00:00Hello my fellow Rebels and welcome to another video taking a look at the Skywalker Saga prequels.
00:05We previously had a look at the reasons why the WhatCulture Star Wars community hated The Phantom Menace
00:10but now it's time to take a look at the reasons why you loved it.
00:14I'm CJ, this is WhatCulture and these are 8 reasons you loved The Phantom Menace.
00:20Reason number 1, the trailer.
00:22There were rumours that a new Star Wars film was coming out
00:25and fans were so excited when they finally found out when the trailer was going to be released.
00:31I went to the local cinema about 10 times over the space of a weekend just to see the Star
00:37Wars trailer.
00:38It got to the point where staff just accepted I'd be walking out of one movie
00:42and walking into another just to watch the trailer.
00:45It was really exciting because we were getting an introduction to brand new characters,
00:50brand new planets and of course seeing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and an even younger Yoda.
00:57The trailer was available to download from the Star Wars website
01:00but back then it was the sucky AOL dial-up and that wasn't the best.
01:05To have my first experience of Star Wars on the big screen
01:08even though it was just a trailer was amazing and it is something I will never forget to this day.
01:14Reason number 2, the pod racing.
01:16Say what you want about the pod race scene and even I agree watching it back it was a little
01:21bit long
01:21but the experience in the cinema when the movie came out was mind-blowing.
01:26Hearing the pods blasting through the speakers and the fast-paced action
01:29was one of the highlights of the Phantom Menace.
01:32The sound design and the visuals were like nothing I'd seen before in cinema.
01:37It also gave us our first look at Anakin's skill
01:40and using his link to the Force to keep up with his fellow racers.
01:43I really enjoyed the pod racing. It was something different and something new to the Star Wars universe
01:48and I even remember the old arcade version of the pod racing where you'd sit in the little pod yourself
01:54and it was an absolute blast and if you ever see any of those arcade machines in the wild
01:58I totally recommend having a shot.
02:01Reason number 3, Darth Maul.
02:03The Phantom Menace introduced us to one of the coolest looking Sith Lords in the history of Star Wars,
02:08the one and only Darth Maul.
02:10Even though he didn't have much to say in the Phantom Menace, that doesn't mean he didn't have an impact.
02:16With two amazing battle scenes and giving us an intimidating enemy throughout,
02:20it's a shame we didn't see more of Darth Maul in future episodes.
02:25George Lucas made the right choice when casting someone with a martial arts and stunt background
02:30by bringing us Ray Park, who originally was meant to be the stunt coordinator for the film.
02:35With his blend of physicality and martial arts, it really brought some power to the Sith
02:40and really put our Jedis through their paces.
02:44Quality was definitely better than quantity when it comes to Darth Maul on screen
02:47and he had a commanding force.
02:50Get it? That's the one bad joke of the video.
02:54But no, he did have a commanding force in every scene he appeared in,
02:57which leads us very nicely to...
03:00Reason number 4, Duel of Fates.
03:02The greatest thing that come from the Phantom Menace is, without a doubt,
03:06John Williams' Duel of Fates.
03:08It was recorded by the London Sympathy Orchestra and London Voices.
03:12The Duel of Fates was originally meant to be for the closing credits only,
03:17but George Lucas loved it so much,
03:19he kept it and used it for the battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul.
03:25The piece became not just the sound for the Phantom Menace,
03:28but the sound for the prequels and Star Wars movies moving forward.
03:32You can even hear it in Episode 2 and Episode 3 in just slightly different forms.
03:38It's impossible not to get chills when the choir kicks in when Maul reveals that second blade.
03:43No matter if you love or hate the Phantom Menace,
03:46no Star Wars fan can deny the brilliance that is John Williams.
03:50And at number 5, Jar Jar Binks.
03:56Nah, I'm just kidding.
03:57But now I have your attention,
03:59don't forget to click the subscribe button,
04:00and you can also follow us over on Instagram.
04:03But don't do it for me.
04:06Do it for him.
04:07Do it for Grogu.
04:09Bad baby!
04:09And now the actual number 5, Qui-Gon Jinn.
04:12One of the greatest Jedi to grace the screens of Star Wars is, of course, Qui-Gon,
04:17and we only got him for one film.
04:19This is once again quality over quantity to help move Anakin and Obi-Wan's story along,
04:25but I just wish we could add Qui-Gon in at least Episode 2.
04:29Many fans say if Qui-Gon had stayed with Anakin,
04:32he'd never have turned to the dark side.
04:34And I've got to agree,
04:36Qui-Gon was confident, headstrong,
04:38and did not listen to the Jedi Council,
04:41and focused on using the Force to help make his decisions,
04:44rather than of our Jedi.
04:46Well, he may not have appeared in any more films,
04:48well, apart from his voice appearing in Episode 2,
04:51and in Rise of the Skywalker,
04:53but he has come back in the Obi-Wan series recently,
04:56and in the animated shows The Clone Wars,
04:58and Jedi Tales,
05:00just to help us get our Qui-Gon fix.
05:02Reason number six,
05:03a new audience for Star Wars.
05:05Old Star Wars fans may not have enjoyed the prequels,
05:08but The Phantom Menace did something important,
05:10and that was bringing a new generation of Star Wars fans to the universe,
05:14helping to keep the franchise alive.
05:17Without The Phantom Menace,
05:18we wouldn't have got more of Anakin's story,
05:20and the amazing animated series The Clone Wars.
05:23Episode 1 may not have had a major impact in re-watches on the story overall,
05:28but without this new generation of Star Wars fans,
05:31we wouldn't have Star Wars as we have now.
05:34We've also got some amazing games,
05:36Lego sets that we grew up playing with.
05:38We also got Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan.
05:41He may not have been great in Episode 1,
05:43but by the time of the Obi-Wan series,
05:45he had made Obi-Wan his own,
05:47and I am here for more Ewan McGregor Obi-Wan.
05:50And I've got to say,
05:50I'm glad Episode 1 exists,
05:52even if it's not my favourite in the Skywalker saga.
05:55But without it,
05:56we'd not have the opportunity for more movies,
05:58and shows,
05:59and media in the Star Wars universe.
06:01And for that,
06:02I am thankful The Phantom Menace exists.
06:04The Naboo Starfighters.
06:06One of the coolest ships in the Star Wars universe.
06:09Don't worry, Millennium Falcon,
06:10you're still my favourite.
06:11But the Naboo Starfighter,
06:13or as it should be called,
06:14the N-1 Starfighter,
06:15is a single-seated ship flown by the Naboo security forces.
06:19These ships were used to protect Queen Amidala's ship,
06:22and to fight the Trade Federation in The Phantom Menace.
06:24The N-1 became very popular of fans very quickly,
06:28and has appeared in many Star Wars media since then,
06:31including new scenes added to Return of the Jedi
06:34during the Celebration scene.
06:36For me personally,
06:37one of the most exciting things for me
06:38was unlocking it in the very old game Star Wars Starfighter.
06:42And of course,
06:43we can't forget that it is now
06:45the go-to ship for our beloved Mandalorian and young Grogu.
06:49Before we get to the final reason,
06:51let me know your favourite parts in the comments below,
06:54and also keep an eye on our Star Wars community posts
06:57where you can share your favourite bits
06:59from all of the Star Wars media.
07:01And our final reason,
07:02Ian McDiarmid.
07:03In my opinion,
07:04Ian McDiarmid was perfectly cast as Emperor Palpatine,
07:07or in this case,
07:08Senator Palpatine,
07:10showing us how he became the Emperor
07:11and commanding the Empire
07:12alongside the fall of Anakin Skywalker,
07:15was a genuine surprise
07:16and one of the most interesting parts of The Phantom Menace,
07:19and the following prequels.
07:21Ian McDiarmid played one of the smartest people
07:23in the Star Wars universe,
07:24mixing that with seeing Sidious' amazing foresight,
07:27and having such an amazing long-term plan in place
07:30to meet his end game,
07:32while also controlling lots of different groups
07:34and people against one another
07:36just to get his end goal in sight.
07:39Ian McDiarmid showed that duplicity of Sidious and Palpatine,
07:42knowing what was to come,
07:44was one of my favourite stories in The Phantom Menace
07:46and the following sequels.
07:48I think he was cast perfectly,
07:50and just showing that side of Palpatine
07:52was not something we ever expected,
07:54but was certainly good movie magic.
07:56So that brings us to the end of the video.
07:59Let me know what you think,
08:00what did you love about The Phantom Menace,
08:02or click that little button to the side there,
08:04and you can let me know what you didn't like
08:06about The Phantom Menace
08:07with other Warculture fans.
08:09Remember to keep an eye out for more videos like these,
08:11but for now,
08:12may the Force be with you.
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