The Skywalker saga has a long and storied history. Their family drama, which is the catalyst for the entire Star Wars franchise, has inspired a whole galaxy full of stories to be told. But if you’re trying to figure out where to start in this universe, you could begin from the saga’s chronological start–Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
The film was released in 1999 to an excited audience who’d waited over 20 years to see the beginning of the Skywalkers’ story.
While OG fans of the Star Wars movies knew how Anakin Skywalker’s life would play out and who he’d come to be, The Phantom Menace ushered in a new wave of lifelong lovers of this universe. Wowing them with a tale of a galaxy far, far away.
Here’s where to watch the first movie in the Skywalker saga online.
Where to stream The Phantom Menace
Like the rest of the nine films that make up the Skywalkers’ story, The Phantom Menace is available to stream on Disney+. As are the subsequent standalone films that are a part of this universe like Rogue One and Solo.
Episode I is the start of the prequel trilogy which introduces audiences to a young Anakin whose path crosses with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s a meeting that will change their lives and starts this tale about the struggle between the light and the dark side of the force.
As is explained in the Star Wars movies, there must always be a balance. Anakin’s fate is believed to be a part of this balance. How he’s to achieve that, however, is shrouded in mystery to these characters, though they err on the side of the light. But as the prequels progress, it becomes clear that what Anakin’s been chosen for isn’t what they led themselves to believe.