The Phantom Menace

‍Episode I: The Phantom Menace not only marked a new chapter of the Star Wars film franchise, but also established an entirely new era for the saga to explore. Set 32 years before A New Hope, it featured previously undiscovered worlds and species, epic duels between the Jedi and the Sith, and (of course) podracing.

Perhaps the best way to fully understand and appreciate the impact of TPM is to imagine the state of Star Wars today without it. Quite simply, without TPM, Star Wars as we know it wouldn’t exist. We would have never seen the Jedi at the height of their influence, housed within the Temple walls on Coruscant. We would have never seen a droid army or its violent potential in the hands of the Trade Federation. We would have never seen a double-bladed lightsaber or the Dathomirian who wielded it. We would have never seen the raucous arguments in the Senate chambers that literally decided the fate of the billions. In fact, we would have never seen the Clone Wars, Order 66, or the rise of Darth Vader.

Clearly, The Phantom Menace is more than just a movie, and more than just a time period. It’s a literal launching point for so much of the saga as we know it.

This is where it all begins.

The Sith are revealed and the galaxy will never be the same again...