Star Wars Episode One Title ANNOUNCED!!!!!
Published at: Sept. 25, 1998, 4:09 p.m. CST by staff
Here it is!!!!
This is it kids - www.starwars.com announces the official title for the
first prequel.
Official Star Wars Site
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR WWW.STARWARS.COM FANS -- STAR WARS: EPISODE I
TITLE
September 25, 1998 -- One of the most common questions fans have been
asking is, "What is the title of the new Star Wars movie?" We're happy
to report that George Lucas has decided to name the new movie "Star
Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." As announced earlier, the new
movie will appear in theaters in the United States and Canada on May
21st, 1999.
Call me Torgo
Alright folks, now I'm sure some of you are undoubtedly going nuts, saying, "This isn't a title to a Star Wars film!" but let me assure you it is. I'm not talking about whether or not it is a real official title, because that we already know. What I'm talking about is does it belong. It does.
First off you have to think about Lucas' primary inspiration for STAR WARS. The old Buster Crabbe FLASH GORDON and BUCK ROGERS serials. Hell, Gene Autrey was in one called THE PHANTOM EMPIRE, that serial rocked by the way. The Star Wars saga is very much the greatest SERIAL the world has ever seen. And as a rule, all serials began with titles like this one. You see THE PHANTOM MENACE is the perfect title for Chapter One of a serial.
It sets up a forboding tone. Making references to the secret enemy from within. There is the enemy that has been there all along. It creates an aura of mystery and yet is every bit as popcorny as the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or A NEW HOPE. THE PHANTOM MENACE is wonderful, and it plays into the story that will unfurl after the title crawls into the vastness of space. Of course not all of us fans grew up on the classic serials. I recommend spending a few hours with SPY SMASHER, MYSTERIOUS DR SATAN, THE PHANTOM EMPIRE, FLASH GORDON, BUCK ROGERS, ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, PERILS OF NYOKA, etc... Check them out at your video store. The whole rolling crawl comes straight from this. The cliffhanger endings. The melodramatic thrill chase... remember the serial's title is still STAR WARS, this is merely the chapter name. So there you have my opinion on the title...
