The Phantom Menace Prepared Gen Z for a Political Awakening

George Lucas' prequel may be the ire of Star Wars fans, but its critique of Neoliberalism has resonated with an entire generation of Zoomers

By the time that Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, history had ended. That is, according to Francis Fukuyama, who noted that the geopolitical tensions and social disharmony that inspired the guerilla warfare of George Lucas’ Original Trilogy had been resolved after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Western Democracy had triumphed over the Evil Empire, NAFTA enabled unprecedented free trade and economic growth between nations, and the triangulation of U.S. President Bill Clinton kept the extremists of both Left and Right at bay. 9/11 would not be until two years after the release of The Phantom Menace, so as far as Americans knew it, their troubles were over. Time to kick back and enjoy the first theatrical Star Wars movie in nearly twenty years. 

Without the threat of nuclear warfare or stagflation hanging over the public’s heads, it was the perfect time to go to the movies. It was the perfect time for Star Wars, the ultimate blockbuster saga, to return to theaters. It was not only a new Star Wars movie, but the start to a new trilogy, a new chapter of intergalactic adventure. A new chapter that would also serve as the prelude to the Original Trilogy, chronicling the rise of the Galactic Empire and the downfall of Anakin Skywalker that would transform him into cinema’s most iconic villain, Darth Vader. 

The Phantom Menace would be an event that elevated the Star Wars universe to mythic status of biblical proportions. Geeks, fanboys, and casual fans alike lined up for the premiere of Episode I as if they were about to witness The Second Coming. 

Here’s the thing: The Phantom Menace didn’t work out that way. While it did gangbusters at the box office and earned polite but modest praise from critics and fans, The Phantom Menace has become more infamous for being the most collectively disappointmenting event for moviegoers of the 1990s, and something of a traumatic experience for fans that felt personally betrayed by George Lucas. The Phantom Menace became a punching bag for chronically online geeks and video essayists who have made a career of accusing Lucas of ruining their childhoods. 

That was Gen X’s experience. As it turns out, Gen Z has a wildly different relationship with The Phantom Menace and the Prequel Trilogy. We’ve not only embraced The Prequels but have turned them into “cult classics” through both ironic celebration of their goofiness and sincere affection for their quirks, especially in contrast to the sterile and overly-calculated Sequel Trilogy. Unlike Gen Xers, we accept the stilted dialogue in good humor, forgive Lucas’ persistently stilted direction, and the more egregiously toyetic elements. That’s why we made The Phantom Menace’s 25th-anniversary rerelease a smashing success, while previous generations practically boycotted the previous release 10 years ago.

But there’s a deeper problem that previous generations have taken with The Phantom Menace which draws a sharp divide with us Zoomers. Among their various complaints, ranging from Gungans to Jake Lloyd’s performance as Anakin Skywalker, audiences especially took umbridge with the politics of The Phantom Menace. Not in the Go Woke, Go Broke-flavored backlash that The Last Jedi faced, but just the obtrusiveness of it. Gen Xers and Millenials recount how the first true red flag of The Phantom Menace was seeing wonky jargon like “trade disputes” and “blockades” in the opening scrawl of a movie that should’ve been more concerned with intergalactic dogfights than political machinations. And for anyone who thought Lucas was merely setting the stage for his Space Opera, they were aggrieved that the entire Prequel Trilogy was more a political drama than a popcorn epic.

It’s fair to call this a miscalculation on Lucas’ part. Moviegoers of the ‘90s had very little appetite for analysis of the body politic. History was over, what use did we have for Lucas’ allegory? Why should we watch Senator Palpatine, the future Emperor, slowly erode at the galaxy’s democratic guardrails through manipulation before establishing himself as a supreme ruler? Surely, nothing like that could happen. At least, not again.

That was the backlash from teenagers, young adults, and longtime fans who waited in line for The Phantom Menace back in ‘99. But I would suggest that it’s no surprise that the Zoomers who have embraced The Phantom Menace have also proven to be one of the most politically active generations in American history. 

It might be hyperbolic to suggest that a movie that has been dismissed as possibly the worst summer blockbuster of its decade might have actually radicalized an impressionable audience. Kids sat patiently, or more likely impatiently, through all the Senatorial matters and political strifes just to get to the Pod Race or the climactic duel with Darth Maul. The Phantom Menace didn’t create a legion of socially aware grade schoolers to monitor the health and safety of American democracy. It did, however, create a lens of analysis to understand the scope and depth of our current political crisis like no other work of popular entertainment has.

The thing is, Episode I isn’t just a political movie. It’s a politically charged one at that. For anyone not immediately bored by the subject matter, the film’s messaging was obvious. And quite provocative to Clinton Era Neoliberalism. One critic at the L.A. Times feared that The Phantom Menace might turn audiences against free trade with its villainous Trade Federation. Perish the thought.

George Lucas also based the failed Chancellor Valorum on Bill Clinton himself, according to actor Terrence Stamp, interpreting both Clinton and the character as “beleaguered but well-intentioned men” whose unimaginative and institutionalist approaches did little to protect innocent civilians from systemic failures.

Lucas’ cloaked condemnation of ‘90s neoliberalism and triangulation wouldn’t have resonated with the masses even if it had been expertly expressed. Which, it’s not. To the fanboys who were promised the escapism of their youth, this nonsense about embargos and international treaties crowded out their space adventure. Lucas had a lay-up in front of him. Just deliver the same battle of good versus. evil that he delivered with his original trilogy. Duh. The original Star Wars was the tale of heroic rebels fighting asymmetrical warfare against a fascist regime. What could be more immediately compelling than that? What could be more resonant to the country that dueled with Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union? Star Wars isn’t the vehicle to introspect on our bureaucratic inefficiencies. Just have the Telepathic Samurai take out the Space Nazis. Slam dunk.

The thing is that in order to properly appreciate the story of Nazi Germany’s downfall, one has to understand the collapse of the Weimar Republic, the inept bureaucratic state that was infiltrated and ultimately taken over by Hitler and the National Socialists. Here, the Weimar Republic is represented by the ultra-traditionalist and dangerously out-of-touch Jedi council, whose passive governance and elitistic values will turn Anakin Skywalker into a militaristic reactionary.

That’s the story at the heart of the Prequel Trilogy which is laid out quite plainly by The Phantom Menace. Again, not the sexiest hook for a blockbuster, but it’s something that will at the very least contextualize the Original Trilogy, which is the primary responsibility of a prequel. It’s also a resonant storyline for a generation that’s facing its own fight to preserve democracy and stave off fascism from a homegrown nationalist movement led by a former president turned convict who tried to steal the previous election.

Again, I can’t say if The Phantom Menace “radicalized” its young viewers for this battle for democracy, but it certainly prepared them for it.

Palpatine as the literal Devil on Queen Amidala’s shoulder in the Senatorial Chambers

On January 6th, 2021, the entire world witnessed an assault on American democracy in the form of a violent insurrection at the Capitol. The images of uproarious rioters clad in Viking helmets have been burned into our collective consciousness, but in reality, the insurrection itself is only half the story of January 6th, albeit the more striking half. The other half of this insurrectionist movement came from within the Capitol itself as a number of G.O.P. Senators, namely Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, nominated to halt the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory so that they could form a committee to investigate “fraud.”

The insurrection was only a stageplay, dinner theater to the actual course. The real threat to our democratic principles were posed by insiders within the annals of power and prestige. Just as the invasion of Naboo orchestrated by Palpatine is not the real threat behind The Phantom Menace’s storyline. Yes, it’s an instigation of the central conflict and plays an integral part in Palpatine’s rise to power, but it is only a sleight of hand by the real forces at work. Hence, the “Phantom” Menace. No, the real triumph of evil occurs in the Senatorial Chambers when Queen Amidila, a benevolent but naive statesman, votes to depose Chancellor Valorum to circumvent the cumbersome bureaucrats and accidentally lays the groundwork for Palpatine’s centralization of power. 

One can hardly blame the Queen for her grave misjudgment, though. She watched as her planet was illegally invaded and lost faith in the state when it proved unable to save her people. Just as the activist Zoomers lose faith in our representatives who are failing to save the Palestinians that are being ethnically cleansed by the IDF. Zoomers see past the smoke and mirrors of wartime rhetoric and recognize the villainy playing behind the scenes. Since many Zoomer’s first experience voting in a presidential election was in 2016, they also recognize how an incompetent bureaucracy can fall prey to a totalitarian movement that promises results for people who are desperately in need.

That’s why Zoomers insist on marching in the streets, on occupying college campuses, and on pressuring their elected officials. Justice is not always fought with weapons, and evil does not always take over by visible force. Sometimes the battle against fascism is banal and mundane. It could come down to a simple vote in the Senate, or negotiating trade disputes. That doesn’t make The Phantom Menace proper entertainment, but it’s the only four-quadrant blockbuster of my youth that meets the moment my generation faces, and maybe the only one to even attempt to deconstruct the true fragility of democracy. That might have landed with a thud for the Peace and Prosperity crowd of the ‘90s, but that’s made The Phantom Menace an essential cornerstone work of popular culture for the 21st century.

And if that means that I have to put up with the antics of Jar Jar Binks along the way, then so be it.