Matthew Wood at Star Wars Celebration London in 2023.

Kicking off the highly-anticipated prequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace arrived May 19, 1999. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Phantom at 25,” a special series of interviews, editorials, and more.

The first person to watch the initial assembly of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) wasn’t director George Lucas. It was then-25-year-old Matthew Wood of Skywalker Sound. As he tells StarWars.com, picture editors Ben Burtt and Paul Martin Smith had spent weeks with Lucas at Skywalker Ranch compiling the first rough version of Episode I. Hours long and far from the refined cut that audiences would see, it was up to Wood to review it and make notes about voices that needed recording.

“Paul and Ben ran out their sequences

The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome to the underworld.

Join the scoundrel Kay Vess in the first-ever open world Star Wars game, Star Wars Outlaws, where the Hutt and countless other kingpins and crime bosses are waiting to give you your next big job — or put a bounty on your head if you fail them.

Here are just a few Easter eggs and fun nods we’ve encountered in our first adventures with Kay, Nix, and ND-5.

Gonk fans, this one’s for you. While exploring Crimson Dawn territory on Toshara, you can spot a few gonks with an unexpected add-on: flower pots perched on top of their square heads. If you find these hard-to-locate power droids, get some target practice by shooting the dynamic objects. Just don’t aim too low.

There may be a rancor

Star Wars is for everyone — and that includes Star Wars games.

Whether you are a casual gamer or you have a dedicated gaming chair, Star Wars Outlaws offers a unique chance for players of all levels to disappear into the Star Wars galaxy. As the protagonist of the game, Kay Vess is a sneaky scoundrel just trying to survive. While she may lack Force powers, Kay proves she’s more than capable of completing her missions for various criminal syndicates with a blaster and her good buddy, Nix, by her side.

While Outlaws has plenty of features sure to delight expert gamers, Massive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games made sure the first-ever open world Star Wars game could also be enjoyed by people who may have not played many, or any, video

A new documentary film arriving later this year will chronicle the life and legendary career of John Williams, the visionary composer behind many of the most iconic film soundtracks in history.

Today the American Film Institute (AFI) announced Music By John Williams, from Lucasfilm Ltd., Amblin Documentaries, and Imagine Documentaries, which will debut with a world premiere at AFI Fest on October 23, before a limited theatrical run. You can also watch Music By John Williams when it arrives on Disney+ on November 1.

Among Williams many credits and accolades, including an astounding 54 Oscar nominations and five wins, the maestro served as composer for the original Star Wars score and all nine films in the Skywalker saga, from Star Wars: A New Hope through Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, plus

We’re just days away from the release of Star Wars Outlaws, and a new trailer for the open world game has us on the edge of our speederbike seats waiting for more. That’s right. We’re just like Nix!

Join up-and-coming scoundrel Kay Vess, modified BX Commando ND-5, and the merqaal Nix in the first open-world Star Wars game arriving next week. The final trailer, an explosive mix of action and suspense, was introduced today at Gamescom alongside conversations with Julian Gerighty, the creative director of Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment, and Humberly Gonzalez, the voice of Kay Vess, as well as over ten minutes of new gameplay.

If you’re planning to attend Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025, you’re already in for one of the biggest celebratory Star Wars events in any galaxy next April. But there are plenty of other ways to connect with the Force beyond the convention floor in Japan. You can visit the castle from The Hidden Fortress, one of the Akira Kurosawa films that inspired Star Wars, or take a walk in the footsteps of real-life samurai who served as the template for the Jedi Order.

If you’re ready to play galactic tourist, we recently spoke with Eri Hirose, a senior director from the Japan National Tourism Organization, to collect some ideas to add to your Celebration itinerary.

Akira Kurosawa Film Locations

With a career that spanned over 50 years and 30 movies, Akira Kurosawa is