10 Greatest Complaints About The Prequel Trilogy (& Whether They Make Sense)

Summary

• Midi-chlorians confused fans and took away from the mystical nature of the Force in the prequel trilogy.
• Jar Jar Binks was criticized for being annoying but was actually meant for a younger audience.
• Viewers felt the Jedi were too flawed and the story was too focused on politics in the prequel trilogy.

These 10 complaints about the Star Wars prequel trilogy have been the loudest, but not all of them are accurate. The prequel trilogy is largely beloved among Star Wars movies and TV shows now, but when they were first released, they were generally poorly received. In fact, although many now consider the prequels to be among Star Wars’ best movies, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in particular, many of the initial complaints about the trilogy persist.

In part, complaints about the prequels stemmed from their place in the Star Wars timeline. Specifically, because the original Star Wars trilogy had been incredibly popular, to say the least, expectations for the prequels were almost impossibly high. Nevertheless, while some complaints about the prequels may bear little weight, others are more than legitimate.

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Related Star Wars: 10 Things That Make No Sense About The Prequels

Although Star Wars’ prequel trilogy movies have become beloved in the franchise, there are several things about them that still make no sense.

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10 Midi-Chlorians Are Too Technical

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

One of the biggest complaints about the prequel trilogy began in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace with the introduction of midi-chlorians. The exact definition of midi-chlorians has changed over the years in the franchise. Initially, in The Phantom Menace, they seemed to be an exact measurement of one’s power in the Force. Although the definition shifted over time, with midi-chlorians instead meaning someone’s potential in the Force, The Acolyte reinforced that midi-chlorians represent one’s Force-sensitivity.

In addition to confusion over how midi-chlorians work, though, the prequels faced considerable backlash about the midi-chlorians making Star Wars too ‘scientific.’ The argument essentially boiled down to the Force being taken from something mystical to something biological. For the most part, this complaint is fair; the Force should be something spiritual rather than something one is born with. However, Star Wars has gotten more creative with this concept over the years, making it more compelling.

9 Jar Jar Binks Was Too Much

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Jar Jar Binks was an extremely polarizing character in The Phantom Menace. Many found him to be quite annoying, both because of his manner of speaking and because of his at times overdone clumsiness. Sadly, this anger was misdirected at the voice actor for Jar Jar, Ahmed Best, who was highly criticized following the release of the movie. In truth, this came down to a decision made by George Lucas, which was out of Best’s hands.

Jar Jar Binks was an extremely polarizing character in
The Phantom Menace
.

In part, this complaint viewers have is a misunderstanding of the character; George Lucas intended Jar Jar to be for kids. After all, Lucas has always maintained that Star Wars is a franchise for children. In that sense, Jar Jar’s goofiness isn’t meant for adult audiences to enjoy. However, it’s true that Jar Jar’s personality and speech pattern do dominate some scenes in The Phantom Menace. Either way, though, the attacks on Ahmed Best were certainly uncalled for.

8 The Story Was Too Focused On Politics

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

One of the major issues audiences had with the prequel trilogy, although The Phantom Menace in particular, was how heavily it emphasized politics. While the original trilogy had obviously focused on the Empire, it still mainly consisted of stories of heroes and included numerous thrilling action sequences. The prequels also had heroes, stories of brotherhood and love, and excellent lightsaber battles, but it is true that they contained significantly more political storylines.

This began in The Phantom Menace with the blockade on Naboo and persisted throughout the trilogy, particularly pertaining to Palpatine’s grab for power. Although some political plots did drag on a bit too long, it is still fascinating how Palpatine weaponized the Senate against the Jedi and used his position of power to form his galactic empire. Arguably, the movies could have done away with some of these scenes, but this general arc remains interesting.

7 Anakin Shouldn’t Have Been A Child

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

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Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

Created By George Lucas Cast Bob Anderson , Hayden Christensen , James Earl Jones , Matt Lanter , Matt Lucas , Jake Lloyd , David Prowse , Sebastian Shaw First Appearance Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Alliance Jedi, Sith

Audiences were absolutely outraged that The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin Skywalker not as an already evil man or even a troubled teen, but rather as a child. In part, this was due to the original trilogy. Following on the heels of such an epic arc for Darth Vader, many wanted to see his evil origins and perhaps even Vader earlier on in his prime, during his rise to power. Instead, Anakin was revealed to be a sweet, thoughtful young boy who lived as a slave on Tatooine with his mother.

This is one example of a complaint that misses the point, however. Anakin beginning as an innocent child was essential to the story George Lucas was trying to tell. Specifically, the tragedy of Darth Vader is meant to reveal that anyone, even the most pure, can turn to evil when put in the right circumstances. Anakin experienced tremendous trauma and loss, and it led him to a place of fear and hatred. In the end, having Anakin’s story begin with him as a young boy was absolutely perfect.

6 The Jedi Seemed Too Flawed

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones

Although the Jedi seemed nearly mythical when they were described in the original trilogy, the prequels humanized them considerably, although that wasn’t always a good thing. In The Phantom Menace, it became clear that the Jedi did not always get along; there was plenty of disagreement, particularly with Qui-Gon Jinn and the Jedi Council. However, the flaws with the Jedi became considerably clearer in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

Attack of the Clones saw the Jedi accept a mysterious clone army in their name that they had no idea about, join a war despite their galactic role being peacekeepers and not soldiers, and work even closer with a secret Sith Lord. For this reason, many complained (and continue to complain) that the Jedi were simply too flawed. While the Jedi were still clearly on the good side, and although complexity is more realistic, at times, this did go a step too far. As just one example, if the Jedi were to become soldiers, they should have done so begrudgingly.

5 Obi-Wan And Anakin Don’t Share Enough Screen Time

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Created By George Lucas Cast Alec Guinness , Ewan McGregor First Appearance Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Alliance Jedi

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker were both characters audiences were already familiar with, but the prequels intensified their popularity in the franchise. In fact, this duo in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith became one of the most beloved aspects of the prequel trilogy. It is for this reason that many were disappointed to see their limited screen time together in the prequels.

In both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, there are multiple examples of Anakin and Obi-Wan parting ways and going on separate missions, which disappointed viewers who wanted to see the two working together more often. This complaint is fairly reasonable; the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith reveals how hilarious and brilliant the two were together, and it’s a shame that this wasn’t shown more often. Although this dynamic was deepened in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, that wasn’t quite the same.

4 The Dialogue Was Poorly Written

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones

One of the most famous complaints about the prequel trilogy is the dialogue, which audiences often found a bit on-the-nose or overdone. This was especially true for Anakin Skywalker’s lines in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Many of these lines, including Anakin’s comment to Padmé about not liking sand, have become very commonly used in memes and remain popular jokes in the franchise.

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Once he’d turned to the dark side, Anakin maintained his ego but became a bit out of touch with reality.

While it’s fair to say these lines were a bit heavy-handed at times, they were also largely true to Anakin’s character. A great example of this is Anakin’s speech on Mustafar, in which he says he has brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to his new Empire. Yes, that speech was grandiose, but that’s because of Anakin’s mental state at the time. Once he’d turned to the dark side, Anakin maintained his ego but became a bit out of touch with reality; his speech reflected that.

3 Padmé’s Response To The Tusken Raider Massacre Was Bewildering

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones

Padmé Amidala

Created By George Lucas Cast Natalie Portman , Catherine Taber First Appearance Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace Alliance Naboo, Republic

One of the most shocking moments in Attack of the Clones was Anakin’s brutal slaughter of the Tusken Raiders, which was arguably his first Darth Vader moment. However, while that was surprising enough, Padmé’s response was even more so. Padmé was known for being honorable and dedicated to justice, both in her role as Queen of Naboo and in the Senate. However, when she was confronted with the reality of what Anakin had done, she simply said that being angry is human.

This complaint is certainly warranted.

This was a wildly understated response to the horrible crime Anakin committed, and it has become a major complaint about the prequels for that reason. This complaint is certainly warranted. Not only was this out of step with Padmé’s character, but it was also such a terrible reaction that it tainted her image more broadly. Star Wars also has yet to make this any better with additional context, if there could be any.

2 Anakin’s Fall Happened Too Quickly

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

The suddenness of Anakin’s fall in Revenge of the Sith is one of the most significant issues viewers had and continue to have with the movie. Although Anakin had a number of moments, such as the incident with the Tusken Raiders, that revealed his steps toward the dark side, the scene in which he finally turns does happen rather suddenly. When faced with the choice between Mace Windu and Palpatine, Anakin chose Palpatine, cutting off Mace Windu’s hand in the process.

Palpatine then killed Mace Windu, and, after a quick moment of guilt and shame over what he had done, Anakin agreed to join Palpatine and was christened Darth Vader. Given all that had transpired, this did seem to be an odd moment for Anakin to fully commit to the dark side, even given its connection to his fear of losing Padmé. Although The Clone Wars added context to this moment, it is true that the switch was a bit too quick.

1 The Way Padmé Died Was Confusing And Didn’t Do Her Justice

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

Close

One of the largest complaints about the prequel trilogy is also one of the most valid. Many were very disappointed to see how Padmé died, even having expected her not to make it out of the prequels alive in light of the original trilogy. Specifically, Padmé died in labor seemingly of a broken heart. Although many other theories have been bounced around, it’s true that she is simply described as having lost the will to live, which was a very disappointing end to such a heroic character.

This truly was a disservice to the character Padmé was, and the complaints about her demise are more than valid. Hopefully, someday the franchise will offer a better explanation for her death. For now, though, this remains one of the most understandable complaints about the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

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