On this day in 1999, over two decades after the release of Star Wars (1977), creator George Lucas brought the world The Phantom Menace, a prequel to the first three Star Wars films. This episode told the story of young Anakin Skywalker — the future Darth Vader.

Hype... merchandising... anticipation... The film opened on 4,000 movie screens, with production costs of $110 million and a running time of 132 minutes. Even though critic Roger Ebert called the film “an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking,” other early reviews were not as glowing.

George Lucas said he never expected critics to like his films. Just as his heroic character Han Solo said in the first film, Lucas echoed, “Never tell me the odds.”

In anticipation of the film’s release, Lucas told CNN, “When the movie comes out, I'm basically going to go and lie on a beach somewhere for a while.”

And make money. According to Forbes magazine, thanks mainly to the film, Lucas earned $400 million and was the top showbiz earner of 1999.

Lucas followed up with Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005). The prequel trilogy made billions, rebooted the franchise, and introduced a new generation to Jedi lore.

And the story didn’t stop there. After selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, Lucas passed the torch. New trilogies, spinoff films, streaming series, and immersive experiences continue to expand the universe he imagined in 1977.

As Rob Coleman, animation director for Episode III, once said, “It’s bigger than George. It’s bigger than all of us... It’s taken on a life of its own and it’s special to so many people.”