Everything about Star Wars Prequel Trilogy totally explained
The
prequel trilogy (commonly abbreviated
PT by fans) is a term used to describe the three films of the
Star Wars whose events take place before the
original trilogy. They are:
General synopsis
The Phantom Menace
In, the first film in the trilogy,
Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and
Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to the planet
Naboo to mediate a dispute between the
Galactic Republic and the corrupt
Trade Federation, and are charged with protecting Naboo's Queen,
Padmé Amidala. The three are unexpectedly routed to the planet
Tatooine, where they discover
Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old
slave, whom Qui-Gon believes to be destined to bring balance to
the Force.
After winning his freedom in a
podrace, Anakin reluctantly leaves his mother behind on Tatooine. In the ensuing
battle between the Naboo and the Trade Federation, Qui-Gon is killed in a battle with
Sith Lord Darth Maul, who is in turn slain by Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan promises his dying master that he'll train Anakin to become a Jedi Knight. Days later, Obi-Wan and Anakin are received as heroes on Naboo, honored by Queen Amidala — and the Republic's new Chancellor,
Palpatine.
Attack of the Clones
Ten years later, in, the mysterious Sith Lord Darth Sidious, along with disaffected Jedi Master
Count Dooku, start the Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatists, an alliance of planetary systems who want to
secede from the Republic. Palpatine amasses near
dictatorial
emergency powers in response to the supposed threat, and starts a
clone army for the Republic with which to fight the Separatists.
In the midst of this, a teenaged Anakin Skywalker is assigned to guard Padmé, who is now a Senator. The two eventually fall in love, even though such an emotional attachment is forbidden to Jedi. Anakin is further tempted away from the
Jedi Code by Palpatine, who subtly worsens the rift between him and Obi-Wan. The situation worsens when Anakin's mother, Shmi, is killed by
Tusken Raiders, and Anakin murders them in a fit of rage. The
Clone Wars break out soon afterward in a
battle on the planet Geonosis, during which Anakin loses his right arm in a
lightsaber duel with Dooku. He and Padmé are married days later, in a secret ceremony on Naboo, after escorting her home.
Revenge of the Sith
is set three years later, when Anakin has become a full-fledged Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan are called back from the
Outer Rim to Coruscant, to save Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by Dooku and
General Grievous, a Separatist
warlord. During the ensuing battle, Anakin kills Dooku in cold blood, at Palpatine's urging. He then reunites with Padmé, who tells him that she's pregnant, after returning to Coruscant. He is plagued by visions of her death in
childbirth, and vows to do anything to save her. Palpatine uses his fear to lure him to the dark side, telling him he can learn the ability to stop death. He eventually reveals himself to Anakin as none other than Darth Sidious.
When Anakin tells
Mace Windu of Palpatine's treachery, Windu leads a group of fellow Jedi Masters to arrest the Chancellor. During the confrontation, Palpatine kills all but Windu, and engages the Jedi Master in a fierce lightsaber duel. Anakin intervenes at the last moment out, giving Palpatine the opportunity to kill Windu. Anakin then pledges himself to the dark side and becomes the Sith Lord
Darth Vader. Thus indoctrinated in the ways of the Sith, he carries out Palpatine's orders to exterminate the Jedi. Palpatine seizes absolute power, and transforms the Republic into the oppressive
Galactic Empire.
Suspecting that Padmé has betrayed him to Obi-Wan, Anakin uses the dark side to choke his wife into unconsciousness. Anakin and Obi-Wan duel until Obi-Wan slices off both of Anakin's legs and his remaining human arm, leaving him to die from lava burns, but he's rescued by Palpatine, who revives him with a
life support suit of black body armor and
cybernetic limbs. Padmé dies in childbirth after delivering healthy twins,
Luke and
Leia. Obi-Wan and Jedi Master
Yoda decide that the children must be given new identities and hidden from the Empire.
Characters
Major
Locations
Major
Minor
Critical and commercial reaction
While all three films were huge commercial successes (
The Phantom Menace in particular breaking
box office records for an opening weekend), critical reaction was mixed. The first two films were generally commended for their visual effects, but the acting from some characters and screenwriting featured in them were panned. Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen, the two actors who portrayed Anakin, were both nominated for the
Golden Raspberry, or "Razzie" award, for "Worst Supporting Actor," while the first two films in the series were nominated for "Worst Picture" awards.
The Phantom Menace was especially panned for the character
Jar Jar Binks, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's bumbling sidekick; fans and critics alike lambasted the character as an obnoxious ploy to sell merchandise and appeal to child audiences. The character, who spoke in a slow-witted, cartoonish dialect, was even decried as a
racist caricature similar to
Stepin Fetchit. Lucas emphatically denied such assertions. This inspired the "Phantom Edit" made by critics.
Revenge of the Sith received more favorable reviews, making it the critically best-received of the trilogy. While Christensen's performance was again panned, the acting received higher marks than that featured in the previous two films, especially that of McGregor as the noble Obi-Wan and McDiarmid as the evil Palpatine. The script was generally seen as an improvement (playwright
Tom Stoppard performed an uncredited rewrite), but still received a great deal of criticism, particularly the dialogue in the romantic scenes between Anakin and Padmé; Film critic
Roger Ebert wrote that "greeting cards are more heartfelt" than that dialogue although Ebert give the movie a very positive review (3.5/4 Stars). Author
Neal Stephenson has pointed out that the prequels are unlike the original trilogy in that much of the films make no sense without an understanding of the unpresented backstory.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
In
February 2008, it was revealed that a new computer animated
Star Wars film, titled, is to be released on August 15, 2008. The film will be all in animation feature set between
Attack of the Clones and
Revenge of the Sith and the launch of a new .
References
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