Best Star Wars Episode I Characters

With a superb story line filled with great characters, how do we choose the best "Star Wars: Episode I" characters? The Star Wars series is arguably the best collection of movies ever made. Millions upon millions of sci-fi nerds would agree. The complex world that George Lucas has created completely pulls its audience in. No story can have such a lasting effect on its audience without the development of great characters that the audience can relate to in some way. "Star Wars: Episode I," along with the rest of the stories in the series, do just that. When we walk out of the theatre, we feel as if we've developed a connection with one or more of the characters in the film. So, here are the picks for the best "Star Wars: Episode I" characters:

1. R2-D2. This Episode I character is the only character, other than C-3PO, that appears in every film. What makes him one of the best characters in Episode I (and the whole series, for that matter)? Simple: this tough little garbage can-shaped droid is the reason that the good guys get anywhere in the films. Whenever their ship gets damaged, little R2 goes to work. He's constantly covering up the humans' messes, fixing this, repairing that. Some people may call it his programming, but it's his bravery that's the backbone of the initial loyalists and, later on, the rebel alliance. While other droids get blown away like targets at a firing range, R2-D2 just keeps on ticking.
2. Darth Sidious. He's the evil puppet master. He's one of the best characters in "Star Wars: Episode I" for one reason: he had his hands on everything. He began manipulating the Galactic Senate and the Trade Federation simultaneously. He's the reason war broke out between the two factions, with him gaining power and control on both sides. All the while, he pretended to be a benevolent senator on the side of the Republic. He's also the person that set Darth Maul loose on the Jedi. He's the dude you have to love to hate.
3. Qui Gon Jin. He's the reason two of the best Jedis in the business got their respective starts. This guy was Obi Wan's teacher. He's also the guy that found poor little Anakin on that dust bowl of a planet and set in motion a chain of events that would transform Anakin into the most powerful of all the Sith. Let's not forget how he kicked a lot of Trade Federation butt throughout Episode I. But alas, not all the best "Star Wars: Episode I" characters can survive. He was butchered by Darth Maul near the end of the film.
4. Obi Wan Kenobi. When we meet him in Episode I, he's already a certified bad-ass. He's literally beating down wave after wave of Trade Federation droids throughout the film. Although he's only a Padawan at the time, Obi Wan's ability to use the force effectively makes him easily one of the best Jedis in the movie. He's the guy that split Darth Maul in half with a well-placed lightsaber swipe to the midsection. He was probably the most effective killing machine for the side of the Jedi. Darth Maul was the first in a long line of high-profile beat downs he gave, none more important than the serving he gave a young Anakin, relieving him of two legs and an arm. You don't have to ask why Obi Wan is one of the best "Star Wars: Episode I" characters.
5. Darth Maul. This guy is hands-down the best character of "Star Wars: Episode I." Even if you don't know his history, you have to admit the dude is a killer. According to Star Wars mythology, he was created from the pure energy produced by the hatred of the Sith. He was made, in essence, to whoop tons and tons of butt. His cloaked, dark costume is cool and his acrobatics are unparalleled. But the coolest thing about this guy was the double-edged lightsaber. The coolest character gets the coolest weaponry, too. Unfair Lucas, so unfair.