Reply #68: Yeah! And I missed 'Leonard Part I' through 'Leonard Part V,' as well

[Orrex]

Actually, I had the same reaction that you described. I first saw it when I was six, so it's entirely possible that my memory was faulty, but I was certain that my friends and I debated the meaning of "Episode IV" and what it might entail for future films.

I think the point being made in this thread, though, is that Lucas gave the film that title to instill an automatic sense of history and to harken back to serials. At the time, there might not necessarily have been any real thought given to what Episode I through III might be like (and goodness knows he didn't give them any thought from '99 onward), but the subtitle gave the sense that the film was part of a larger whole.