Star Wars: Episode I The Beginning represented the initial script version for what would ultimately become Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.
The original concept for the movie revolved around the exploits of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the world of Utapau. Subsequently, he finds Anakin Skywalker, a young enslaved person on Tatooine, whom he then decides to mentor as a Jedi.
George Lucas commenced writing a prequel to Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope on November 1, 1994. This movie, initially titled Star Wars: Episode I The Beginning, was intended as the first installment of a Prequel trilogy. Although Gary Kurtz, the producer, mentioned during an interview with TheForce.net on May 26, 1999, that the primary focus of Episode I was to be the genesis of the Jedi Knights, the movie's script was designed to center on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
However, in the late summer of 1995, Lucas composed a subsequent script in which the character of Qui-Gon Jinn replaced Obi-Wan Kenobi's role. Kenobi remained in the script, but as the apprentice of Qui-Gon. After numerous revisions, Lucas abandoned this script at an unspecified point. On June 6, 1997, Lucas submitted the final script for filming. The exact time when the title was changed to Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace remains unclear.