25 Years Later: Why 'The Phantom Menace' Is More Important Than You Think
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Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was first released in 1999, written and directed by the one and only George Lucas. For many, this was a turning point in the Star Wars fandom. For some, it marked the dawn of a new golden age of Star Wars with new characters, new ideas, and new worlds. For others, it was the end, as something about Star Wars no longer resonated with them. However, in the last 25 years, we’ve seen the continued resilience of The Phantom Menace, not just as a movie, but as a milestone for Star Wars and its future as a franchise.
Star Wars is Back
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The Phantom Menace came out at a very interesting time for Star Wars, not just as a franchise, but as a phenomenon. The original trilogy had concluded 17 years prior, and the series was living off nostalgia for most of its fans. While books and comics were starting to ramp up in the '90s, Star Wars in theaters had been dormant. By returning the franchise to the big screen, Lucas once again put Star Wars in the spotlight for the world to see, giving not only fans of the originals a chance to return to their favorite franchise, but also a whole new generation a chance to grow up in a galaxy far, far away. This was an excellent way of expanding the franchise to a new audience and ensuring that it would continue into the next century.
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This period of Star Wars also saw a return of extensive tie-in material. Not only did books and comics start to come out in great numbers now that the prequel era was open for exploration, but video games as well. From Starfighter to The Phantom Menace video games, Star Wars very much started to wrap up what one could buy on the shelves, ensuring that it was going to be in the public eye for quite a while.
Expanding the Universe
Image Source: Star Wars News Net
One of the most important things that The Phantom Menace did for the Star Wars franchise was expand the universe to a whole new degree. In the days prior to The Phantom Menace, most of the tie-in material focused mainly on the original trilogy and Luke, Han, and Leia in particular. Many of the books coming out in those days were set in the post-Endor era, and the prequel era was something that many were not allowed to touch.
Now, with this era open, an entire wave of stories emerged—new characters, new worlds, new events, new everything. Stories of Anakin and Obi-Wan going on adventures, the entire Clone Wars series (both the micro-series and the full-on series from 2008-2012), and numerous comics and video games. This fueled Star Wars' resurgence in popularity, with fans and general audiences alike thriving during this time, all because of The Phantom Menace and all the various ideas and themes that it introduced to the world of Star Wars.
Cementing the Saga…For Now.
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Finally, one of the biggest influences The Phantom Menace had on the Star Wars franchise was, of course, cementing the saga as a saga. No longer was it just the original trilogy, but now it was a six-part saga detailing the story of Anakin Skywalker. It really expanded the story of Star Wars, making it far more of a cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil. It also began the deeper story of Darth Vader and transformed him into one of the greatest characters in all of cinema history.
Legacy Ongoing
The Phantom Menace's legacy continues to endure even to this day. Not only was it a jumping-on point for a whole generation of Star Wars fans, but it also expanded the franchise to ensure that it had a healthy future moving forward. It’s been 25 years, but The Phantom Menace still feels as significant as it did upon its release all those years ago.
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