Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace introduced a young Anakin Skywalker to the Star Wars franchise, with the film's original draft showcasing his Force abilities better than any of the finished prequels. The prequel trilogy as it was released consists of The Phantom Menace, Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. While the latter was a well-received finale, the prequel trilogy as a whole had many issues despite being looked upon more fondly of late.
One of these issues was its portrayal of Anakin Skywalker through George Lucas's writing, which often did not show him as the all-powerful Force user that would become Darth Vader. While the prequel trilogy had its moments of this, namely in Revenge of the Sith after Order 66, in which Anakin showcased his true power, there was a significant lack of this in the first installment when Anakin was a young boy. However, the first draft of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace show's a different version of the film in which this exact issue was avoided.
How Anakin Pulled Off The Ultimate Piloting Feat
The original draft of The Phantom Menace showcased Anakin's strength with the Force through his piloting skills. In the first draft, when Naboo was still named Utapau, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Panaka, and Ric Olié return to the planet to see the Trade Federation's blockade still in place. In order to avoid the blockade, Obi-Wan suggests that Anakin fly the ship and drop out of hyperspeed in between the planet and the ships. Panaka and Olié state this is impossible and that even the most advanced computer could make infinity calculations and still not pull off the maneuver.
Despite their protests, Obi-Wan trusts Anakin and his connection to the Force to allow him to sense the right time to drop out of lightspeed. Obi-Wan instructs Anakin to close his eyes and feel the Force while imagining he is podracing. Anakin does so and successfully stops the ship right before the planet's surface to the amazement of Captain Panaka, who uses the clouds as cover to land safely on Utapau.
Anakin's Piloting Feat Proves Obi-Wan Was Right About His Skill
This feat performed by Anakin in the original draft of The Phantom Menace proves one scene from A New Hope correct. In the original Star Wars, Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father and insists that "he was the best star pilot in the galaxy and a cunning warrior." While the Star Wars prequel trilogy showcased the latter part of Obi-Wan's statement regularly, Anakin's skill as a pilot is only really shown in the first act of Revenge of the Sith.
While The Phantom Menace as it was released has the podrace sequence and Anakin blowing up the droid command center above Naboo, the latter is portrayed more as a feat completed with luck rather than skill. The original draft would have done a better job of showing Anakin's piloting skill by having him perform a feat everyone thought impossible through his connection to the Force. Not only would this have proved Obi-Wan's A New Hope comments correct, but it would have made Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace better foreshadow both his piloting skills and Anakin Skywalker's destiny as the Chosen One of the Force.