this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2026
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I've always defended the prequels. The OT was an existential fight for survival under the oppression of a tyrannical government. The prequels were a grand political thriller that utilized tragedy to set the stage for the OT. Attempting to view them as within the same sub-genre has always been a mistake.
But tracing the plot from:
"trade guild doesn't want to pay taxes" -> "blockades a peaceful planet" -> "republic sends knight-diplomats to negotiate" -> "they discover a plot to invade, and an attempt is made on their lives" -> "they escape to the planet, warn some people (and rescue captive government" -> "escape, have an engine failure, wind up in the middle of nowhere where they coincidentally encounter the chosen one and free him from his bondage" -> "trade guild forms full-blown separatist union" -> "chosen one grows up in an apprenticeship as the order or knight-diplomats attempt to manage the situation" -> "both sides secretly build an army, and eventually a clash ignites a full-scale war" -> "war culminates in the destruction of the separatists, albeit at the expense of liberty throughout the republic, which is then declared an empire, as the knight-diplomats are treacherously betrayed and destroyed"It couldn't have been any better, in my opinion.
Especially when you trace the thread of Palpatine as:
"senator of blockaded nation (secretly orchestrating the blockade)" -> "Ousts sitting chancellor and takes his place" -> "Secretly orchestrates separatist movement building an army" -> "Uses ensuing war to claim emergency powers" -> "Gradually consolidates power throughout the war until he becomes a de facto dictator" -> "Subtly manipulates the chosen one to gain his loyalty and plague him with fears about his loved-one" -> "Use his emotions to turn him to the dark side, reveals himself as a Sith lord, and orchestrates the betrayal and destruction of the Jedi Order" -> "Declares himself emperor" -> "Secretly builds a weapon of mass destruction" -> "Uses it to rule through fear and eventually dissolves the senate."Scrutinizing the screenwriting and acting is fair, but I think it misses the point. Monet wasn't famous for his brush strokes. If you go to an art museum, and examine his paintings under a magnifying glass (you might get yelled at to stand behind the invisible line), you'll probably wonder why he's so famous. Back up a few paces, and look at the whole painting, and suddenly you'll get it.
For me, the prequels aren't about the acting. They're about the plot. And I find it expertly crafted.
Idk if you can just ignore the acting in a movie, but I'll also always defend the prequels to some degree. Yes, George Lucas missed in terms of the tone, but as you said at it's core there is a compelling story. Unlike the sequels that have some great visuals, but completely fail in terms of story.
I mean they would certainly have been better with better acting, but my point was that if you look at the big picture, it holds up. You just might have to squint a little to blur out some of the finer details...
But yes, I think we can all agree that the sequels were criminally shit. High production costs ≠ good movies...