Jar Jar Binks spread much fear and anger among diehard Star Wars fans. But enough to be a Sith Lord? That's what one fan theory says. According to Reddit user Lumpawarroo, Jar Jar's luck is actually the result of his ability to use the Force, and the Gungan assisted, if not masterminded, Palpatine's domination of the galaxy. Mind blown! (Source)

Steven Spielberg enjoys putting references to Star Wars in his films, and George Lucas returns the favor in The Phantom Menace. In the Galactic Senate chambers, keen-eyed observers will spy representatives from E.T.'s race. (Source)

Speaking of cameos, you'll notice a crazy-haired man next to Watto during the podraces. This gentleman is Warwick Davis, who starred as Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi. Davis had three other cameos in Phantom Menace: as Anakin's Rodian friend, as a street trader, and as a double for Yoda during his walking scenes. (Source)

Ewan McGregor made lightsaber noises while filming his duels. Because if you grew up a Star Wars fan, that's just what you do with anything remotely lightsaber-shaped (sticks, cardboard tubes, and so on). His ad-libs were corrected in post-production. (Source)

To save money, the sets were only built as high as the actors' heads. At least, that was the idea. Liam Neeson proved so tall that he cost the production an extra $150,000 in construction. (Source)