One could spend an eternity pondering the 'what ifs' of the Star Wars Universe. But one seemingly insignificant line sparked my curiosity. That is, when Captain Panaka insists that Padmé come along on the trip into Tatooine, Qui-Gon reluctantly agrees, but states that, "This is a bad idea."

Now, Qui-Gon seemed to have more insight into the boy's future than any of the other council members, including Yoda. While the Council may have been right to question the boys somewhat clouded future, it seems to me that Qui-Gon might have known exactly what steps to take with Anakin in his training.

Now back to the Padmé situation; I have learned by now that Jedi don't say things for no reason. Perhaps he didn't know why at the time, but he did have a bad feeling about it, probably connected by the force. Had Padmé not come along on that trip, Anakin may not have had the chance to become attatched to her... So I have come to the conclusion that Captain Panaka single inadvertently brought about the destruction of the entire Galactic Republic.

...Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme. However, if Qui-Gon had survived he would have been the one to train Anakin. I believe he would have gone about Anakin's training better than Obi Wan had. While Qui-Gon had faith that Anakin was the chosen one, the Council kept restricting what Anakin could do. It was this doubt and worry that caused Anakin to so often confide in Senator Palpatine.

Enter the Sith. What if it was, as they say, "the will of the force," for Qui-Gon to train Anakin, but the Sith's intervention changed the outcome, which just happens to benefit them (for a time at least). In a universe of free will vs. destiny even though it was Anakin's destiny to bring balance to the force, isn't it possible for the Sith to try to change the future to their liking.

So I ask, what if?

One more thing; Either in the clone wars vol. 1 or 2 of the original cartoon network mini series, Anakin has some kind of dream or vision of Qui-Gon telling him to go face his fears inside of a tree (or something, its been a while since I watched it). Anyway, it reminded me of a similar scene with Yoda and Luke. I have no idea why this scene exists. If anybody has any insight it would be much appreciated!