Apologies guys! This was meant to come out before May the 4th but unfortunately I had a lot of issues getting it uploaded in time. A lot of the video unfortunately had to be cut due to copyright and had to use a lot of images rather than video. I apologise for the quality of this video. I promise to make my next one better! Gatsby

Anakin being 12 is probably the single biggest missed oportunity here.

Padme and Anakin teaming up in a starfighter to destroy the Droid Control ship sounds awesome. Considering what happens to them in later films they barely interact in the Phantom Menace which I always thought was baffling.

“Somehow Palpatine became emperor…”

I think a blend of this and the actual movie could have been amazing.

Re: Obi-Wan wearing all black robes. I always thought that the black suit Luke wore in ROTJ was Obi-Wan's original Jedi uniform taken from his hut, that would also explain why his lightsaber in that film was more reminiscent of Obi-Wan's: spare parts.

I think Palpatine's rise power being explained better is an important improvement compared to this draft. After all, this was thr most important feature of the film.

It's good they decided to have Qui-Gon in the story from the start. First of all it gives Obi-Wan someone to talk with before running into Jar Jar. But more importantly it gives us time to get to know Qui-Gon so his death is more impactful.

The first draft seems better than what we got. Always felt weird Obi Wan was in the background rather than in the forefront. It also gives Obi Wan and Anakin a better dynamic than what they have in the movies.

This is much better than PM however it is better that qui-gon came in earlier in the real thing. It’s good that Anakin is older, it also makes his and padmes relationship more believable as well as including those scenes of them together. Also making jar jar competent would have made the original film much better.

George Lucas mentioning that Jar Jar Binks is based of Goofy is a fact that is much more ironic considering that Disney bought the Star Wars franchise. He even looks like an amphibious version of him.

Michael Jackon as Jar Jar Binks would've been preposterous

Aging up Anakin would've made his relationships much more plausible. Maybe it was to facilitate a time jump, but I think the time jump makes it all more confusing relationships wise. Anakin hasn't seen Padme in years, yet he still has the same childhood crush? I love the prequels tho.

I don’t understand why Lucas changed the Jedi to wearing moisture farmer outfits. As you stated, Luke in ROTJ is the actual Jedi uniform. It makes no sense that Kenobi would be “in hiding” wearing his Jedi robes. Lol

So cool how Obi-Wan is a seasoned Jedi Knight, like Luke in RoTJ.

My perfect Phantom Menace would have elements of both the actual movie and the draft script. I definitely think Anakin needs to be older and have more screen time with Padme. But I am glad that Lucas decided to change the design of Maul and write Qui-Gon into some of the earlier scenes.

Michael Jackson Jar Jar to Anakin: “Annie are you okay?”

I support the prequels, but there are some pretty key elements of this original script that I would have preferred.

This was a massive improvement over the film version we got

Over all I like this version a lot better than the final film. Although some explanation about Palpatine becoming Chancellor would have been needed.

I’d love to have a comic adaptation of this. It would be amazing.

padme sounds like a bop in this version ngl

I like that they made Obi more of a protagonist. Him being in the background of the first movie always bothered me.

That dreadhead look you've implied was the concept for Maul was in fact a concept piece done for Palpatine, by artist Iain McCaig, the note on the paper even says "Sith (Palpatine)"

I saw this again in theaters for the re-release. I was fully expecting it to be terrible like I remembered. I can honestly say it was not half as bad as I remembered. Small changes could have made it pretty decent movie.

Having an older Anakin was a bit less Cringe, but at the same time Qui-Gon as his original Master made much more sense because Qui-Gon was more of a Father Figure to him and when he was struck down by Maul, Obi-Wan was forced to take his place. Obi-Wan was not ready to become a mentor to the young Anakin, and their relationship was more akin to an older Brother/younger Brother which would in turn lead Anakin to become more resistant to his teachings and contributing to his turn to the Dark Side. "You were my Brother, Anakin!" not his student, not his Padawan. Anakin would have been more hesitant to act out of emotion with a Father Figure/Master like Qui-Gon who would have constantly reminded him to Mind his feelings as a Father would.

Lucas later changed the tone of the screenplay because his son Jett , born in 1993 would have been the perfect age for it. Thats why he made Anakin younger, he was suppossed to be in his early teens like Padme and a little bit emo like. Jar Jar wasnt a funny character more serious like the rest of the gungans. Lucas also had to refine the script all by himself in the later phase of pre production, since the writer he hired to work with him on later drafts (Frank Darabont) couldn't join the production because it was a non union job outside of the WGA/DGA/MPA rules. Lucas cut all ties with them after they tried to stop him and his team from releasing the Empire Strikes Back, a movie Lucas paid for with his own money to get 100% creative control. Phantom Menace was also delayed by 2 years, it was announced to be released in 1997.

We really missed out on the vibrating invisible Obi-Wan

In general it sounds more simple and mysterious like the original movies. I wonder where the push came from to over explain everything and add so many extra elements?

The only constant thing is Jar Jar. Jar Jar is the key to all this.

An Age 12 Anakin in ep1 fixes so many things for me.

This sounds incredible. Idk what happened to go from this to the mess ep1 became.

It's funny how The Phantom Menace get treated like Crap for 25 years, But the Force Awakens got praise.

I love how so much Star Wars world building is just George Lucas and other people using his first draft ideas for other things.

Ah difficult to know these things with Lucas because he always obsessively changes the draft so many times that's hard to know which version of what is from which version of the draft. It is impressive he manages to finish and actually film with this mix of singing and let's change everything. Not surprising given that he tries to change and further tinker the films even after released with new versions. Just choose one and stick to it!

i would like if the version of the original script was released in comic form and i would like to see alternate versions of attack of the clones and revenge of the sith that are sequels to this version of the phantom menace

The only thing in this version of the script i think is better is Anakins age.

I think with Dune's successes, Jedi vs Sith demigod like duels would be interesting and could be pulled off in a star wars movie adding more mystique to the whole spirituality aspect. While not being too MCUish is the only challenge.

11:30 "Somehow... Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor"

This is very interesting, are you going to do a video for Episodes II and III as well?

I do wish it went that way, I loved the obi wan concept design and it would’ve been cool to see how it evolved. Also I feel it gives him more agency and puts the blame of Anakin falling on him.

Phantom menace was amazing. Prequels were all dope. They weren't supposed to be the original trilogy they were different stories at in the same universe. And they felt like they were unlike the sequels. I have no complaints.

Everything people hated about it was fixed in the original

This was great. I subbed hoping you do original script for ep 2 and 3

Oh wow, I recognized your voice from prequel rewrites from years ago. Good video!

*Maul leaps up on the ship with Qui-Gon* “YOU’RE GOING NOWHERE”

Very creepy design for Darth Maul because I don’t if you have seen the original design of the Green Goblin mask, the dark seekers in Ridley Scott’s I am Legend and Snake face Voldemort?

This film will always be perfect to me, my sister took me to the theatre when I was 10 years old. Jar Jar was hilarious, the Jedi, the pod racing everything was amazing. I can see where all the criticism comes from but I will always remember this film as a mind blown kid 😂

I like this version more just because it has an actual protagonist this time

Obi-Wan and Anakin being older really sits well with me, it just all seems to fit together better this way.

This would explain a lot of the differences in the novelization.

I feel like the largest issue with the prequels is that Lucas cut all the best stuff out of them and left only the connective tissue. It’s really a shame we’ll never get this version of the movie.

Just making Anakin roughly the same age as Padme, and NOT making Jar Jar a frigging clown, would've DRASTICALLY improved The Phantom Menace.

I was hoping we would find out what Lucas meant when he said "Jarjar is the key to all this.".

Darth Maul saved the movie. And revenge of the sith saved the trilogy.

Wow!!! A lot of things here are very interesting!!! Some of which would've been better for Episode 1. Some!!!

I'm glad they kept Qui-Gon involved from the beginning. It was a great way to combine the relationship in terms of Master/Apprentice when it came to Jedi lore and Obi-Wans development as a character. Anakin, having a say in the war strategy, would have been ridiculous as well as easing Jar Jars fears with "I'll protect you." Padme taking back her own throne was definitely the better choice. Overall, Qui-Gon was definitely the glue the final version needed throughout the entire movie. Anakin came dangerously close to becoming Rey from the Sequel Trilogy. His character was becoming way to "PERFECT" by showing no character arc. Being able to take a ship out of Hyperspace between two objects using the Force on the first try would have been just as ridiculous as Rey beating Kylo Ren in her first ever use of a lightsaber or her shooting Sith Lightning without haven been trained. Im glad Anakin using the force in any controllable way was scrapped altogether. Thankfully, him still having to leave his mom behind, as well as the Council initially rejecting his training, was still kept in.

Georgie really looked at this and said "WAIT! Theres not enough racial steriotypes!"

I love the blockade Force idea with Anakin.

I don't think it's better really, but it's interesting to hear a different version

I already saw the Phantom Menace in theatres, don't think I'll be going again this time around.

They REALLY should've used the original script. Maybe give it a few tweaks, but it was better than the end product.

You get this in a lot of movies, when you read the original script it seems so much better than what was finally chosen. I would be interested to know why they went with the script they did. This Jar-Jar actually sounds interesting instead of being what we got. I agree that an older Anakin would be more interesting especially the interaction between him and Padma. It always seemed odd the infatuation he had for her lasting ten years considering the little contact they had.

Omg . I was one or few who went to see the phantom twice. But the Original script was so much better . Loved it thank you my friend . MTFBWY

I enjoyed the phantom menace when it came out, but i truly think this version sounds more then 12 parsects better than the version George ended up making

...This is so much better than what we got...a great loss to the fans.

What music did you use for this video? It's absolutely beautiful

I actually watched a whole video about the original draft for episode one and it had really interesting ideas and concepts which I liked better than the one we've got. But, the original draft was cool, but some elements could've been improved a bit better.

Wow, cool video! Can you make a similar video about episodes 2 and 3?

This is a cool video, its so interesting to see what might have been, what we got is more than fine, but this could have possibly been better, its kind of like when a book gets made into a movie and lots of changes happen, basic plot stays but many details change, like The Shining or Forrest Gump

I don't see as much better, except for making Anakin older, although having as a kid is more impactful because you see him so full of dreams and he is always marveled by what he sees outside of Tatooine, and in 13 years it all fades away. Also having Qui Gon as the protagonist and Obi Wan as young Padawan works really well, because with Qui Gon we have the ideal Jedi Knight who would've been a better Master to Anakin. With Obi Wan, you see a young man who has much to learn, and while he becomes mature and wiser through the movies, you flaws of someone who despite his best intentions was unfit to train Anakin

Get me the portal gun from Rick, we need to go there and get the DVD of this version. (Except Maul would still have dual blades)

So Obi-Wan would have been early 60s in Ep IV (Sir Alec was 62) And Anakin about 42 (Prowse was 41, though Sebastian Shaw would have been 71)

I remember, some time in the very late 90's, getting the original outline for what became Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. It was written by producer Rick McCallum and completely different from the film they ended up making.

I have read this treatment before and generally prefer it.

The relationship between Anakin and Padme is much more fleshed out here, and it also makes Anakin a much more active and competent participate in the story. The use of the force is also much more interesting here.

Anakin encountered an Jedi in his dreams which was Obi Wan. That concept appears to have been repurposed later on for TFA when Rey sees the island repeatedly in her dreams, which turns out to be Achto where Luke is.

I really like the more classic mystical feel of the artwork made for this version. The concepts for Coruscant especially, it feels like something more fantastical than cold and modern. Kinda glad they made Maul the way he is and not like a rejected mask design for Slipknot though LOL

Making Anakin 12 would've been so much better. It would make his relationship with Padme in AotC feel a lot less... out of nowhere. Teasing the romance from the start and having them go on adventures together- like in the starfighter- feels so right, so fun, so... STAR WARS!

_The Phantom Menace_ should’ve been expanded into it’s own trilogy, with _Episodes 2 & 3_ getting their own, revolving around the Clone Wars… giving us _The Skywalker Saga_ as: - _Part 1: the Rise of Anakin Skywalker_ - _Part 2: the Fall of Anakin Skywalker_ - _Part 3: the Redemption of Anakin Skywalker_ - _Part 4: the Legacy of Anakin Skywalker_

Well it couldn’t have been any worse

Wow, so much more of this should have stayed, explicitly, in the final movie. There's a great channel here on KZfaq that see to have spotted some of the more subtle ideas in this and the other prequels (I wonder now if he was already familiar with this script/story), that I had not considered. His channel's called "Represent This" and is highly recommended by this stranger on the Internet. Cheers.

Who did the voice work for the characters like maul in this?

Just because they spoke with what seemed liked a Chinese accent to us, the fact that George Lucas preferred that design idea is what makes the Prequel Trilogy feel lived in like a universe that could exist instead of one where everyone is using American English pronunciations and lingo.

Great video! Not related question: Where is your accent from?

It's really interesting to see how a handful of seemingly small changes can drastically affect the story. I can see why George may have changed Anakin's age. If he's younger, there is the prodigy aspect which makes him feel more like he's gifted as well as displaying the tragedy of his ultimate downfall by depicting him as a kind, goodhearted child. But consequently, Anakin seems like a far more interesting and compelling character as a 12 year old and his romance with Amidala works much better. Also, Qui Gon not being present until later works better for allowing Obi Wan to develop a working relationship with Anakin. But I can see why it got changed. Qui Gon's death wouldn't have been as tragic and the story thread of Obi Wan not being completely ready to train Anakin would have been lost. Also, also! I totally see why JarJar became a comedic character. There was so much plot and intense moments and no levity. It makes sense on paper why it was changed, but it really all came down to balance. JarJar could have been less silly, Anakin could have been older, Qui Gon could have been present but still have Obi Wan be on the forefront of the story. It was actually REALLY REALLY close to being darn near perfect. I still love TPM despite it's flaws, but oh, what could have been

The best outcome would’ve been a blend of both the early draft and the final outcome. Qui-Gon being more involved was a good decision for the final movie as it made his death more impactful and allowed us to see a proper Master/Apprentice relationship. But Anakin being a little older (along with adding more interactions with Padme) was better with the early drafts.

Reminds me a bit of Ain’t It Cool News. I remember reading something like the fourth version of the script and then the disappointment that several of my favorite beats/angles getting cut or redone (Sifo-dyas?!?).

Qui Gon was only added to the final version so that they can use the double lightsabre at the end.

You had me at "Jar Jar talked normal". An older Obi-Wan makes more sense as you get closer to the Alec Guinness version's timeline. An older Anakin would have been better as well. The interactions with Padme were just creepy with that little boy. This is a much better story than what we got. I would only hope that a small edit got us the double lightsaber for Darth Maul.....

Wow! The original draft was actually a competent and entertaining story!?!?! Genuinely wonder what happened that caused deviating from it?

Excellent choice of music. KOTR soundtrack is as absolute masterpiece.

While a little rough around the edges, I would have preferred this version to what we got. The end duel at the end isn't impressive sounding, though.

Sounded a lot better. Thx for that. Luv and Peace.

Wow, I can see some changes were for the better. (Qui-gon's death would have lacked punch in this version) But for the most part, there is a lot here that they should have built on instead of removing. Thanks for sharing.

Can we get the more extended version? Asking for a friend. 🤓

I wonder if there's any way with the use of existing footage and A.I. that this version could be made? I'd love to see it

after watching this its clear the tech just wasn't there yet for how ambitious lucas was, imagine if he did sequels instead and then the prequels were done in place of the disney stuff once the tech was more advanced

When I came back to watch this as an adult I really enjoyed the political aspect that I did not understand as a kid. Explained Palpatine’s rise and made it plausible.

Anyone know the name of the song that plays during the video during the darth maul reveal?