Qui-Gon Jinn is a powerful Jedi Knight and a mentor to Obi-Wan Kenobi, however not a member of the Jedi Council. He is sent by the Supreme Chancellor to Naboo in an attempt to pacify a tense situation involving the Trade Federation. Along the way he discovers Anakin Skywalker and comes to believe that Anakin in the one referred to in the Jedi Prophecy, "The one who will bring balance to the Force." Qui-Gon is involved in many fierce duels with the Sith Lord.

Extract From The Sunday Mirror's Episode One Magazine.

Liam Neeson spent his first days on the set completely baffled by the events going on around him. A non-aficionado of the movies, the giant Ulsterman says he couldn't make head or tail of his jedi knight character's lines. "I had quite a big scene with Jake Lloyd, who plays Anakin.

I read it and thought, I just can't figure out what this is," he says. Only a master class in the mythology of Star Wars from George Lucus himself put Neeson in the picture. He was also bewildered by the process of filming alongside non-existant creatures that would be added to the film later by computer. "I kept doing scenes with these invisible entities," he says, raising an eyebrow. "It was a bit difficalt."

By the end of his time on set, however, Neeson was a convert. "I just know it's going to be a fabulous film."

Ben Kenobi once traveled the galaxy as a Jedi Knight and defender of the Old Republic. He rose to become a General in the Clone Wars, fighting alongside legendary figures such as Bail Organa of Alderaan.
Kenobi took on a student whom he trained in the ways of the Jedi, but lost him to the dark side of the Force. The boy became the evil Darth Vader, turned against the Jedi, and helped the Emperor hunt down and destroy the Jedi protectors of the Old Republic.
Haunted by his failure, Obi-Wan Kenobi went into hiding, realizing that he could do more by guarding the young Luke Skywalker from afar than by leading a desperate, doomed battle against Vader and his Emperor.
Kenobi brooded, watching for the right time to make a move against the Empire, waiting for a new hope.

Extract From The Sunday Mirror's Episode One Magazine.

Ewan McGregor has never forgotten the effect Star Wars han on him as a boy growing up in Crieff, Perthshire. His childhood hero, his uncle Denis Lawson, played the fighter pilot Wedge in all three of the original movies. "It was the first movie I ever went to see him in at the cinema," he says. As a result he spent weeks playing out Star Wars sccenes with his school mates. "I did a very good Princess Leia in the playground," he smiles. Despite the worldwide fame that has come his way through films like Trainspotting, McGregor admits he felt like a six-year-old again when he arrived on the set. "When I first met R2 D2 i almost went down on the ground," he says. "I walked into the props room and there were about 50 prop makers and I was just going 'Ahhhh'. They all knew how i felt"

A disheveled nine-year-old with blue eyes, Anakin Skywalker is an earnest and hardworking boy who lives in the slave quarters of Mos Espa, on the planet Tatooine. A natural mechanic, he has a keen intuition with equipment and machinery. He can sense what makes an engine work. Leading a very humble life, Anakin dreams of becoming a starpilot and longs for a world of adventure. Good at heart, hopeful and optimistic, this young boy little suspects the destiny and fearful challenges that await him.

Extract From The Sunday Mirror's Episode One Magazine.

Jake Lloyd was already a Hollywood veteran when he caught George Lucas's eye. As well as appearing in an episode of ER and playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's mischievous son in the comedy Jingle All The Way, the all-Americannine-year-old has starred in dozens of TV commercials. For his experience, Jakes reaction to learning he had won a leading role in a film almost every child in the world was looking forward to was understandable. "I just started bawling," he confesses. His nervousness was eased by the presence of his younger sister Madison, seven, who was given a small role as a Princess. "I felt really good that my sister was included," he says. Jake says he found it easy playing the young Anakin Skywalker, an expert mechanic and robot engineer. "He's a lot like me. I love doing mechanics and like to build stuff. So i just act like myself," he explains.

Extract From The Sunday Mirror's Episode One Magazine.

"I had never even seen a Star Wars movie before I went to meet George Lucus at the Skywalker Ranch," says 17-year-old Natalie Portman. "Then I realised I was facing a three-film contract that carried nearly a 10-year obligation, and I still don't know if acting is what I want to do with the rest of my life!"

In The Phantom Menace Natalie plays young Queen Amidala of the planet Naboo. When her people are threatened by a greedy Trade Federation invasion force, the beautiful and mysterious 14-year-old requests the help of the Jedi Knights.

She is taken under protection of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his young apprentice, Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). It is a key role in the new movie which will propel Natalie to super -stardom. Her character is to become the mother of the fraternal twins, Luke and Leia, the two icons from the original Star Wars trilogy.

"This is the first real job I've had" Natalie says earnestly. "Every other acting role was more like playing. I have 10 entirely different looks. When we were filming, I'd wake up at six in the morning and get home at 9:30 at night. In Tunisia, where we did a lot of the shooting, it was over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Do you know the locals don't even go out during daytime hours? We'd work from 3am to 5pm."

Natalie has mixed memories of here time in London. She missed her friends back home in New York so much that George Lucus flew one over to visit her. And she remained unimpressed with cool Britannia. "Everyone kept saying how London's exploding, how cool it is, the coolest stores, the coolest everthing," she says. "But I don't think the people who have been saying that have ever been in New York.

Jar-Jar is sort of the "Chewbacca" of Episode 1 (the friendly, non-human character who is always hanging around). Jar-jar is a Gungan, which is an underwater species whose homeworld is Naboo. Because of his clumsiness, Jar-Jar has been banished from the Gungan society. He befriends Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

One of the keenest minds in the Galactic Senate, Senator Palpatine of Naboo has achieved the important distinction of representing an entire sector consisting of hundreds of star systems. As a sectorial senator, Palpatine holds a seat in the Main Senate Chamber on Coruscant, skillfully defending the interests of the systems he represents, including the Naboo people of his homeworld. Palpatine's kind features, delicate manners and calm effectiveness make him one of the most liked and respected members of the Senate.

Combining the apparent fatalism of a political realist with the shrewd and subtle power moves of a chess master, this senator from a humble provincial planet is a consummate performer in his chosen arts. The Senate Chamber is Palpatine's stage, and he takes advantage of everything it has to offer in order to drive his points home. The way sound bounces off the walls, the seating arrangement, the lighting that plays differently from one area to the other, the lines of sight everyone has or lacks - Senator Palpatine does not miss a single detail that might help him attain his goal. Which is to help Naboo, of course.