Revealing mistake: In a few of the wider crowd shots during the pod-race, you can make out some oddities. In particular, if you look closely, you'll see the same group people copy/pasted over and over in different places and different configurations in the audience to make the crowds seem bigger. (Slow motion or pausing helps, but is not necessary.) This is actually a relatively common special effects trick to make crowds seem bigger.
Revealing mistake: When Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, and Padme are eating at Anakin's house, Anakin's mum pours water for Qui-Gon. But when she gets to Jar-Jar, she tips the pitcher but no water comes out. (00:39:10)
Padme: Are you sure about this? Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know? The Queen would not approve.
Qui-Gon Jinn: The Queen doesn't need to know.
Padme: Well I don't approve.
More trivia for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
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.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
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!
Sierra1 ★