There once was a time in Star Wars fandom when you could barely say the word “prequel” without someone getting mad. Those were dark times, all right—but those dark days are over now because guess what? Contrary to what you might have heard, the six Star Wars prequels actually form a fantastic story!
Wait, six Star Wars prequels? Oh, haven’t you heard?
If we expand the definition of “Star Wars prequel” to mean “any movie where the story takes place before the events of A New Hope,” then there are indeed six of them. The quality varies, but if you ask me, every single Star Wars movie ever made has at least a seed of something amazing in it. So here’s how to watch all the feature-length prequel stories in chronological order and thus get the most out of the amazing tragedy George Lucas always had in mind.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
As the first-ever Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace came out 22 years after A New Hope premiered in theaters and told the first part of a new story all about a young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a slave child and the formidable “Chosen One,” destined to grow up into the terrifying Darth Vader.
The response to The Phantom Menace divided fandom for a long, long time. But now that its child fans are all grown up (hi!), it’s safe to say it has aged like a fine wine.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Attack of the Clones is another Star Wars prequel that debuted to bad reviews but only gained more fans as time went on. This movie sees Anakin, now grown up into a dashing Hayden Christensen, reunite with Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala and sweep her up into a forbidden romance. You see, Jedi Knights are not supposed to fall in love, but that’s what has happened to our favorite sand-hating young Padawan. And, by the end of the movie, he’ll have blood on his hands as the darkness underneath begins to break free.
And in the midst of all that drama, the galaxy-wide Clone Wars start, which brings us to …
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Here’s where things get complicated. The Clone Wars actually came out after Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, but chronologically, it takes place between the second and third prequel trilogy movies. It’s the first ever animated Star Wars feature-length film, and it introduced Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan, to the world.
The movie essentially functions as a big pilot episode to The Clone Wars TV series, which to this day is considered one of the best Star Wars projects. Recently, Ahsoka’s experiences in the Clone Wars were revisited for the Ahsoka Disney+ TV show, and it was wonderful to see those scenes in live-action.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
In Revenge of the Sith, the final installment of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy, Anakin Skywalker falls to the dark side, forsaking his friends and fellow Jedi to save Padmé from dying in childbirth. Then she dies anyway. Such is the tragedy of Revenge of the Sith, and it wouldn’t have been the same if we hadn’t gotten to know Anakin throughout the other prequels.
By the end of the movie, the galaxy is under the rule of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is in exile on Tatooine (want to know how that went? Watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+!), and Anakin is seemingly lost forever behind the mask of Darth Vader. But new heroes, including his children, will soon rise to help save what has been lost …
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Okay, so it’s true that no one really asked for a movie exploring the origins of Han Solo, which were left pleasingly vague in the original Star Wars trilogy. Solo isn’t anywhere near as bad as you might have been led to believe, though. Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover do very well as a young Han and young Lando Calrissian, respectively, and the movie has a fanbase to this day.
Solo also brought Darth Maul, one of the stand-out characters of The Phantom Menace, back for a surprise cameo! But since there was never a Solo 2, despite plenty of people wanting one, this never went anywhere in the live-action movies. If you’re still desperate for more Darth Maul, be sure to watch The Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars Rebels.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
This acclaimed film takes us right up to the beginning of A New Hope. Rogue One is a smart, thoughtful story about the nature of rebellion and sacrifice and gave us some of the best characters in the entire Star Wars saga. Oh—Darth Vader also slaughters a corridor full of people in a fantastically chilling scene straight out of a monster movie. What more could you ask for?
Rogue One was so good it spawned its own prequel TV show, Andor, which is widely considered the best Star Wars television series ever made. Just before it debuted, writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy was asked what the appeal of the series was, seeing as viewers knew from the beginning Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) wasn’t going make it to old age. As reported by SyFy, Gilroy responded with the simple but stark statement, “We’re all living in a prequel. We’re all gonna die.” And thus, he neatly summed up the reason why these stories are so beloved.
(featured image: Lucasfilm)
Published: Sep 28, 2023 06:32 am