On November 1st 1994 when George Lucas began writing the backstory to his critically adored trilogy, he had only one basic plot outline; that this new series of films would focus on Anakin Skywalker and how the troubled soul eventually became cinema’s most awe-inspiring villain.
It’s no secret that the films were met with a mixed reception from both fans and critics (though even at the time the general mood was that the films were improving in quality with each new offering) but there was one glaring omission from the discussion even back then. What was the one thing that these fans were missing? The answer lies in numbers. The age of the people of who these films were made for has always been younglings, sorry…children.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that there are die-hard fans out there who thought Jar Jar Binks was hilarious or swung lightsabers around pretending to be Darth Maul or Mace Windu. Like a fine glass of blue milk, time has been kind to the prequels. Older fans that were left disappointed or felt let-down at the time they were released are now looking back at the prequels with warming eyes and a respectful heart and of course those who were children or teenagers at the time still feel the same love and joy as they did back then. For some this started thanks to The Clone Wars or with their feelings towards the Sequel Trilogy or for some its hearing Dave Filoni talk in-depth about the metaphorical layered storytelling of the The Phantom Menace in the show Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.
Whatever it may be, prequel fever and hype was well and truly back when Ewan McGregor returned to his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here, we look back at 10 moments from the Prequel Trilogy that still give us shivers and make us feel the Force after all these years.
ANAKIN SLAUGHTERS THE TUSKENS (ATTACK OF THE CLONES)
Anakin Skywalker, played by Hayden Christensen, had up until this point in the film been a teenager in love and a teenager who found sand quite irritating. When Anakin finds his mother held captive it really became a turning point for the character and became the spring board for his eventual downfall. Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker, who herself had delivered a solid performance in The Phantom Menace, is only given a few minutes of screen time but her empathy and love for her son is striking to see. Christensen himself finally comes into the role as he’s allowed to delve in the darker side of the character for the first time.
As Shmi feels the life drain from her, Anakin Skywalker feels the rage within him and the camera cuts to outside in the Tusken camp as he slays two Sand People before the frame performs an ‘iris out’. The beauty of Lucas’ style here is that less is more and while we don’t see his actions, the intent of Skywalker is clear and viewers are left in no doubt that the fall to the dark side for our hero is now inevitable.
Thanks to the Disney Plus series The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, this scene exudes with even more dark side undercurrents as both television shows have brought a deeply human element to the Sand People and made them feel alive like never before.
LUKE IS DELIVERED BEFORE THE TWIN SUNS (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
When Revenge of the Sith premiered in May 2005, everyone (including the maker himself) believed this was the end of Star Wars on the big-screen. One of George Lucas’ most famous quotes comes from the DVD documentary ‘The Beginning’ that accompanied The Phantom Menace and in referring to the story of both trilogies the creator is on record stating that; ‘It’s like poetry. They rhyme.’ This can be felt throughout the prequel trilogy from Anakin having his arm severed in Attack of the Clones akin to how Luke lost his hand in Empire and C-3PO uttering the last line on the Tantive IV in Sith as he spoke the first lines of A New Hope on the same ship in 1977. Much of the criticism of the sequels was that the films took the adage that the stories have a rhyming element to the point where they became carbon (ite) copies of their predecessors.
In the final frames of the prequels, however, it’s a visually stunning scene that brings the saga full circle and wonderfully fitting that the film ends with the arrival of A New Hope. In true Star Wars fashion there is no dialogue as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru cradle the new-born infant and Obi-Wan rides off to begin his life of solitude and become ‘Old Ben.’ The final moments of Sith reveal that the execution of the storytelling is as near to perfection as poets doth allow.
YODA’S ENTRANCE (ATTACK OF THE CLONES)
Episode II of the saga was a first for many reasons. It was the first film to be entirely shot digitally, it was the first time viewers got a glimpse of a lightsaber colour that wasn’t blue, green or red and it was the first time Jedi Master Yoda was conceived as a digital character. Veteran performer Frank Oz (aslo the star of The Muppets as Miss Piggy) returned to the prequels in The Phantom Menace. In Episode I, one of the few remaining characters without a canonical backstory, the legendary Jedi Master didn’t too much apart from sitting on the Jedi Council but Lucas knew that he wanted to see Yoda in his prime and to show he really was the OG of the Jedi.
After the Battle of Geonosis, Anakin and Obi-Wan head to confront Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) in a dual to bring about the end of the rising threat from the Separatists. Dooku makes it look easy against the Master and Apprentice and just as it looks like the battle is over, we hear a familiar cane walking across the ground. While fans still remain divided over actually seeing Yoda in action, it’s a truly electrifying moment to see the Grand Master preparing for battle like Clint Eastwood in the Spaghetti Westerns. Yoda might be old enough to claim his pension but he knows how to give off uber-cool vibes before a fight.
ANAKIN’S TORMENT/PADME’S DESPAIR (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
The final film of the prequel trilogy is often regarded as the strongest amongst fans and sometimes you’ll even see it in the ‘Top 5’ lists when the community vote for their favourites. (Side note: most favourite Star Wars films in these lists tend to be the Original Trilogy, Sith and the first stand-alone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) It’s clear in every frame of Sith that Lucas poured his creative heart and soul into the film and the narrative often reads like a Shakespearean tragedy. (This became more evident when one of my college tutors helped my simple mind to understand the plot of MacBeth by comparing it to Revenge of the Sith)
Halfway through the second the act of the film, Padme (played by Natalie Portman) can feel that she’s losing her husband to something bigger than themselves. She stands alone, gazing out onto the skyline. Meanwhile, her troubled spouse stands alone in the Jedi Council Chamber wondering where his conflicted emotions lie. As John Williams’ score quietly swells in the background, the camera cuts between the heartbroken lovers and Anakin sheds a tear, clearly demonstrating the pain that he’s in. As the sun sets on the day, it’s a metaphor for the sun now setting on the fate of the galaxy and a new darkness about to rise.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
One of the most stand-out and consistent performances of the prequel trilogy is that of Ian McDiarmid who played Senator Palpatine/Darth Sidious/The Emperor and who were of course all the same person. McDiarmid, a classically trained theatre actor in the United Kingdom, had played the role some sixteen years prior in Return of the Jedi. Here though, in the backstory of the Darth Vader, the actor had the chance to play one of the most complex and deeply woven villains in not just Star Wars but also modern cinema. McDiarmid received the most of amount of screen time to date in the prequel finale and rounds out the film’s main ensemble cast. His talents shine through the most, however, in the scene dubbed the ‘Space Opera’. Here is Palpatine at his best; sly, calculating and manipulative with all the wheels in motion of his master plan. As an increasingly brooding Anakin joins his father figure at the Opera, Palpatine regales the young Jedi with a nightmarish bedtime story; the tragedy of Darth Plageius, the wise. The words drip from McDiarmids’s lips so effortlessly that for a moment you’d be forgiven to thinking you were listening to real-life story.
Seeing this scene unfold in the cinema for the first time had the audience on the edge of their seats, hanging on Palpatine’s every word. It also served as a rare moment of quiet in the series in a scene that runs fairly long with only a conversation between the two characters for nearly six minutes but also showcases a powerhouse performance from a spine-tingling acting talent.
BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
It’s no secret that the Prequel Trilogy went through major story changes throughout its development but one constant that remained was that the story was building to its crescendo of the almighty battle between good and evil in the guise of Anakin Skywalker verses Obi-Wan Kenobi. Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor trained for months in Sydney to be able to pull off the fight that was decades in the making and the metaphors are obvious to see. The planet of Mustafar is built up of lava and thus represents not only Anakin’s descent to hell but also that of the galaxy that Obi-Wan is carrying on his shoulders. The score (Battle of the Heroes) is nothing less than one would expect form the legendary John Williams; a masterpiece. It could also be conceived that Mustafar represents a ‘baptism by fire’ for Anakin as he is reborn into Darth Vader.
Here, Lucas hits his stride and the tension is palpable in the build-up to the dual. Padme lies unconscious on the ground and Obi-Wan (who secretly jumped aboard her vessel to find Anakin) stands ready and firm as he knows what must be done. The viewer can feel the collapse of this relationship between former best friends. This is the moment fans had been waiting for since the saga said goodbye for the first time back in 1983 and now that it was here, it truly signalled the beginning of the end. As Anakin tells Obi-Wan that he will ‘try’ to stop him, lightsabers are ignited and the blue blades that fought side by side for so many years during the Clone Wars are now clashing with the fate of the dark side and light being felt with every blow. Cue the trumpets from the London Symphony Orchestra and the goose bumps on your arm will make themselves known time and time again.
DUAL OF THE FATES (THE PHANTOM MENACE)
While many, many fans at the time were left with a taste of ‘Bantha Poodoo’ in their mouths when Episode I arrived in theatres of May 1999, this once disdained film is now seen as a worthy entry to the saga and some critics have even conceded that while it still has its faults, it contains more creativity than all of the sequels combined. The film has some stand-out high points ranging from gorgeous production values throughout the entire film and of course the Podrace on Tatooine that left audiences breathless on first viewing. But one highlight in particular that was hailed as a visually stunning piece was the climactic battle between our Jedi heroes and the devilish new villain; Darth Maul. Nick Gillard, the stunt coordinator on all the prequel films, deserves full credit for the sheer ambition and detailed choreography of the fight from start to finish. Ray Park, who was cast for his flawless abilities in martial arts, elevates his fellow actors physical drive to deliver a fight unlike anything fans had seen up until this point.
Combine Mcgregor’s youthful enthusiasm with the physical strength of an actor like Neeson and add in a helpful serving of haunting music by John Williams and what we’re left with is nothing shy a brilliance. Lucas was adamant that he wanted to show the Jedi in their prime in these new series of films and ‘Dual of the Fates’ certainly delivers. Of course, one can’t help but wonder; if Qui-Gon Jinn hadn’t been cut down by Maul and the Jedi Master himself would have taken on training the young Skywalker; would he ever have succumbed to the dark side?
ORDER 66 (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
Towards the end of the second act of Episode III things really take a turn for the worse for the galaxy. Darth Sidious has completed his decade–long plan to turn Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side and his final steps spring to life. In most fans minds it seemed inevitable that the Clone Troopers of Episode II and III would become the Stormtroopers of the original trilogy but hardly anyone was expecting the events to quite pan out so tragically as they did. How the clones so obediently came to follow the directives of Palpatine were fleshed out heavily in the animated series The Clone Wars. All the clones were fixed with an ‘inhibitor chip’ inside their brains that simply lay in wait until the order was executed and this in turn would then activate their actions and convince them of the untruths of the newly declared Emperor. Some clones, such as Anakin’s close friend Captain Rex, figured out the real purpose of the chips and were able to escape their fate as custodians of the new Empire.
When Order 66 is played out on screen in Episode III, it tugs on the heartstrings as these supporting players that had developed their own fan-bases over 6 years met their demise. The most powerful moment in this montage, however, lies with Yoda who senses the destruction of his fellow Jedi brethren and clutches his heart in pain, terrible pain.
(Tip: When you’re ordering fast-food and your order number is ‘66’ try yelling out those famous words from the Emperor, ‘Execute Order 66’, and see who is a Star Wars fan….or who wants to call the authorities)
ANAKIN’S FAREWELL TO SHMI (THE PHANTOM MENACE)
The Phantom Menace is a film of innocence. This could be for the obvious reason that Lucas himself has stated it was made more kid-friendly as he knew the films would progressively get darker in tone as they went on but that doesn’t mean it’s a film without ‘tug-on-your-heartstrings’ moments. (It also shifted A LOT of merchandise that was ubiquitous at the time) Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson gives a commanding and complex performance as maverick Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. His motives are sometimes unclear and he regularly disobeys the Jedi Council on matters while he also displays a particular set of skills with the Force and a lightsaber. When Qui-Gon meets a young child named Anakin Skywalker, he becomes convinced that this boy is The Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force. After Qui-Gon ‘wins’ Anakin’s freedom in a game of chance from Watto and Anakin’s extraordinary abilities and gifts win him the Podrace, the moment comes to say goodbye his mother whose own freedom could not be bargained for by the Jedi Master.
It’s a powerful scene that speaks of nuanced storytelling and harkens back to a young Luke Skywalker gazing out on the twin suns in A New Hope. Here is Anakin Skywalker, a frightened and lost little boy who is bidding farewell to the only constant and love in his life. Here is a mother saying goodbye and wishing the best for her only son. These motifs are not unique to Star Wars but to us in the everyday life. ‘Be brave,’ Shmi tells her son. ‘And don’t look back. Don’t look back.’ These words could be sprung upon anyone in life and one wonders if Anakin Skywalker ever really shed the soul of that lost and lonely little boy.
‘YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE’ (REVENGE OF THE SITH)
The moment that spawned a million memes is truly the emotional epicentre of the prequel trilogy. Having had the ‘high ground’ (another meme worthy moment in fandom) and sliced off his former friend’s legs, a battered and bruised Obi-Wan Kenobi unleashed his agony and heartbreak while Anakin burns below.Anakin Skywalker is truly dead and Darth Vader has risen to take his place. The once Jedi hero has completed his decent into evil as he was blindsided and manipulated by The Emperor. ‘You were my brother, Anakin,’ cries Obi-Wan. ‘I loved you.’ To hear Obi-Wan say those words displays the anguish and guilt of a man who feels responsible for his friend’s destiny. Here Ewan McGregor is allowed to unleash his innate acting talent and gives us the heart and soul of a character that many saw as a bright spark in a much maligned trilogy.
For many, he was the closest thing fans got to this trilogy’s version of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Such is the love of the character that fans were hoping for years that McGregor would to return to the role and finally, after many stops and starts, fans once again felt the Force of the beloved Jedi Master in the Disney Plus limited series that began airing with a two-episode event on Friday 27th May 2022. (Originally scheduled for Wednesday 25th May, a date that marked the 45th Anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars in 1977) The series also saw the return of Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader and was directed by now Star Wars veteran Deborah Chow who handled some of the strongest episodes of season 1 of the The Mandalorian.
Guest article by Jonathan Hipkiss. You can find Jonathan on Facebook.
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