# Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911 "2000-04-08T03:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merlyn\_NY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Merlyn\_NY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlyn_NY)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/1 "2000-04-08T03:53:00Z")
This may not be such a poplular subject, but it’s something that may piss off the DVD owners out there. I collect movies and I know I’m annoyed. Awhile back I learned that The Phantom Menace will NOT be released on DVD until the year 2006! It will be released when all three episodes are completed. What the hell!?!? Nice way to totally ignore the people who prefer to buy movies on DVD. Better yet, if you want to have the letterboxed version of the movie, you have to shell out extra money to get it, because it only comes in the “Collector’s Edition,” complete with book and film strip from the movie. I refuse to buy a movie if it isn’t letterboxed, so I got stuck buying the freakin collector’s edition. Oh wait, there’s another option as well. If you feel like getting a japaneese import of the Laserdisc for $119, you can. I’m just a bit pissed off that the DVD owners got screwed on this deal! ☹ Merlyn * * * “Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/2 "2000-04-08T04:08:00Z")
I think this could be a case of greed causing a movie production company we all know and love to lose money because people will be so pissed off about the delay that they just flat out won’t buy the movie. Of course, rabid Star Wars fans being what they are… Me, I’m partial to letterbox, but my mom hates it. I think you should get to see the whole picture, she thinks the whole screen should be filled. Pan and scan sucks. * * * “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.” — Han Solo ---
**Author:** ![Merlyn\_NY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Merlyn\_NY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlyn_NY)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/3 "2000-04-08T04:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by agisofia: > \*\*I think this could be a case of greed causing a movie production company we all know and love to lose money because people will be so pissed off about the delay that they just flat out won’t buy the movie. > Of course, rabid Star Wars fans being what they are… > Me, I’m partial to letterbox, but my mom hates it. I think you should get to see the whole picture, she thinks the whole screen should be filled. > Pan and scan sucks. > > \*\* I couldn’t agree with you more. They’ll ignore the DVD owners now, so when 2006 rolls around, they can sell all three movies as a trilogy set or something. I being one of the rabid Star Wars fans refused to wait until 2006, so I bought the damn tape. Pan and Scan sucks royally. The best thing, is when you try to explain to someone the difference between pan and scan and letterbox, they usually don’t believe you, or say, “But the picture is squished with on letterbox.” God forbid you try telling them they’re getting 35% of the picture CHOPPED off to fit the TV screen. Especially with a movie like Star Wars, with all the wonderful special effects and computer rendered scenery, you’d need letterbox to appreciate it all. Lucasfilm Ltd… YOU SUCK! Merlyn ---
**Author:** ![Beauxeau\_IX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Beauxeau\_IX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauxeau_IX)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/4 "2000-04-08T13:14:00Z")
[quote] I think this could be a case of greed causing a movie production company we all know and love to lose money because people will be so pissed off about the delay that they just flat out won’t buy the movie.{/quote] I don’t know anything about their reasoning, but if it’s greed, it’s a pretty stupid form of greed. If I were a money-hungry movie mogal bastard (that, BTW, is a generalization; I’m not alluding to Lucas), I’d put it out on DVD now to draw in the cash–and do the same with the next two movies individually. Then a year or two after the 3rd movie was out on DVD, I’d release the trilogy on DVD, enhancing it with whatever new technologies come out in the next 6-8 years. Then I’d have sold 2 copies of each movie to the SW fanatics. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ---
**Author:** ![Merlyn\_NY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Merlyn\_NY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlyn_NY)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/5 "2000-04-08T16:27:00Z")
[quote] Originally posted by Beauxeau IX: \*\* > [@](#): > > I think this could be a case of greed causing a movie production company we all know and love to lose money because people will be so pissed off about the delay that they just flat out won’t buy the movie.{/quote] > > I don’t know anything about their reasoning, but if it’s greed, it’s a pretty stupid form of greed. If I were a money-hungry movie mogal bastard (that, BTW, is a generalization; I’m not alluding to Lucas), I’d put it out on DVD now to draw in the cash–and do the same with the next two movies individually. Then a year or two after the 3rd movie was out on DVD, I’d release the trilogy on DVD, enhancing it with whatever new technologies come out in the next 6-8 years. Then I’d have sold 2 copies of each movie to the SW fanatics. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!\*\* Exactly! The people get what they want, and his pockets are filled with the money. What the hell is the point in NOT releasing it. I’d love to get the phone number to LucasFilms Ltd and ask them just what the hell is going on inside their skulls. ## Merlyn “Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/6 "2000-04-08T18:32:00Z")
Fuck Jar-Jar. 🆒 * * * You should tell the truth, expose the lies and live in the moment."-Bill Hicks “You should tell the lies, live the truth and expose yourself.” - Bill Clinton ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/7 "2000-04-09T05:35:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor: > \*\*Fuck Jar-Jar. 🆒 > > \*\* ## Why would I want to do that? “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.” — Han Solo ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/8 "2000-04-09T05:40:00Z")
Cognitive dissonance alert: Is this the same _Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace_ that everybody was saying blew chunks last summer? What’s the big deal with not being able to find it on DVD? ---
**Author:** ![Merlyn\_NY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Merlyn\_NY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlyn_NY)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/9 "2000-04-09T06:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by kaylasdad99: > \*\*Cognitive dissonance alert: > > Is this the same _Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace_ that everybody was saying blew chunks last summer? What’s the big deal with not being able to find it on DVD?\*\* I wouldn’t say EVERYONE said it blew chunks. Lucas said himself that the film wouldn’t appeal to everyone because he had to set up the entire storyline in episode one. Regardless of what poeple think, I thought the movie was good. Me being a die hard star wars fan of course 😛 Even if you don’t like the movie, the special effects are unlike any other movie ever made. In the movie Titanic there were 400 special effects scenes. The largest amount of special effects ever done in a movie. Star Wars Episode One did 2000 special effects scenes! I could watch the movie over and over just admiring the work put into the movie. Merlyn ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2000, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/10 "2000-04-09T06:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Then I’d have sold 2 copies of each movie to the SW fanatics. Or you could just let the Star Wars freaks buy video tapes now and DVD’s in a few years. You’ve sold 2 copies that way too! > [@](#): > > I’d put it out on DVD now to draw in the cash Didn’t we already go through something similar to this several years ago? They waited 5 years to put E.T. out on video and when they finally did, it didn’t sell worth a shit! ---
**Author:** ![DrPorkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@DrPorkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPorkchop)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/11 "2000-04-14T05:16:00Z")
Not that it’s a **great** excuse, but Lucas apparently wants to be actively involved in the DVD transfer and wants to help design the interactive features. He can’t do that now, because he’s busy working on Episode II. I still think it’s ridiculous. I just recently got a DVD player and was really looking forward to getting Episode I on DVD. I definitely prefer letterbox to pan and scan, and hate it when people say the black bars cut off the top and bottom of the screen. In the video of “The Haunting” there is a scene where the wall becomes a giant face. In order to allow you to see the whole face without panning, they slowly zoomed out into a letterbox format and then zoomed back in when the scene was over. I thought that was much better visually than a pan. ---
**Author:** ![Glyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@Glyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glyph)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/12 "2000-04-14T03:25:00Z")
I found it disappointing as well but this is what I found on the [starwars.com](http://starwars.com). [http://www.starwars.com/faq.html#dvd](http://www.starwars.com/faq.html#dvd) If you do not feel like going there I will copy and paste it below. > [@](#): > > When will Episode I come out on DVD? > > ``` > While Episode I will eventually be released on DVD, it will not be this year. George Lucas would like to do something special with Star Wars on DVD, but cannot take time from the tight Episode II schedule to work on it right now. See this Lucasfilm Jedi Council answer from Rick McCallum and Why Delay DVD? for further details. > > ``` I hope this clarifies things and it kind of gives us something to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![Merlyn\_NY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Merlyn\_NY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merlyn_NY)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/13 "2000-04-14T04:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Glyph: > \*\*I found it disappointing as well but this is what I found on the [starwars.com](http://starwars.com). > > [http://www.starwars.com/faq.html#dvd](http://www.starwars.com/faq.html#dvd) > > If you do not feel like going there I will copy and paste it below. > > I hope this clarifies things and it kind of gives us something to look forward to.\*\* Yes well, from what a Major Movie outlet in Manhattan has posted, the release will not be until 2006! ACK! ---
**Author:** ![Glyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@Glyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glyph)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/14 "2000-04-14T05:39:00Z")
That sounds accurate. Since Episode II is supposed to be out 2002, and Episode III is supposed to be out 2005. Give’em a year to do what he wants to do with it and … ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2000, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/15 "2000-04-14T12:07:00Z")
I finally saw the movie (on video) the other night, and I agree that the movie blew chunks. So, do we think DVD will replace the VHS format eventually, or will both be around? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/16 "2000-04-15T00:33:00Z")
There is one other option for DVD’ers. You can get the VCD version imported from Asia. Many DVD players support the VCD format. If yours doesn’t, there are free players for your PC available for download. The quality of the VCD is comparable to VHS, but at least there’s no rewinding! For details and some addresses where you can find them, go to [http://www.theforce.net/episode1/](http://www.theforce.net/episode1/) The price is similar to VHS versions. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/5911/17 "2000-04-15T02:31:00Z")
I don’t know why you are so concerned about it. The movie sucked anyway, if you haven’t already seen it in the theatres, then waiting another six years should be nothing. Seriously, you could probably survive even if you NEVER got a chance to see the movie. Plot? There, but not interesting. Character Development? Not really. Special FX? Yes, but that’s the only redeeming characteristic. Maybe this movie will make more sense after it’s followed up. OR maybe the movie was written soley for the profit. It really wouldnt surprise me. And it shouldn’t surprise anybody else either. * * * “Life is cheap, abortion makes it cheaper.” Peter Goldsmith in The Stand