8 Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Controversies Where George Lucas Was Right (& We Were Totally Wrong)

The Star Wars prequel trilogy movies have been controversial among Star Wars movies and TV shows since they were released, but these 8 controversies prove that, sometimes, George Lucas got it right and we got it wrong. The prequels had arguably the most difficult task of any Star Wars projects since the original trilogy. The original Star Wars trilogy comprises some of Star Wars’ best movies, and even by the 90s, when the prequels began, the original trilogy movies had already become beloved cult classics.

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As the very first movie installments since the original trilogy, the prequels had the Herculean task of living up to the likes of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Although they have since become considerably more popular, the prequels struggled in part for this reason, and there were a number of complaints about the prequel trilogy movies that remain pressing to this day. Yet, these 8 controversies prove that, on occasion, audiences got it wrong, and George Lucas was in the right.

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Midi-Chlorians Work (Or, At Least, They Did)

This Was One Of The Least Popular Prequel Trilogy Concepts

One of the most controversial additions to Star Wars in the prequel trilogy was midi-chlorians, which were introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. When Qui-Gon Jinn encountered Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, he immediately sensed his strength in the Force. To test that, he sent a blood sample to Obi-Wan, who used it to identify Anakin’s midi-chlorian count—suggesting midi-chlorians directly measure one’s power in the Force.

One of the most controversial additions to Star Wars in the prequel trilogy was midi-chlorians.

Star Wars has since gone back and forth on whether midi-chlorians are a measure of one’s Force ability or their potential in the Force, but, in either case, audiences largely disliked the way midi-chlorians made the Force scientific. While I can see why that was a frustration, I actually feel the concept of midi-chlorians works rather well—at least before the definition began changing. They help to explain why the Force spans many races in Star Wars and why characters’ strength in the Force varies so significantly.

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Anakin’s Fall To The Dark Side Isn’t Really Sudden

Many Viewers Felt This Turn Was Too Quick

Another prominent complaint about the prequels has long been that Anakin’s fall to the dark side in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith happens too suddenly. This argument stems from the fact that, in Palpatine’s office, Anakin seems to make the decision rather quickly to betray Mace Windu and then accept Palpatine as his Sith master. Realistically, though, Anakin’s fall had actually taken place incrementally, with that moment just being the breaking point.

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There were in fact many defining moments in Anakin’s fall to the dark side, most of which were shown in the prequels (although Star Wars: The Clone Wars fleshed this out as well). Given those events, it isn’t accurate to say that this moment in Revenge of the Sith was Anakin’s ‘sudden’ turn to the dark side. If anything, Anakin’s fall to the dark side confirms that turning to the dark side can be more a trickle and less a flood.

Anakin’s fall to the dark side confirms that turning to the dark side can be more a trickle and less a flood.

Anakin Absolutely Should Have Been A Child In The Phantom Menace

This Choice Was A Necessary Part Of Anakin’s Story

One of the most heated debates about the prequels is also the one I find most bewildering. There was significant backlash in response to Anakin being a child in The Phantom Menace, but I have always thought this was pivotal to Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars timeline. Return of the Jedi had shown Darth Vader’s redemption, but the prequels had to go back and show all that he had done throughout his fall to the dark side.

This posed the serious risk of making his inevitable redemption feel less believable and/or undercutting that story entirely by making him unforgivable. With horrible events like Order 66, during which Anakin/Vader slaughtered younglings, coming down the line, it was imperative to show how innocent Anakin had once been. This also reinforced George Lucas’ message that anyone, no matter how pure, could fall to the dark side if subjected to the right circumstances.

It was imperative to show how innocent Anakin had once been.

Palpatine’s Deception Of The Jedi Is More Complex Than It Seems

The Prequels Make It Clear Why The Jedi Didn’t See The Truth

One complaint I’ve often voiced but have since changed my mind about is the fact that the Jedi are completely blind to Palpatine’s true nature as a Sith Lord. Over time, though, I’ve come to realize that there are a host of reasons Palpatine’s ploy was successful, and many of them explain this seemingly glaring oversight by the Jedi. For one, it seems Palpatine was making use of one of the Force powers in Star Wars, Force concealment.

As the name of the ability suggests, this allows a Force user—particularly a dark side Force user—to hide themselves in the Force. In addition to that blockade, Palpatine’s cunning scheme had also left the Jedi’s hands largely tied. It’s clear they were concerned with Palpatine’s growing power and had even begun to suspect Palpatine as the Sith, but he had positioned himself in the Senate such that the Jedi coming out against him would only have seemed treasonous, as it ultimately did before Order 66.

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The Political Focus Of The Prequels Was Essential

Some Found This Boring, But The Politics Were Key (And Very Intentional)

Just as audiences disliked the way that midi-chlorians made the Force too scientific, many complained that the prequels were too heavily focused on politics. Admittedly, as a kid of the 90s, most of this went completely over my head when I first watched the movies—contradicting the idea that Star Wars is for kids somewhat. However, now that I’m older, I completely respect Lucas’ choice regarding the political focus of these movies and understand that the emphasis on politics throughout the prequels was necessary for the story to work.

As mentioned, a massive part of Palpatine’s plan was to manipulate the political system in his favor; after all, he needed to establish an Empire. Arguably more important, though, George Lucas always intended for Star Wars to be political, and he has said so time and again, dating as far back as the original trilogy. With the original movies already beloved and well-respected, Lucas had the ability to explore these ideas further, and he did.

George Lucas always intended for Star Wars to be political.

Anakin’s Dialogue Reflects His Immaturity And Emotional Shortcomings

The Dialogue Of The Prequels (Especially Anakin’s) Was Highly Criticized

Perhaps the single biggest complaint about the prequel trilogy is the dialogue, especially Anakin’s dialogue in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. This unfortunately led to harsh criticism of Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen, which was always unfair, given Christensen hadn’t been the one to write the lines. Even outside that, though, the dialogue in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith is actually perfectly suited to Anakin’s character.

This dialogue has been criticized for being whiny, too on the nose, and unrealistic. However, this is entirely consistent with Anakin’s behavior at the time, especially in Attack of the Clones. Anakin was frequently over the top, emotional, and grandiose, not only in his speech but also in his attitude and perception of himself. I’ve never taken issue with his dialogue in the prequels because, frankly, these all seem like things Anakin would absolutely say.

The Chosen One Prophecy Made Anakin’s Story Better

This Storyline Made Sense For Anakin Skywalker

Similar to the complaints about midi-chlorians pertaining to changes to the Force and the Jedi in Star Wars, the Chosen One prophecy, introduced in The Phantom Menace, was heavily criticized. Many found this prophecy and what it meant for Anakin’s character to be far too spiritual/religious in nature. That Anakin was evidently the result of a virgin birth—which is overtly Messianic—made this all the worse.

I am a major defender of the Chosen One prophecy and its importance to Anakin’s story, though. Anakin simply could not believably be just any other Jedi. He had fundamentally reshaped the Jedi and the galaxy at multiple points, and providing an explanation for this made all the sense in the world. This also made his ultimate redemption all the more profound.

Showing The Flaws Of The Jedi Was The Right Choice

Nuanced Jedi Are So Much More Interesting

Following the original trilogy, throughout which the Jedi were presented as the ultimate heroes, many viewers also took issue with the prequels revealing more of the flaws of the Jedi. This included a host of issues, from overlooking Palpatine being one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith to their treatment of Anakin from the moment they met him. While it may be a harsh reality to accept, it was important for Star Wars to confirm that the Jedi were not faultless or flawless.

This doesn’t mean the Jedi aren’t the heroes, though—they are absolutely presented as the good guys, even when their flaws are clear. Ultimately, this just made the Jedi seem all the more realistic, as no one can be purely good and without fault all the time. While I can see where many of these Star Wars prequel trilogy controversies are coming from, these 8 examples show that, sometimes, George Lucas got it right, and we got it wrong.

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