Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, and Frank Oz. It is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series, the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set 32 years before the original trilogy,, during the era of the Galactic Republic, the plot follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they try to protect Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo in hopes of securing a peaceful end to an interplanetary trade dispute. Joined by Anakin Skywalker—a young slave with unusually strong natural powers of the Force—they simultaneously contend with the mysterious return of the Sith. The film was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. Star Wars creator George Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Darth Vader has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever. His masked face and helmet, in particular, is one of the most iconic character designs of all time.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Frank Oz. The sequel to The Phantom Menace (1999) and Attack of the Clones (2002), it is the sixth film in the Star Wars film series, the final installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and third chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga".
Count Dooku of Serenno, also known by his Sith name Darth Tyranus, or simply as Dooku, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, created by George Lucas. He is an antagonist in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, appearing in both Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), played by Christopher Lee, as well as associated media, such as books, comics, video games, and television series. Actor Corey Burton has voiced Dooku in most of his animated and video game appearances, most notably Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003–2005), Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the miniseries Tales of the Jedi (2022). Lee reprised the role in the 2008 animated film that launched The Clone Wars series.
A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the Star Wars franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length emitted from a metal hilt around 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length. First introduced in the original Star Wars film, it has since appeared in most Star Wars films, with at least one lightsaber duel occurring in each installment of the "Skywalker saga". The lightsaber's distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original films, and with digital effects for the prequel and sequel trilogies.
Darth Bane is a fictional character created by George Lucas in the Star Wars franchise. In the Star Wars universe, Darth Bane is a powerful Sith Lord who lived one thousand years before the events of the films and is known for being the originator of the Sith's "Rule of Two", which states: "One master and one apprentice can be the only Sith in the galaxy at a time". Before it the Sith empire was structured like the Jedi but due to their shortfalls he killed them and created this new rule.
"Duel of the Fates" is a musical theme recurring in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Expanded Universe. It was composed by John Williams and recorded for the film soundtrack of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and the London Voices. This symphonic piece is played with both a full orchestra and a choir. The lyrics are based on a fragment of an archaic Welsh poem Cad Goddeu, and are sung in Sanskrit. The piece debuts during the final lightsaber duel in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. With the music video for this theme, the LSO became the only classical group to ever have a video debut on MTV’s Total Request Live. "Duel of the Fates" lasted 11 days on the countdown.
Mustafar is a fictional volcanic and lava planet in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the final prequel film, Revenge of the Sith (2005), it also appeared in the films Rogue One (2016) and Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The lava planet consists largely of volcanic environments, featuring lava rivers and active volcanoes. It is mostly remembered for the role it played in Revenge of the Sith, being the site of a climactic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his former pupil, Darth Vader, which resulted in the latter's disfiguration and need of life support. The planet also featured in various spin-off media, including the VR game Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series (2019), which reveals that Mustafar used to be a forested planet, and explores the origins of its current state.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is an action video game based on the movie of the same name. It was released on May 4, 2005, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Symbian OS. For the Xbox 360's backwards compatible lineup, Revenge of the Sith is one out of the 400+ backwards compatible games for the 360. As part of the PlayStation 2 classics program, the PlayStation 2 version was re-released in Europe on the PlayStation Network on February 11, 2015, and in North America on April 28, 2015. Meanwhile, the Xbox version was also added to the backwards compatibility list for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 15, 2021.
Sith Apprentice is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the internet on March 29, 2005, directed by John E. Hudgens and co-written by Hudgens, Denny Humbard, and Men in Black creator Lowell Cunningham. Made for around $1000, it is a spoof of Star Wars and The Apprentice, with Emperor Palpatine filling the Donald Trump role in his search for a new apprentice. The final candidates in the film are Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, and Jar Jar Binks.
Star Wars: Legacy is an American comic book series set in the Star Wars universe. The series, published by Dark Horse Comics, is written by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema, and illustrated by Duursema and others, with inks by Dan Parsons and color by Brad Anderson. Issue #0, which cost 25¢ and introduced the setting and major characters, was released on June 7, 2006.
The Formula is a fan film that premiered online in 2002. Made in Iowa by a group of friends over 18 months, the movie documents a Star Wars fan's attempt to make an epic fan film of his own, only to become disillusioned by the process and turn on his friends. The movie centers on the motivations of fan filmmakers, and proved popular for encouraging other would-be filmmakers to not give up their own projects and enjoy the process.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is a novelization of the film of the same name, written by Matthew Stover and published on April 2, 2005, by Del Rey Books.
Ryan Wieber is a visual effects compositor and former amateur filmmaker, best known for creating short Star Wars-related fan films featuring lightsaber duels, Ryan vs. Dorkman and its sequels, which he co-created with Michael Scott.
Darth Bane: Rule of Two, the sequel to the novel Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, is part of the Star Wars expanded universe. It was written by Drew Karpyshyn, and was released on December 26, 2007. The novel centers on the young Sith apprentice Darth Zannah, recently taken under the wing of the Sith Lord Darth Bane. The "Rule of Two" of the title refers to the rule that there be only two Sith in existence at one time: a Master and an Apprentice, a rule that Bane originates.
The Sith are the main antagonists of many works in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise. They are the antithesis and ancient enemies of the Jedi. The Sith Order is depicted as an ancient monastic and kraterocratic cultist organization of supernaturally gifted Force-wielders driven by a machiavellian-imperialist agenda of galactic domination and revenge against the Jedi Order. The various antagonistic factions in the franchise, namely the Separatist Alliance, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the First Galactic Empire, the Imperial Remnant, and the First Order, all originated, either directly or indirectly, from the Sith.
Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. She was introduced as the 14-year-old Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) before appearing in the subsequent animated television series ; the sequel series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018); in the live-action film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as a voiceover cameo; and in the miniseries Tales of the Jedi (2022). She is voiced by Ashley Eckstein. In 2020, Ahsoka made her live-action debut in the second season of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, portrayed by Rosario Dawson. Dawson reprised the role in a 2022 episode of the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, and is set to star in her limited series, Ahsoka, in 2023.
Darth Maul, also known simply as Maul, is a character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as a powerful Sith Lord and Darth Sidious' first apprentice. Though seemingly killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of the film, Darth Maul returned in the 2008 computer animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Star Wars creator George Lucas had intended for the resurrected Maul to serve as the main antagonist of the sequel film trilogy, but these plans were abandoned when Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. The character nonetheless reappeared in the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels and the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story, voiced again by Witwer; Park physically reprised the role in Solo. Since his initial defeat in The Phantom Menace, Maul has become an independent criminal mastermind and endured as Obi-Wan's archenemy.
Darth Maul: Apprentice is a short German Star Wars-based fan film, created by Shawn Bu and Vi-Dan Tran of the German-based film company, T7 Production. The film focuses around Darth Maul, a villain of the Star Wars franchise, in particular Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. As of January 2022, it has amassed over 30 million views.
Star Wars: SC 38 – Reimagined is a 2019 fan remake of the 38th scene in Star Wars (1977), in which the characters of Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi and Darth Vader engage in a lightsaber duel on the first Death Star. It was directed by Philip Silvera, and stars stuntpeople, Dan Brown and Richard Cetrone, performing in the new footage as Kenobi and Vader respectively. It was uploaded by FXitinPost to YouTube on May 8, 2019.
