Somehow, Ben Quadinaros returned. The iconic podrace in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace spawned the fan-favourite video game Star Wars: Episode I: Racer. In the spirit of that seminal racing game from 1999, Lucasfilm Games announced Star Wars: Galactic Racer at The Game Awards last December.
Lucasfilm Games has subsequently shared an official gameplay trailer that has piqued fans' (myself included) interest during Sony's recent State of Play.
Read the official synopsis:
"Star Wars: Galactic Racer™ is a high-stakes, high-octane reinvention of racing born in the lawless Outer Rim of the Star Wars™ galaxy. Coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2026.
A new racer has arrived to the Galactic League: an unsanctioned racing circuit where only the bold survive.
For Shade, a lone racer with a dream of glory and revenge, the League isn’t just a race; it’s a shot at reclaiming destiny.
Wishlist today!"
Pre-order Star Wars: Galactic Racer at Amazon (affiliate link).
Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Galactic Racer? Let me know in the comments below.
A long time ago… 25 years to be exact, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace took fans (myself included) back to a time before Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia challenged a tyrannical Empire and saved a galaxy far, far away.
Like many, I’d waited 16 years for another Star Wars movie following the original trilogy's conclusion in 1983. The anticipation for the film may never be matched in my lifetime. I subscribed to the official Star Wars fan club and watched the exclusive QuickTime trailers on dial-up internet on an Apple Macintosh Performa 5200 (soon to be replaced by an iMac DV SE with iMovie).
In May 1999, I vividly remember taking the day off work on 'Menace Monday' to buy merchandise (mostly Darth Maul-related) at Toys "R" Us. Coincidentally, I was interviewed by Hasbro for a multimedia role and shown CommTech, which revolutionised toy technology, under NDA in early 1999.
Ahead of its UK release, I imported John Williams’ Star Wars: The Phantom Menace soundtrack from CDNow and was immediately spoiled by the track listing: Qui-Gon’s Noble End and Qui-Gon’s Funeral left little to the imagination. However, this was new Star Wars music from Williams and Duel of the Fates was an instant classic (I’m streaming it on Apple Music).
I ventured into the Exeter Picturehouse to book tickets for a weekend screening, and the staff informed me there were tickets available for the first day. Do I wait and see it with friends or go it alone? This time the dark side prevailed and I walked into a darkened theatre.
The original Star Wars was the first film I saw at the cinema (circa 1978) in the wake of a life-changing childhood trauma. So, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was going to be a repeat of that cosmic ride of hope!
A disturbance in the Force!
Alas, an inebriated couple (the cinema has an upstairs bar) decided to read aloud the opening crawl to benefit anyone not au fait with the taxation of trade routes. This unwelcome commentary continued for an hour until staff intervened.
There were technical issues with the projection due to independent cinemas not having access to first-generation prints (digital was still a few years away), which exhibited picture artefacts inherent in a video source!
Also, Lucasfilm stipulated no refunds as a condition for showing the movie (I was offered a complimentary ticket for any movie other than Star Wars: The Phantom Menace).
These twists set the tone for the rest of the Scooby-Doo-titled movie. And I was left unsure of how I felt about George Lucas’ prequel! Was it better than Star Wars: Return of the Jedi as I’d hastily written in an email to friends?
Darth Maul was cool, but why did Lucas kill him off? The special effects were flashy, but was there a story? There was too much talking and not enough action. Lucas had become too proud of the technological advances developed at Lucasfilm and overlooked basic storytelling tenets - adding character motivations in post. It wasn’t all about selling merchandise was it? Bueller...? Bueller...? Bueller...?
I watched Star Wars: The Phantom Menace six times that summer.
25 years on and post-pandemic, none of it matters. It was unforgettable. Thank the maker.
Our friends at Hasbro have sent over details regarding exclusives from G.I. Joe Classified Series, Marvel Legends, Star Wars: The Black Series and Transformers.
Star Wars fans (myself included) will be excited to know this year's SDCC exclusive celebrates the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES DARTH MAUL & SITH SPEEDER
(HASBRO | Ages 4 and Up | Approx. Retail Price: $59.99 | Available: Summer 2024)
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES features 6-inch action figures, vehicles, and roleplay items from the 40-plus-year legacy of the STAR WARS Galaxy, letting fans create galactic scenes with a faithfulness to STAR WARS comic books, movies, and series. This STAR WARS set is detailed to look like Darth Maul & his Sith Speeder from STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE. Comes with 6 accessories, including his signature double-bladed Lightsaber™ and a pair of binoculars.
With exquisite features and decoration, THE BLACK SERIES embodies the quality and realism that STAR WARS devotees love. Look for more STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES action figures to build your own STAR WARS galaxy (each sold separately, subject to availability).
Available exclusively at 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. Attendees can request a time slot to purchase Hasbro products at the Hasbro Booth (#3213) at the Hasbro Pulse Toy Store through the San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives Portal.
Limited quantities will be available to order on Hasbro Pulse after the convention. While supplies last.
Are you excited about Star Wars: The Black Series Darth Maul & Sith Speeder? Are you looking forward to SDCC? Let me know in the comments below.
This year is the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and LEGO Star Wars.
After decades of fan speculation, Darth Jar Jar is a thing. Lucasfilm has dropped a teaser trailer for LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on Disney+.
Read the official synopsis:
"In LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of all depends on Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together."
The talented voice cast features Gaten Matarazzo (Sig Greebling), Tony Revolori (Dev Greebling), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), Marsai Martin (Yesi Scala), Michael Cusack (Servo), Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).
The animated special showcases the longtime team-up of Lucasfilm and Danish toy manufacturing company, The LEGO Group. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty-five years since the ground-breaking collaboration between Lucasfilm and The LEGO Group began,” says executive producer James Waugh. “In that time, LEGO Star Wars has given our fans the unique power to unlock their imaginations and play with the galaxy’s elements in any way they can conceive… and build. It’s with that playful spirit in mind that we set out to 'Rebuild the Galaxy' like never before. Tapping into the comedic genius of Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, two of the most talented comedy writers I’ve had the fortune of working with, we’ve mixed and matched LEGO sets to snap together Imperial X-fighters, Rebel TIE-wings, and yes, even Darth Jar Jar. This four-piece special is a celebration of all things Star Wars, LEGO, and the incredible explorations that can only happen when these two amazing brands come together.”
Discover LEGO Star Wars on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy streams exclusively on 13th September on Disney+.
Are you looking forward to LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.
May the Fourth, AKA Star Wars Day, is on Saturday, and Hasbro has announced a Fanstream for Friday.
From the official Hasbro Pulse Instagram account:
"Map the coordinates and initiate your hyperdrive because we have a galactic Star Wars May the 4th Be With You Fanstream coming your way! Join the Hasbro Star Wars team on our YouTube channel next Friday, May 3rd, at 11:00am ET for a celebration filled with fresh reveals from the Star Wars The Black Series line and some updates on The Vintage Collection.
We know the anticipation is high for the upcoming Star Wars The Vintage Collection HasLab. While we initially planned to unveil it this week, we’re taking extra time to ensure it’s as spectacular as Star Wars fans expect. The reveal is pushed back, but fear not we promise it’s worth the wait. We’ll share more details soon, so keep your comlinks open and stay tuned!"
This month marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and, to celebrate, the first Star Wars prequel is back on the big screen. In May 1999, I vividly remember taking the day off work on 'Menace Monday' to buy merchandise (mostly Darth Maul-related) at Toys "R" Us. Coincidentally, I was interviewed by Hasbro for a multimedia role and shown CommTech, which revolutionised toy technology, under NDA in early 1999.
What are you hoping will be revealed during the Star Wars Day Fanstream? How are you celebrating Star Wars Day? Let me know in the comments below.
Empire magazine exclusively announced Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is returning to cinemas for its 25th anniversary on 3rd May.
In 1999, anticipation for the first instalment in George Lucas' prequel trilogy was fever pitch and its coverage saturated mainstream media.
Before the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Hasbro interviewed me for a multimedia role and I saw some of the upcoming toys. I anxiously waited for QuickTime trailers to drop online - blocking my parents' landline - as I coded my first website and listened to John Williams' soundtrack on an import CD (remember CDNow?). As with the original Star Wars soundtrack, a major spoiler was contained in a track title: Qui-Gon's Noble End left little to the imagination.
Eventually, I saw Star Wars: The Phantom Menace six times at the Odeon Exeter. Podracing and the climactic duel between Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Darth Maul (Ray Park) pulled me back for more. And there were Pepsi cups to collect.
Stay tuned for further coverage of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’s 25th anniversary.
Are you looking forward to seeing Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on Star Wars Day? Let me know in the comments below.
Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) are currently reprising their roles from the prequel trilogy in the spectacular Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi spin-off series on Disney+.
As I drove past the Odeon movie theatre in Lincoln, UK, back in 2002, I wondered if my son would be able to handle the scary, intense moments in the PG-rated Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Episode II in George Lucas’ sprawling space saga?
My kid, Sam, was only two years old, but I was itching to share my love of Star Wars with him. I’d heard the movie contained fantasy violence and I didn’t want my son to be so scarred for life that he’d turn to the dark side and become a Star Trek fan or something.
Better to check it out, myself, first. So I did.
I still remember the sheer joy I felt watching Star Wars: Attack of the Clones for the first time. Sure, Anakin Skywalker’s padawan training obviously did not include acting lessons, but this was a brand new Star Wars film on the big screen and there were enough breathtaking battles and cinematic moments to give me a two-hour adrenalin rush.
Rather than marking time before the main event of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, director George Lucas (Star Wars) threw plenty of memorable set pieces into the film – a flying car chase, the monster-crammed Petranaki Arena, and the subsequent Jedi battle.
In this film, we see how powerful the Jedi really are, from a sky-diving Anakin to a flipping little Yoda. The Jedi are almost too powerful, helping to explain – if not excuse – Order 66 in the sequel Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
It took a few more years for Sam to get into Star Wars. Now he’s graduated from college and the Nexu is his totem animal. He’s a big fan of Boba Fett, following the Young Boba books spun off from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and the violent bits in the movie don’t bother him one bit.
20 years after its release, the fight scenes are spectacular, the darker moments are still mesmerising, and Sir Christopher Lee (Count Dooku) is sadly missed. Hayden Christensen’s casting aside, Lucas tells another mythic story with symbolism that is easy to absorb whatever your age, appealing characters and enough dialogue to inspire an army of memes for decades to come.
What are your memories of watching Star Wars: Attack of the Clones? Let me know in the comments below.
Out of left-field, The Matrix broadsided George Lucas' Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in the summer of 1999.
Artfully blending the film noir of Dark City with Alice in Wonderland and Marxist cultural criticism, the Wachowskis breathed new life into late nineties Hollywood action cinema with the release of The Matrix and popularised bullet time in an era where lightsaber duels were tech demos.
It would become the first killer app for the emergent Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) format and necessitated a firmware update for some DVD players (mine included). This was a time before wi-fi-enabled devices and over-the-air (OTA) updates were ubiquitous. Now I can't imagine taking my PlayStation 5 (PS5) into John Lewis for a software update.
The Matrix, like the original Star Wars, was self-contained. However, sequels soon followed with deminishing returns. As much as I enjoyed The Matrix Reloaded, I never bothered seeing The Matrix Revolutions in 2003! Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy had overshadowed all (including the Star Wars prequels).
Fast forward 18 years to 2021.
At CinemaCon on Tuesday, Warner Bros. announced The Matrix 4 is now officially titled The Matrix Resurrections and premiered a trailer, which is yet to be officially released. Lana Wachowski (her sister Lilly Wachowski, who co-directed the original trilogy, is taking an extended break from the entertainment industry) is at the helm with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising the roles of Neo and Trinity respectively.
The Matrix Resurrections is in cinemas and on HBO Max on 22nd December. Hopefully, I can entice Nick Smith away from the holiday season festivities to review it for your reading pleasure.
Are you looking forward to The Matrix Resurrections? Let me know in the comments below.
Star Wars Celebration is coming back to Anaheim in 2022 following a brief hiatus during the pandemic.
The official Lucasfilm fan event, which originally began in 1999 to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and expanded outside of the US with Star Wars Celebration Europe in 2007, has moved forward from August to May of next year.
"Current ticket holders that wish to keep their existing tickets will have their order automatically transferred to the new event dates and will receive a new confirmation email in the coming months. If fans want to keep their tickets, no further action is required on their part," an announcement on StarWars.com said. "If a ticket holder wishes to request a refund for their 2022 ticket order, they can do so by visiting StarWarsCelebration.com. Ticket refunds requests must be submitted before June 11, 2021. All ticket holders will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to submit a refund request, if they choose to do so."
Lucasfilm uses Star Wars Celebration to announce upcoming projects. The runaway success of The Mandalorian, propelled in part by Grogu AKA Baby Yoda, will be bolstered by Star Wars: The Bad Batch, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka and Andor spin-off series on Disney+.
Are you attending Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022? Let me know in the comments below.
May 1991 will be long remembered amongst Star Wars fans (myself included) of a certain age. A new sequel trilogy began with author Timothy Zahn's Star Wars: Heir to the Empire set 5 years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
The best-selling novel ushered in a new Star Wars golden age and the nineties would culminate with the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
The trilogy is most notable for introducing Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade. Thrawn has subsequently appeared in further novels, Star Wars Rebels and most recently namechecked in the second season of The Mandalorian on Disney+.
Speaking to Star Wars Insider for the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, Zahn outlined how he created the fan-favourite character.
“I wanted to capture the Star Wars feeling, but I did not want to go over the same territory that George Lucas had already gone over, so that meant no superweapon, no Death Star, no Darth Vader-type, no Emperor-type. Which left me thinking, ‘Okay, so what else have we got? Vader and the Emperor ruled by manipulation and fear, so, how about somebody who would lead through loyalty? What kind of character could inspire that type of loyalty?”
Zahn continues.
“He needed to be a strategic and tactical genius, so that they’d know they had a good chance of winning. He cared about his troops. He was willing to accept good suggestions from subordinates. And then, finally, since we did not see a lot of aliens in the Empire, I wanted to make him a non-human, on the grounds that, if he got to be a Grand Admiral, he had to be something very special.”
What are your memories of reading Star Wars: Heir to the Empire? Let me know in the comments below.
It's New Year's Eve and most of the UK is now in tier 4 (the highest level of restrictions) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tim Hoekstra, from New Zealand-based Knights of Renesmee, got in touch to 'shamelessly plug' his latest Star Wars fan film, a 6-hour prequel movie marathon filmed during the lockdown, that will help pass the time until 2021. How could I refuse?
I asked Tim: "What was the inspiration and, more importantly, is there going to be a holiday special in 2021?"
"The Star Wars Holiday Special would be extremely fertile ground haha. We'll see..." You heard it here first, folks! Tim went on to explain the creative impulse behind the shot-for-shot remake of Star Wars creator George Lucas' prequel trilogy. "We started almost 4 years ago with Revenge of the Sith, filming it over 5 days (it was holidays, we were bored and none of us had jobs). Our motivation was largely to have fun hanging out which I think you can see in our film. Another motivation was to make something nostalgic we could look back on in 10 years when we all have kids/families etc. After releasing it to Youtube and getting ~50 views in the first week, I woke up one morning and found it on Youtube trending with 100'000 views and from there, completing the trilogy was inevitable..."
If you have a fan film you'd like to share, please contact me.
With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker concluding the epic nine-part Skywalker saga a year ago. The Disney+ live-action spin-off series continues to fill the void during the pandemic.
This contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Chapters 12 and 13 streaming now on Disney+. You have been warned, Padawan!
Following Din Djarin's (Pedro Pascal) memorable meeting with Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Mando and The Child AKA Baby Yoda take a detour to visit some old friends on Nevarro and repair the battle-damaged Razor Crest before continuing the search for the Jedi. Kryze told Mando to seek fan-favourite Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) on the forest moon of Corvus.
Director Carl Weathers, who plays Greef Karga in the live-action Star Wars spin-off, dives into George Lucas' original trilogy sandbox and serves up a thrilling tale filled with 'toyetic' moments that transported me back to childhood; playing with Kenner and Palitoy action figures, playsets and accessories at Christmas.
All the while connecting the prequel, original and sequel trilogies with midi-chlorians sourced from The Child and allusions to the creation of Emperor Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) puppet: Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). And that's before Moff Gideon's (Giancarlo Esposito) Dark Troopers, first seen in the Star Wars: Dark Forces video game, seemingly appear aboard his Arquitens-class light command cruiser. Oh, boy!
Ahsoka lives!
Chapter 13, directed by Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels), sees Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) immediately enter the fray in an episode that will be long remembered as it explores the grander mythological themes of the Star Wars saga, sets up a new spin-off series and rewards longtime fans (myself included) amidst scorching lightsaber and blaster fire action.
The Jedi is an emotional tour de force in which we learn Baby Yoda's name is Grogu, how he was saved from certain death in the Jedi Temple, on Coruscant, by a mysterious rescuer when the Emperor passed Order 66 as Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) turns to the dark side, becomes Darth Vader and goes on a murderous rampage (Revenge of the Sith). This lent further poignancy to the knowledge Ahsoka was Anakin's former apprentice.
There's tragic foreshadowing as Ahsoka refuses to train Grogu (he'll always be Baby Yoda to me) due to his attachment to Djarin. If Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is any indicator, I've got a bad, very bad, feeling about this.
If this wasn't enough to process, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Heir to the Empire) is namechecked when Ahsoka defeats the Magistrate (Diana Lee Inosanto). Wherever the Razor Crest, tracked by Moff Gideon's Imperial forces, is taking us, it's going to be the very best of Star Wars.
Chapter 9, directed with taut economy by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), connects to the franchise's storied history with a fidelity that blurs the margins between television and silver screen. What follows are spoilers for the sophomore season premiere on Disney+.
You have been warned. Look out! Tusken Raiders...
How can series showrunner Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni (Star Wars Rebels) follow the Emmy-winning first series of the franchise's live-action spin-off on Disney+? As it turns out, by leaning further into its storied past and keeping to an elegant format lifted from the pages of classic Marvel Star Wars Weekly with Kenner toys upgraded by Epic Games' Unreal Engine.
The Marshal begins with the titular Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) taking The Child AKA Baby Yoda to an illegal fighting match between Gamorrean Guards, which foreshadows the episode's direct link to Return of the Jedi. As an amusing aside. This scene reminded me of when I briefly switched from the BBC to ITV in the late seventies, drawn away from Doctor Who by brash US imports' Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Glen A. Larson's sci-fi series were preceded by wrestling matches between Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. Suffice to say this didn't translate into becoming a lifelong wrestling fan.
I digress.
After this brief foray avoiding a trap sprung by Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo), Mando and Baby Yoda head to Tatooine, a planet synonymous with all things Star Wars. There they reunite with Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris) and her hapless droids from The Phantom Menace before encountering the Marshal (Timothy Olyphant) adorned in Boba Fett's salvaged armour. At this point, I was in sci-fi heaven and wasn't ready for an ending that would equal the first reveal of Baby Yoda in Chapter 1. Olyphant plays a fantastic foil to Pascal's Mando and here's hoping this isn't the last time we'll see him play Cobb Vanth (a character introduced in Chuck Wendig's Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy).
Before they engage in a western shootout worthy of director Sergio Leone, a Krayt Dragon shows up in Mos Pelgo and the two are forced to work together and unite the town (Vanth had saved them from marauders following the destruction of the second Death Star and collapse of the Empire) with a band of Tusken Raiders. The dragon has to be stopped before more people die on both sides. The simplicity of the storytelling allows breathing room for organic nods to George Lucas' legacy resulting in much punching of the air - not unlike Tusken Raiders triumphantly wielding gaffi sticks - around these parts.
The dragon is dispatched by our band of brothers and Vanth hands Fett's armour to Mando. All well and good. As Mando and Baby Yoda head off across the dune sea on a speeder to continue their Jedi search, the aspect ratio widens as a mysterious figure is shown watching the fan-favourite duo from afar. Turning away, we see it's a battle-scarred Temuera Morrison. Boba Fett lives and he's going to want to reclaim his armour.
Some critics have noted the sparseness of the first-ever Star Wars live-action series, but I welcome its uncluttered aesthetic and focus on fringe characters populating the expanded universe. The cinematography is as expansive as anything on the big screen.
Favreau helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and has been heralded as the saviour of Star Wars by some fans. Personally, I loved The Rise of Skywalker. Sorry, not sorry. More Star Wars is always good in my book, especially during these troubling times.
Ahmed Best portrayed the divisive Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels and recently spoke to YouTuber Jamie Stangroom about the upcoming Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi live-action series. During the conversation, Best argued Star Wars has 'skewed older' in recent years, adding: “There isn’t very much for the kids anymore in Star Wars.”
He explained: “It’s very much for the millennials and gen-Xers like myself ... Kids are kind of left out of these, and the kids have to go to the animated series in order to get their dose of Star Wars, or they do like Phantom Menace. Phantom Menace is very much a kids movie.”
Best also suggested that George Lucas, who created the blockbuster franchise that revolutionised the way movies are made and seen in cinemas, believed that the long-term viability of Star Wars was predicated on younger fans.
“The new iterations of Star Wars are not really skewed towards kids, which is not something that George ever really wanted to do,” Best said. “George was always about the kids, and he used to say that if you get the kids, you have fans for the next 20 years. He was very much about kids.
“This idea that the movies are for adults is a very new thing, to be honest.”
Do you agree with Ahmed Best? Let me know in the comments below.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace may have divided fans decades before The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, but it spawned Darth Maul and podracing.
Star Wars Episode I: Racer was well received on the Nintendo 64 (I owned the Sega Dreamcast port) and it's coming back on Nintendo Switch later this year.
Twenty years ago, Britney Spears dominated pop culture with her hit single "...Baby One More Time" and a beloved space saga took fans back to a time before Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo challenged a tyrannical Empire.
Guest post by Nick Smith
In 1992 I watched Star Wars Episodes 4 through 6 and then I cried! I loved the movies, the characters and the warm fuzzy feelings they gave me. I cried because I knew there would never be another Star Wars movie.
It sounds silly now in a widely-branded galaxy of sequels, TV shows and video games but back then George Lucas had made it clear that he would not make his long-promised new chapters of the saga. Marvel had long since dropped its comic book run and the sci-fi bubble had burst at the box office. I had to settle for drying my tear-stained face with my copy of Heir to the Empire – an original novel so successful (reaching number one on the New York Times bestseller list) and passionately written that I get the feeling it nudged a little announcement in 1993, although author Timothy Zahn would be far too modest to admit it.
That proclamation had fans frothing with excitement: Lucas was planning a new Star Wars movie. This started a locomotive of speculation, special editions, video games and new toys. Six long years of build-up and light-speed hype led to a new hope of a movie that took our minds off fears of Y2K and Middle East conflict. This was also the first Star Wars segment to premiere since the advent of the internet – no wonder conjecture was rife.
We knew Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), John Williams, Frank Oz (Yoda) and many other old hands were returning to the series as if it had never been away. More importantly for a filmmaker like myself, Lucas was shooting some of Episode I on high definition digital video tape – a step away from exclusive celluloid and legitimization for folks like me who made their features with a video camera. The future was as bright and optimistic as a farm boy dreaming of the stars.
EVERY SAGA HAS A BEGINNING
Lucas knew how to tease. The teasiest tease of all was a poster of a small boy casting a shadow on a stone wall. Look closely and you could see that the shadow belonged to Darth Vader. Gasp! We were going to meet Luke Skywalker’s father… before he broke bad. So far, so stoked. The only warning sign was the goofier elements that Lucas added to his Episode IV special edition – a Jawa swinging from his Ronto, for example. Surely the story of The Rise of Anakin couldn’t be that goofy?
GUNGAN STYLE
The Phantom Menace premiered in Los Angeles on May 16th 1999. I got to see it soon after with my partner Ros. 16 years after Return of the Jedi I was finally getting a fix of this filmic space drug and I. Was. Excited. There was plenty to be thrilled about as I watched the movie on the big screen with my parents and my practical Scottish partner, Ros. There was Darth Maul (Ray Park), the Gungan land battle, the duel of the fates and the mighty Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) adding Alec Guinness-level gravitas to the proceedings. Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), fresh from Trainspotting, was a cool Hollywood hero.
Although some of the CGI was… jar-jarring, most of it was jaw-dropping in its scope and seamlessness. I was transported back to a time when Lucas’ ambitious cinema could bring a tear to my eye. "Och," said Ros, Scottishly, "that wasn’t so good." I was crushed.
A lot of people agreed with Ros, though. For every positive comment about Ray Park or the podrace, there was a negative one about Ahmed Best’s (Jar Jar) misguided performance, Jake Lloyd’s (Anakin Skywalker) pip-squeakiness or the exciting plot about the Trade Federation and taxes. Lucas had had so many years to make a great prequel; he had decided to focus on filmmaking technology rather than the old-fashioned storytelling that had made the original trilogy so popular.
A SURPRISE, TO BE SURE, BUT A WELCOME ONE
Now there are fan-edited “better” versions of Episode I and the movie seems worlds apart from Disney’s slicker sequels. Yet something special has happened to Anakin’s early adventures. A new generation of fans has grown up on Lucas’ experimental epic. "Anakin, drop!" is a catchphrase in our house and my 19-year-old son Sam communicates with me mostly with prequel memes. With fan-fueled theories such as Dark Jar Jar plotting the downfall of the Senate and more official tales of Darth Maul running around on robotic spider legs, the internet that was so new in 1999 has helped to give Phantom a life that its creator couldn’t have imagined.
No one cries for The Phantom Menace. But its conclusion, so full of peace and hope, brings back those warm fuzzies I longed for back in the dark days… before the Clone Wars.
What are your memories of The Phantom Menace? Let me know in the comments below.
It's 20 years since the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace! This coincided with LEGO Star Wars. From modest beginnings, the license has flourished from brick sets to video games. I didn’t start collecting until a former high school friend sent me a LEGO Stormtrooper: became a totem during a traumatic time.
To mark the anniversary, LEGO has released 5 stunning commemorative sets including Anakin's Podracer (affiliate link) which started it all. Further to this. There's the newly announced buildable R2-D2, Mouse droid, and "Gonk" Power droid for the company's programmable Boost line.
To celebrate May the Fourth, the LEGO Shop (affiliate link) is running a special offer for fans that ends today.
LEGO has a very special place in my life. In the wake of a life-changing head injury, LEGO and puzzles aided neurological recovery in childhood. Subsequently, I've donated sets (to various charities) in memory of my late mum and always gift LEGO to younger relatives in hopes of inspiring their creativity.
What are your favourite LEGO Star Wars sets? Let me know in the comments below.
Ray Park reprised the role of fan-favourite Darth Maul for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
“I found out last June/July when we were in Guatemala,” Park recently told Forbes. “I got the phone call from Lynne Hale from Lucasfilm. And it was really nice of her, because she said to me ‘Ray, we’re just calling to see if you would like to do it.’ And I went [inhales slowly] ‘Yeah. Do you want me on the plane now?’”
Park's cameo, in director Ron Howard's prequel, is a highlight, and the fine folks at IGN have shared an exclusive clip to promote the home release this month.
Solo: A Star Wars Story was a relative box office failure for Disney. So much so, many fans (myself included) didn't bother seeing it at the cinema. However, I'll be renting it on Sky Store.
Lucasfilm has announced Star Wars Celebration will be back in 2019 to coincide with the release of JJ Abrams' untitled Star Wars: Episode IX, which rounds off the current sequel trilogy at Disney.
The official fan event, that began in 1999 to promote Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, will run from 11th-15th April in Chicago. The last Star Wars Celebration was held in 2017 and celebrated the 40th anniversary of George Lucas' space opera. In July 2016 I attended Star Wars Celebration Europe, which you can read about here.
Are you attending? Let me know in the comments below.
Following news that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller had been fired from the untilted Han Solo Star Wars spin-off. Lucasfilm has announced Ron Howard is the new captain of the troubled production.
Howard has a long history with Lucasfilm. He starred alongside Harrison Ford (Han Solo) in George Lucas' American Graffiti and directed Willow. The Apollo 13 director was approached by the creator of Star Wars to direct The Phantom Menace:
"[George Lucas] didn’t necessarily want to direct them. He told me he had talked to Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, and me. I was the third one he spoke to. They all said the same thing: “George, you should do it!” I don’t think anybody wanted to follow-up that act at the time. It was an honor, but it would’ve been too daunting."
The Star Wars spin-off was only weeks away from completing principal photography. So, it'll be interesting to see how Howard steadies the ship and finishes the film in a manner matching Lucasfilms' vision.
