There are plenty of currents events and situations dividing people in recent years but the most pressing one may be about where we stand on the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Friendships are ended, wars fought and divorces had. So the question remains- are the Star Wars prequels any good?
The popular answer? No. The reason may be that perhaps it’s because of the boring script or maybe the tedious political plot throughout the entire trilogy. In fact, maybe JarJar Binks singlehandedly ruined the trilogy from the get-go. Regardless of what people’s opinions on the movies are, there are some good aspects to the prequel trilogy that I believe make it a necessary and overall satisfying story that needs to be told.
I personally love the Star Wars prequel trilogy. There is something about a beautiful, boring setup to a story that everyone knows that just intrigues me enough to see past the flaws.
The Bad
Those flaws may outnumber the good aspects of the movie but completely shunning the story would be a huge injustice to the greater Star Wars mythos. I’ll admit that there are some excruciatingly unnecessary additions that are introduced in the prequels such as JarJar, cringe-worthy acting, mundane dialogue, midichlorians and, in my opinion, using Jango Fett as anything more than just the genetic source for the clones (I’m talking about his weird role as sort of a bodyguard for Dooku).
The Good
That being said, the prequels also brought us lots of joy. This includes podracing, Obi-Wan as a Jedi Apprentice, the origin of the clones, and perhaps one of the most badass characters in the franchise, Darth Maul.
The Point
My argument is that if you gave another director the opportunity to remake the entire prequel trilogy and take on the same story, outline, and bones, it would’ve been a masterpiece.
The Russo Bros., who directed Avengers: Infinity War, claim that the movie was more of a Thanos story than anything else. Yes, there is a lot more going on than just his terrifying plan, but at the end of the day, it’s a movie about his story.
I feel the same way about the entire Star Wars franchise. One could say that the entirety of the 6 episodes is one long story about a man called Sheev Palpatine. Yes, Darth Sidious.
As a kid, I was fascinated by Palpatine’s secret life as Darth Sidious and his rise to power. It’s a necessary arc that needs to be covered in order to fully understand the state of the galaxy in the original Star Wars trilogy.
In Episodes 4-6, we hear small ramblings of the way the galaxy once was. The Jedi Knights were prominent forces in society, planets were free to live as they pleased and besides some political issues, things were generally peaceful.
House of Cards in Space?
One could argue that the actual Star Wars story even began long before the events of Episode 1 when Sheev Palpatine started his career as a politician. I say this because it was clearly his plan all along to infiltrate the government of the Galactic Republic and change it in his favor over time. Sort of like a space version of House of Cards, and I LOVE House of Cards!
Just think about it- When we first meet him, he’s a mere senator on Naboo. Who knows how long he was in politics before then! By the end of Episode 1, he is elected the Supreme Chancellor, both by manipulating then Chancellor Valorum and using his alter ego Darth Sidious to commit an act of war upon Naboo which would work in his favor as a Senator/Chancellor.
By the 2nd Episode, he orchestrates the creation of the clone army to take on the Separatists and their Droid Army, furthering his favor in the eyes of the Republic.
Then, by the end of Episode 3, he turns the Republic against the Jedi, issues Order 66, and secures an indefinite rule over the galaxy and uniting it into a Galactic Empire.
He is the one character that the entire franchise wouldn’t be the same without. Even Vader’s entire presence is only needed when he saves Palpatine from being executed by Mace Windu.
The Star Wars prequels were a necessary addition due to the fact that the entire franchise illustrates one man’s rise and fall in 6 movies. To say that the prequels should be banished from the Star Wars canon is to reject everything that built up to the original trilogy, be it good or bad.
To restate my argument, I believe that if JJ Abrams directed the prequels and was given the same basis, he would have made it much better. It’s not the story that is terrible, it’s the way in which it is told- with bad acting and unnecessary dialogue. If you look past those minor flaws, the prequels stand on their own and make up a fascinating trilogy all on its own. That’s why I love the Star Wars Prequels.
Tell us what you hate/love about the prequels in the comments below!
