9 Hidden Facts You Didn't Know About Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
7. The Maltese Falcon Makes Its Way To The Galaxy Far, Far Away
In case you didn't know, the Maltese Falcon is one of the most famous props in Hollywood history.
Appearing in the classic 1941 noir movie of the same name, a number of these statuettes were created for the picture, with one made of resin actually going missing for 50 years before eventually being purchased by a group that included Leonardo DiCaprio for $300,000.
Simply put, it's a quite valuable and well-known piece of movie history.
And it's one that actually sort of secretly appeared in Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Look closely around Palpatine's office on Coruscant, and you'll spot a statuette that looks just like the legendary bird Leo and co. would ultimately pay big money for.
Was this just George Lucas' way of saluting a classic feature? Or was he actually hinting at Palpatine's moral ambiguity with the prop, as noted by New Rockstars in their Breakdown & Analysis of the movie? It could be both.