Rick McCallum’s panels at Star Wars Celebration I gave fans an unusually direct look at Lucasfilm’s thinking in the final weeks before The Phantom Menace reached theaters. Speaking during multiple Q&A appearances in Denver, McCallum mixed production details, early Episode II hints and the kind of blunt enthusiasm that made him a memorable presence at the first Celebration.

Across the sessions, he reassured fans about The Phantom Menace, confirmed that the film had received a PG rating and stated its official running time as 2 hours and 6 minutes. He also shared behind-the-scenes details from production, including the scale of the Mos Espa set, the decision to use a digital Jabba instead of a puppet and the film’s reported $105 million cost, which he said came in under budget and under schedule.

McCallum also used the appearances to tease the future of the prequel trilogy. He said Episode II would take place roughly 10 to 12 years after Episode I, confirmed that early artwork for the next film was beginning and noted that Tunisia would be one of its shooting locations. He also offered one of the earliest fan-facing hints about the sequel’s story, saying that Obi-Wan would be the focus of Episode II.

The sessions captured McCallum at the center of a major Star Wars moment: promoting the return of the saga, answering fan questions before the prequels had fully unfolded and helping set expectations for where the story would go next. His reaction to the Denver crowd summed up the energy of the weekend, calling the response “unbelievable” in his typically unfiltered style.