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A contemporary interview celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace flips all the pieces we all know about the film, and franchise, on its head. Although it ultimately didn’t come to fruition, George Lucas originally conceived that the roles of Jedi Master and apprentice may well be changed around within the film, with the apprentice taking on his Master’s name within the stay.
Within the film itself, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) is a Jedi master and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is his apprentice. When Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon, Qui-Gon makes Obi-Wan promise to train younger Anakin Skywalker, which he does, developing all the pieces else we all know within the trilogy. Nonetheless, all thru pattern, theory and storyboard artist Iain McCaig revealed Lucas had another idea. Neeson would play Obi-Wan, McGregor may well be Qui-Gon, and when Obi-Wan died, Qui-Gon would take his name as a tribute.
“It’s attention-grabbing how issues evolve,” McCaig said in an prolonged interview with the official Star Wars web achieve. “For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan and the youthful Jedi was named Qui-Gon. It was very poignant that at the stay, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeats Darth Maul and stays with his Master as he passes away, he no longer ultimate takes on his Master’s quest, nonetheless he takes on his name. Qui-Gon turns into Obi-Wan. That’s why while you happen to sight Alec Guinness in A Still Hope, he places his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve no longer heard….’ Because he’s no longer Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And correct at the stay, George changed it.”
It’s hard to even imagine the film playing out savor that after 25 years, nonetheless let’s mediate about it a bit. If Alec Guinness was originally Qui-Gon, it may well make that early second in A Still Hope play a bit better. “Oh, correct, that wasn’t my real name,” and so on. However the later second between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader on the Death Star would’ve made much less sense. Vader/Anakin would’ve originally identified Obi-Wan as Qui-Gon—and although he was named Obi-Wan the total time they trained together, the change adds nothing. It correct muddles issues up.
Flipping the characters does, nonetheless, make for a more attention-grabbing version of The Phantom Menace though. Imagine watching the film and seeing “Obi-Wan” die. Everybody would’ve been terrified. But, ultimately, making the change certainly feels savor the suitable transfer.
There are a ton of other frigid stories within the McGaig interview, such as how he came up with a form for Darth Maul, so head over and take a look at that out. But also, allow us to know what you mediate about this. Did Lucas make the suitable possibility?
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