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The middle prequel arrived May 16, 2002 with Hayden Christensen's brooding Anakin, the clone army, and the moment every 2002 audience cheered: Yoda finally drawing a lightsaber against Christopher Lee. It was also a landmark under the hood — one of the first major films shot entirely on digital cameras.
The prequel trilogy's dark landing, May 19, 2005: Order 66, the Mustafar duel, and the Vader suit sealed shut — the first Star Wars film ever rated PG-13. It was the year's #1 movie in North America, and it has aged into the one the prequel generation defends.
Sixteen years after Return of the Jedi, Star Wars came back on May 19, 1999 — behind maybe the biggest hype wave in movie history. Fans famously camped outside theaters in ticket lines, and people bought tickets to Meet Joe Black just to watch the teaser and walk out. What delivered: Darth Maul, "Duel of the Fates," and the podrace. What didn't: Jar Jar and midi-chlorians.