15 Star Wars Retcons That Make The Prequel Trilogy So Much Better (& So Much More Tragic)

The Star Wars prequel trilogy ended in 2005, yet several stories since then have added plot points, characters, moments, and context to make the three George Lucas films even better and infinitely more tragic. The reception of the Star Wars prequels has drastically changed in recent years. What used to be classed as three of the worst-ranked Star Wars movies are now held in higher regard, driven primarily by the divisive reaction to Disney’s efforts in the franchise.

However, the films themselves have not changed. Instead, it is the reaction to the movies in the franchise under Disney’s tenure – which will likely continue to be divisive with upcoming Star Wars movies – that has improved the prequel trilogy’s reputation. That said, it is the ever-increasing number of Star Wars stories crafted in the prequel era, and the retcons they have provided, that have added heaps of context to the three Lucas-made films. These retcons have primarily come from the many Star Wars TV shows and succeeded in making the prequel trilogy much more heartbreaking and even better in retrospect.

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15 The Mortis Arc

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3

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The Clone Wars’ Mortis Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Overlords”	Season 3, Episode 15
“Altar of Mortis”	Season 3, Episode 16
“Ghosts of Mortis”	Season 3, Episode 17

One of the more intriguing arcs of Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ timeline was the exploration of the Mortis Gods. In this arc, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Obi-Wan Kenobi somehow find themselves lost in space on a mysterious planet. This planet grants them visions, premonitions, and even the ability to talk with beings through the Force. Eventually, it is revealed as a conduit through which all the Force in the universe flows, run by Force deities known as the Mortis Gods.

Related Mortis Gods Explained: Star Wars History, Powers, Planet & Importance

The Mortis gods are some of Star Wars’ most powerful Force-wielders, and Dave Filoni is using them to unite The Clone Wars, Rebels, and now Ahsoka.

The Mortis Gods are called the Father (balance), the Daughter (light), and the Son (darkness). In The Clone Wars, they serve as a personification of Anakin’s journey to becoming the Chosen One of the Force as he grapples with light, darkness, and balance. Anakin is shown visions of his future and the horrible things he will do before having his memory wiped. In the way it sums up Anakin’s struggles with light and dark and teases at his dark deeds as Vader, the Mortis Arc recontextualizes Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in an epic, mysterious, tragic way.

14 The Umbara Arc

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4

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The Clone Wars’ Umbara Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Darkness on Umbara”	Season 4, Episode 7
“The General”	Season 4, Episode 8
“Plan of Dissent”	Season 4, Episode 9
“Carnage of Krell”	Season 4, Episode 10

Another arc that makes the prequel trilogy equally better and more tragic is The Clone Wars’ Umbara arc. This arc centered around the Battle of Umbara in which the 501st clone battalion operates under General Krell when Anakin Skywalker is called away from the planet. The clones eventually uncover a dark conspiracy surrounding Krell and his dislike for clones, which provides the biggest insight into the clones as living breathing people more than any other arc in the show. In fleshing out the clones as likable characters, their betrayal of the Jedi during Order 66 is made much more impactful.

13 Obi-Wan’s Undercover Arc

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 4

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The Clone Wars’ Undercover Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Deception”	Season 4, Episode 15
“Friends and Enemies”	Season 4, Episode 16
“The Box”	Season 4, Episode 17
“Crisis on Naboo”	Season 4, Episode 18

Anakin Skywalker’s turn against the Jedi was viewed as too sudden when the prequels were released, yet The Clone Wars’ Undercover arc adds much more context. In the latter, Obi-Wan Kenobi fakes his death without Anakin being told to make it seem real, thus allowing Kenobi to infiltrate a criminal organization and uncover one of Count Dooku’s plans during the war. As Anakin tries to avenge Kenobi’s “death,” his dark tendencies are highlighted much more. This alone makes the prequels better by way of foreshadowing, but it is the Council’s deception that adds context to Anakin’s eventual betrayal and distrust.

12 Maul’s Murder Of Satine Kryze

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5

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The Clone Wars’ Mandalore Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Eminence”	Season 5, Episode 14
“Shades of Reason”	See more : How to Get the Archeology Skill in The Sims 4? Season 5, Episode 15
“The Lawless”	Season 5, Episode 16

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Maul has long been held in high regard as one of Star Wars’ best-ever action scenes due to its choreography, though Maul’s characterization when Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released was criticized. Since then, however, retcons about Maul’s journey have made his inclusion in the prequel era so much better. Maul was revealed as alive in The Clone Wars, where he was shown to be consumed by revenge against Kenobi, culminating in the villain taking over Mandalore and holding Kenobi’s friend – and former lover – Satine Kryze captive.

The most shocking moment of their rivalry in
The Clone Wars
is when Maul kills Satine, someone Kenobi admitted he would have left the Jedi Order for…

From this development to the various clashes between Maul and Kenobi that surround it, their rivalry is massively improved. Not only does this benefit The Phantom Menace on rewatch, as audiences now know what is to come between the two, but it improves Kenobi’s character as a whole. The most shocking moment of their rivalry in The Clone Wars is when Maul kills Satine, someone Kenobi admitted he would have left the Jedi Order for if she had asked. Knowing this happens, Kenobi’s prequel film appearances are made more tragic by the undercurrent of loss, grief, and heartbreak.

11 Ahsoka Leaving The Jedi Order

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 5

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The Clone Wars’ Ahsoka Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Sabotage”	Season 5, Episode 17
“The Jedi Who Knew Too Much”	Season 5, Episode 18
“To Catch a Jedi”	Season 5, Episode 19
“The Wrong Jedi”	Season 5, Episode 20

The primary reason behind Anakin’s fall to the dark side is his drive to save the lives of those he loves, something made even more sympathetic, reasonable, tragic, and believable due to Ahsoka’s timeline in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano was introduced as Anakin’s Padawan in the show and their relationship quickly became a fan-favorite. However, it ended somewhat sadly when Ahsoka was framed for a bombing of the Jedi Temple, which eventually ended in her leaving the Order as it had shaken her faith in their methods.

Related Why Ahsoka Left The Jedi Order

Ahsoka Tano left the Jedi Order at the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 5 and never returned, despite later fighting the Empire.

After Ahsoka leaves the Jedi, Anakin becomes somewhat lost for a while. His distrust in the Jedi Order only increases as a result of their treatment of Ahsoka, and he begins to blame himself for what he could have done to help his Padawan. This adds an invaluable level of context to his drive to protect Padmé in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, one of the few true relationships he has left. As such, Anakin’s turn to the dark side in the name of protecting those he loves is made so much better, and unendingly more upsetting.

10 Fives’ Order 66 Arc

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6

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The Clone Wars’ Order 66 Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“The Unknown”	Season 6, Episode 1
“Conspiracy”	Season 6, Episode 2
“Fugitive”	Season 6, Episode 3
“Orders”	Season 6, Episode 4

This arc centers around clone trooper Fives, one of The Clone Wars’ Domino Squadron, investigating the murder of a Jedi by a fellow clone. Across four episodes, Fives begins to uncover the conspiracy of Order 66 itself, yet finds himself on the run from Chancellor Palpatine, who is trying to silence the clone. Via this arc, the impacts of Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith are made infinitely more harrowing for a number of reasons.

The idea that Order 66 was a result of Inhibitor Chips that controlled the clones alone is a massive retcon to the prequels that improved the movies.

Star Wars’ Order 66 was always sad as the Jedi were being killed, but The Clone Wars’ various retcons to make audiences care about the clones means audiences care about both sides upon rewatch. More so than that, Fives’ arc showcases that Order 66 was against the clones’ will, and reveals the heartbreaking fact that the Jedi were so close to uncovering the conspiracy before Fives was tragically killed.

9 Yoda Sensing Palpatine’s Darkness

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6

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The Clone Wars’ Yoda Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Voices”	Season 6, Episode 11
“Destiny”	Season 6, Episode 12
“Sacrifice”	Season 6, Episode 13

Throughout the prequel era, Yoda sensed Palpatine’s darkness many times. In The Clone Wars season 6, Yoda is shown a vision through the Force on the Sith planet of Moraband. There, he battles the apparition of Darth Sidious without realizing he is Chancellor Palpatine. With Yoda coming so close to uncovering one of the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars, the eventual rise of Palpatine in the prequels is made much more frustrating but thus, a better story.

A book by E.K. Johnson,
Queen’s Peril
, also shows that Yoda sensed Palpatine’s darkness before
The Phantom Menace
, adding to the improvement of the prequels.

8 The Siege Of Mandalore Arc

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7

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See more : Tina Fey Ethnicity, What is Tina Fey’s Ethnicity? The Clone Wars’ Siege of Mandalore Episodes	Season & Episode Number
“Old Friends Not Forgotten”	Season 7, Episode 1
“The Phantom Apprentice”	Season 7, Episode 2
“Shattered”	Season 7, Episode 3
“Victory and Death”	Season 7, Episode 4

The Siege of Mandalore arc runs concurrently with Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and the second installment culminates with Maul offering Ahsoka the chance to stop Sidious and prevent Anakin’s fall. Ahsoka does not believe Maul and the two come to blows, making Anakin’s fall to the dark side that much sadder as it was almost prevented. Similarly, rewatching Order 66 is made even better as The Siege of Mandalore arc brings to mind what is happening to characters audiences care about – like Ahsoka, Rex, and the 501st – across the galaxy.

7 Post-Order 66 Clone Life

Star Wars: The Bad Batch & Obi-Wan Kenobi

Little of the clones were shown in the chronological order of Star Wars after the release of the prequels. However, retcons found in Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Obi-Wan Kenobi make their lives much sadder. In the former, it is explored how the clones were discarded by the Empire without much thought, as well as how some clones dealt with the immense guilt of betraying the Jedi during Order 66. This, combined with the depiction of a homeless clone veteran in Obi-Wan Kenobi, makes the clones’ story in the prequel movies much more miserable, knowing how most of their stories ended.

6 Anakin’s Relationship With Jedi Younglings

Star Wars Brotherhood

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The book Star Wars Brotherhood is set near the beginning of the Clone Wars. In this book, Anakin is shown to mentor several younglings during his time as a Jedi Knight. This makes sense given Anakin’s power within the Jedi Order and his role in later training Ahsoka, but makes one element of the prequels, Anakin’s darkest crime in Revenge of the Sith, more heartbreaking.

Related Anakin’s Worst Revenge Of The Sith Crime Caused Unexpected Problems For Palpatine

A new Star Wars theory suggests Anakin’s darkest moment in Revenge of the Sith may have caused issues for Palpatine down the line.

The crime in question is Anakin’s massacre of the Jedi younglings. The added knowledge that Anakin may have known some of these younglings and that they, in turn, respected and trusted him makes their murders even more harrowing. If Anakin and these younglings were complete strangers to each other, the horrifying act may have been ever so slightly lessened. That said, Anakin’s former connection to some of them infinitely worsens his dark deeds.

5 Obi-Wan Knew Of Anakin & Padmé’s Relationship

Star Wars Brotherhood & Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7

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Obi-Wan is already an immensely sympathetic character, but the fact that he knew of Anakin and Padmé’s relationship since their marriage makes investing in him in the prequels even easier. This fact was retconned after the prequel trilogy, in which it was only hinted that he knew of their connection. In Brotherhood, it was revealed that Obi-Wan saw Anakin and Padmé together shortly after their marriage.

Obi-Wan just wanted his brother to have a peaceful, happy life, making him a better, more complex character in the prequels…

Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 also has a scene in which Anakin is trying to conceal a call with Padmé, yet Obi-Wan sees right through it. Obi-Wan just wanted his brother to have a peaceful, happy life, making him a better, more complex character in the prequels by looking the other way. Simultaneously, this reality is sadder knowing he could have prevented Anakin’s downfall if he helped the latter through his complex relationship.

4 Dooku & Yaddle’s Fate

Tales of the Jedi

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One of the more mysterious, frustrating, unexplained aspects of the prequel trilogy was what happened to Yaddle between Star Wars: Episode I – T he Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The Jedi of Yoda’s species simply disappeared, leaving many wondering why. In 2022, a Star Wars retcon made this mystery so much more satisfying and harrowing thanks to Tales of the Jedi.

Related 25 Years After TPM, Star Wars Has Turned Master Yaddle Into One Of The Coolest Jedi

After years of Star Wars largely ignoring the little green Jedi, Yaddle has had a serious resurgence in recent years – that could grow even further.

The reveal that Yaddle discovered Dooku’s fall to the dark side and was subsequently killed by him after trying to convince him to come back to the light makes her absence in Episode II immeasurably more tragic. With Dooku also present in the second prequel film, it is easier for audiences to root against him with the retcon in mind. Furthermore, Tales of the Jedi benefitted the prequels in the same way The Clone Wars did via Anakin by exploring Dooku’s distrust of the Jedi.

3 Twin Suns

Star Wars Rebels

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It was not only Star Wars: The Clone Wars that improved Obi-Wan and Maul’s rivalry from the prequels, but Star Wars Rebels too. In the latter, the two have one final, fatal confrontation in the deserts of Tatooine as Obi-Wan kills Maul once and for all. In the same way that the Duel of the Fates is made better by knowing what happens between Obi-Wan and Maul after their confrontation, it is also improved thanks to the knowledge of how their story ends.

Twin Suns makes Duel of the Fates’ choreography hold thematic resonance, as Maul tries to kill Kenobi using the same moves he used against Qui-Gon Jinn.

2 Obi-Wan vs. Vader

Obi-Wan Kenobi

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The final battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi dramatically improves the prequels. The relationship between the two characters was one of the strongest aspects of the prequels anyway, but the depth added to it by their fight is incredible. Not only do Obi-Wan Kenobi and Revenge of the Sith mutually benefit each other as a result, but the added depth of transitioning Kenobi and Vader’s relationship between the prequels and the originals is another reason the retcon works so well.

1 Star Wars’ Other Order 66 Survivors

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Finally, the last series of retcons that makes the Star Wars prequel trilogy even better links back to Order 66. In several stories since Revenge of the Sith, plenty more survivors of Order 66 in Star Wars have been revealed. From the likes of Cal Kestis, Grogu, Kelleran Beq, Ahsoka, and Kanan Jarrus to name only a small handful, the list of Order 66 survivors grows.

While some argue this is detrimental to the severity of Order 66, that argument falls apart when realizing only 50 or so of 10,000 Jedi survived the event. With the knowledge of these other survivors, the Order 66 scene in Revenge of the Sith is made equally better and tragic. Not only does the scene in Star Wars bring to mind the other harrowing events Jedi across the galaxy are undertaking, but it is made better due to the hope these other survivors instill for a better future. After all, hope has long been at the center of Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 4.0 6

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The animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place between Episodes 2 and 3 of the Star Wars film saga. The fan-favorite series expands the story of the prequel trilogy through characters including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and more fan-favorite jedi.

Cast Matt Lanter , James Arnold Taylor , Ashley Eckstein , Dee Bradley Baker , Matthew Wood , Tom Kane , Catherine Taber , Terrence Carson , Corey Burton , Nika Futterman , Katee Sackhoff , Sam Witwer Release Date October 3, 2008 Seasons 7 Network Disney Channel Writers Dave Filoni , George Lucas Directors Dave Filoni Showrunner Dave Filoni Expand

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Category: Entertainment