It was one year ago when the general public first saw moving images from Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the first teaser trailer debuted widely in North American theaters on November 20th, 1998. (Hard-core fans, having been tipped off by this site, got a few days jump.) Under the close involvement of George Lucas, the two minutes were crafted to provide a glimpse that revealed enough to excite, but also concealed enough to preserve the experience of seeing the film for the first time.

Since the concept of a "prequel" was new to many of the movie-going public, this teaser was used together with the original Episode I theatrical banner to convey the message that The Phantom Menace is the first of six chapters in the Star Wars saga.

Response to the theatrical release by enthusiastic fans drew a great deal of media attention. Commentators marveled at how some fans paid full admission price to get into theaters, watched the trailer and then left without watching the main feature. As a service to fans who wanted to see the teaser trailer over and over, starwars.com made high-quality downloadable versions available. The positive reaction lead to the online posting of the second trailer as well, which has become one of the most accessed files in the brief history of the world wide web.

Of course, Episode I has since been released theatrically around world and has become a permanent part of the Star Wars saga. For many, the teaser release feels like both distant past and a recent memory.