Here's the #1 shocker of The Phantom Menace: although it stars Liam Neeson, Liam Neeson isn't seeking revenge on anyone. No one stole his daughter. No one is harming his family.Yup: Liam "Vengeance...

Sure, she wears the disguise of a lowly handmaiden and lets her doppelganger Keira Knightley masquerade in her finery. But there's no mistaking Queen Padmé for being exactly what she is: dang roya...

Darth Vader is the ruthless right-hand man of a tyrant and travels the galaxy dispensing merciless punishment on those who would fight for freedom and democracy. Even siding with Darth Vader is no...

When The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, Star Wars fans hadn't seen ol' Obi-Wan Kenobi for sixteen years. And then he'd been dead for a while… not that he'd let a little something like death...

Oof. Welcome to Problematictown, Population: Jar Jar Binks. (And the rest of the Gungans. And Watto.)But we'll save the reasons that people cringe when they see Jar Jar for the end. First: what is...

Let's get the "spoiler" out of the way right now: Darth Sidious and Senator Palpatine are the same person. While that's not technically revealed until Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars fans knew the t...

Darth Maul is a villain, plain and simple, and every aspect of this guy's character shouts "guy you don't want to owe money to."Let's start with the name. The word "maul" means to be injured by way...

Nute Gunray is the Viceroy of the Trade Federation and the leader of the droid army occupying Naboo. He shares antagonist duties with Darth Sidious: he stands in direct conflict with the story's he...

Shmi is Anakin's mommy, and one of Watto's slaves. She represents the prototypical kind mother character. She loves her son and raises him to be a caring, giving person. She probably bakes a mean T...

Oh, Yoda. After Return of the Jedi, we thought we'd never see you again, yet here you are: so wise, so tiny and green, and so backwards in your syntax. How we missed you.Considering we last saw Yod...

Watto is a parts dealer in Mos Espa on Tatooine. His character is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, but through careful analysis, it's possible to determine what makes this guy tick....

The Phantom Menace marks the fourth appearance of R2-D2 and C-3P0, the only characters to have appeared in every Star Wars film to date. (And yes, we're counting Star Wars: The Clone Wars 2008 thea...

Captain Panaka is the leader of the Naboo security forces. He is characterized by his unheeding loyalty to Queen Amidala and his realistic take on any situation. When providing the Queen counsel, h...

Boss Nass is the leader of the Gungans. He's the head honcho, the big man on campus, the, um, late-career Marlon Brando of his people. (Well, now we're just imagining what it would be like if Marlo...

SebulbaSebulba is a famous podracer on Tatooine. He's famous because he always wins; he always wins because he cheats. This isn't Konami Code-type cheating either. Sebulba is a brutal crook who sab...