4. Anakin And Obi-Wan's Relationship - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
The Plot: With protege Obi-Wan Kenobi by his side, Qui-Gon Jinn protects Queen Amidala as she travels from Naboo to Coruscant. The film reaches a climax when the two Jedi fight Darth Maul; in his dying words, Jinn tells Kenobi to train Anakin Skywalker, the boy he senses a strong force in. It's a formative film for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it's all about a new master; George Lucas chooses to ignore his established characters in favour of making Liam Neeson the star of the flick. The Subplot: One of the greatest movie villains ever is introduced as a child, and his future friend, mentor, and eventually enemy meets him for the first time. This is an opportunity for an extraordinary insight into the relationship that Darth Vader had with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rather than focussing on them though, The Phantom Menace revolves around Qui-Gon Jinn. It's a formative movie for Obi-Wan, but it doesn't involve much interaction with Anakin until Jinn's dying words prompt him to take the boy under his wing; it's Jinn that believes in the boy's potential, so you could argue Kenobi's just following orders by befriending him. Wouldn't it have been so much more affecting for Obi-Wan to be at the forefront at the story, pushing for this future antagonist to become Jedi-trained? It's a travesty that one of the most compelling movie friendships ever was relegated to a sparingly-used subplot. It's just as well that the latter movies made up for this lack of development.
