Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace (novelization)

The Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization was written by Terry Brooks and published on April 21, 1999 by Del Rey. It is based on the script of the movie of the same name.

Publisher's summary
''A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Even the Jedi are caught by surprise, their attentions focused on the political unrest between the Trade Federation and the Republic. Now the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy.''

''On the desert world of Tatooine, far from the concerns fo the Republic, a slave boy works by day and dreams by night&mdash;of being a Jedi Knight and one day traveling the stars to worlds he's only heard of in stories&hellip; of finding a way to win freedom from enslavement for himself and his beloved mother. His only hope lies in his extraordinary instincsts and his strange gift for understanding the "rightness" of things, talents that allow him to be one of the best Podracers on the planet.''

''In another part of the galaxy, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, young Obi-Wan Kenobi, are charged with the protection of the Amidala, the young Queen of Naboo, as she seeks to end the siege of her planet by Trade Federation warships. It is this quest that brings Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and the Queen's beautiful young handmaiden to the sand-swempt streets of Tatooine and the shop where the slave boy Anakin Skywalker toils and dreams. And it is this unexpected meeting that marks the beginning of the drama that will become legend&hellip;''

Unique content
This novelization, unlike those from the Original Trilogy, contains much that is not in the movie. It includes three entire chapters of material created by Terry Brooks and unique to the novel. The first two chapters of the book concern Anakin's next-to-last Podrace and its aftermath, while a later chapter describes an encounter between Anakin and a wounded Tusken Raider in the desert.

Brooks met with George Lucas before writing the book and received his approval and guidance, including information about developments to come in Episode II and Episode III. This can be seen in such passages as the Tusken Raider scene, which ironically foreshadows the death of Anakin's mother in Episode II, and the passage leading up to Anakin's fight with the Rodian child (Greedo), indicating that Anakin's anger derives from his anguish at Padmé's impending departure (foreshadowing the plot of Episode III).

The novelization is especially well-known for a passage describing the history of the Sith, including Darth Bane. According to Terry Brooks' memoir, Sometimes the Magic Works, Lucas spent an hour on the telephone with him discussing the history of the Jedi and the Sith. Therefore, the information on this subject provided in Brooks' novelization can be presumed to derive from Lucas himself.

Brooks devotes an entire chapter of Sometimes the Magic Works to the writing of the Episode I novelization, which was an extremely happy and fulfilling experience for him.

Creatures

 * Bantha
 * Colo claw fish
 * Falumpaset
 * Ikopi
 * Kaadu
 * Mott
 * Opee sea killer
 * Peko-peko
 * Pylat bird
 * Sando aqua monster

Dramatis personae

 * Padmé Amidala
 * Sio Bibble
 * Jar Jar Binks
 * Darth Maul
 * Darth Sidious / Palpatine
 * Daultay Dofine
 * Gasgano
 * Nute Gunray
 * Rune Haako
 * Handmaidens
 * Sabé
 * Eirtaé
 * Rabé
 * Yané
 * Saché
 * [[Dané
 * Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Kitster
 * Captain Maori Madakor
 * Mawhonic
 * Boss Rugor Nass
 * Ric Olié
 * Panaka
 * Regga
 * Rimkar
 * Sebulba
 * Anakin Skywalker
 * Shmi Skywalker
 * Captain Roos Tarpals
 * Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum
 * Wald
 * Watto
 * Lieutenant Williams
 * Yoda

Droids

 * Astromech droids
 * G8-R3
 * R2-A6
 * R2-B1
 * R2-C4
 * R2-D2
 * R2-M5
 * R2-R9
 * B-1 battle droids
 * Command battle droids
 * OOM-9
 * Security battle droids
 * Droideka
 * P-59
 * P-60
 * PK worker droids
 * Protocol droids
 * C-3PO
 * TC-14
 * Welding droids

Languages

 * Basic
 * Gunganese
 * Huttese
 * Tusken

Locations

 * Coruscant
 * Makem Te
 * Naboo
 * Lake Paonga
 * Lianorm Swamp
 * Otoh Gunga
 * High Tower Boardroom
 * Theed
 * Palace Courtyard
 * Palace Plaza
 * Theed Hangar
 * Theed Royal Palace
 * Virdugo Plunge
 * Tatooine
 * Arch Canyon
 * Beggar's Canyon
 * Dune Sea
 * Jag Crag Gorge
 * Metta Drop
 * Mochot Steep
 * Mospic High Range
 * Mos Espa
 * Mos Espa Grand Arena
 * Slave Quarters Row
 * Watto's Shop
 * Xelric Draw

Organizations

 * Galactic Republic
 * Galactic Senate
 * Gungan Grand Army
 * Gungan High Council
 * Jedi
 * Jedi Council
 * Naboo Royal Advisory Council
 * Republic Navy
 * Sith
 * Trade Federation

Species

 * Dug
 * Ghorfa
 * Gran
 * Gungan
 * Human
 * Hutt
 * Jawa
 * Naboo
 * Neimoidian
 * Rodian
 * Toydarian
 * Troig
 * Xexto

Vehicles and Vessels

 * Armored Assault Tank
 * Bongo
 * Heyblibber
 * C-9979 landing craft
 * Consular-class space cruiser
 * Radiant VII
 * Hoversled
 * J-Type 327 Nubian royal starship
 * Landspeeder
 * Lucrehulk-class battleship
 * Saak'ak
 * Multi-Troop Transport
 * Platoon Attack Craft
 * Podracer
 * Anakin Skywalker's Podracer
 * Sandcrawler
 * Single Trooper Aerial Platform
 * Z-95 Headhunter

Weapons

 * E-5 blaster rifle
 * Electropole
 * Lightsaber
 * Quad laser cannon
 * Slugthrower

Other

 * A99 aquata breather
 * Druggat
 * Hologram
 * Hyperdrive
 * Life debt
 * Nocombackie Law
 * Ruby bliel
 * Shield
 * Viewscreen