The Star Wars prequel trilogy has officially made a comeback this year, over two decades after the release of Revenge of the Sith. When the prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies was first released, they were much more divisive than they are today. Critics panned the trilogy, hardcore fans outright hated it, and many people thought George Lucas had ruined one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all time.
When Disney purchased Lucasflim and Star Wars in 2012, the company immediately tried to distance itself from the prequel trilogy. The sequel trilogy, for example, was much more closely aligned with the original trilogy and moved away from staples of the prequels, like Coruscant and CGI creatures. Disney’s initial spinoff films, Rogue One and Solo, also focused heavily on the original trilogy while mostly ignoring the events of the prequels.
In the 21 years since the premiere of Revenge of the Sith, however, the prequel trilogy and its place in the Star Wars timeline have become more important than ever. Several Star Wars shows, from The Clone Wars to Maul – Shadow Lord, take place during or immediately after the prequel trilogy. Books, comics, games, and more have used elements of the prequels like Order 66 to great effect, and the entire trilogy has become a cornerstone of modern Star Wars.
As the prequel trilogy itself has grown in importance, the movies themselves have also been revisited. Disney re-released both The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith for their 25th and 20th anniversaries, Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor both returned for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and more. Now, Star Wars has officially brought a key part of the prequel trilogy back in a big way: the novelizations of the movies.
Disney Released The Novelizations Of The Prequel Trilogy With New Artwork
Every Star Wars movie has received a novelization, a book that retells the events of the movie with added details and characterization. When Disney reclassified the Star Wars Expanded Universe as Star Wars Legends, however, most of these novelizations became non-canon. As with most Legends material, Disney mostly ignored the novelizations of the prequel trilogy. But, as with the rest of the franchise, the prequels refused to be forgotten.
On June 2, Disney re-released the novelizations of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith as mass-market paperbacks (via Penguin Random House). Not only did Disney re-release the novels, they came with gorgeous new cover art by Devin Schoeffler. Disney has been re-releasing classic EU novels as the Essential Legends Collection since 2023, but the new covers for the prequel trilogy’s novelization are still a big deal.
The novelizations of the prequel trilogy, especially Matthew Stover’s take on Revenge of the Sith, are some of the best and most beloved Star Wars books ever written. Stover’s work in particular added mountains of lore to the Expanded Universe, from the lightsaber combat forms to explaining parts of Anakin’s downfall. While they may no longer be canon, these books are incredibly special to countless Star Wars fans.
The Star Wars Prequel Renaissance Has Completely Changed The Trilogy’s Legacy
The re-release of the prequel trilogy’s novelizations quite literally bring the trilogy back, but they also signify a more symbolic and important resurgence for the films. As previously mentioned, the prequel trilogy was widely criticized when it was released. For years, it seemed like the prequels as a whole would exist only as a black mark on an otherwise legendary franchise. That, however, is no longer the case.
The prequel trilogy has gone through a massive “renaissance” in the years since 2005. Spurred partially by the divisiveness of the sequel trilogy, partially by internet memes, partially by newer stories recontextualizing the movies, and largely by the kids who watched the prequels in theaters growing up to be adults, the trilogy is looked upon much more favorably now than it was 21 years ago.
Disney+’s 3-Part Sci-Fi Saga That Keeps Getting Better Has One Of Its Best Casts
The Star Wars prequel trilogy has an incredible cast of actors ranging from movie stars to classically-trained icons, and it has aged beautifully.
With the re-release of the novelizations, it’s now safe to say that the legacy of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies is drastically different than it once was. These films began as easy to mock movies filled with bad acting, convoluted plots, and glaringly bad CGI. Now, however, they’re regarded as genuinely moving and emotional stories, as a sweeping and remarkably timely political space opera, and as some of the best sci-fi fantasy movies out there.
Like the newly re-released novelizations, the Star Wars prequel trilogy has been completely revived. We’re now in an era where Attack of the Clones is just as important as Return of the Jedi, where prequel actors are celebrated instead of criticized, and where the novelizations of the movies get brand-new covers decades after their first publication. By every available metric, the Star Wars prequel trilogy is back and better than ever.
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- Movie(s)
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Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, Star Wars: New Jedi Order