The music as well
(1:53, specifically).
(1:53, specifically).Being the first episode in the Skywalker Saga, The Phantom Menace alludes to many future events in the Star Wars series.
- The Consular-class Republic cruiser from the opening of the film was intentionally designed to evoke the aesthetic of the Tantive IV from A New Hope, which was the first ship to ever appear onscreen in the franchise. Canonically, both were made by the Corellian Engineering Corporation.
- Padmé Amidala and the peaceful planet of Naboo as a whole is an allusion to Leia Organa and Alderaan from the original trilogy.
- The Droid Control Ship (at least its center sphere) is similar to the Death Star in appearance, and its all around design was inspired by the Imperial Star Destroyers. Anakin also (accidentally) destroys it by blowing up its core, which his son will do decades later to the Death Star in A New Hope. Furthermore, the design of said core and the way it explodes (the upper "dome" falling on the lower structure) resembles that of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
- The Flash and Gian Speeders are meant to be sleeker versions of the kind of landspeeder Luke uses in A New Hope.
- The Trade Federation STAPs are intended as one for the speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi.
- Darth Maul's ship is meant to evoke the imagery of the future Tie Advanced starship.
- Mos Espa is obviously meant to evoke the same imagery and feel as Mos Eisley in A New Hope, especially since it's set on the same planet. Luke's old landspeeder also makes a cameo appearance as a background prop.
- C-3PO tells R2-D2, "I can assure you they will never get me onto one of those dreadful starships."
- Jabba the Hutt makes a cameo appearance as the podrace host, and the building of the Mos Espa arena looks very similar to Jabba's palace from Return of the Jedi. He also has a nearby slave wearing the same metal bikini Leia would wear in Jedi.
- At one point while on Tatooine, Obi-Wan complains to Qui-Gon that if they don't fix the ship "we could be stuck here a very long time," not yet knowing he'd spend several years living in exile there.
- Anakin learned to be an Ace Pilot by practicing in the dangerous canyons of Tatooine, just as Luke will one day do himself.
- During the podrace, Anakin and Sebulba's pods get tangled up, an ode to Luke and a Scout Trooper getting their speeder bikes entangled in Return of the Jedi.
- Also in that same podrace, Anakin chases an X-shaped enemy in a narrow trench, mirroring how he would chase Luke's X-Wing in the trench of the Death Star.
- In a deleted scene, Anakin encounters a young Greedo. A friend even warns Greedo to be careful with who he messes with or he'll regret it, referring to his end at the blaster of Han Solo in A New Hope.
- On Coruscant, a character named "Bail Antilles" is mentioned, a reference to either Captain Antilles or Wedge Antilles from the original trilogy. He's also mentioned to be from Alderaan.
- When Qui-Gon Jinn is killed by Darth Maul, Obi-Wan screams "No!" in terror, similar to how Luke reacts when Obi-Wan is killed in A New Hope.
- Qui-Gon's body is burned at his funeral, like Anakin's will be decades later.
- At the end, Senator Palpatine congratulates little Anakin on his heroics and says that he'll be "watch[ing] [his] career with great interest."
- It's easy to miss, but Augie's Municipal Band is secretly a very upbeat arrangement of the Emperor's theme. The Peace Ceremony between the Naboo and the Gungans in the ending also evokes the imagery of the award ceremony from the ending of A New Hope.
- At the end of the credits, Darth Vader's breath is heard, giving us a glimpse into what Anakin will become in the future.
- If you hadn't watched the original trilogy, the soundtrack makes a foreshadowing. When Yoda talks about Anakin at the end of the film stating that the boy's future is clouded, the Imperial March makes a brief yet meaningful appearance.
- After the podrace Shmi tells Anakin that he "has given hope to those who have none." Anakin will father Luke and Leia, the hopes of the Original Trilogy.
