Kyle Newman -- Fanboys director: I remember lining up at the Union Square theater in New York City over a day and a half in advance. I was mesmerized by the already massive turnout, and thought, "Is this going to be the last movie to ever have a line like this?" In many ways it was. We didn't need to line up, we wanted to! I had reserved my tickets online two weeks before. My seat at the midnight screening was secure, but I needed to be in that line because the movie is only part of the Star Wars experience!
After sixteen years without a film, I not only wanted a piece of that magic again -- I wanted to celebrate the past too; to stand amongst anxious fellow fans and wonder and laugh and debate about what we were about to see; and discuss how it would change the face of what we knew and loved forever. It was exciting and nerve-racking. I was actually nervous! The hours leading up to the screening were electric. As soon as the usher dropped that velvet rope, the race for the perfect seat was on. But by that point it didn't matter where I was sitting. I think I saw The Phantom Menace nine more times that week! And I waited in line every time. That sense of community and camaraderie and nostalgia are what makes Star Wars so very special!
Seth Green -- Robot Chicken co-creator, actor: Impossibly, I got to go to Skywalker Ranch, and see The Phantom Menace for the first time in the Stag Theater with George just 10 rows behind me. There was so much excitement around the movie, and being there was really overwhelming. Such a great day. Then, of course, I was at the Toys R Us in Burbank at midnight when the toys were released, and in Times Square for Attack of the Clones.
Matthew Senreich -- Robot Chicken co-creator: I remember standing outside the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City for a super-late night showing. It was a long, long wait. I interacted with way too many people who dressed in costume. It was quite fascinating actually.
Bill Hader -- Saturday Night Live player: When I was going to college in Phoenix, my friends and I took turns waiting in a line at the mall to see The Phantom Menace. One friend would be there at 6 in the morning; then I took over at noon. People kept asking us what we were in line for, and we thought it was so obvious since there was a dude dressed as Yoda behind me. But for a laugh we bought this cheap Backstreet Boys poster and made a sign saying "In line for Backstreet Boys" and told all these kids we were so excited to see them play.
Weird Al Yankovic -- comedian/singer: I actually wrote "The Saga Begins" before I ever saw the movie [The Phantom Menace]. I wanted to get the parody out absolutely as soon as possible after the movie premiered in theaters, so I scanned the Internet for leaks and rumors, pieced together the plot as best as I could, and then wrote and recorded the song based on that. I actually did wait until I was able to go to the charity screening of The Phantom Menace before I actually mastered the album -- just in case all those Internet leaks were completely bogus. I certainly expected the song to do well, just based on the fact that it was based on Episode I, which I think was the most heavily-anticipated film of my lifetime.
Nick Verreos -- Project Runway designer: In The Phantom Menace, Queen Amidala was giving us intergalactic couture. She was a Dior fashion show by John Galliano all wrapped up into one person -- a mini diva! When I first saw those Queen Amidala costumes in Vogue magazine, I remembered sketching more voluminous gowns with heavier fabrics. I fantasized that I would do a runway collection with very theatrical, bigger-than-life ensembles, something that Queen Amidala would wear. I used her as my muse and client.
Blake Lewis -- American Idol singer: The Podrace in The Phantom Menace is great. It was really fun to watch when it first came out during the whole excitement about Star Wars returning. And all the sound design is amazing, and I'm all about glitchy noises.
Duff Goldman -- Ace of Cakes chef: My favorite scene from the films is actually in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon has been turned down for the parts he needs to repair his ship, and he says to Obi-Wan, "I'm sure a solution will present itself." And that has become sort of a mantra for me. I say that all the time.
Andrew "Whitey" White -- Kaiser Chiefs: When The Phantom Menace came out, me and my friends got really excited, and it put the coal back on the fire so to speak. I started collecting the Episode I toys which then led me back into the vintage stuff. It's nice having a complete collection again.
Jeordie White -- Marilyn Manson/Nine Inch Nails: The first time I saw Episode I, I loved it, then I hated it, now I like it again. Watching it now, it seems the most like a Star Wars movie to me. Of course, there's a lot of Jar Jar Binks, but there's a sense of nostalgia to it now so it's like the other Star Wars movies. Something about it seems classic to me.
Milo Ventimiglia -- Heroes actor: I was coming up on a 22-hour day and the only showing was at 3 a.m. opening night. Who cared that I had something to do at 6 a.m., it was Star Wars!
