Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the third and final chapter in the much-maligned Star Wars prequel trilogy, is easily the best of the bunch. As it concluded the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker, several key moments that we’d been waiting for years to see in a Star Wars prequel story finally appeared in Revenge of the Sith – and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
By the end of it, Anakin had turned to the Dark Side, Palpatine had assumed absolute power over the Galactic Senate (“I am the Senate!”), Obi-Wan’s quest to train “the Chosen One” had failed, Padme had given birth to Luke and Leia, and the Jedi Order had crumbled. So, here are the 10 Greatest Moments In Revenge Of The Sith, Ranked.
Palpatine takes on four Jedi Knights alone
Although the Jedi should’ve been able to tell that the manipulative politician who slowly took over the Galactic Senate was really a Sith Lord, the revelation in Revenge of the Sith is truly thrilling. Mace Windu and three other Jedi Knights march into Palpatine’s office and tell him that they are relieving him of his position.
Palpatine promptly draws a red lightsaber and leaps through the air, spinning like a corkscrew across the room. He quickly strikes down the three other Jedi Knights that came with Windu, and then ends up defeating Windu with a little help from Anakin and some nifty Force lightning.
“Do it!”
This quote might have become a meme, but it’s a really intense moment in Revenge of the Sith. Having broken into a warship over Coruscant and freed Palpatine – who, it turns out, had been captured as part of a wider ploy to trick the Jedi – Anakin has no reason to kill Count Dooku. He’s chopped off his hands, so he’s (literally) unarmed, and he’s surrendering to Anakin.
According to the Jedi code, Anakin doesn’t need to kill Dooku, therefore he shouldn’t. But Palpatine started telling Anakin to answer his deepest, darkest urges and kill Dooku anyway. And that’s what he did.
Anakin slaughters the younglings
In one of the prequel trilogy’s most shocking moments, Anakin slaughters every last youngling that the Jedi have been training. We don’t get to actually see the massacre – that would be a step too far for what amounts to a fun-filled space movie – but we do see Anakin confront the younglings and draw his lightsaber, terrifying them.
The quickest way to establish a character’s transition from hero to villain is to have them murder a room full of children, and George Lucas knew that, which is why he used such a scene to convey the final nail getting hammered into Anakin’s coffin. This gave rise, instead, to Darth Vader.
The opening space battle
The prequel trilogy is often criticized for using too much CGI, especially since CGI was in its infancy when the prequels were getting made. Therefore, a lot of the effects don’t hold up today. However, when he was making Revenge of the Sith, the final prequel, George Lucas had nailed CGI effects. The opening space battle in the orbit of Coruscant is a spectacular sequence.
Thanks to rapid, yet focused camera movements and deft control of tension, Lucas managed to craft a space battle for the ages in the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith. Scenes like this are why we love Star Wars.
Yoda teams up with Chewbacca on Kashyyyk
There have been a number of unlikely alliances in the Star Wars universe. One of the most particularly unusual pairings was Yoda and Chewbacca. Yoda traveled to the Wookiees’ home planet of Kashyyyk in Revenge of the Sith, and was there when Palpatine called for Order 66. Yoda sensed that the Clone Troopers with him were about to kill him, so he took them down before they could do it. And then, Chewie helped Yoda to get to an escape pod and leave the planet, eventually exiling himself to the Dagobah system, where Luke Skywalker would eventually find him in The Empire Strikes Back.
“Execute Order 66”
When Palpatine assumed total control of the Galactic Senate – thanks to Jar Jar Binks’ vote, no less – his first order of business was to get Commander Cody on the line and ominously tell him, “Execute Order 66.” This now infamous order called for the slaughter of the entire Jedi Order.
After the Clone Army was created to protect the Jedi, there wasn’t a Jedi in the galaxy without a couple of Clone Troopers for protective accompaniment. So, the Clone Troopers simply opened fire on their unwitting allies, most of whom didn’t even get a chance to put up a fight. Only a select few, including Yoda and Obi-Wan, would survive.
Obi-Wan confronts General Grievous
Along with Darth Maul, the cybernetic, four-armed General Grievous is one of the most iconic new Star Wars villains to come from the prequels. His fight with Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith – well, fight, then chase, then fight again – is one of the most incredibly choreographed sequences in the whole saga.
Grievous was initially slated to be voiced by Gary Oldman, but Oldman dropped out – supposedly because George Lucas was making the movie outside the Screen Actors Guild – leaving the role vacant. An open casting call was held, and sound technician Matthew Wood submitted his own audition under a fake name, and ended up getting the part.
Darth Vader is born
It may have been ruined by the dramatic “NOOOOO!!!” that Vader cries out after it’s done, but the birth of Darth Vader is one of the most exciting scenes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Palpatine recovers a limbless, dying Anakin from the molten plains of Mustafar and takes him to a medical ship, where he is fitted into the iconic black suit to keep him alive.
A body double was going to be used, but Hayden Christensen insisted on wearing the suit in the scene himself. The final death blow is delivered when Palpatine lies to Vader, telling him that he killed Padme, ensuring that the final piece of Anakin’s humanity is truly gone.
Yoda battles Palpatine
Although there are a couple of slapstick moments, like Palpatine awkwardly falling over his chair, Revenge of the Sith’s climactic lightsaber duel between Yoda and Darth Sidious is a spectacle to behold.
There’s a thematic resonance to the fact that most of the duel takes place in the Galactic Senate’s meeting room, because it’s in there that Palpatine rose through the political ranks and took control of the galaxy. Yoda and Palpatine use the Force to launch pods at each other in the Galactic Senate – the same pods that politicians had been sitting in to debate trade issues throughout the trilogy.
Obi-Wan & Anakin’s lightsaber duel on Mustafar
One of the greatest creative decisions behind the Star Wars prequel trilogy was turning Anakin Skywalker into a tragic hero. He was “the Chosen One,” and showed so much promise. Obi-Wan Kenobi loved him and wanted to see him succeed. But Senator Palpatine was gradually manipulating Anakin, turning him against the Jedi Order, against Obi-Wan, and against the Light Side of the Force.
When the two finally face off on the lava-filled planet of Mustafar, the emotions of the scene feel earned. What makes the lightsaber duel so tragic is how reluctant and heartbroken Obi-Wan is: “You were my brother, Anakin!”