In 1999, comedian/filmmaker Todd Bieber went to the opening night of Star Wars’ first prequel, The Phantom Menace, and discovered that the theater was holding a costume contest. On a bet, he decided to enter, figuring that his beard made him a George Lucas doppelgänger — or at least a vague look-alike if one squinted through a Darth Vader mask. Onstage amid fanatical Star Wars devotees who had spent weeks building their outfits, he expected to be quickly laughed off the planet. But never underestimate the power of Lucas … at least before anyone saw the movie. Watch him tell the story in the latest installment of Vulture and UCB’s animated video series, “Pop Culture Memory Lane.”
