the phantom menace

Football Has Its Super Bowl, But These Sci-Fi Sports Are Actually ‘Super’

As sports fans around the world gear up for this year’s Super Bowl, you may think, what makes it so “super?” There aren’t any robots. No one flies. Everyone lives at the end. Sure, it’s the two best football teams playing for a championship, but is it really “super?” We say “No!” At least, not…

Movies Germain Lussier Jan 29

Yes, You Will Love This Hilarious Star Wars Video

They’re two of the first words we ever learn. We use them every day and, in many cases, probably don’t even think about it. They can be used to agree to life-changing events or get out of horrible situations. They can also be used to hilarious effect when edited and counted in all 10 Star…

Movies Germain Lussier Jan 10

Star Wars Actor Ahmed Best Opens Up About How Jar Jar Backlash Almost Drove Him to Suicide

Last summer, actor Ahmed Best—who first portrayed Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace when he was a 25-year-old—took to his Twitter account to reflect on the movie’s upcoming 20th anniversary. But that remembrance included how fans’ vitriolic backlash to his performance nearly drove him to kill himself. While dragging…

Movies Charles Pulliam-Moore Jan 4

I Watched The Phantom Menace Trailer 6 Times in One Day at the Same Theater

The trailer for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was the white whale of my earliest days on the internet. In late 1997 and early 1998, it drove my every waking thought as I jumped from Star Wars website to Star Wars website waiting for news of its arrival. It finally arrived, in all…

Movies Germain Lussier Nov 16

The Star Wars Canon Behind Solo‘s Biggest Surprise

Solo: A Star Wars Story offers a shadier look into the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, removed from stories of the Rebellion vs. the Empire, and Jedi vs. Sith… mostly. But if you’ve only kept up with the Star Wars movies, and not the entirety of the multimedia behemoth that…

io9 James Whitbrook May 29

There’s a Cool Story Behind Warwick Davis’ Role in Solo

Is a Star Wars movie really a Star Wars movie without Warwick Davis? The actor first appeared in Return of the Jedi and has since appeared in The Phantom Menace, The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, Star Wars Rebels and, later this month, Solo: A Star Wars Story. “He’s a tradition and another…

io9 Germain Lussier May 15

Relive the Best Part of the Star Wars Prequels With These Custom-Built RC Pod Racers

Say what you will about The Phantom Menace, but the prequel’s pod racing scene is still one of the best sequences in the entire Star Wars franchise—even when you know Anakin was destined to win. But what if Sebulba had been victorious? Adam Woodworth built a couple of micro RC pod racers that let you…

io9 Andrew Liszewski May 7

This Playable Pod Racing Game Is The Phantom Menace Lego Set We Deserved Years Ago

You can complain about The Phantom Menace all you want, but the podrace scene remains one of the best visual spectacles in all the Star Wars movies. It spawned some wonderful toys too, but nothing that comes close to Alexis Dos Santos’ Lego Mindstorms-powered tabletop pod racing game. Using a functional Lego joystick, players steer…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski Feb 22

Natalie Portman Isn’t About to Take Any Sass on The Star Wars Prequels in New SNL Rap

Several years ago, Natalie Portman took to Saturday Night Live alongside Lonely Island to show everyone what a bad shut-your-mouth she really was. Now, she’s returned, taking on the most controversial topic of all: the Star Wars prequels. Portman, in her illustrious career, is still followed by her role as Padme Amidala, lover of Anakin…

Movies Julie Muncy Feb 4

The Movies That Had the Hubris to Open the Same Week as the Star Wars Films

Though it may not seem like it, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not the only film opening this weekend. There’s also Ferdinand, an animated bull movie featuring the voice of wrestler John Cena. Studios have been attempting to counter-program the scifi juggernaut, with varying degrees of success, all the way back to 1977. Here…

Movies Germain Lussier Dec 14

Should DC Comics Completely Retcon The Killing Joke?

Salutations, my self-adhesive envelopes. Sorry “Postal Apocalypse” is a day late; I’d explain why, but I, uh… swore an oath to a wizard. Or something. Look, it’s been a long week. A long week that ends with answers: How Marvel could have connected its movies and TV series way better! Who’s worse at time travel…

io9 Rob Bricken Apr 21

The Star Wars Prequels Have Never Looked as Good as On These Posters

The Star Wars prequels will forever be a point of contention. Some love them as their Star Wars trilogy. Others find them mindless and painful. But even people with opinions as opposing as those would agree, these new posters by Eric Tan are the best of what those films offer. Bottleneck Gallery will release these…

io9 Germain Lussier Jan 18

I Took the Official Phantom Menace Quote Quiz and Failed Miserably

Star Wars has some of the most iconic lines of dialogue in movie history. From the first “Use the Force, Luke” to the latest “Chewie, we’re home,” we will be reciting these lines long after movie theaters are replaced by VR implants. But, there’s still a sad truth we must face: Does anyone remember a…

io9 Beth Elderkin Nov 12

TNT and TBS Now Own the Cable Broadcast Rights to All Star Wars Movies

Move aside, Law & Order reruns. A deal made today with Disney and 20th Century Fox ensures that TNT and TBS will have exclusive cable rights to air every single Star Wars movie, including the prequels and three films not yet released—including Rogue One, which has an airdate planned for 2019. According to the Wrap,…

Movies Cheryl Eddy Sep 13

Watch How Star Wars Pod Race Shamelessly Rips Off Ben Hur

It’s a race to the finish, with chariots on one side and pods on the other. In the end, though, Charlton Heston always wins. It’s no secret that the Pod Race in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace borrowed heavily from the classic 1959 epic Ben Hur. But maybe it was a bit…

io9 Beth Elderkin Aug 20

13 Terrifically Terrible Sci-Fi Movies to Watch on a Long Weekend

You know that great line from Party Down: “I’m into hard sci-fi. Fantasy is bullshit.” That’s me. Well, that’s me for the most part. There’s nothing quite like kicking back on a much deserved weekend, closing your curtains, and suspending disbelief for hours at a time. And to really escape, you need a cocktail that…

Movies Adam Clark Estes May 28

This Amazing Fan Film Showcases All The Things We Love About Darth Maul

There is one good thing to come out of Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Darth Maul. This fan film, Darth Maul: Apprentice showcases all of the things that we loved about the red-and-black Sith Lord. When a team of Jedi Knights stumble upon Maul’s training world, he’s forced to protect his identity and the nature…

io9 Andrew Liptak Mar 6

A Brief Visual History of People Waiting in Line for Star Wars

Have you been waiting in line for days to see the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens? Of course you haven’t. You bought your tickets online like a normal person. But there once was a time when buying tickets online wasn’t even possible. Below we have pictures of those poor chumps from the Olden…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 17

Include These Anti-Cheese Star Wars Prequels While You Prepare For The Force Awakens

The Star Wars Prequel trilogy flat-out sucks: It’s the one thing that’s holding most fans back from super high expectations for the next Star Wars trilogy. That said, there are ways to redeem them, and one editor has made some edits that make them watchable. https://gizmodo.com/star-wars-the-phantom-menace-doesnt-really-get-what-it-1742188503 Intrepid YouTuber Scruffy-Scoundrel has gone through and re-edited the…

io9 Andrew Liptak Dec 13

The 10 Dumbest Artificial Intelligences Ever Created

The Singularity is coming soon! Artificial intelligences will reinvent everything, and there will be unlimited rice pudding. Except, of course, that when we imagine artificial intelligences in fiction, they’re often not that smart. Case in point? These 10 ridiculously dumb artificial intelligences. 1) B1 Battle Droids (Star Wars) Controlled by a central computer intelligence, inexpensive…

Movies Gordon Jackson Nov 17

Football Has Its Super Bowl, But These Sci-Fi Sports Are Actually ‘Super’

Yes, You Will Love This Hilarious Star Wars Video

Star Wars Actor Ahmed Best Opens Up About How Jar Jar Backlash Almost Drove Him to Suicide

I Watched The Phantom Menace Trailer 6 Times in One Day at the Same Theater

The Star Wars Canon Behind Solo‘s Biggest Surprise

There’s a Cool Story Behind Warwick Davis’ Role in Solo

Relive the Best Part of the Star Wars Prequels With These Custom-Built RC Pod Racers

This Playable Pod Racing Game Is The Phantom Menace Lego Set We Deserved Years Ago

Natalie Portman Isn’t About to Take Any Sass on The Star Wars Prequels in New SNL Rap

The Movies That Had the Hubris to Open the Same Week as the Star Wars Films

Should DC Comics Completely Retcon The Killing Joke?

The Star Wars Prequels Have Never Looked as Good as On These Posters

I Took the Official Phantom Menace Quote Quiz and Failed Miserably

TNT and TBS Now Own the Cable Broadcast Rights to All Star Wars Movies

Watch How Star Wars Pod Race Shamelessly Rips Off Ben Hur

13 Terrifically Terrible Sci-Fi Movies to Watch on a Long Weekend

This Amazing Fan Film Showcases All The Things We Love About Darth Maul

A Brief Visual History of People Waiting in Line for Star Wars

Include These Anti-Cheese Star Wars Prequels While You Prepare For The Force Awakens

The 10 Dumbest Artificial Intelligences Ever Created

Someone Finally Took a Good iPhone Photo of the Moon. Good Luck Copying Their Trick

In Letter, OpenAI Reportedly Says Elon Musk and Meta Are Coordinating ‘Attacks’ Against It

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

Steven Spielberg Still Wants to Make a Horror Film ‘Someday’

Waymo Has Stopped Testing Its Robotaxis in New York City and No One Knows What Happens Next

Samsung Pushes Monitor Deals Further, the 34″ ViewFinity Hits a Record Low at Nearly 40% Off

The Best Anti-Meta Smart Glasses Are About to Have Tough Competition

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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