First Phantom Menace Draft Sets Up Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Love Triangle

Padmé and Anakin's romance is at the heart of the Southwest prequel trilogy, however, the first draft of the first episode introduced Padmé's romantic feelings for Obi-Wan.

There is no doubt that Anakin and Padmé are the main couple in the prequel trilogy, but the first draft of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace hinted at a relationship between Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan. There may be a love triangle. While many events shaped Anakin's (Hayden Christensen) path to the dark side, the catalyst for his eventual turn to the dark side was his desire to protect Padmé (Natalie Portman) from harm. In fact, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith has Anakin haunted by nightmares where he sees Padmé die, and he sincerely believes that knowing the ways of the dark side of the Force will help him protect her .

The prequel trilogy of Star Wars perfectly established Anakin and Obi-Wan's (Ewan McGregor) friendship mentoring and Obi-Wan's and Padmé's friendship. However, according to an Insider's Guide to Episode I in 1999, Padmé was believed to have feelings for Obi-Wan in the first draft, which made Anakin fearful of a romance between Padmé and Obi-Wan in the Revenge of the Sith canon emotion. An Insider's Guide to Episode I reveals many of the changes between the first draft and the final version of The Phantom Menace, including that Qui-Gon as a character doesn't mean much compared to Obi-Wan, and that Padmé's obsession with Obi-Wan is because He stands up to the Queen, which will cause her to "look long, admiringly" at Obi-Wan on Tatooine.

A Love Triangle Would Have Changed The Prequel Trilogy

If the final version of The Phantom Menace included Padmé's feelings for Obi-Wan, the Star Wars prequel trilogy would look very different from what audiences saw. Even if Padmé's feelings for Obi-Wan are still weak and lingering, they may have had a greater impact on Anakin's turn to the dark side of the Force, since Anakin's fear of losing Padmé was due to her conflicted feelings. How Padmé feels doesn't necessarily mean she'll act on it. Still, given how Anakin's worries and catastrophic thoughts were made worse by the small changes in Revenge of the Sith, if there's an ounce of truth in them, they're all the more serious.

In fact, Padmé's affection was not necessarily reciprocated. Episode 1 Insider's Guide also reports that Padmé looked at Obi-Wan with interest and respect that made "Kenobi very nervous." Even if Padmé's feelings for Obi-Wan were preserved into the final version of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan could ignore them, especially since the character is not an apprentice like Obi-Wan ended up in The Phantom Menace, but a full jedi The knight in the first draft. However, if Padmé's affection exists, it could make Anakin's eventual turn to the dark side worse, as his fears would be vindicated in his eyes.

A Prequel Love Triangle Would Have Been A Dark Mirror Of The OT

A potential love triangle involving Obi-Wan, Padmé, and Anakin would be wrong for the prequel trilogy, as it would reflect too much of the original Star Wars trilogy. Han and Luke's romantic interest in Leia leads to an interesting and shocking development in The Empire Strikes Back. However, the romance between Padmé and Obi-Wan feels too similar to the situation with Luke and Leia, especially if Obi-Wan doesn't reciprocate Padmé's affection.

Also, Padmé and Obi-Wan's deep concern for Anakin makes Revenge of the Sith all the better, with no romantic affection between the two. Indeed, the lack of romantic affection between Padmé and Obi-Wan makes Anakin's turn to the dark side all the more tragic, because then his choices are based on his unfounded fears rather than facts. While Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace could have had more mature themes if the final version contained some of the first draft's ideas, it's best not to set up a love triangle involving Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan.