It feels like it was just yesterday. And yes, I understand how much this sentiment “dates” me, but I don’t care! 25 years ago, on May 19, 1999, the Star Wars universe was officially expanded, with George Lucas’ launch of his prequel tale ‘Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace.’ This, of course, is the beginning of a film trilogy that all takes place before the events told in his original blockbuster Star Wars trilogy, which were rebranded in the 1990s to be Episodes IV, V, and VI. Listen – you know all of this. If you’re here reading this, you must be a Star Wars fan, or at least knowledgeable enough in the pop-culture vernacular to understand how this all works. So this piece isn’t really about the movie, which you probably either love or hate (or, like many of us, have had your opinions on the film vacillate a bit over the years as new movies have been released, nostalgia takes over your brain, and the like). This feature is about my personal experience with my first viewing of ‘The Phantom Menace,’ because I think it’s a pretty darn fun story. With ‘Episode I’ being re-released in theaters […] The post Throwback Thursday: ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ (1999) appeared first on ScienceFiction.com.