Why I Love the Prequels

Debut Blog:

Adam Stephenson

 

I love the prequels. There, I said it. It’s quite liberating, really. I wish I could say that I am that bold in everyday life when discussing Star Wars with friends. But, instead, I find myself smiling slightly when they criticize the acting. I chuckle when they immediately jump on Jar Jar. I hold my tongue when Anakin’s episode II characterization is bashed. I don’t say anything, but prequel-hate affects me.

Allow me to elaborate. I was born in 1983, the year Return of the Jedi came out. I never had that “Father-takes-his-son-to-see-Star Wars” experience. My experience with the original trilogy was VHS tapes (which I wore out) in the early-to-mid nineties. I grew to love Star Wars. I bought all the Power of the Force figures (you know, those ones where Luke has insane muscles). I began a collection of original figures at local antique shops. I even dabbled in the Thrawn Trilogy.

But then… 1999 came, and with it, the Phantom Menace. As a sixteen-year-old high school student, I attended an opening night showing with some buddies; it was my first experience seeing a Star Wars film in the theaters. It was phenomenal. When the doors opened and Darth Maul emerged, blasting the opening fanfare of “Duel of the Fates,” I got goosebumps. The entire, yes the ENTIRE, audience clapped and cheered when Obi-Wan managed to leap over Maul and cut him down. I had never witnessed such a spectacle at a movie before. The audience’s reaction solidified my love for this movie, as well as the cementing of Obi-Wan as my favorite character for the rest of my life. This ended up being the first film I saw in a theater multiple times.

In 2005, I was finally able to have that father-son moment. My dad, then in his fifties, took his adult son to see Revenge of the Sith. It was an experience I hope to recreate with my son someday. This is the beauty of Star Wars. People who were able to see the original films in theaters tell me that they feel a sense of nostalgia and personal connection to those films. I feel that way with the prequels. They have become “my trilogy,” and I take it personally when people bash them.

In future posts, I hope to elaborate on some of the intriguing, complex themes and characters that make the prequel trilogy better than you probably think it is.

May the Force be with you! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go force-choke a prequel-hater.

Adam

The Cantina Cast

The wretched hive your Jedi Master warned you about!

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