#80 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

In May of 1999, the very Earth below us shook as Star Wars fully emerged from dormancy. While George Lucas ate around the edges throughout the '90s, re-releasing the classic trilogy multiple times while launching an absurd amount of toys and other merchandise, it all ultimately led to one thing: Episode I. As the first Star Wars film since 1983's Return of the Jedi, Episode I -- subtitled The Phantom Menace -- had immense pressure put on it from the moment it was announced, and for most fans, it simply didn't deliver. But really, there's a lot more here than just (in our opinion) a subpar film. There's a ravenous fandom to discuss, too, one that we were (and kinda still are) a part of. There was the early Internet, forums, leaks, rumors, and more. There's a director who probably shouldn't be directing, a producer who didn't really seem to be producing, and special effects that don't age quite as well as you'd think. What went wrong with E1? What did it do right? And what was it like seeing it in the theater, opening day, opening show, around a lot of very, very, very excited people, about a decade before you could even share the experience on your smartphone? This is the longest episode of KnockBack yet, and you voted for it. (Yes: We're angels.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices