One of George Lucas' variousStar Warsretcons may have secretly put another Jedi on Tatooine duringStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacealongside Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. The prequel trilogy ofStar Warsmovieswas filled with notable new additions to the Jedi Order. From main characters like Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu to beloved background Jedi like Plo Koon and Shaak Ti, there was no shortage of new characters in the films. One of those Jedi wasn’t originally part ofThe Phantom Menace’s cast of characters, though they were secretly added years later.
George Lucas gained a bit of an infamous reputation for making several changes to theStar Warsmovies years after they were released in theaters.Lucas constantly changed the special editionsof the original trilogy by adding, removing, or altering scenes at will. The prequel trilogy received a fraction of the changes the original trilogy did due to Lucas' use of CGI, but he still tweaked a handful of scenes, mostly in small, inconsequential ways. One of those changes, however, introduced a Jedi fromStar WarsLegendsand hinted that they were on Tatooine inThe Phantom Menace.
How The Phantom Menace Fits Into The Star Wars Timeline
The Phantom Menace was a significant turning point for the Star Wars galaxy as the first prequel movie, revealing the origins of Anakin Skywalker.
George Lucas Retconned Amy Allen’s Aayla Secura Into TPM
As it turns out,The Phantom Menacefeatures one more Jedi than previously thought, as one of George Lucas' revisions inserted Aayla Secura into the film.Star Wars Insider#75 explained that Lucas replaced some background actors with Twi’leks in the DVD release of the film, and that one of those Twi’leks was played by Amy Allen, the actor who would go on to play Aayla Secura in the rest of the prequel trilogy.
[Amy Allen] portrayed Aayla Secura, a blue-skinned Twi’lek Jedi, for the Episode I DVD. In a modification to the theatrical version of The Phantom Menace, Senator Orin Free Taa’s formerly human-filled pod was instead populated with Twi’leks.
The scene Secura was inserted into didn’t actually take place on Tatooine, though.Secura’s only appearance inThe Phantom Menacewas in the background of the Senate chambers on Coruscant, where Orin Free Taa rose up to exclaim at Padme Amidala’s call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum. It did, however, establish that Secura was an active Jedi at the time of the film, and it opened the door to making aStar WarsLegends story much more important. Legends had already expanded upon Secura’s story and revealed how she made it to the famous desert planet at the same time as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.
What Was Aayla Secura Doing On Tatooine?
Before Amy Allen portrayed Aayla Secura in live-action, the character had a fairly rich history inStar Warscomics. The now non-cannon comic “Star Wars (1998)” #38 revealed that Aayla Secura was indeed on Tatooine duringThe Phantom Menace.Secura mentioned that she was on a covert mission with her Jedi Master at the time, Quinlan Vos, and that they couldn’t break cover to reach out to Qui-Gon. Unfortunately, she only made a passing reference to that mission, so it’s not clear what exactly their objective was on Tatooine. Based on a later mission, though, Secura and Vos may have been investigating a drug smuggling network.
Star Wars: 10 Things You Never Knew About Aayla Secura
In Star Wars there are many amazing Jedi who deserve more attention and credit. One of those is Aayla Secura, so here are some interesting facts!
George Lucas rarely considered the Expanded Universe and its books and comics canon, but it seems he may have thought differently about Aayla Secura. Lucas clearly liked Secura’s story and character in the EU, as he made one of only a handful of changes just to include her. It’s possible that his decision to put her into the movie was a hint that he considered her story in the comics to be canon. Though it’s now consideredStar WarsLegends, there’s no telling if George Lucas considered Aayla Secura’s mission to Tatooine duringThe Phantom Menacecanon, or whether the franchise will ever revisit her story.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Cast
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
