The opening line of Star Wars: The Force Awakens illustrated just how much the opinions of Star Wars fans have shifted towards the prequel trilogy in recent years. When it was released in 2015, The Force Awakens was viewed by many as a reaction to the prequels backlash that begun almost as soon as Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was released in 1999. Certain storytelling choices and the use of real sets and locations rather than a reliance on CGI appeared to be conscious attempts to return to the feel and spirit of Star Wars’ iconic original trilogy.
When Lor San Tekka uttered the first line of dialogue in The Force Awakens, "this will begin to make things right," it caused a stir. Although never confirmed, there was widespread speculation that it was a subtle but pointed insult to the prequels. From this perspective it could illustrate just how much opinions on the Star Wars prequels have altered in the years since The Force Awakens was released.
Why Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Opinion Has Changed
There have been a variety of reasons for this widespread change of opinion. The enormous popularity of Star Wars prequel memes has certainly played a part in this, but other factors have also contributed to the reassessment. It would be fair to suggest that when first released The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith suffered from direct comparisons to the beloved original trilogy. While inevitable, this made matching the expectations created by those movies impossible, especially since George Lucas’ prequels were telling a very different story from the one that began with 1977’s Star Wars.
As much as anything, the passage of time has been a key factor in the acceptance of the prequel trilogy’s uniquely tragic place within Star Wars. Freed from the shackles of the immediate negative criticism, the brilliance of the overall plotting of Sheev Palpatine’s rise, Anakin Skywalker's fall, and the end of the Galactic Republic has become apparent. While this has not entirely removed the trilogy’s most obvious flaws, there has been an increased acceptance and appreciation for the ambitiousness of the storytelling. More than this, the addition of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and, more recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi have fleshed out the worldbuilding and characterization that were at the heart of the prequel trilogy and have emphasized just how successful those movies ultimately were.
The Sequel Trilogy Replaced The Star Wars Prequel Hate
On top of everything, the Star Wars sequel trilogy of The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have also contributed to the change in attitude towards the prequels. The vitriol once reserved for the prequel trilogy has increasingly been redirected towards the concluding episodes of the Skywalker Saga. These criticisms famously included the claim that The Force Awakens was essentially a remake of George Lucas’ original Star Wars, that The Last Jedi dishonored Luke Skywalker, and that the sequel trilogy's storytelling failed due to a lack of pre-planning.
In truth, though, each of the Star Wars trilogies has its own specific problems. With the original and prequel trilogies, time and familiarity have allowed many of those flaws to smooth over and become accepted. What has remained has been the many brilliant and iconic elements of the space opera franchise. As a result, the increased appreciation for the Star Wars prequel trilogy since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens might even suggest that time may end up being kinder to the much-maligned sequel trilogy than currently seems realistic.