2) General Questions

A.  Where are the characters from the original trilogy?

As the name Episode I suggests, this is a Prequel trilogy. This means it takes place BEFORE the original Star Wars Trilogy. Some of the characters most of us have grown up with (Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker) have yet to be born, while others (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Yoda, Jabba the Hut, R2-D2, C3PO, and Emperor Palatine/Darth Sidious) appear as younger versions of themselves. (Approx. 40 years younger.) Chewbacca (as claimed by some sources to be 200 years old) has yet to appear. :)

B.  I read a Prequel script long ago, is/are Episode I, II, and/or III based on it?

Seriously doubt it. George Lucas began to write Episode I in late 1994. Episode II is currently being written, and won't be finished until probably late 1999. It's a safe bet that Episode III will not be written until late in Episode II's post-production.

A famous treatment worthy of note in this FAQ is Episode III: Fall of the Republic, a script written shortly after ROTJ by John Flynn, which explained Anakin Skywalker's turning to the Dark Side. It is absolutely bogus.

C.  When are Episodes II and III coming out? What are they going to cover?

Episode II and III definitely occur between the events in TPM and ANH. The story basically follows Obi-Wan's failure to train Anakin Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi, his corruption to the Dark Side and transformation to Darth Vader, and the end of the Old Republic as Emperor Palpatine takes control of the senate.

i) Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on May 16, 2002. As described by George Lucas, Episode II is both a love story, and the tale of Darth Sidious' rise to power. It takes place approximately 10 years after Episode I.

"Ultimately everybody in The Phantom Menace is a pawn. Nothing is real." - George Lucas (in USA Today)

ii) Episode III is slated for release in 2005.

"The third is even more of a departure--pretty dark, pretty serious, pretty down. I think it's going to be the most fun to do, because it's got the most drama in it, real strong drama. It's not an up film at all -- I'm not sure how the audience is going to take it." - George Lucas (in ET Online)

Both episodes will be filmed entirely on digital cameras.

D)  What about episodes VII, VIII, and IX?

There are no Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. There was supposedly a time when George Lucas expressed his story for Star Wars as a nine chapter story, but in a recent interview in Premiere Magazine, he denied that, saying fans wrongly assumed nine movies would be made.

According to Cinescape's Insider (www.cinescape.com), Lucas' producer for ANH and ESB recently made claims that the Star Wars Saga was, in fact, 9 episodes, which went (sort of) according to plan until George Lucas changed everything in ROTJ. Needless to say, TPM also did not fall into this plan. Episode I was supposed to be a movie about the way of life of the Jedi Knights.

E)  What Episode I multimedia movie files are available on the internet?

There are plenty of official multimedia files available on the official website, www.starwars.com. Included in those are:
 

• Episode I Teaser (the first preview released) QuickTime movie.
• Episode I Teaser poster & banner, featuring Anakin Skywalker casting the shadow of Darth Vader.
• Episode I Preview (official preview) movie.
• Episode I Television Commercials:
  • Queen Amidala (One Will)
  • Qui-Gon Jinn (One Destiny)
  • Shmi Skywalker (One Love)
  • Anakin Skywalker (One Dream)
  • Darth Maul (One Truth)
• Duel of the Fates Music Video (as shown on MTV)

In addition, there were three other TV commercials added to that list featuring Jar Jar Binks, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Queen Amidala.

There is also a series on the making of Episode I at starwars.com which is updated often with new serials in RM (Real Media) format.

All these videos are included in the DVD version of TPM.