Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 to both new and old audiences. Upon release, the film was met with scorn from the original fans. However, its younger audience fell in love with this new perspective on an old universe. The Phantom Menace introduced new mysteries and villains that harbored immense power and posed great threats. But unlike Darth Vader in the original trilogy, these threats were hidden in the shadows, and pulling strings that took more than a decade to come to light.

With each new film, its title teases an event or theme centralized to its movie. Most, if not all, are fairly easy to explain. However, The Phantom Menace provides one of the most mysterious titles in the entire Skywalker Saga. For years, many fans have not known what or who the "phantom menace" was or how it applied to the overall narrative. But in a 1999, George Lucas answered that question in an interview with Vanity Fair.

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Who Is The Phantom Menace?

Darth Maul accepting instructions from Darth Sidious

In short, the phantom menace is a threat that was pulling strings in Episode I, and ultimately throughout all nine films. From droids to the most elite stormtroopers, the phantom menace, according to Lucas, is Darth Sidious. However, in the interview, he described it with a much more mysterious tone. As the revelation that the Palpatine is both the Emperor and Sidious hadn't been revealed yet, he played coy about the description. Lucas also added a unique description of the character as being "the last of the Sith." The amount of Sith in the galaxy during the Age of the Republic is never spoken of aside from being believed to be wiped out. But with the Rule of Two stressing that there can only be one master and apprentice, it isn't hard to believe there could be a few out there. Even so, Sidious being the last of the Sith comes as a huge surprise.

George also clarified that Sidious' title as the phantom menace involved a two-pronged approach. If he is the phantom, then his apprentice, Darth Maul, is undoubtedly the menace. As the physical threat throughout the whole film, he chases down the heroes to feed both his desire to kill Jedi and obey his master's commands. Maul has always represented raw anger and passion, and as he "menaces" Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, he inadvertently makes himself part of a larger narrative.

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The Phantom Menace Permeated The Entire Skywalker Saga

Darth Maul fighting Obi-Wan in Star Wars the Phantom Menace

There are countless theories surrounding Sidious' plan, but it stands to reason he knew what he was doing from the very start. The only outlier is the inclusion of Anakin Skywalker. The young child shows great promise in the Force, and on his way to training to be a Jedi, he comes in contact with Senator Palpatine. As the viewers know, Palpatine and Sidious are the same. From that point on, he makes it his goal to harness Anakin's strength for his nefarious means.

The notion of "the phantom menace" goes on to permeate the rest of the Skywalker Saga. Considering Sidious never once stopped planning in the decades spanning those nine movies, he became the shadow cast from the brightest lights. Young Anakin was the first victim of his manipulation and ultimately became Darth Vader, the Emperor's puppet. Decades later, he set his sights on other heroes such as Luke Skywalker and Rey. While The Phantom Menace seems like a peculiar title, it actually speaks to much larger forces at work for the entire franchise.

As the Age of the Republic progressed into its inevitable end, other Sith tried to carry out their own evil plans and even train their own apprentices. None of these relationships, however, survived past the rise of the Empire. Sidious was the master puppeteer pulling hundreds of strings and used his apprentices to meet those ends. His influence over the Sith led to him creating Inquisitors, Dark Side users not fully indoctrinated into the Sith. Even after the Clone Wars, Sidious still had much to do. The terrifying part is that while The Phantom Menace's title seems out of place and unclear, its full explanation shows that it is the most ominous out of the entire saga.