The Untold Story of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Emperor Palpatine in The Phantom Menace

The Importance of The Phantom Menace

The opening minutes of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace could have changed the franchise forever as they prove that Obi-Wan Kenobi sensed Emperor Palpatine's emergence. While little is known about the Star Wars timeline before The Phantom Menace, the events after George Lucas' first prequel movie have been widely chronicled by Lucasfilm. The Skywalker Saga began with The Phantom Menace, meaning that - despite the film's divisive reception - it quickly became one of the more important entries into the entire Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in The Phantom Menace

One of the reasons behind Episode I's importance was its introduction of Star Wars' titular Phantom Menace: Emperor Palpatine himself. The first prequel movie saw the first stages of Palpatine's master plan being enacted, making the events of Palpatine's Star Wars backstory before the film even more mysterious in the process. Despite the plan that eventually spiraled into the Empire's formation, The Phantom Menace hints that Star Wars could have been changed forever when Obi-Wan Kenobi teases that he senses Darth Sidious' presence.

Palpatine and Sith Empire

Obi-Wan's Sensing of the Sith Presence

In a scene shortly after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace's opening crawl, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are shown exploring the Trade Federation's ship. As soon as they are introduced, Obi-Wan recounts Star Wars' iconic line of 'I have a bad feeling about this,' telling his master that he senses something unrelated to their mission, something elusive. These are the first hints that Obi-Wan Kenobi is sensing the danger that Palpatine poses to the galaxy.

Qui-Gon responds to Obi-Wan's doubts by telling his Padawan to keep his thoughts centered on the present rather than his anxieties. Obi-Wan replies with Yoda's teachings that the Jedi should be mindful of the future, further proving that Obi-Wan is sensing a distant threat looming beyond the events of The Phantom Menace. However, Qui-Gon once again shuts these anxieties down by telling Obi-Wan to not overlook the moment in front of him and to be mindful of the Living Force.

The Hypothetical Impact on Star Wars

This scene begs the question of how different Star Wars would have been if Qui-Gon had taken Obi-Wan's anxieties more seriously. The reality is that Qui-Gon likely would have begun to sense Palpatine's danger too, if he had only focused on what was worrying Obi-Wan more intently. However, Qui-Gon is a much more go-with-the-flow kind of Jedi than most in the Order, meaning he often skirts the rules of the Council.

As such, telling Obi-Wan to live more in the moment is fitting of Qui-Gon's character. That said, if Qui-Gon had hypothetically entertained Obi-Wan's feelings, the two could have uncovered Palpatine's presence almost 20 years before the Empire's formation. This would have changed not only the lives of the Jedi but every single person in the galaxy who lived through the Empire's tyrannical rule in the decades after Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.