The prequels play out over the backdrop of the falling of the Republic and the establishment of a new Empire, still controlled from the city planet of Coruscant by Palpatine. In The Phantom Menace, these events are only beginning while the bureaucrats and senators go about their busy lives, unaware of the plot that’s being hatched beneath their very noses. Our time on Coruscant in The Phantom Menace is brief, but does result in a few interesting bits that fall into the area of cut or altered scenes.
CORUSCANT TAXI
In the theatrical version of the film, when the Queen’s ship arrives on Coruscant, everyone is greeted by Senator Palpatine and Supreme Chancellor Valorum on the landing platform. After some short dialogue, we cut right to Palpatine’s Quarters, but how did everyone get there? By taxi, of course. You can see Coruscant taxis flying around in almost every Coruscant scene – even in the Return of the Jedi Special Edition. In the picture below from the Episode I comic adaptation, you can see the taxi speeding off in the distance while Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi confer with Chancellor Valorum.
In one of the photos, you can see Ahmed Best in his Jar Jar hat looking at Anakin, and in the background you can see Palpatine, the Queen, and some handmaidens. The one with a kneeling Qui-Gon is a peculiar one, and I say that because it appears to be the scene where Qui-Gon is explaining to Anakin the nature of the Force; a scene which takes place later on in the film. So here’s what I think happened. According to the shooting schedule, there’s a one day difference between the scenes. Perhaps when they filmed the taxi scene (July 2, 1997) they tried to squeeze in a quick shoot or dress rehearsal for the next day’s shooting, which is the scene when Obi-Wan says, “The boy is dangerous.” Perhaps they rearranged the schedule a bit and shot the scene right there. Either way, I think that this photo isn’t really from the taxi scene, but from the Qui-Gon/Anakin exchange later on in the film.
There are a few “finished” shots included here as well. The closeup of the taxi speeding away and the shot of the CG Jar Jar with Anakin and the driver are taken from Starwars.com. One picture shows off the taxi driver pretty well. He was previously seen on a Decipher CCG playing card where he even got a name: Rayno Vaca. Oh, and he also made a brief appearance in the Episode I PC Game. This scene was not only featured on the Episode I DVD, but it was actually re-inserted BACK into the DVD version of the film. George Lucas liked it so much, he went ahead and gave the order to stick it back in, along with some more Pod Race footage. So I guess this is a now “formerly” deleted scene. To tie it all up, here is the scene as it reads in the Episode I Illustrated Screenplay:
PALPATINE starts to lead QUEEN AMIDALA and her RETINUE off the platform toward a waiting air taxi.
PALPATINE
There is a question of procedure,
but I feel confident we can
overcome it…JAR JAR and ANAKIN start to follow, then stop, noticing that OBI-WAN and QUI-GON are staying with the SUPREME CHANCELLOR. QUEEN AMIDALA waves to the duo to follow her. ANAKIN looks back to QUI-GON, and he nods to go ahead. ANAKIN and JAR JAR join the QUEEN, PALPATINE, PADMÉ, RABÉ, and EIRTAÉ in the taxi. PALPATINE gives the Gungan and the boy in the back of the taxi a skeptical look. JAR JAR leans over to ANAKIN.
JAR JAR
Da Queens-a bein grossly nice,
mesa tinks. (he looks around)
Pitty hot!VALORUM and the JEDI watch the taxi move off into the city.
QUI-GON
I must speak with the Jedi Council
immediately, Your Honor. The situation
has become more complicated.
JAR JAR AND ANAKIN IN THE ANTEROOM
In the theatrical version of Episode I, just after the scene on the Coruscant landing platform, we cut directly to Palpatine’s Quarters where Jar Jar and Anakin are waiting in an anteroom while the “grown ups” discuss politics in the living area. Jar Jar and Anakin were supposed to have a few quick lines before the discussion in the other room heated up.
Here’s the short scene from the EPISODE I Illustrated Screenplay:
QUEEN AMIDALA is sitting listening to PALPATINE. EIRTAÉ and RABÉ stand behind the QUEEN; PADMÉ is nowhere to be seen. ANAKIN and JAR JAR are waiting in an adjoining room. They can see the Queen but cannot hear what is being said.
JAR JAR
Dissen all pitty odd to my.ANAKIN
Don’t look at me. I don’t know what’s going on.
BAIL ORGANA/ANTILLES
One of the most intriguing deleted scenes from Episode I involves Bail Organa, the man who would eventually adopt baby Leia in Episode III. He is also indirectly mentioned by Leia in Episode IV in reference to the Clone Wars: “Years ago you served my father in Clone Wars….”
The character of Bail Organa was originally intended to be introduced in Episode I and played by Adrian Dunbar. We can only speculate about why he was edited out of the final product. Despite this, some photo evidence managed to sneak its way into a few official publications, since those publications are generally prepared before the film has been edited. One of the photos is captioned “Senator Bail Organa” and it is clearly Adrian Dunbar. His original purpose in the film was to second Amidala’s “vote of no confidence” against Chancellor Valorum. In another photo from a “pocket-book” called Episode I Who’s Who, the same photo is included but here the character is listed as Bail Antilles! In the film, Captain Panaka mentions that someone named Bail Antilles of Alderaan has also been nominated to succeed Valorum as Chancellor. Is this supposed to be the same person? It looks like they tried to retrofit the publicity stills to cover the mistake. That would allow another actor (in this case, Jimmy Smits) to be cast in Episode II. I guess Bail is a really popular name on Alderaan, much like John or Mike in the USA. Perhaps George Lucas decided he didn’t want to introduce Bail Organa just yet. This publishing mistake must have just slipped through the cracks somehow.
On 8/12/2000, Aint-it-cool-news.com posted an interview with Adrian Dunbar. Here’s what he had to say:
“Well, I did STAR WARS, but I wasn’t actually in the film because George Lucas called me up and said that for plot reasons he couldn’t include my character – which I found a bit strange. I only had five or six lines and the only reason I was to do this one was because Lucas wanted to include me in the next two. And then he said he couldn’t. It’s all a bit…I don’t know. It’s all up in the air. You go in and you stand in front of a big, blue screen, and there’s three guys with pig’s heads behind you talking in some weird language and it’s just mad. Mad. Before we did it, the director came up and said to me: ‘By the way, George wants you to do this with an American accent.’ And I said: ‘That’s the first I’ve heard about it.’ And he said: ‘Well, that’s what he wants.’ So I practiced a bit and got my couple of lines off in an American accent. And after I did it there was silence. And then I heard this voice saying: ‘That is the worst American accent I’ve ever heard.’ And I thought, ‘Who the f*** is that?’ I peered out through the lights – and it was my old mate Liam Neeson taking the piss.”
So now that we have Organa on the brain, let’s talk more about his scene in the Galactic Senate that was ultimately deleted. 
According to the Episode I Illustrated Screenplay, Palpatine and the Queen have some short dialogue before Valorum recognizes the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo. The picture included here from the Episode I Insider’s Guide CD-ROM is of the Naboo Representatives making their way to their Senate Box. This was also not in the final film and should fall right before this scene below. Here’s the exchange from the Episode I Illustrated Screenplay:
Palpatine
If the Federation moves to defer the motion…
Your Majesty, I beg of you to ask for a
resolution to end this congressional session.Amidala
I wish I had your confidence in this, Senator.Palpatine
You must force a new election for Supreme Chancellor…
I promise you there are many who will support us…
it is our best chance… Your Majesty, our only, chance.Amidala
You truly believe Chancellor Valorum will
not bring our motion to a vote?Palpatine
He is distracted… he is afraid.
He will be of no help.
Enter Bail Organa. We pick up right after Amidala calls for the “vote of no confidence” in Valorum’s leadership. Don’t forget to check out Valorum’s last line which was also cut from the film:
This causes a great stir in the assembly. A loud murmur crescendos into a roar of approval and jeers. CHANCELLOR VALORUM is stunned and stands speechless. His Vice Chair, MAS AMEDDA, takes over.
Mas Amedda
Order! We shall have order…Things settle down a little. The Federation box settles next to AMIDALA. PRINCE BAIL ORGANA moves his box into the arena.
Bail Organa
Alderaan seconds the motion for a
vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum.Mas Amedda
The motion has been seconded
by Bail Organa of Alderaan.MAS AMEDDA turns to the confused VALORUM, and whispers something to him.
Bail Organa
There must be no delays. The motion is on the floor
and must be voted upon in this session.Lott Dod
The Trade Federation moves the motion be
sent to the procedures committee for study.The assembly begins to chant. VALORUM talks to MAS AMEDDA.
Assembly
Vote now! Vote now! Vote now!PALPATINE stands next to AMIDALA.
Palpatine
You see, Your Majesty, the tide is with us…
Valorum will be voted out, I assure you, and they
will elect in a new Chancellor, a strong Chancellor,
one who will not let our tragedy continue…Mas Amedda
The Supreme Chancellor requests a recess.
Tomorrow we will begin the vote.The Federation delegation is furious. VALORUM turns to PALPATINE.
Valorum
Palpatine, I thought you were my ally…my friend.
You have betrayed me! How could you do this?
In the next two prequel episodes, Bail Organa is played by Jimmy Smits. A few months before the release of Episode II, Starwars.com released some more information about Bail Organa and his deleted scene from Episode I. They didn’t try to hide the fact that Dunbar was the original actor. Here’s the official explanation:
Bail Organa was to have appeared in the Senate sequences of Episode I, though the footage containing him was ultimately edited out of the final film. In the screenplay, Organa seconds Queen Amidala’s Vote of No Confidence that topples Supreme Chancellor Valorum’s rule. In the resulting power vacuum, several other senators are nominated to succeed Valorum, including Bail Antilles of Alderaan, who is a separate politician and not intended to be the same character as Bail Organa.
In the excised footage of The Phantom Menace, actor Adrian Dunbar played Organa. In Cloak of Deception, the description of Bail Antilles closely matches Adrian Dunbar, suggesting that’s ultimately what his character became. In Attack of the Clones, Bail Organa is played by Jimmy Smits.
Around the time of Episode II, Starwars.com started an in-universe news site feature called HOLONET NEWS. In an article that appeared in March of 2002, there was mention of both Bail Antilles and Bail Organa with a picture of both of them together. It’s a little freaky seeing them both together like that knowing what we know. The illustrated rendering of Antilles (by artist Joe Corroney) was obviously based on the picture of Adrian Dunbar in costume.
GALACTIC SENATORS
Based on some of the pictures below, the Galactic Senate was supposed to include a fairly wide variety of aliens and humanoids, some familiar and some brand new. Take a look through the pictures and you’ll find lots of Galactic Senators, Senate Guards, and other aides that didn’t make the final cut. Some of these are publicity photos, but some look like they are from scenes that were deleted. Some of these senators were ultimately featured in Episode II.
Jordan Drew conducted an interview with Episode I Animatronic Model Designer John Coppinger (also was the sculptor of the original Jabba the Hutt from Return of the Jedi) and he let something small but cool slip out about one of the few roles he played in Episode I:
I played three Wookiee senators for the voting scene, and a fourth one (asleep!) which wasn’t used. It was the same suit, with white fur taken away so that it got younger for every take.
I would love to see this footage. Imagine the Wookiee box and there’s one of the senators dozing off.
On a side note, Starwars.com gave us this little behind-the-scenes bit of info about the Twi’lek sitting with Orn Free Taa in one of the pictures:
For The Phantom Menace, Bib Fortuna was a cameo appearance by Supervising Sound Editor Matthew Wood. Alan Ruscoe also played a character that the production nicknamed “Bib Fortuna,” one of Orn Free Taa’s senatorial aides, though this was not intended to be the same Fortuna character. In the finished film, this senatorial “Fortuna” did not appear on screen.
R2-D2 AND HIS BOOSTER ROCKETS
During the scene on Coruscant when the Queen and her protectors are planning to go back to Naboo to fight the good fight, Artoo has a little “accident.” While on the landing platform where the Queen’s ship is docked, Artoo peers over the edge of the platform. He then takes a dive right off the edge, but not to worry. The Episode I R2-D2 was supposed to be equipped with rocket boosters.
Here’s the passage from the Episode I Illustrated Screenplay:
EXT. CORUSCANT – SENATE LANDING PLATFORM – NIGHT
QUI-GON, OBI-WAN, and ANAKIN stand on the landing platform outside the ship. ARTOO whistles a happy tune as he leans over the edge of the platform, watching the traffic. Suddenly he leans over too far and falls overboard. After a moment, he reappears, using his on-board jets to propel himself back onto the landing platform. The wind whips at ANAKIN as he listens to the JEDI.
If you look closely at the photos below, you can see R2’s jets sticking out of his front panels. Also, the Episode I R2-D2 action figure came with booster rockets. This figure was probably designed long before the film was actually edited and this scene removed. In fact, many of the “CommTech” lines of dialogue that the Episode I action figures speak are slightly different from or not even in the film at all. In some of the other pictures, you can actually see R2-D2 falling over the edge of the platform, proving that this scene was filmed. There’s a picture from Starwars.com where you can plainly see the wires sticking out of R2 as Jake Lloyd takes a peek inside. You can catch a glimpse of the shooting of this scene in the Starwars.com documentary series called “Lynne’s Diaries,” which are found on the Episode I DVD. Some of the stills here are from that documentary. Although this concept never made it into the final version of Episode I, the idea was resurrected for Episode II. R2’s rockets, however, were moved to the sides of his legs instead of his front panels.
