Summary
- The Phantom Menace included an Easter egg featuring the pixelated face of George Lucas hidden in a stone archway.
- The Easter egg required Lucas’ approval and was put in by a former ILM artist as a tribute to the director.
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith will be returning to theaters in 4DX for its 20th anniversary on April 25, 2025.
Over two decades after the cinematic debut of Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, a fantastic piece of trivia has come to light in the form of an Easter egg supplied by George Lucas, the architect of the space epic. The Phantom Menace was a gateway for many to embark on their Star Wars journey, and the prequel celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, which made millennials certainly feel their age. The feature also returned Lucas to the director’s chair after helming the original 1977 film.
As Star Wars fans slide into a new year with many interesting announcements across the franchise, there’s another reason for galaxy enthusiasts to remain excited as Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge Of The Sith will also be returning to theaters to celebrate its 20th anniversary on April 25, 2025. It’s also the very first time the iconic film will be shown in 4DX. However, before all of that, and in light of last year’s reveal that The Phantom Menace almost featured a game-changing twist, some fans may have missed the creator’s special appearance on the set of the film, which has recently been highlighted by a former crew member.
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Hidden Easter Egg From the Star Wars Prequel Shows off George Lucas
Clayton Sandell, who is a television news correspondent and co-author of Star Wars Timelines, recently spoke with former Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) artist Caroleen “Jett” Green, who previously worked as a digital matte artist on films like Hellboy, Sleep Hallow, Galaxy Quest and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Speaking about her work on The Phantom Menace, Green worked on digitally expanding practical sets in the Theed Palace hallway, enhancing designs to make it look like multiple locations, which included marble columns and floors.
While designing the set, Green thought that she would add a cheeky George Lucas Easter egg that many viewers wouldn’t see at all unless they looked very hard and knew where to search. “I decided to get a picture of George, and I put it on this plaque,” said Green. “I thought, ‘Well, that’ll be cool. By the time you shrink that down, his face is just a blur.’”
In a shot that starts at one hour, 58 minutes and 17 seconds into the film (if you’re watching on Disney+), Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and her palace guards run down a hallway, finding themselves surrounded by Droidekas and battle droids. In the background of the wide shot, there’s a prominent stone archway. Look at the apex of that arch, maybe squint your eyes, and you’ll see the somewhat pixelated face of the creator himself. (I will say, watch the highest quality copy you can. It helps.)
However, putting Lucas’ face into the film as a cameo needed approval from the filmmaker himself, and since the artist was a big fan of the director, Green was hoping that it could stay. Thankfully, George Lucas thought it looked pretty cool, telling Green, “Oh, naughty, naughty.” After some moments of silence, Lucas finally said, “Okay. Leave it in,” remembers Green, breathing a sigh of relief knowing that she wasn’t going to get into trouble. The Star Wars franchise includes many Easter eggs, some of which nearly got Lucasfilm in trouble and others that were inside jokes by the production team.
The Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+.
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Source: Clayton Sandell
