Back in 1977, nobody expected science fiction film Star Wars to become the worldwide phenomenon it did. The frenzy it unleashed led its sequels —The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — to break box office records as well. Star Wars had made an indelible mark on both film and the culture at large. But for next 16 years, its hardcore fans could only get their Force fix from smaller-scale TV series, books and games. Then, in 1999, director George Lucas released the much-anticipated The Phantom Menace, the first of three prequel films that would delve into the origins of the universe he created. In this special issue, we take you back to the excitement of that time, show how the movie got made, tell you where the stars are now, foretell the future of the franchise and offer up a trivia quiz for the ages.
STAR WARS THE PHANTOM MENACE
WHY WE LOVE STAR WARS THE PHANTOM MENACE • A NEW GENERATION SEES THE STAR WARS SAGA UNFOLD FROM ITS VERY FIRST EPISODE
AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION • THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY BECAME ONE OF MOST SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISES EVER, BUT CREATOR GEORGE LUCAS WANTED TO DIG DEEPER INTO HIS COSMIC COLLECTION OF CHARACTERS
THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING • WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE PHANTOM MENACE, STAR WARS FANS HAD NEW HOPE FOR THE STORY THEY’D GROWN UP WITH
THE NEW WHO’S WHO • THE PHANTOM MENACE WAS FILLED WITH UNFAMILIAR FACES. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE INHABITANTS IT INTRODUCED US TO IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE
SEEKING COUNCIL • WITH THE ADDITION OF THE HIGH COUNCIL, EPISODE I SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING THE HISTORY OF THE JEDI
YADDLE UP! • THE PHANTOM MENACE INTRODUCED FANS TO A GENDER-SWAPPED VERSION OF A WELL-KNOWN JEDI MASTER
A FIZZLE IN THE FORCE • DESPITE BEING A MAJOR SUCCESS AT THE BOX OFFICE, MANY FANS CONSIDER THE PHANTOM MENACE THE SCARIEST SPACE CREATURE THIS SIDE OF DARTH VADER
FROM STAR WARS CASUALTY TO GALACTIC REDEMPTION — JAR JAR BINKS LIVES
JAKE LLOYD A MOMENT WITH ANAKIN SKYWALKER
TECH TALK • THE PHANTOM MENACE DIDN’T JUST HAVE NEW STAR WARS STORIES TO TELL. FROM LIGHTSABERS TO SPACESHIPS, IT ALSO INTRODUCED PLENTY OF FASCINATING NEW TECHNOLOGY
LOOKING AHEAD BY LOOKING BACK • TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AFTER ITS RELEASE, MANY FANS ARE REVISITING THE PHANTOM MENACE AND CHANGING THEIR MINDS ABOUT WHERE THE FILM RANKS IN THE STAR WARS PANTHEON
JUST LIGHTYEARS AWAY
TOP 10 MOST MEMORABLE QUOTES
ARE YOU A PHANTOM PHAN? • TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE STAR WARS PREQUEL TRILOGY
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - 25th Anniversary
PHOTO CREDITS
