The Star Wars fanbase has become divided over some of the recent pieces of Star Wars content. However, one thing that fans unanimously agree on is that memes from the prequel trilogy are hilarious. It is unclear whether this is because people actually enjoy these moments from the trilogy or because they are so bad that they're funny.
The prequels themselves may not be the best movies, but there are a lot of memorable moments. Here are ten ridiculous quotes from the Star Wars prequel trilogy that became memes.
Updated on May 13th, 2021 by Rhys McGinley: Over the past fifteen-plus years, with help from the canon outside of the movies, the prequel trilogy has started to become hugely appreciated for its wonderful story, incredible characters, and for bringing whole new generations into Star Wars. In saying that, there are still many flaws in its execution, not least of all the dialogue that has been deemed ridiculous at times and poorly written. In today's age, though, this is a flaw that has been turned into a hilarious piece of pop culture, with so many of these lines having become a part of a collection of Star Wars memes, far more than just ten.
"Unlimited Power!"
Mace Windu's hubris and arrogance finally caught up with him in Revenge of the Sith when Anakin betrayed him to side with Palpatine, who blasted him with Force lightning while shouting this line.
It has been picked up in meme culture, used in a slew of scenarios in and out of Star Wars, signifying, well, power. Admittedly it is a power that does not really live up to the ruling of an entire Galaxy, but it is often hilarious nonetheless.
"This Is Outrageous, It's Unfair..." "Take A Seat, Young Skywalker."
Speaking of Mace Windu's hubris, perhaps one of the biggest mistakes the Jedi High Council makes in the prequel movies is using Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, basically bribing him with a seat on the council.
Both of these lines come from this scene and are often used in conjunction with one another for some pretty great Star Wars memes. Although, Anakin's line has proved to be a versatile tool for those looking to exploit Anakin's whininess throughout the trilogy.
"Well, Whaddya Know."
Dexter Jettster was one of the many CGI aliens throughout the prequel trilogy and a surprising friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi who gave one of the most iconic lines of the trilogy, probably inadvertently.
The delivery of "Well whaddya know." is just perfect and for the past few years now, it has been used in a variety of memes that are arguably the best thing to come out of this entire scene at Dex's diner.
"What About The Droid Attack On The Wookies?"
Ki-Adi Mundi is another Jedi who is so often intolerable with his arrogance, but he did give audiences this iconic line that just comes out of nowhere as an inadvertently hilarious line.
Everyone loves Wookiees, so of course, the audience cares if the droids are attacking them, but the line is delivered with such shock from Mundi. How dare anyone forget the droid attack on the Wookiees. It has been used in all manner of memes, usually cutting out or replacing words to provide some classic prequel humor.
"I Love Democracy."
Palpatine has a plethora of incredible quotes throughout the trilogy, with Ian McDiarmid having a consistently high-quality delivery throughout, but few are as memed or as funny as this.
It is the delivery of this line that makes it so great. While it may not be as ridiculous as others, the acting from Palpatine as he manipulates everyone around him is great. This quote is the perfect one to use anytime some sort of poll or debate comes up within the fandom, which, with Star Wars, is pretty often.
"This Is Where The Fun Begins."
Anakin says this phrase right before pursuing another ship in battle during the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith. It's a fun quote that plays into the confidence that Anakin has in his own abilities.
It is rather cheesy, but most of the dialogue from the prequels is anyways. This quote has now become a meme to describe something fun right before it happens. Anakin's face perfectly sums up someone who is about to do something epic.
"There's Always A Bigger Fish."
Qui-Gon Jinn had many words of wisdom in The Phantom Menace. This is not exactly one of them. It honestly brings up a bunch of questions. Why does a Jedi master know this much about oceanic creatures? If there's always a bigger fish, what happens if they come across the galaxy's biggest fish?
This quote really comes out of nowhere and seems to be meant for comedic purposes, but it ends up just sounding ridiculous in the end. It did give the world a good meme, so no harm is done.
"A Surprise To Be Sure But A Welcome One."
Before Palpatine became the evil Emperor Palpatine that fans know and love, he was rather charming. This is a quote said by somebody who is trying to be overly nice, and it comes off that way.
In meme culture, it is often used to describe an unexpected situation that turned out to be okay. Fans definitely used this quote when it was revealed that Ewan McGregor would be coming back for an Obi-Wan television series.
"A Fine Addition To My Collection."
This quote has garnered meme popularity rather recently. People have edited scenes in Star Wars where characters throw or dispose of a lightsaber and edited in a horribly animated General Grievous who chases down the lightsaber while saying this quote and coughing mechanically.
There are plenty of other uses of this quote, as people will often use it when stealing other people's memes and adding them to their own collection. It's a rather plain quote, but people have gotten very creative in the way they use it.
"Now This Is Podracing."
Fans are still confused to this day on why Anakin says this here. He just did podracing on Tatooine, and he is now fighting in a space battle. This is clearly not podracing.
This is a hilarious quote, but not because it is funny. Jake Lloyd's awkward delivery also adds to the strangeness of this line. Fans seem to love it even more because it makes no sense, allowing fans to use it in various contexts that also have nothing to do with podracing.
"Only A Sith Deals In Absolutes."
This quote has become popular with fans as it completely contradicts itself. The quote itself is absolute. Plus, it makes no sense why Obi-Wan would say this. So many rules that the Jedi follow are absolutes.
The majority of Yoda's teachings are also absolutes. It is unclear what exactly Obi-Wan's argument was here, and it is very hypocritical.
"Hello There."/"General Kenobi."
It is two quotes, but these two are incomplete without the other. One can only exist along with the other. In fact, these two quotes have become so connected to each other that for many Star Wars fans, it has become part of their language.
If someone says "hello there" and somebody does not respond with "General Kenobi," then that person must not be a real Star Wars fan. There is even a scene in The Clone Wars where Grievous and Obi-Wan switch lines. It is a straightforward line, but McGregor's charming delivery makes this line infectious.
"I Don't Like Sand. It's Coarse And Rough And Irritating, And It Gets Everywhere."
This is easily the line from the prequels that gets made fun of the most. The worst part of the prequels is the awkward relationship between Anakin and Padmé, mostly due to dialogue like this.
Anakin's flirting throughout Attack of the Clones is often creepy and clumsy, and Hayden Christensen's delivery doesn't do lines like this any favorsStar Wars fans often parody the linens by making memes where Anakin becomes angered by a beach. It is an extremely melodramatic line that fans love in all of its ridiculousness.
"I Am The Senate."
Ian McDiarmid, as Chancellor Palpatine, is easily one of the best parts of the prequel trilogy. He is having the time of his life reveling in his villainous ways. This line is a clear example of how the delivery can make a quote even better.
The Emperor can be heard being ready to emerge out of it as his voice shows hints of the evil, gravelly voice. It is a cool line, but it is made so much better from McDiarmid's delivery.
"It's Over, Anakin. I Have The High Ground."
It is hard to choose between the lines of dialogue from Obi-Wan and Anakin's battle on Mustafar because almost every word has been turned into a meme. However, this line stands out simply because of its longevity.
The joke about the high ground has become so engraved in Star Wars culture that it was even referenced in both Jedi: Fallen Order and in The Mandalorian. Again, it's a line that doesn't make sense because Obi-Wan did not have the high ground against Darth Maul, but that seemed to turn out fine. As Anakin learned, however, never underestimate the power of the high ground.