merchants and shipping providers who banded together to ensure that they had effective control over trade routes throughout the galaxy. Under the leadership of the Neimoidians, they took precautions to maintain that control, including a substantial military to protect their interests. This ultimately gave them enough political clout to achieve representation in the Senate at the same level as a member world.
Question: Is it known why the TF followed the orders of Palpatine (when he looks like the emperor)? I believe that they set-up the blockade and invasion to try to get Amadala to sign the treaty to joint he TF. But still why would they do it just on his orders?
Chosen answer: Palpatine (or Darth Sideous as the TF call him) is a master of using people to further his plans. The leaders of the TF are greedy and unscrupulous. Palpatine needs to destabalise the workings of the Senate enough to maneuver his way into being elected as Chancellor, so he presents the TF with a chance to make a lot of money by exploiting Naboo, knowing that the resulting conflict will generate sympathy for him in the senate, as a Naboo.
Question: I have read that this film was not received well among SW fans. I first saw this in the cinema and thought it was great and even now I still consider it a really good film and I love all of the films as a whole. I am just wondering why it is considered not as good as the rest?
Chosen answer: A lot of people felt that the more political nature of the film was inferior to the more swashbuckling feel of the original trilogy - after all, a trade dispute isn't inherently as entertaining as a rebellion against an evil Empire. They felt that the dialogue was rather clunky and delivered in a somewhat wooden fashion, which is in many ways a not unfair point, although the scripting accusation applies equally to the original trilogy (Lucas simply isn't a good writer of dialogue). In the end, the main problem was that, over the years, the original trilogy have gained an almost mythical status and have a substantial nostalgia factor, to the extent that a number of fans at the time were quoted as saying that the release of a new Star Wars film was to be a defining moment in their lives. The expectation levels were so high that it would have been impossible for any film, no matter how good, to live up to them - disappointment was inevitable.
Question: Darth Maul had to feel that Anakin was very Force-sensitive, so why would he almost hit him with his speeder (it looks intentional)? And why wouldn't he tell Darth Sidious about a very Force-strong boy being with the Jedi?
Answer: There is nothing to indicate that a Force-user should automatically detect Force sensitivity in others. In fact, in the books it is made very clear that this is not the case (as Luke has to discover a way for himself to detect potential Jedi candiates). As Anakin did not use the Force while Maul was present, Maul would not pick up any indication that Anakin could use it, and would therefore not suspect Anakin to be any more than a slave.
Question: Does Darth Maul know that Darth Sidious is Palpatine?
Answer: Yes, Darth Maul did know Palpatine's true nature. Palpatine/Darth Sidious was his master. Also, in the movie, they have a brief discussion on the balcony outside Palpatine's office.
Question: If Padmé is Queen Amidala's name, shouldn't all security forces know that it was her instead of the decoy? Wouldn't it be better to hide that name too?
Answer: It's safe to say that all her security staff will be aware of the decoy procedure - otherwise, they wouldn't know who to protect if things really went wrong. As for outsiders, Queen (later Senator) Amidala is her formal name and would be the one that everyone was familiar with; her birth name of Padme Naberrie is unlikely to be generally known.
Question: What is that red dot that is on Anakin's goggles when he is racing his pod? (It isn't there all the time, but if you look for it you can't miss it.)
Answer: It's the reflection off the instrument panel in front of him.
Question: Is the young green alien who is cheering on Anakin at the pod races the same one who confronts Han Solo in Episode 4?
Answer: Technically it wasn't, but during principal photography of the movie, it indeed was meant to be the same creature (Greedo). In one of the deleted scenes, the green alien picks a fight with Anakin, accusing him of cheating to win the pod race. Qui-gon warns young Greedo that he'll get into trouble if he keeps picking fights, and sure enough, he is blasted to pieces by Han Solo in Episode IV (again, that was the original plan). However, since the scene never made it into the movie, we are just left to assume it's an alien of the same race.
Answer: No his name is Wald, and he is of the same race. The deleted scene shows them together, but the Wald says be careful or one day you'll get yours.
Question: After reaching Coruscant, why does Qui-Gon tell Chancellor Valorum that he needs to speak with the Jedi Council? Wouldn't Qui-Gon simply report to the Temple once he arrived?
Chosen answer: Valorum sent Qui-Gon to Naboo as his personal ambassador, so the Chancellor would expect to discuss the situation on their return. Qui-Gon is excusing himself in order to bring the news of the Sith reappearance to the Jedi Council as soon as possible.
Question: The opening synopsis says that the Trade Federation blocked all shipping to Naboo. Do we know what the shipments consisted of? Was it raw materials, food, machinery, or are we not really meant to know?
Chosen answer: Put purely and simply, we have no particular need to know for the purposes of the plot. That being said, Naboo seems to be a largely pastoral world, so is likely to be self-sufficient on the food front, but may require the import of more industrially based goods, like machinery and so forth. Books related to the series suggest that Naboo has a highly profitable plasma-fuel industry - presumably fuel shipments would also be blockaded, depriving the planet of vital income.
Question: Is Senator Palpatine aware of Queen Amidala's use of decoys to protect herself?
Chosen answer: There's no indication one way or another. It's not particularly likely that he's ever been briefed on her security arrangements, but he's familiar enough with Amidala that his force abilities would be able to tell him that it wasn't her if he encountered her decoy at some point.
Question: Is it possible that the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the force is talking about Luke Skywalker? They all think it is Anakin but Luke is the one to defeat the remaining Sith. I've never seen anybody make the connection and was wondering if it is true.
Answer: Anakin/Darth Vader is in fact the one who brings balance to the force and destroys the remaining sith by throwing Darth Sidious over the edge and removing his life support.
Question: Why does Mace Windu have a purple lightsaber when every other good guy has green or blue ones?
Answer: Samuel L Jackson wanted a distinctive lightsaber, so asked George Lucas if he could have a purple one - Lucas decided that there was no hard and fast rule that said that Jedi had to go with green or blue, so he allowed it. As for the story rationale, Mace Windu saw a vision of himself with a purple lightsaber and travelled to the planet Hurikane where purple lightsaber crystals naturally grow, and was gifted several as a gift for helping the local populace.
Question: Something I never quite figured out when watching the film was what the shields in the corridor were for? The shields that separate Darth Maul from Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan during the fight. There are dozens of them and all they seem to do is benefit the fight in the film without having any real purpose.
Chosen answer: According to "Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I" by Kristin Lund, they are "laser doors which lock into position in response to potentially lethal power outputs that occur intermittently during plasma activation process" (the fight takes place in a plasma energy processing plant). There are six laser doors in deference to an ancient Naboo legend in which Chaos is held back by six inpentrable gates. As you say though, they're really just a plot device to add dramatic tension to the duel!
Answer: His Sith training would teach him to ignore the "pain" of the heat, and the cloak, like Jedi cloaks, are specifically desnigned not to limit movement. He attacked as he leapt off his speeder, so he wouldn't have had time to take it off anyway.
Phixius ★