We're playing "The Hidden Threat" As soon as it became known that Star Wars was not just liked by critics and audiences, but turned out to be the most successful film in the history of world cinema, director and screenwriter George Lucas decided to expand his creation, subsequently releasing numerous sequels that complement the history of the galaxy far, far away in a variety of directions. In an effort to show more outlandish aliens, move the action to previously unseen planets and reveal the characters of famous heroes from the other side, Lucas did not limit the flow of his own fantasy, allowing it to roam without any restrictions. Some time after the premiere of “Star Wars”, the title of the tape was renamed “Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope”, which quite puzzled fans of the Saga, because now it became clear that Luke Skywalker’s acquaintance with Han Solo and Princess Leia, the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the explosion of the Death Star, this is the fourth act of the majestic story, although it was shown first. The further development of the George Lucas universe took a rather intricate path. By releasing Star Wars Episodes 5 and 6, titled The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the director ended the Rebel Alliance's standoff with the Empire of the latter's unconditional surrenders, but it was too early to put an end to the Saga. Having scattered in each of the Episodes of the Original trilogy intriguing details that require explanation (the era of the Clone Wars, the scars of Darth Vader, hints at the Old Republic), Lucas had no right to refuse to reveal all the secrets of the Galaxy Far, Far away, but he also did not hurry to return Star Wars to cinemas, because he was enthusiastic about developing special effects technology in order to fully reveal not only his own fantastic developments, but also improve the entire cinema in general.
After devoting the next 16 years to becoming ILM as the technological flagship of the cinema of the future, George Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away in 1999 with the first episode of “Star Wars”, dubbed “The Hidden Menace”. Viewers around the world were indescribable hype, counting down the hours, if not minutes, before the film premiered. Without going into the details of the plot, Lucas intrigued his fans with enticing trailers showcasing innovative technology in the service of a large-scale spectacular cinema and neatly led the audience to an updated narrative, which was set 32 years before the Battle of Yavin. It was a world where no one in the galaxy knew the names of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. The government, designated as the Old Republic, was governed by a Senate led by the Supreme Chancellor, and the small but irreplaceable Jedi Order sought to maintain peace and tranquility on all planets under state jurisdiction. Having paid a lot of attention to politics, uncovering the mysteries of the life of the Jedi in peacetime and introducing us to the young Anakin Skywalker, not darkened by the dark side of the Force, George Lucas divided the fan camp into two parts. Reorienting the plot into a large-scale channel, in which the armies of the opposing sides number at least tens of thousands of soldiers, and the planets amaze the imagination with an abundance of races and many kilometers of buildings, the director somewhat disappointed the devoted connoisseurs of the Original trilogy, who believe that “Star Wars” does not suit the presented epicity. However, Lucas did not intend to repeat what had already been tried in his previous films. It makes no sense to make new films, focusing entirely on the ancient heritage, no matter how brilliant it was. And yet, despite the initial skepticism, "The Hidden Menace" pleased with many successful innovations and gathered in its bosom such well-known artists as Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson and Natalie Portman. The film introduced us not only to Anakin Skywalker and his future teacher Obi-Wan Kenobi, but also introduced us to the elite of the Jedi Order led by Yoda and Mace Windu, led us through the corridors of the Senate along with the elegant and friendly Senator Palpatine, hiding the dark face of Darth Sidious and, importantly, revealed the appearance of the mother of Luke and Leia, then the Queen of the planet Naboo Padme Amidala.
In the 70s of the last century, George Lucas did not have the opportunity to show on the screen everything that was originally conceived. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what support he received from friends in the person of Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg, it was difficult to fully realize the technological features of the fantastic universe. Therefore, in The Hidden Threat, Lucas no longer compromised, but performed the task as he thought he should, once again without getting involved in meaningless disputes. Thanks to the imagination of the director, we saw the first full-fledged graphic character (Ja-Ja Binks), acting hand in hand with the main characters throughout the film, were amazed by the fantasies of graphic artists who created the image of the tattoo dealer Watto and were in genuine delight with Darth Maul, a student of Sidious and one of the most spectacular villains in the history of the Saga. The same thing happened with The Hidden Menace as with the original Star Wars. Absolutely all the characters of the film acquired a cult status, were published in the format of collectible figures, received an addition to the biography in novels and comics, and then went to conquer game consoles. The generation of viewers, growing up in the 90s, fell in love with Anakin, Quai-Gon and other heroes, no less than in the 70s people were fond of Luke, Khan and Leia. So it is not surprising that based on the “Hidden threat” even after more than a decade since the premiere, both serious independent shorts and optional parody videos like “Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace in the Playroom” appear on the screens.
The film by Jessica and James Fields does not have any special plot material, because the creators only tried to try on the image of the heroes of the “Hidden threat”, acting out scenes from the film in an improvised studio. In a way, "Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace in the Playroom" is a staged audition for the tape of Lucas with an abundance of charming jokes and deliberately farcical mood of what is happening. It is noteworthy that Jessica Fields played not only female roles in the film, but also appeared before us as Quay-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu, while James reincarnated in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul. The absolutely optional entertainment tape once again shows that the humorous component never harmed Star Wars. Even the most controversial moments of the Saga deserve to be laughed at, because laughter, as you know, is life itself!
In the end, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace in the Playroom may not be the most ingenious creation based on Star Wars, but Jessica and James Fields put it in love with the legacy of George Lucas. So if you do not mind to cheer yourself up, then this short film will be able to have fun.
7 out of 10