Summary
Over the years,Star Warshas finally come to give the prequel trilogy the love and recognition it always deserved; however, now the franchise needs to move on. The prequel trilogy truly did introduce some ofStar Wars’best charactersand has become beloved amongStar Warsmovies and TV shows. Yet, at first, they were considered to be some ofStar Wars’worst movies.
In fact, initially, the prequels received a significant amount of backlash. In the years since the trilogy was released, though, the fanbase has grown increasingly fond of this era and these characters, and, for this reason, the franchise has revisited this point intheStar Warstimelinein several new projects. While many of those additions have been amongStar Wars’best TV shows,it truly is time forStar Warsto explore new eras, new characters, and new stories.
10 Greatest Complaints About The Prequel Trilogy (& Whether They Make Sense)
There have been many complaints about the Star Wars prequel trilogy over the years, and these 10 are the most pervasive—but not all of them are valid.
Disney Initially Tried To Avoid The Prequels
Star Wars: The Force Awakensmakes it clear that, originally,DisneyStar Warsbelieved the prequel trilogy was best ignored. In fact, this led to one of the biggest complaints about the sequel trilogy.The Force Awakenshas a jarring number of similarities to the originalStar Warstrilogy,A New Hopein particular, making it clear that Disney anticipated the nostalgia for the original movies being the pull for audiences.
This impacted the villains, the heroes, and the actors in the sequel trilogy. Kylo Ren, who was arguably the biggest villain in the sequels (despite thatStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkertwist) was not only Darth Vader’s biological grandson but also mirrored his appearance and his role. Rey, like Luke, was a seeming nobody from a desert planet who learned she had incredible power in the Force. And, of course, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill (to a lesser extent) all played a role in the movie.
This largely backfired for DisneyStar Wars, as many viewers perceived these choices as redundant and unoriginal.
However, this largely backfired for DisneyStar Wars, as many viewers perceived these choices as redundant and unoriginal. By contrast,the sequel trilogy had very little connection with the prequel trilogy, and it avoided repeating those story arcs. In fact, even with the love triangle between Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren, the sequel trilogy steered clear of a romance like Padmé and Anakin’s, which was a large part of the prequel trilogy arc.
Star Wars Has Learned To Love The Prequels
Despite the avoidance of the prequels the sequel trilogy exhibited,DisneyStar Warshas since paid considerable attention to the prequel trilogy stories, characters, and actors. For one, shows likeStar Wars: The Clone Wars,Star Wars: The Bad Batch, andStar Wars Rebelshave either directly intersected with the prequel trilogy or have had strong connections to that era and its characters. More recently,Star Warsshows such asAhsokaandObi-Wan Kenobihave also directly built upon the prequels, including by seeing the return of fan-favorite actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor.
Even shows that seem distinct from the prequel trilogy have proven to be connected to this era.
In fact, even shows that seem distinct from the prequel trilogy have proven to be connected to this era.The Acolytewas an excellent example of this. Although the show was set 100 years beforeStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menaceand was billed as a show without prequel trilogy connections, it was more or less a setup for the issues that would arise in the prequels. This was proven not only with the clear parallels between Osha and Anakin Skywalker but also with the shocking Master Yoda cameo in the show’s finale.
In truth, many of these have been wonderful additions.The Bad Batchfleshed out the clone troopers in a way that finally respected their humanity and gave them full arcs (including, shockingly, several happy endings), andThe Clone WarsandRebelsrevealed so much more about the fall of the Jedi and the ramifications of their demise. Moreover, Christensen and McGregor are truly some ofStar Wars’best actors, and their returns have been incredible. Even so,Star Warsmay now be relying too heavily on the prequel trilogy.
Star Wars Needs To Evolve Beyond The Prequels
It’s been a positive turn in the franchise for the prequel trilogy to finally be receiving so much love and appreciation; however,there can be too much of a good thing. It’s true that the prequels did not deserve the hate they initially received, and the stories in the prequels are undoubtedly some of the most important inStar Wars. After all, the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the creation of the Empire are paramount in the franchise.
TheStar Warsuniverse is expansive, and there is so much more to explore.
Even so, though, theStar Warsuniverse is expansive, and there is so much more to explore.Needing new stories doesn’t detract from how great the prequels were; it just means that the franchise needs innovation to move forward, especially now that the Skywalker Saga is over. It remains to be seen whetherStar Warsis truly ready to move on from the Skywalker Saga, however.
As mentioned, even shows that seemed new, such asThe Acolyte, were not truly all that separate from the prequel trilogy. Moreover, the shows set during the Dark Times and the New Republic era—including genuinely innovative shows likeAndorandThe Mandalorian—are inherently linked to the Skywalker Saga. Thus far, then,Star Warshasn’t really pulled away.
UpcomingStar Warsprojects might be a bit more promising in that regard. Many ofStar Wars’upcoming moviesremain heavily under wraps, from Rey’sStar Warsmovie rumored to be titledNew Jedi Orderto the movie about the original Jedi thought to be titledDawn of the Jedi. Yet,New Jedi Orderis confirmed to take place 15 years afterThe Rise of Skywalker,andDawn of the Jediwill be set 25,000 years before the prequels.
Theoretically, newStar Warsmovies will therefore truly begin to move beyond the prequel trilogy and the Skywalker Saga. Notably, though, comments aboutNew Jedi Orderhave already indicated that the prequel trilogy Jedi Order’s rule against attachments will be implemented in Rey’s own Order, suggesting thatStar Wars’Jedi will continue to be shaped by that era. This raises questions about whether the franchise will ever completely move on from the prequels and the Jedi Order that George Lucas created.
George Lucas would have wanted to constantly bring something new toStar Wars.
In part, audiences may be hoping that’s true; many have been disappointed to seeStar Warschange hands from Lucas to Disney. However, the inability to move on from Lucas' prequels isn’t what Lucas would have done or wanted had he still been at the helm. Rather, George Lucas would have wanted to constantly bring something new toStar Wars. Hopefully, with the many upcoming projects in the works,Star Warswill finally do just that and move on from the prequels while still respecting how incredible they have been.
