For years, The Phantom Menace was dissed past a great many Star Wars fans. Information technology was held up as the worst of this sci-fi serial, and fans picked apart everything from the featherbrained characters to the abundant CGI. Even so, this film and the residuum of the prequels have gathered a renewed popularity in recent years, especially with hot subreddits showing us how funny these movies can be.

There's more than to The Phantom Menace than a chance for easy laughs, though. The movie and its characters really have a lot of hidden depth, and time has revealed what a great debt later Star Wars mythology owes to the foundation established by this film.

Skeptical? We don't blame you. There's a lot of hate for this awesome motion picture, and information technology's easy to get swept up in information technology. But we all know that hate leads to suffering, then we'd like to convince you in the linguistic communication that best captures the prequel spirit: memes.

These aren't just any memes, either. Even as they make you express joy, these memes will aid make the case for just how good The Phantom Menace really is.

Keep scrolling to admission the Jedi Archive and observeStar Wars: 15 Memes That Evidence The Phantom Menace Makes Also Much Sense!

fifteen Fun New Villains

When people diss the characters in The Phantom Menace, they're usually thinking about Jar-Jar Binks.

To be fair, Jar-Jar is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Star Wars. But he shouldn't be the reason you overlook the fact that the movie added lots of fun new villains.

In fact, we'd go and so far as to say that the new droids really stole the show. Most two decades later, fans still find themselves maxim "roger, roger" when people enquire a question, simply like the Battle Droids do.

The Droidekas like the one pictured showed united states of america how even a elementary droid could sometimes be a match for a Jedi. In that sense, even these fun villains besides served as an ominous warning well-nigh how vulnerable these powerful heroes truly are.

fourteen Mighty Midichlorians

To this day, the word "midichlorians" will brand some Star Wars fans start cursing. They saw the introduction of this thought every bit a way of essentially ruining the magic and mysticism of The Force.

This meme helps remind us that the midichlorians actually make perfect sense.

Think about it: we can say The Strength moves in mysterious ways, only it doesn't change the fact that only living beings can access it and that some have more control of it than others. If yous imagine midichlorians to be like mitochondria in our galaxy, it makes a lot of sense: mitochondria fuels our greatest athletes, and these athletes have more of them than amateurs do. And you even inherit mitochondria, which helps explain that "powerful Skywalker blood" Luke talks well-nigh.

thirteen Dynamic Character

Anakin Skywalker is the other major controversial character in The Phantom Menace. This is mostly due to the fact that he was not what fans expected: they wanted a brooding proto-Vader, and they got a sweet kid who only became nasty afterward. This meme reminds us that this was the whole point!

The prequels and even the original trilogy are basically the story of Darth Vader: his rise, ruination, and redemption. If he had simply been brooding and angry from the first, he wouldn't have much of an arc. Instead, we get a character who is actually dynamic and whose changes nosotros can chart from pic to movie, adding to his depth and complexity. In this sense, Anakin is more than dynamic than Luke, who merely seems to change in the decades between Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi!

12 Sick Choreography

When people rush to douse on The Phantom Menace, they oft overlook something the movie did actually well. It gave us basically our coolest onscreen lightsaber battle that fans had always seen, putting Jedi Master Qui-Gonn Jinn and immature Obi-Wan Kenobi against the new Sith menace, Darth Maul. What fabricated this so unforgettable then awesome was the choreography!

This silly meme shows united states of america three combatants delicately arranging a painting.

Yet, it underscores how every moment of their famous lightsaber fight was itself a delicate work of art. To this day, every frame of that boxing is rich, complex, and innovative. Throw in the epic "Duel of the Fates" music and y'all tin can run into why this Phantom Menace scene stands the test of time!

11 Insubordinate, Rebel

In many ways, Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi unlike any nosotros had seen before. While he was wise and powerful, he was too oftentimes clashing with other Jedi. We even find out afterwards that his own master was Count Dooku, who ultimately went to the Nighttime Side. This meme reminds us of why this is so interesting.

In short, we had never had much of an onscreen Jedi "rebel" before. Everyone else seemed to toe the line with regard to the Jedi Council, but Qui-Gonn knew that they weren't always right and that Jedi had a moral duty to defy them in these cases. Older Luke Skywalker basically gives us a "Qui-Gonn was right" validation when he points out how the Jedi all got destroyed at the meridian of their power because they were too focused on the old mode of doing things.

10 War: What Is It Practiced For?

As this meme jokes, information technology'south pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to say Qui-Gonn was bad at his job. Because all of the subsequent war and conflict in the milky way, he must take been the worst peace negotiator e'er, right? Withal, the meme besides shows us how pivotal The Phantom Menace is to the Star Wars mythology.

The earliest Star Wars movies were basically elemental: good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, and and so on. Notwithstanding, Phantom Menace shows us Palpatine's extremely long-term programme and how masterfully he set up his hereafter domination. Despite the haters, this plan was in place for years.

From the original Star Wars novelization prologue: "Aided and abetted by restless, ability-hungry individuals within the regime, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic." Those "organs" sound like the Trade Federation!

9 Sith and Myth

By at present, the whole "Sith Lawmaking" thing is burned into many fans' brains. We sympathize that at that place is always a master and an apprentice. However, as this funny meme helps underscore, this was not really widespread cognition when Phantom Menace came out.

Render of the Jedi came out in 1983, and Phantom Menace in 1999. In the sixteen years in betwixt, various novels, games, and comics gave united states adventures of diverse "Night Jedi," and there seemed to exist no magical number when it came to them. In Phantom Menace, Lucas reined this in and pointed out that when it comes to actual Sith, their team merely rolls ii deep. Star Wars mythology was never the aforementioned again, as this influence continues to be felt in movies like The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

8 Before It Was Cool

Fun fact about all that Jar-Jar hate: fans didn't really dislike his character until he opened his oral cavity. In all fairness, almost every line of dialogue gives you lot a new reason to hate him. If you can look past the baroque patois he speaks in, you lot'll empathise what this meme is trying to tell you.

Jar-Jar was actually a really impressive design.

Starting time, he's impressive from a strictly technical level, showing us how versatile CGI could exist. Second, his design is actually iconic: in a crowded Star Wars cantina, he's not going to alloy into the background just immediately stands out. Finally, he clearly laid the groundwork for the Porgs, who are also cute CGI designs that omit Jar-Jar's fatal flaw by never actually saying anything!

7 Scary Jedi

Fans tend to remember Qui-Gon as a tragic character, mostly due to his untimely demise at the easily of Darth Maul. However, this meme helps to underscore what a scary fighter he could be when he wanted. Equally it turns out, that was vitally of import to the whole Star Wars story!

First, it's viscerally cool for fans to come across how scary Qui-Gon tin be. The original trilogy mostly portrayed the Jedi as underdog losers, but hither he is showing that almost zippo can end him. This also lays the seed for darker storylines where non but are the Jedi all destoyed past the Empire, but most of the galactic public seems okay with it. This is likely because they saw the Jedi equally scary and intimidating rather than wise and helpful.

6 Fun for Young and Erstwhile

The debate over The Phantom Menace sometimes centers on who its audience is. Some fans, for case, point to silly kid dialogue and farting desert creatures equally proof that this is only a movie for children. As this meme shows us, though, the respond is actually much more than circuitous.

At its best, Star Wars has always appealed to kids and adults in different ways.

Kids come across A New Promise and focus on the cool battles while adults sentinel it and realize George Lucas has reinvented Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey." Does Phantom Menace have stuff aimed squarely at kids? Sure. But it also has political maneuvering, prophecy, and heroic sacrifice, all of which appeals more to adults. George Lucas understood that is was okay to appeal to both groups at the same time!

5 Dynamic Duo

Before the flick came out, in that location was a bit of trepidation about the main villains. Certain, Palpatine was good at beingness bad in Return of the Jedi, merely would he all the same piece of work every bit a subtle manipulator? Would this new Darth Maul guy piece of work well as part of Team Sith?

While goofy, this meme serves to remind u.s.a. that Palpatine and Maul actually were a very intimidating team.

They each worked well as individual threats, but when they appear on the holo-call together, the aliens are utterly terrified. It's a nice moment that sells the idea that, while at that place may only be ii of these guys, they are scary enough to keep an unabridged galaxy in check. If we had not believed their threat in this moment, then the remainder of the trilogy falls apart!

4 All-time Villain Ever

We've had a lot of Star Wars since Phantom Menace came out. We've gotten to see more Sith and other villains challenge our best and brightest heroes. This meme reminds us of a unproblematic truth.

Later all this fourth dimension, Darth Maul is all the same one of the greatest villains in Star Wars.

As it points out, he was a human being of few words. Nobody remembers this character for his great dialogue. Instead, they remember him for his satanic appearance, his trigger-happy lightsaber moves, and his utter ruthlessness. We get an entire moving picture showing us what an awesome Jedi Qui-Gon is, and Darth Maul takes our hero out with seemingly little effort.

Let's be existent: Darth Maul was cooler in this one flick than Kylo Ren has been in ii movies!

three Not Simply a Pretty Face

Portraying Amidala, the future mother of Princess Leia, was always going to be hard. Leia herself managed to perfectly balance being a princess with fierceness and fighting skills. Fifty-fifty as the series stuck her in things like golden bikinis, she was never only a pretty face, and she was always inspiring.

This funny meme helps remind us of just how well Queen Amidala was able to aqueduct that circuitous Leia legacy. The Queen is not someone who cares almost looking beautiful to others: instead, she wants others to see her as someone who will become to any lengths to protect her planet. We get to encounter her live upwards to this crawly reputation throughout the entire film.

Unlike Anakin, she is able to put on her "mask" of sorts without it defining everything she is, showing what a stiff graphic symbol she really is.

ii The Early on Years

By at present, the thought of Obi-Wan winning with "the high ground" has been memed to the moon and dorsum. However, this meme gives it a new spin by applying it to The Phantom Menace. It helps to showcase something actually important most this movie.

On a central level, it is really cool seeing young Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Previously, nosotros had merely known him equally a wise Jedi Master. Here, though, nosotros run across him every bit impetuous, sarcastic, and torn betwixt the Jedi Council'southward ethics and the teachings of Qui-Gonn. His appearance in this movie and in the other prequels makes Obi-Wan finally feel like a fully formed and 3-dimensional character instead of a simple archetype, such as "wise mentor." After this motion picture, we were fully onboard with the idea of an Obi-Wan movie!

1 Origin of Evil

Possibly no character has been memed quite every bit much as Emperor Palpatine. In fact, he's basically the mascot for the amazing /PrequelMemes subreddit. This character goes by other names at times ("Darth Sidious" to his allies and "The Senate" to cheeky fans everywhere). This meme, though, reminds us of the depth hidden in that cloak of his.

The Palpatine of Render of the Jedi was an outlandish, mustache-twirling villain. At that place simply wasn't time to develop his character any further. Even so, ThePhantom Menace kicked off our exploration of this character's motivations and his unique view on The Force. Every bit with Obi-Wan, it gave u.s. a greater opportunity to get to know someone nosotros barely knew in the original trilogy, resulting in a deeper understanding of his character arc.

---

Do you have any Phantom Menace memes to share? Go out them in the comments!

Next The Best Pokémon From Gen 1

Almost The Author

Chris Snellgrove (59 Articles Published)

Chris Snellgrove is an English language professor who resides in Northwest Florida. He spends his days teaching students how to write and his nights writing about things similar movies, Idiot box shows, and comics. Some of his primary passions include Star Expedition and Star Wars (dear cyberspace: y'all don't have to pick a side on this i), playing Overwatch badly (D.va for life, infant!), and collecting Transformers toys (you never have to grow up if you keep chasing your childhood). He is also a family unit man who is supported past his amazing wife and really crawly son. They are more than just family unit: they are partners in criminal offense, the foundation of his future, and pretty much the nigh compelling reason to get upwardly in the morning. If you lot'd like to share any kind words nigh my articles or possibly interact on a project, feel free to attain out to me. Otherwise, I simply appreciate y'all reading what I have written and taking the time to learn a bit well-nigh me!

More than From Chris Snellgrove