Star Wars prequel trilogy

Did You Know?

• A 3D theatrical re-release of the trilogy was planned beginning with The Phantom Menace in February 2012, but was canceled after Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm.
• The trilogy was made available for streaming on Disney+ upon the service's launch in late 2019.
• Lucasfilm has altered the films with each home video release, though these changes are minor.

Background

Loose plans for a Star Wars prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original film and The Empire Strikes Back, according to producer Gary Kurtz. By 1981, George Lucas had decided to cancel further sequels, concluding the saga with Return of the Jedi, due to the stress of producing the original trilogy and pressure from his wife Marcia Lucas. Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in computer-generated imagery, inspired Lucas to revisit his saga. After viewing an early CGI test created by Industrial Light & Magic for Jurassic Park, Lucas described the moment as a major historical crossing. In 1992, Lucas acknowledged plans for the prequel trilogy in the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine, and announced them to Variety in late 1993. Producer Rick McCallum reached out to Frank Darabont for possible writing duties, but Lucas ultimately wrote the screenplays himself. Jeffrey Boam expressed interest in rewriting Lucas's scripts in 1995. Before Lucas chose to direct, Return of the Jedi director Richard Marquand had expressed interest in directing a prequel film until his death in 1987. The franchise's popularity was sustained by the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and a theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 updated those films with CGI.

Films

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, depicting Jedi encountering the young Anakin Skywalker and the corruption of the Galactic Senate by Darth Sidious. Episode II – Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002, jumps ahead ten years, showing Anakin as a Jedi apprentice pursuing a forbidden romance and the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the first PG-13 film in the franchise, was released on May 19, 2005, and depicts the annihilation of the Jedi Order via Order 66, the end of the Galactic Republic, the rise of the Galactic Empire, and Anakin's fall to the dark side and rebirth as Darth Vader. Senator Palpatine, secretly Darth Sidious, engineered the blockade to become Supreme Chancellor. The Jedi escape with Queen Padmé Amidala and Jar Jar Binks, land on Tatooine, and meet the slave Anakin Skywalker, whom Qui-Gon believes to be the prophesied Chosen One. Lucas began writing the first prequel screenplay in 1994, initially titled Episode I: The Beginning.

Themes

Lucas consciously paralleled scenes and dialogue between the prequel and original trilogies, particularly the journeys of Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke. He has referred to the first six episodic films as 'the tragedy of Darth Vader' and stated that the correct viewing order is by episode. The prequel trilogy contains references to Christianity, such as Darth Maul's design resembling traditional depictions of the devil, and Anakin as a Chosen One conceived of a virgin birth, though unlike Jesus he falls from grace. The saga draws heavily from the hero's journey as developed by Joseph Campbell. Political science is a key element, with Palpatine's rise from chancellor to emperor alluding to Adolf Hitler, and Lucas has drawn parallels to historical dictators including Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Richard Nixon. The Great Jedi Purge mirrors the Night of the Long Knives, and the corruption of the Galactic Republic is modeled after the fall of the Roman Republic.

Reception

The prequel trilogy received mixed reviews, with critical reception generally improving with each installment. Common criticisms included over-reliance on computer-generated imagery, wooden dialogue, slow-paced political scenes, and the comic relief character Jar Jar Binks, whose role was reduced after the first film. Several alien characters were accused of racial stereotypes: Jar Jar as a caricature of a stereotyped Jamaican, the Gungan species as a primitive African tribe, the Neimoidians as East Asian stereotypes, and Watto as a Jewish stereotype based on Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin. Lucas denied all accusations. Many expressed disappointment with the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, though Hayden Christensen's performance in the third film was more well received. Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi was generally praised. Natalie Portman expressed disappointment with the negative reception but noted that with time the trilogy has been re-evaluated by many who now love it. Some criticized the aesthetic clash with the original trilogy, as the prequels depict sleeker technology, though Lucas called this choice clever to illustrate halted innovation during civil war.