“No, I am your father.” For his iconic appearance as an inscrutable avatar of evil in this first sequel expanding that “galaxy far, far away,” Darth Vader appeared at #3 on AFI’s ranking of the greatest villains of all-time. STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) features no fewer than three AFI Life Achievement Award honorees – executive producer (and STAR WARS creator) George Lucas,...

Released 25 years ago today, STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999) brought audiences back to “a galaxy far, far away” and reinvented the vaunted space saga for a new generation – demonstrating the same innovative spirit and creative spark that had first animated the beloved original film two decades prior. The story’s long-gestating and hotly...