Disney's acquisition of George Lucas' Lucasfilm, and so Star Wars was one of the biggest things to happen in pop culture in the 2010s. They changed what was and was not canon, and released a controversial trilogy of movies. They introduced a new generation to Star Wars and divided a lot of others.
The sequels are not the first trilogy of Star Wars to be controversial, though. But which of these divisive trilogies is better? By looking at a range of factors, we look at what is better, the prequel trilogy, or the sequel trilogy.
BOX OFFICE
Brilliant box office numbers have helped Star Wars become the phenomenon it is. The Phantom Menace ($1,027,082,707), Attack Of The Clones ($653,779,970), and Revenge Of The Sith ($868,390,560) add up to make the prequel trilogies worldwide gross $2,549,253,237 (according to Box Office Mojo).
The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624), The Last Jedi ($1,332,539,889), and (still in few theatres at the time of writing), The Rise Of Skywalker ($1,061,523,131), all add up to make the sequel trilogies worldwide gross $4,462,286,644.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
CRITICAL RECEPTION
A gauge for the critical reception of Star Wars movies is Rotten Tomatoes. The prequel trilogy movies have scores of 53%, 65%, and 80%. While the sequel trilogy films have scores of 93%, 91%, and 52%.
Another gauge would be to look at award wins. The prequel trilogy has a total of zero Oscar wins and five nominations. The sequel trilogy has seen a total of twelve nominations. These are not definitive ways to determine critical success but give a good indication.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
FAN RECEPTION
Critical and fan reception can always differ, though, and a good gauge of fan reception is from the Rotten Tomatoes audience score. The three prequel trilogy movies sit at 59%, 56%, and 66%, respectively, while the sequel trilogy sits at 86%, 43%, and 86%.
Another gauge is IMDb. The prequels sit at 6.5, 6.5, and 7.5, while the sequels sit at scores of 7.9, 7, and 6.9.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
DIRECTING/EDITING/EFFECTS/SCORE
The director who is in control of the movie and its artistic vision. Alongside that, other vital parts are the editing, the effects, and of course, John Williams' score, all making the films what they are.
Lucas' direction of the three prequel movies was far less acclaimed than that of his work in A New Hope, even if he did fulfill his vision. The work of J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson in the sequel trilogy, despite the lack of a plan overall, was exceptional in their first films. The effects of the sequels built on that of the prequels; the same goes for editing. As for Williams' score, the prequels are far more memorable and iconic, but that does not make up for the other aspects.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
ACTING
The Skywalker saga has a lot of great performances and a lot of acting that has gone down in infamy. As it is in any movie, acting is a huge part of Star Wars, both good and bad.
No two trilogies are the polar opposite of quality in terms of acting as these two. The prequel trilogy is infamous for its wooden performances and uncomfortable delivery - excluding a select few, namely Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid. The sequel trilogy, on the other hand, is home to the best ensemble of performances in Star Wars, with everyone delivering brilliantly. Oscar Isacc and John Boyega are great alongside the rest of the supporting cast, and Daisy Ridley got even more fantastic with each film. Mark Hamill gave a career-best in The Last Jedi while Adam Driver gave three insanely high quality and acclaimed performances.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
STORY/WRITING/COHESION OF THE TRILOGY
Star Wars' heart comes from its story. It may be a simple one in each trilogy, but they are memorable and make Star Wars what it is. Also, the writing of the story and dialogue, and how each movie connects the trilogy, are hugely meaningful.
The prequel trilogy story is pretty simple at its core, the fall of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side and the Clone Wars. The sequel trilogy story gets a bit lost but is the rise of new heroes against a new threat. The writing in terms of dialogue is better in the sequels, with the prequels' speech being infamous. As for cohesion, that is something the sequel trilogy does not have, with multiple voices, and no clear plan.
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy
EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION OF THE LORE
The lore of the Star Wars universe is vast and extraordinary, with so many potential stories from all corners of the galaxy. Each trilogy has explored and explored the lore through worldbuilding, exploring the Force, and looking at concepts like the Jedi and Sith and the Light side and Dark.
The prequel trilogy has lots of planets and species to absorb. It also introduces midi-chlorians and looks at the concept of the Force. The prequel also introduces the intricacies of politics to the Star Wars universe and delves into the Jedi and Sith. The sequel trilogy is more concerned with Force powers and introduces entirely new concepts regarding the Force. It does not present as many planets as the prequels nor as many significant galactic events, but still explores the concepts of Light and Dark Side.
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy
ACTION
Action and its use is a huge part of Star Wars. From big space battles to ground assaults to lightsaber combat, the conflict in Star Wars has always been something to behold.
The action in the prequel trilogy in terms of space battles and assaults is a mixed bag, the Battle of Coruscant is pretty great to watch, the Battle of Geonosis is one of the best parts of Attack Of The Clones. The lightsaber battles are nearly all great spectacles; the Duel of the Fates is iconic in its awesomeness. In contrast, the Battle of the Heroes ha depth and emotion unlike other prequel duels like Count Dooku vs. Anakin and Obi-Wan.
The sequel trilogy's big battles blow the prequels out the water with the assault on Starkiller Base, the savior by the Resistance on Takodana, and the rally on Exegul. The lightsaber related battles are incredibly close to the prequels. Every Kylo Ren vs. Rey duel delivering, the Kylo vs. Luke scene offering emotionally to a lot of people, and likewise with Snoke's throneroom, meaning the larger battles are the decider.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
CHARACTERS
It is a wonder to think where Star Wars would be if it were not for the brilliant and iconic characters created by George Lucas and those built to continue the franchise's legacy.
The prequel trilogy contains a load of characters, both new and those taken from the original trilogy. The issue with them is, a lot only became great because of The Clone Wars and other media, not because of the trilogy itself, even if Obi-Wan, Palpatine, and a couple of others were great. The sequel trilogy, while divisive, introduced fans to exceptional characters whose issue was their use. Kylo Ren is one of Star Wars' all-time best now, Rey will be a hero to young girls and women for generations, and a ton of others are excellent in supporting roles like Finn, Poe, and those from the originals, delivering moments and dynamics for all fans to love.
WINNER: Sequel Trilogy
IMPACT ON POP CULTURE
The sequel trilogy has ushered in the Disney era of Star Wars. The prequels (also) had an insane amount of revenue, definitively introduced an entirely new generation to Star Wars, is beloved by so many, with so many things that have become iconic if not meme-worthy. In time the sequel trilogy may carve out a better iconography, but right now, it is the prequels.
WINNER: Prequel Trilogy
RESULTS
The sequel trilogy edges out the prequel trilogy with a seven category wins to three. These factors are not definitive, so many people will enjoy the prequel trilogy far more, which is fantastic. This list gives indicators on what is a better made Star Wars trilogy, and some categories such as story and writing are more important than others, such as box office.