The Summer of the Phantom Menace

It was May 19th, 1999. I was in school on the very last day of the year. Just another hour or so, and it was staying up late, sleeping in, and hanging out with my two best buddies that lived across the street.

As I sat in class with the afternoon dragging on, twitching my leg uncontrollably and glancing at the clock every thirty seconds, an announcement came over the PA system. It was the principal calling me to the office. I had already turned in my books, my desk and locker were clean, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I had done to get called to the office.

I walked into the office, and there stood my Dad with a half-grin on his face. "Hey, buddy. You ready to go?" he asked me.

Being an oblivious 12-year-old, I simply shrugged and said, "Uh-huh." It didn't strike me as odd that he had come to pick me up unannounced and with no prior plans of doing so. Whatever, I didn't want to spend another hour in school if I didn't have to. So on we went, and thus ended my career as a 6th grader.

We got in the car, and there sat my step-mom, also with a grin on her face. I was starting to get suspicious but knew they wouldn't be acting that way if something bad had happened. It wasn't until we drove by our neighborhood that I finally asked where we were headed. "It's a surprise," said my Dad.

We kept driving until we came to the Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, OK. We went in, passing all the stores, and descended the escalator down into the food court. At the far end of that food court was the AMC 24 theater, and all over and around the Marquee were signs that said 'STAR WARS: The Phantom Menace".

My heart started racing. I had forgotten the premiere was on that date. The internet was a third as interconnected as it is today, so it wasn't like I had social media to remind me. I knew next to nothing about the plot, the new characters, or when the story was supposed to occur other than being before the first three films.

If you read the reviews or ask almost any Star Wars fan today, they will probably tell you they consider Episode 1 to be the dumpster fire of the franchise. In reality, they probably have some valid points but 12-year-old me would have fought anyone for such blasphemy. In my mind, at the time, The Phantom Menace was the greatest film in existence.

I didn't see bad acting or hear the poor dialogue. All I saw was the story I loved, finally on the big screen. I had, of course, watched the first three films on VHS until the tapes were practically worn down, and I had seen the original film's during special releases to theaters, but not like this. I was seeing it for the first time, just like everyone else. All I saw was a new and exciting version of the tale I had grown to love so much. There were new good guys, new bad guys, lightsaber fights with twirls and flips, dude's getting cleaved in half, everything a kid my age could possibly want.

My Dad and I saw The Phantom Menace SIX times that summer, none of the trips planned prior. He would randomly ask me, "You wanna go see Star Wars again?" and I'd, of course, say yes every time.

So in summation. While Episode 1 may be the gaudiest of the prequel films, it may very well be my favorite solely based on that memory.

May the 4th be with you!