With Star Wars: The Phantom Menace coming up to its 25th anniversary, we’re learning something interesting that almost happened in the film that would’ve shaken things up quite a bit. Obi-Wan was originally going to die during the battle with Darth Maul… I know that makes no sense since Obi-Wan appears in episode four, but that would be the controversial part.
According to concept and storyboard artist Iain McCaig that things were originally very different, “It’s interesting how things evolve. For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan and the younger Jedi was named Qui-Gon. It was very poignant that at the end, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeats Darth Maul and stays with his Master as he passes away, he not only takes on his Master’s quest, but he takes on his name. Qui-Gon becomes Obi-Wan.”
He continued, “That’s why when you see Alec Guinness in Star Wars (aka A New Hope), he puts his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve not heard….’ Because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And right at the end, George changed it.” I think George Lucas probably saw that this was just a more complicated way of getting to exactly the same place.
via Deadline
Todd Fisher
Todd lives in Northern California with "the wife," "the kids," "the dogs," "that cat," and he occasionally wears pants. His upcoming release, "Are You Woke Enough Yet?", is the culmination of too much time on social media and working in the film industry.
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