Looking back on Star Wars, part 6: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace went from one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time into one of it’s most derided.

"ANAKIN SKYWALKER: “Will I ever see you again?” SHMI SKYWALKER: “What does your heart tell you?”"

The first time I saw the teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, I was, of course, in a movie theatre. I don’t remember what movie I’d gone to see, but I do remember watching in stunned silence as images of strange creatures and alien landscapes appeared, thinking “Is this for real?” That is until John Williams’ “Star Wars theme” played, and the audience cheered. And after it was over, nearly everyone stood up and applauded as if they’d watched the greatest two minutes in all cinematic history. I didn’t stand up because, well, that just seemed a little silly. I did applaud, though.

I and those in the theatre with me weren’t alone in that level of praise. Many moviegoers in theatres across the country did the same. There were even reports of those who, after learning which movies would feature the trailer, would buy a ticket for the movie, stay for the trailer, then leave before the opening credits. Two minutes of Star Wars may have done more to help the box office performances of Meet Joe Black, The Siege, Wing Commander, and The Waterboy than those movies ever did.

…[The Phantom Menace] was the first new Star Wars film since 1983, back when everyone thought Return of the Jedi would be the last…No wonder fans reportedly camped outside their local theatres a month in advance, or that companies gave their employees the day off when [the movie] finally opened.

Crazy? Sure. But keep in mind these were the days before YouTube; aside from theatres, the only other legitimate way to see the trailer was on Star Wars‘ official website–if it wasn’t shut down due to all the traffic, that is. Moreover, this was the first new Star Wars film since 1983, back when everyone thought Return of the Jedi would be the last. And now we were getting “Episode 1?” The beginning of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader? With a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, returning favorites like Yoda, C-3PO, RD-D2, and a Sith Lord with a red double-bladed lightsaber? No wonder fans reportedly camped outside their local theatres a month in advance, or that companies gave their employees the day off when The Phantom Menace finally opened.

Not that there weren’t any skeptics, of course. When the creative writing group I was in kept talking about how excited we were for The Phantom Menace, one lone voice begged to differ. “What’s the point of seeing a prequel when you already know the end of the story?” she asked. None of us then realized just how prescient her question really was. Now, twenty years later, a movie that was treated like the Second Coming is now regarded as one of the worst Star Wars movies ever made.

So what happened? How did fans come to see the The Phantom Menace as the beginning of George Lucas’ fall from grace? Did Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), intergalactic Senate hearings, and midi-chlorians forever ruin Star Wars? Did Red Letter Media’s brilliant, blistering, and hilarious seven-part commentary really change the minds of Star Wars fans, or did they just articulate the flaws that were there right from the start? What may have been The Phantom Menace’s ultimate undoing, however, was Lucas himself and his own ambitions.

As far back as The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas hoped to create a trilogy of movies about Luke Skywalker’s father. By the time Lucasfilm finished production on Return of the Jedi, however, Lucas had enough of Star Wars. Aside from putting a huge strain on his health, making them also wrecked his marriage to his wife, Marcia, and the couple divorced right after Jedi’s premiere. There were other projects at Lucasfilm that also took up his time, too. And besides, he didn’t think the technology was there yet to make new Star Wars movies.

…the production spent $100,000 on a Jar Jar Binks suit for [Ahmed] Best to wear on set, only to later realize that, while during the digital animation process, they didn’t need the suit after all.

But thanks to Timothy Zahn’s novels and the Dark Empire comics, Lucas could see that Star Wars was more popular than ever. Not to mention that ILM’s work on James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1992), along with Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993), showed just how photorealistic CGI could become. So by 1994, Lucas began writing not just the script for The Phantom Menace, but also the scripts for the next two movies and detailed backstories for all the new characters, as well. Keep in mind, it took Lucas three years and four different drafts to come up with the shooting script for A New Hope.

The other big difference? Lucas now had complete creative control, something he never truly had during the Original Trilogy. Watching the behind-the-scenes footage, one comes away with the sense that the prevailing attitude on set was, “Whatever George wants, George gets.” That and because of how advanced the CGI effects had become, there’s far more attention being paid on perfecting the visuals than in ironing out the story, or even the actor’s performances.

Case in point: the footage of Lucas and co-editor Ben Burtt digitally editing a scene just so they don’t have to show an actor stepping in front of Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn and sitting down. Or how the production spent $100,000 on a Jar Jar Binks suit for Best to wear on set, only to later realize that, while during the digital animation process, they didn’t need the suit after all. Jake Lloyd mispronouncing Coruscant? Lucas waves it off with a, “If you mispronounce it, that’s okay.”