History has been kinder to ‘Phantom Menace’ since 1999 release

May 19, 1999, in a galaxy not so far away …

Excitement for “Star Wars” is at an all-time high. The first new film in the beloved series that originally concluded with 1983’s “Return of the Jedi” is about to be released in 2,970 theaters, with a majority starting their first screenings just after midnight. (Ticket sales opened just the week before.)

Audiences have had 16 long years to dream about what George Lucas has conjured up for this new cinematic adventure. But instead of whatever they’d imagined, “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” involves a nefarious trade dispute, myth-altering midichlorians and Jar Jar Binks.

And although it becomes, for a while, the second-highest grossing film of all time, the divisive new chapter gains a reputation as one of the worst “Star Wars” movies ever.

This month, “The Phantom Menace” celebrates its 25th anniversary. In the 19 years since 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” the much maligned prequel trilogy has, in many ways, been redeemed.

Just look at how its stars – including Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and Ahmed Best – have been reembraced by fans in their returns to the franchise in television projects such as “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Ahsoka.” Even the actors themselves have voiced appreciation that their original films seem to be regarded more positively. Becoming “more aware of the fondness that the generation that we made the prequels for has for those films … [has] meant a lot to me,” McGregor told NBC News in 2022.

And as the “Star Wars” franchise continues to grow, with upcoming projects including two new series, “The Acolyte” and “Skeleton Crew,” the second seasons of “Andor” and “Ahsoka” and at least two additional films, it has become increasingly apparent just how much of it is built upon a foundation laid down by the prequels. “Star Wars’” most recent successes would not exist if not for “The Phantom Menace.”

“The Phantom Menace” ar