Episode 1 is a story of betrayal and tradgedy, possibly mimicing William Shakespeare's Othello, to a certain degree.

Thirty two years before Star Wars: A New Hope, an eight year old Anakin Skywalker learns the ways of the Force from a younger, roguish Obi-Wan Kenobi and his mentor, the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.

After striking up a secret pact with the Sith Lords, the Nimoudian Federation invades the respected planet Naboo and captures its capital city. The young queen of that world flees with the aide of two Jedi Knights. One third of the film takes places on Tatooine, including scenes where Anakin takes part in an illegal "pod race" run by Jabba the Hutt. After winning the race and stopping off on Coruscant to petition the Galactic Senate for aide, Obi-Wan and Master Jinn lead Anakin off Tatooine on "some damned fool idealistic crusade" to win back Naboo.

The first Episode of the new Star Wars trilogy is an action-packed adventure film that introduces us to the saga's central characters, like the original Star Wars of 1977. George Lucas also seems to be using the same character archetypes that he used for his first trilogy: the young hero (Anakin), the rogue (Obi-Wan Kenobi), the feisty princess (Padme Amidala), the magical teacher (Qui-Gon Jinn) and the lovable alien sidekick (Jar Jar Binks). The question is, will filmgoers be turned on by the similiarities between Episode One and Episode Four - or will they be turned off?

By now, quite a few of you have likely seen the new Star Wars: Episode One posters with their images of Jake Lloyd on a desert set with the shadow of Darth Vader, but we provide them just in case. Lucasfilm placed the graphics on the official website last night. They also explained why there are so many of these posters being printed with their mention of a link to their recently opened retail area, the Mos Espa Marketplace. Still, like many of you, I couldn’t help but notice that the title "Phantom Menace" was nowhere to be seen. Lucas would never change the title he announced, would he?

It’s a paranoid time for the folks over at Lucasfilm. Along with a graphic that allegedly (and very likely) comes from the trailer popping up and then disappearing off of fan sites, Variety is also reporting that the printing of what is said to be a massive amount of Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace one-sheets is under heavy guard to insure that no employee takes one home. Furthermore, the poster has been printed using a five-color process which makes the Fox logo change color under an infra-red light. This is to prevent any counterfeiting of the poster.

Lucasfilm has announced that the trailer for Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace will appear in front of a number of films the weekend of November 20th. Via the Official Star Wars web site, the production company also confirmed that the teaser will run for over two minutes, as rumored.

During his appearance in the land down under George Lucas made a number of comments about the impact that digital characters have made on the Star Wars universe. "One of the biggest problems I've had in the past is that most of the characters had to be made out of latex," the director tells the Associated Press. "It is very hard to direct around a large rubber thing that can't move very well. I've got digital characters [in the prequels] which can actually walk and talk with live action characters and do a performance," he said. Okay, okay, I know it’s nothing revelatory, but considering how little Lucas talks about Star Wars himself the Insider will take any quote I can get.

The next wave of Star Wars video games have landed, predictably, in the laps of Nintendo of America who will produce video games based on Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace for the Nintendo 64 and color Gameboy. LucasArts will keep the PC game development in-house which will include a line of edutainment products and a game based at least partially on the events surrounding the Mos Espa Pod Race.

"It’s not true." That’s the blunt assessment from Fox studio exec Tom Sherak of recent rumors that the trailer to Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace would make its way onto the reels preceding The Siege. Although this info was tipped to Insider readers last week, the New York Times got the Fox honcho to go on the record about when and where the trailer will show up.

Mr. Showbiz columnist Jeffrey Wells tips that sources within 20th Century Fox are telling him that, although studio honcho Tom Sherak wanted The Phantom Menace trailer to premiere on the Denzel Washington/Bruce Willis actioner The Siege, apparently George Lucas didn't deliver on time. Wells reports that Lucas couldn't settle on a final product and "ended up fiddling with the trailer footage and effects for so long that the Siege deadline came and went."

Speaking recently with Interview magazine (according to TV Guide Online), Ewan McGregor called his experience starring as Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace both "exciting and boring." The actor noted that there's not much psychological depth in the picture (which is to be expected from a popcorn flick in the Star Wars tradition) and that acting against thin air that will be filled in with CGI effects in post-production can grow tiresome.

"The Jedi Knights have got a sense of what's going to happen," McGregor told the mag, "so they don't freak out or panic or anything. But after a while I noticed that the only thing I was doing was frowning a lot. That's a worry when you shoot for three and a half months." Not exactly the most inspiring comments regarding McGregor's performance in the prequel, but according to what I've been told by sources in the know the young actor offered up one of the finer turns in the film.

George Lucas may be lensing a prequel-related short film in the near future. The short in question would be used in Disney's "Star Tours" Star Wars simulation ride, updating the immensely popular attraction with a theme relevant to The Phantom Menace.

Though plans are hardly set in stone, a Disney spokesperson confirmed that Lucas and Disney are in "serious ongoing discussions" and that there is a "verbal agreement", according to Variety. The attraction would not be ready in time for the release of the first prequel, with the trade report vaguely indicating that the short would premiere "sometime after 1999."

Should Lucas actually film the new "Star Tours" footage, it would definitely encourage more than the usual amount of Star Wars fans to seek out Disney’s Magic Kingdom, something I’m sure Disney is counting on.

SirSteve’s Guide to Star Wars website has scored a major coup by getting its cyber-hands on what appears to be the action figure card information for Kenner’s upcoming action figure toy line tie-in to Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace. The information Sir Steve is posting is a photo from the action figure card of a given character plus that character’s description/background as it will be written on the card.

Rather than revealing much about The Phantom Menace story, the text focuses on the character’s importance in the overall saga... though there are some subtle hints sprinkled in for those in the know. Personally, the real treat here is the new photos I haven’t seen before of these characters as well as a new wookiee. Head over to SirSteve's to take it all in. (A big Jedi thanks to 'SirSteve'.)

In case some of you Star Wars fans missed it, prequel licensee Hasbro issued a press release over the weekend that contained a description of Samuel L. Jackson's Jedi Master Mace Windu. The toy company, which is offering a Mace Windu action figure as part of a mail-away promotion, described the character who plays a small but important role in The Phantom Menace as follows:

"In the days before Palpatine's Empire began its reign of terror, the Galactic Republic governed the affairs of the galaxy from the capital of Coruscant. In addition, the city-planet was also the seat of the legendary 12-member Jedi Council. Wisdom and experience were equally as important as abilities in the Force among the Jedi Council members. For this reason, Mace Windu, a senior member of the Jedi Council, was especially honored and revered throughout the Galactic Republic."

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