by Introduction
When Star Wars first came to the big screen in 1977, it was originally only meant to be a single film. The story was told in a way that it could be a singular film. However, since it was accepted so well among viewers, Lucasfilm made a sequel called Empire Strikes Back. This film absolutely took off and did amazing among fans. Some fans even call it the best Star Wars film to date. With the amounting success that Lucasfilm was experiencing, they decided to make a final film, titled Return of the Jedi. This film wrapped up the trilogy very nicely. It left an opening for more stories to be told, but it also was a satisfying ending.
The Prequel Trilogy
For 16 years, there were no new Star Wars films. However, in 1999, the Prequel Trilogy began with The Phantom Menace. The Prequel Trilogy was made to tell the story of how Anakin became Darth Vader while also telling the story of the rise of the Empire and the fall of the Republic. While The Phantom Menace wasn’t the best Star Wars film and many hated it, we still got two more movies, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
While there were some characters that the audience didn’t like, viewers got to see more in-depth stories for characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker. All of these characters were mentioned in the Original Trilogy, so audiences enjoyed seeing these characters again and getting to learn more about them.
The Sequel Trilogy
10 years after the release of Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens was released in theaters. This was the beginning of the Sequel Trilogy. The Sequel Trilogy introduced a brand-new cast, while bringing back main characters from the Original Trilogy. The Force Awakens was marketed as the return of Star Wars and did very well at the box office.
However, once The Last Jedi was released, the Sequel Trilogy took a turn for the worst, with many fans upset with the way that it ended. However, despite its failure, Lucasfilm made one more film to conclude the Sequel Trilogy, and that film was just about as bad as The Last Jedi.
Why the Prequels are Better than the Sequels
For years Star Wars fans have had disagreements over which trilogy was better and which was worse. Based on a few things I think we can figure out which trilogy is better. The Prequels were set up originally to tell the story of what happened before the Original Trilogy. The Prequels did a great job at keeping the continuing flow of the Star Wars Universe.
However, the Sequel Trilogy does not match the flow of the Star Wars Universe. Many of the original characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo have completely different personalities that don’t match their characters. This lack of continuity in the Sequel Trilogy hurts it because it made the trilogy feel like a cash grab rather than a new story to tell. And having one main character from the Original Trilogy killed off in each Sequel Trilogy film did not help the trilogy at all. Star Wars fans went to these films hoping to see their favorite characters again. They didn’t want to see their favorite characters killed.
Even though we all knew how the Prequel Trilogy was going to end, we still got to experience the story of how everything came to be in the Original Trilogy. When you watch the Sequel Trilogy, there is no real story. Every film feels rushed and there is barely a storyline. In Rise of Skywalker they brought Palpatine back from the dead, which fans thought was so vanilla and bland.
Conclusion
Overall, I personally believe that the prequels are better than the sequels. There’s more story continuity, and the characters seem to match their respective personalities in the Original Trilogy. The characters had more growth and there were no unnecessary deaths. The Prequels felt like the writers cared to make a story unlike the Sequels. What are your thoughts about the Prequel and Sequel Trilogies? Let me know in the comments.
