On Nov. 20, 1998, I drove 30 miles to the closest movie theater and bought a ticket for Brad Pitt’s Meet Joe Black to see a trailer for The Phantom Menace, the first new Star Wars movie since 1983’s Return of the Jedi. To say my anticipation was high would be a Death Star-sized understatement. Sitting in that theater and listening to John Williams’ iconic music, I got my first look at a brand-new, unnamed enemy with a red-tattooed face and a double-bladed lightsaber. “Who is that devil-looking guy?” I absolutely couldn’t wait to find out.
