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. 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. 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. The Midnight premiere of ‘The Phantom Menace’ was, in a word, electric. It was a fabulous way to kick off an amazing summer; as I step back into a movie theater this weekend, 25 years later, to see the same film, I can’t wait to recapture that level of nostalgia.