I saw The Phantom Menace when I was... wow, only three years old. Almost four, but still three.

I had only learned about the film maybe a couple months before. I was in Walmart with my mom and I came across a toy from the film (when were the first toys released? That was when I learned about it). I was confused. It was an Obi-Wan toy I think. But he was young and didn't look anything like the Ben Kenobi I knew.

See, even at this young age, the OT was my shit. I don't even remember the first time I saw those movies. To my mind, I've known them all my life. I watched them non-stop as a kid.

When I my mom explained to me that there was a new movie coming out, I was excited, but I didn't understand why it was a prequel. I came to accept that the movie wouldn't feature most of my favorite characters, and would only be tangentially linked to the OT. My expectations were simultaneously high and low.

I saw the film in theaters twice and loved it. It didn't usurp the OT for me, I didn't enjoy it as much, but I still loved it. And there's a part of me today that still does. It's not all that bad.