Star Wars' George Lucas defends Phantom Menace's derided "trade routes" opening

Among the (many) criticisms of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace has been the inclusion of the trade dispute storyline that opens the movie.

The much-derided plotline sees the Trade Federation blockade Naboo, setting off the chain of events that leads to war – and Palpatine gaining power.

It's not exactly sexy, and creator George Lucas has been aware of the backlash, though defends the plotline in new book The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005.

Related: George Lucas wanted Star Wars sequel trilogy's main villain to be Darth Maul

According to him, trade disputes are "how wars start" and The Phantom Menace begins with greedy "corrupt corporations" secretly doing bad things, while everyone else is trying to do the right thing while being overwhelmed (via Polygon).

Lucas explains that the two main themes are becoming a bad person and democracy being given away, noting: "There's no coup, there's no rebellion, there's no nothing. They vote it in, which is what happens in real life."

The Star Wars Archives. 1999-2005

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Elsewhere in the book, the creator reveals that he was met with resistance by studio 20th Century Fox after unveiling his plan to introduce Anakin Skywalker as a child in The Phantom Menace.

Lucas was apparently told: "You're going to destroy the franchise; you're going to destroy everything!"

However, he told Lucasfilm staff that he would rather make "a movie that nobody wants to see" than tell the same story over and over again.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the entire Skywalker Saga are available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K now, as well as on Disney+, while Rise of Skywalker is also on Sky Cinema Premiere and NOW TV.

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Sam Warner

Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.