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Our story really begins with the rise of the Phantom Menace. 9 years before these main
events, the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, is born to Shmi Skywalker, a slave living
on Tatooine. The boy had no father, and was conceived by the Force itself.
Nine years after Anakin’s birth, a faction known as the Trade Federation lay siege to
the planet of Naboo, a poor, unsuspecting planet in the outer rim of the galaxy. They
were urged to blockade the planet by Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord. Sidious real name
was Sheev Palpatine, a senator from Naboo itself. Palpatine used the greed of the Trade
Federation to manipulated them into deploying the blockade around Naboo. But Palpatine’s
real plan was to profit from the situation and gain power in the Senate. Of course, no
one save Palpatine’s apprentice, Darth Maul, knew of this plan.
At this same time, a certain Jedi Master known as Sifo-Dias, grew suspicious of the Senate,
and correctly predicted that the Republic may eventually fall into civil war. He may
have had insight into the secret plans of Darth Sidious, for he secretly commissioned
an army of clones from the natives of Kamino, a race that specialized in cloning. But Sifo-Dias
was mysteriously killed before he could see the fulfillment of his order. However, he
was replaced by an agent of Darth Sidious, Darth Tyrannus, known later as Count Dooku.
Tyrannus took over the project, claiming to act for the Republic, but secretly worked
for Darth Sidious, aka Senator Palpatine.
Meanwhile, to aid those on Naboo, the supreme chancellor of the Republic, chancellor Valorum,
sent two Jedi Knights to negotiate with the Trade Federation. Those Jedi were Qui-Gon
Jinn, and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Darth Sidious ordered the Trade Federation
to kill the Jedi, and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were forced to retreat to the planet’s surface.
There, they met with a native called Jar Jar Binks, an innocent creature who eventually
led them to the Queen of Naboo, Queen Amidala. Amidala was a 14-year old monarch who ruled
over all of Naboo. She was taken prisoner by the Trade Federation before the two Jedi
rescued her. They managed to escape the blockade in the Queen’s ship, but the ship was damaged,
and they had to set down in another nearby planet for repairs. That planet was Tatooine,
a desert planet, and the home of nine-year old Anakin Skywalker.
The Jedi Qui-Gon met Anakin Skywalker, who’s slave master owned the parts Qui-Gon needed
to repair the ship. Qui-Gon didn’t have any money for the parts, so Anakin agreed
to help him by winning a podrace. If Anakin could win the race, his master would get the
winnings, and Qui-Gon would get the parts he needed. If Anakin lost, his master could
keep the Queen’s ship. Behind Anakin’s back, Qui-Gon also betted the race pod against
Anakin’s freedom. Thankfully, Anakin won the race, and returned with Qui-Gon to the
ship. But at that moment, they were attacked by a mysterious dark figure with a lightsaber.
This was Darth Maul, the apprentice of Darth Sidious. He had tracked them to the planet,
in an attempt to retrieve the Queen. Qui-Gon barely held off the Sith and they all escaped
to the planet Coruscant, a planet entirely covered by one big city, and the capital of
the Republic. There they met with Senator Palpatine, not knowing that he is Sith Lord
in secret. Palpatine convinced Queen Amidala to use the blockade of their planet as reason
for a vote of no confidence in the current Chancellor of the Republic. While this happened,
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan took Anakin Skywalker to the Jedi Council for testing. There, Yoda,
Mace Windu, and the other members of the council determined that Anakin was strong in the Force,
but was too old to begin training. This hurt Anakin, but Qui-Gon volunteered to train Anakin
himself, which also hurt the feelings of his current apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the
end, the council decided to postpone their decision until the crisis on Naboo could be
resolved.
Eventually the Senate decided to vote on a successor to the chancellor, and Palpatine
was nominated as a potential candidate. Meanwhile, the Queen decided to return to her home planet,
to take it back from the Trade Federation. She enlisted the aid of Jar Jar Binks to convince
his people, the Gungans to aid in the fight. The Gungans distracted the droid armies of
the Trade Federation on the battlefield while the Queen and the Jedi invaded the capital
to capture Nute Gunray, the leader of the Trade Federation. Before they could get there,
Darth Maul appeared and engaged the two Jedi in an epic duel. Queen Amidala and her men
took another route to the throne room, and there they captured Nute Gunray. Unknown to
everyone, Anakin Skywalker took a ship and flew to the droid control ship, where Naboo
starfighters tried to destroy the ship and thus disable all of the droids on the surface.
Anakin flew inside the ship and blew it up from the inside, barely escaping himself.
But victory was bittersweet. In the duel against Darth Maul, the Sith cut Qui-Gon down before
Obi-Wan could best the horned menace. Obi-Wan cut Darth Maul in half before the Sith Lord
fell down a giant shaft. However, this was not the end of Darth Maul. With only the dark
side of the Force to aid him, Maul kept his body alive with Force-controlled prosthetic
legs. He eventually found a way off planet.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan decided to fulfill Qui-Gon’s dying with to train Anakin Skywalker. Given
the situation, the Jedi Council decided to allow this, and Anakin was officially welcomed
into the Jedi order as Obi-Wan’s apprentice. The people of Naboo celebrated their victory.
But the damage was done. Senator Palpatine arrived, having been recently voted as the
new Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. The Crisis on Naboo had resulted in a strong sympathy
vote for Palpatine, which had been his plan all along. Now Palpatine, the Sith Lord Darth
Sidious, was one step closer to fulfilling his plan to control the galaxy and wipe out
the remaining Jedi.