We all know Weird Al Yankovic is a musical genius when it comes to parodies, but did you know he actually pieced together the entire plot of The Phantom Menace before the movie even hit theaters? And he did it without an early screening or any insider knowledge from Lucasfilm.
How Weird Al Managed to Get The Phantom Menace So Right
I was today years old when I learned that The Saga Begins, Weird Al’s parody of American Pie, was recorded a full month before The Phantom Menace even hit theaters in May 1999. So how did he manage to nail the entire plot without seeing the movie? Simple—he did what Star Wars fans do best. He scoured fan forums.
Back in the late ’90s, Star Wars speculation was at an all-time high. The prequels were on the way, the internet was buzzing with rumors, and every little leak was being dissected by fans. Weird Al took all of that, pieced together everything he could find from online discussions and supposed leaks, and somehow got the story shockingly right.
Of course, there were a few minor inaccuracies. For instance, the song suggests that Anakin was already a Jedi when he first met Padmé, when in reality, he was still just a kid on Tatooine. But let’s be honest—getting 99% of the plot correct just from internet rumors? That’s next-level dedication.
So how did he actually pull it off? “Weird Al” Yankovic explained it himself in an interview when asked how he managed to research the song so accurately before the movie came out:
“The song was entirely based on Internet ‘rumors.’ I gathered all the leaked info I could about the movie from all the various Star Wars websites (TheForce.net was particularly helpful) and was able to piece together the basic plot of the movie. We had planned to release my ‘Running With Scissors’ album the month after ‘Phantom Menace’ came out. But because of the lead time involved in recording, mixing, pressing, and physically getting an album out in the stores, I had to write ‘The Saga Begins’ about two months before the movie came out.”
Weird Al even tried to get an advance screening from Lucasfilm, but they politely declined. Instead, he relied entirely on fan leaks and speculation. He later revealed:
“Just for safety’s sake, we didn’t do the final mix on ‘The Saga Begins’ until after I had seen the movie. I paid to go to the $500-a-ticket charity screening so I could see the film a couple of days before the rest of the world. I remember I changed a couple of lines after seeing the movie—very minor tweaks. Like ‘He’s probably gonna marry her someday’ was originally ‘I HEAR he’s gonna marry her someday,’ because according to an Internet rumor, in one scene Anakin tells the Queen to her face that he’s going to marry her (which, as it turns out, wasn’t in the final cut—but everybody knows how the storyline is going to go anyway, right?).”
The Lyrics That Nailed The Plot
With that in mind, I decided to go back and listen to The Saga Begins to see just how much Weird Al actually predicted about The Phantom Menace. And honestly? It’s kind of crazy how spot-on his lyrics are.
Right from the opening line, we see that Weird Al somehow nailed the plot:
“A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away / Naboo was under an attack.”
That sets up the entire central conflict of The Phantom Menace perfectly. The Trade Federation invades Naboo, forcing Queen Amidala to seek help from the Republic.
Then there’s this:
“And I was just a boy on Tatooine”
He got Anakin’s background down exactly—just a young slave, completely unaware of the destiny waiting for him.
And then:
“Well, I’m not sure how this all got started / But the Jedi have to regulate.”
That’s basically Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s whole role in the movie. They’re sent to deal with the blockade, setting everything into motion.
Of course, we can’t forget this legendary line:
“Oh, my, my, this here Anakin guy / May be Vader someday later.”
That one still hits. Anakin’s eventual fall to the dark side is already being teased, even though The Phantom Menace barely scratches the surface of his transformation into Darth Vader.
And then there’s this hilariously accurate callout:
“Did you see him hitting on the Queen? / Though he’s just nine and she’s fourteen”
Yeah…we all noticed that. The age gap between Anakin and Padmé was always a little awkward.
And this part? It absolutely captures one of the most emotional moments of the movie:
“And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye / Saying ‘Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi’”
Anakin leaving Shmi behind was a defining moment, and Weird Al summed it up in one line.
Even small details were on point:
“We took a bongo from the scene / And we went to Theed to see the Queen”
That’s straight-up a reference to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Jar Jar taking the Gungan submarine through the planet’s core to reach Theed.
And finally, the line that basically sums up the climax of the movie:
“And the Jedi I admire most / Met up with Darth Maul and now he’s toast”
Ouch. But yeah, Qui-Gon’s duel with Maul—and his death—was the turning point for Obi-Wan.
Reading through these lyrics again, it’s wild to think about how Weird Al managed to put together such an accurate retelling of The Phantom Menace before the movie even hit theaters. Whether it was luck, deep research, or just an incredible understanding of Star Wars storytelling, The Saga Begins remains one of the best fan-made retellings of a Star Wars movie—before fans had even seen it.