National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

George Lucas returned to the director's chair for the first time in over two decades when Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox released Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in May 1999. The film marked the beginning of the prequel trilogy and became one of the most anticipated releases in cinema history, introducing a new generation to the Star Wars universe while reuniting longtime fans with a galaxy far, far away.

This cell, titled Droideka, captures one of the prequel trilogy's most distinctive mechanical designs in its fully deployed combat configuration, twin blasters extended, inside an interior corridor setting. The three consecutive 35mm frames preserve a quiet, almost clinical stillness to the Droideka's threatening form, offering a close look at the practical and digital craft that brought these rolling destroyers to the screen.