Yes, the trailer. 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace'' will not be released until May 21, 1999.

So great is their devotion to the epic sci-fi series that
John Sauer and Frank Pensiero, both 30, begged off
work and made a 90-minute trek from Fairfield
County, Conn., to Manhattan to be among the first to
see the early footage from 'Phantom Menace.''

Thanks to frenzied cyberspace buzz, zealous fans
learned that the trailer would be on view at Sony
Lincoln Square - one of three theaters in Manhattan
and 75 theaters nationwide playing the trailer - and
joined fellow ardent admirers in an auditorium showing
'Meet Joe Black.''

'This better be good,'' 24-year-old Rich Rosado, who
took a personal day from work, whispered to his
buddies. 'I just put down $9 for 30 seconds [actually
two minutes] of entertainment - and after so many
years of hype!''

A reverent hush fell over the crowd as the lights
dimmed and was promptly broken by excited cheers
and applause when the logo for LucasFilm flashed on
screen.

Then - more than 20 years since America was first
introduced to the denizens of a galaxy far, far away -
came the first glimpse of what audiences will see when
the movie opens May 21.

The trailer begins with a misty image of warriors
coming toward the camera through fog, then quickly
cuts to the words: 'Every generation has a legend . . . ''

Next is a Sahara-like landscape called Tatooine,
known to fans as Luke Skywalker's home planet. The
only sign of life is a silver spacecraft, followed by the
words: 'Every journey has a first step . . . ''

Cut to an aerial view of a Persian-like megalopolis
named Coruscant, along with dramatic interior shots of
an austere marble palace. 'Every saga has a beginning
. . . '' flashes on screen, accompanied by the familiar
exalted anthem of 'Star Wars'' composer John
Williams.

Then, at warp speed, comes the rush of images fans
have been so eagerly anticipating: freakish aliens,
double-edged light-sabers, light-speed battles through
arid canyons and in distant galaxies, and armies of
sleek, vicious-looking droids.

But the trailer clearly emphasizes that plot will not take
a backseat to the arresting array of special effects.

For those uninitiated in 'Star Wars'' lore, director and
creator George Lucas has conceived the new trilogy
as a prequel to the durable epic. The new film is
Episode I in the epic's chronology (the original 'Star
Wars'' is Episode IV) and will trace how arch-villain
Darth Vader is seduced from the forces of good into
the Dark Side.

Younger versions of several familiar characters are
featured. Luke Skywalker's father appears on screen
as 8-year-old Anakin (Jake Lloyd), a gifted kid
tutored in the ways of The Force by a brash, roguish
warrior - the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by
Ewan McGregor.

Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson also flash briefly
on screen, as do favorite otherworldly denizens such
as Yoda, R2-D2 and C-3P0.

'It's going to be excellent!'' gushed Jim Dellafiore, 29,
who has seen the original picture 'innumerable'' times.
Like the other fans at the Lincoln Square - and,
judging from e-mail reports, at theaters across the
country - he left the theater as soon as the trailer
ended.

'It looks like it's really going to explore the mythic
qualities and the origins of the stories,'' Dellafiore said.
'And the computer graphics look phenomenal!''

Agreed Pensiero: 'We were afraid it wouldn't live up
to our expectations, but it was awesome. It really
whets your appetite for the rest.''

Those who missed the trailer's sneak preview needn't
despair: It will begin playing Friday at theaters around
the country.

'The whole idea was to do something special for the
loyal fans,'' said Jeanne Cole, a spokeswoman from
Lucasfilm. 'On Friday it will start running 'wide,' and
anyone who is going to the movies during the holidays
will probably see it.''

The $115-million film will open on 3,000 screens next
spring, and film analysts are already betting that its box
office will top that of 'Titanic.'' Last year, the three
re-released 'Star Wars'' films earned a combined
$250 million domestically and pushed the films'
cumulative gross above the billion-dollar mark.

-- Su Avasthi - 11/18/98