THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: ANAKIN BLASTS OUT!

With power to his starfighter quickly restored, Anakin escapes the Trade Federation Droid Control Ship, but not without first letting out two proton torpedoes that do heavy damage to the main reactor and soon sets off a chain reaction, as seen in two pivotal ILM storyboards shown here.

This would be a scene from Lucas deliberately echoing, or rhyming with, Luke Skywalker's later destruction of the Death Star space station with his proton torpedoes in EPISODE IV.

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: EVASIVE MANEUVERS!

The battle intensifies for Anakin Skywalker as he and Artoo evade the continued enemy fire and attacking fighters in this great production art by Doug Chiang. Soon enough, the boy unwittingly sends his craft spiralling into the heart of the Droid Control Ship, with further danger ahead from surrounding Battle Droids as it crashes down powerless in the main hangar.

Note the slightly different cockpit design for the Naboo Starfighter seen in the painting, the final look not yet fully locked down at that stage. Additionally, by the final battle it was decided that, for dramatic purposes, only one Trade Federation vessel needed to be seen - the Droid Control Ship, the rest of the blockade having been prior dispersed once the planet had been successfully taken - an earlier scene with Obi-Wan and Ric Olie noticing this when the Naboo cruiser approaches the planet having been filmed but cut in post production.

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: JOHN KNOLL- THE NEW 'JOHN DOE'!

Filming his scenes presumably on the ILM blue screen stage- John Knoll as Bravo 4.

There are always casualties in any war, and the Battle of Naboo is no exception, especially among the human pilots of Bravo Squadron. The first onscreen death belongs to Bravo 4 pilot: Lt. Rya Kirsch, played by a familiar face to all fans of the behind the scenes team that would bring the modern Star Wars films to life: Effects supervisor and all-round genius John Knoll, clearly loving his 'John Doe- cameo role experience!

With goggles on, as briefly seen in the movie.

"I'm holding out for an action figure. The exploding fighter set."

John Knoll - Empire magazine - 1999

Bravo 4 bites the dust in spectacular fashion.