Most people see the Star Wars prequel trilogy as the least successful trilogy in the Star Wars universe, but it should go without saying that "unsuccessful" in Star Wars terms is still insanely successful by any normal and rational metric. And while there were elements of the prequels that were very hit or miss, it was still a trio of films that reinvigorated one of the most iconic film franchises in history and that inspired awe and adoration from Star Wars fans and casual viewers alike.
And just like every other element of the Star Wars universe, the Star Wars prequel series inspired a lot of very intense fanboying and fangirling among Star Wars die-hards. And fans love to express their dedication to whatever it is that they love in a lot of different ways, but one of the most powerful and permanent ways to demonstrate their devotion is in a tattoo. So here are 10 tattoos dedicated the Star Wars prequels that only real fans will understand.
More Machine Than Man
There are a lot of reasonable criticisms that can be levied against the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but it's very hard to deny that their villains are some of the coolest and most frightening bad guys in the entire Star Wars universe. General Grievous is a character that didn't get a whole lot of screen time in the prequel films, but his character got a lot of development in the Star Wars extended universe.
And boy, did that development make him even better. This being that is a terrifying hodgepodge of living flesh and machine is one of the most visually striking and generally interesting characters in the prequel series.
Matching Motifs
Matching tattoos can always be a bit of a risk, especially if they're shared between people who don't have a permanent relationship. But the pair that got these tattoos did it right, because they are tattoos that are stunning and unique on their own and they look even cooler when they're together.
The combination of a white-eyed Queen Amidala and Darth Vader are obviously tied together deeply within the story, and the artistic flourishes in these tattoos like the stippled style and the floral halo motif make these works of art very unique and beautiful images to commit permanently to skin.
Immortalized Romance
Some elements of the Star Wars prequel trilogy are clunkier than others, and honestly George Lucas' ability to write believable romance came into question when the love saga of Padme and Anakin became the focal point of the first three installments into the Star Wars series.
But it comes as no surprise that a lot of Star Wars fans were invested in their characters and their relationship anyways, because ultimately the relationship between Queen Amidala and the man who would become Darth Vader is the catalyst for nearly everything that has ever happened in the big screen Star Wars saga.
A Dark Turn
After literal decades of radio silence, Star Wars auteur George Lucas announced that he was finally going to be revisiting his most beloved fictional work and tell the world the origin story that spawned Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI.
And understandably the world went nuts, and Star Wars fans were dreaming of all of the new things they would see and all of the questions that were about to be answered. And although there was hype surrounding absolutely everything, what the world was likely most intrigued by was how exactly Anakin Skywalker transformed into Darth Vader, a character arc that is perfectly encapsulated in this tattoo.
Iconic Villains
Aside from the fact that General Grievous and Jango Fett are just super cool characters who are worthy of a tattoo in their own right, they seem to make especially good subjects for this particular art form.
It's possible to get tattoos of human faces and living things that look very realistic, or can at least be styled in a way that looks really cool, but these kind of inhuman characters are a pretty much guaranteed successes because their appearance in the films already lends itself very well to a colorful, two dimensional tattoo design, and clearly the artist and owner of these tattoos totally understood that.
Transformative Artwork
When Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace first began, it was difficult to comprehend how the adorable boy known as Anakin Skywalker was eventually going to become one of the most evil and powerful villains in the entire galaxy.
And obviously Anakin/Darth Vader is one of the most popular and beloved subjects that Star Wars fans like to honor in tattoo form, but this artistic interpretation of Anakin and Vader is particularly beautiful and inventive. The colorwork and the adaptation of Jake Lloyd's face is particularly impressive, and the transition from baby Anakin's face into Darth Vader is as stunning as it is terrifying.
No Ragrats
Well, the owner of this tattoo can certainly be proud of at least one thing, he undoubtedly has a completely original tattoo that no one else in the world has. It's interesting to finally see the one man on earth who is a super fan of Jar-Jar Binks, and this full back tattoo devoted to his fave is honestly iconic.
The artwork itself actually deserves a whole lot of accolades, because it's a more accurate and realistic representation of the character than 90% of the Star Wars tattoos in the world. And the man at least has a tattoo that will always make an attention-getting and fantastic conversation piece.
A Realistic Portrait
Getting a real human's face tattooed on your body is an incredibly risky game to play, because getting that kind of artwork right can be incredibly difficult and it's very easy for the artistic adaptation to go horribly wrong, and if it does then you're still stuck with it on your body for the rest of your life.
But this portrait of Natalie Portman as Queen Amidala is an absolutely stunning piece of work. The detail on the tattoo is absolutely insane, and the face on this tattoo is an absolutely spot on two-dimensional interpretation of Natalie Portman's real life face.
The Moral Of The Story
Within the overall Star Wars saga, it's hard to deny that Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the few consistent bright spots throughout the story. And it's also fair to say that Scottish actor Ewan McGregor did a fantastic job portraying him in the prequel trilogy, even though his material was sometimes lacking.
By the end of the prequels it appears that Obi-Wan is the only Jedi left alive, so it's entirely up to him to carry on the beliefs and values of the Jedi order like this one, so this tattoo in his honor is a lovely homage to one of the light parts in a very dark trilogy.
Something That Will Never Go Out Of Style
It's safe to assume that the entire Star Wars universe is going to age well and may never actually go out of style, but it seems like a near guarantee that Samuel L. Jackson will never go out of style, so this tattoo honoring Jedi Master Mace Windu is a truly brilliant choice.
Mace is blessed with a purple lightsaber, one of the most iconic laser swords in the history of the franchise, and although he is just a supporting character in the prequel trilogy he is undeniably one of the coolest characters and is obviously portrayed by one of the coolest actors in the series.