For many years, the Star Wars prequels were hated by the fan community. Nearly two decades later, however, public opinion has largely changed. In an interview with MTV UK, Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor shared how grateful he was for “the love that there is for the prequels.” There has always been times when one is unable to appreciate what is directly in front of them. The Star Wars prequel trilogy has proved to be one of those instances.

Unlike the original and sequel trilogies, the Star Wars prequels were developed with a clear end point in mind. That end point was 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which showcased Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side and the beginning of the Galactic Empire. From the beginning of the prequel trilogy, George Lucas knew the story that he wanted to tell, and it showed. The time period that Revenge of the Sith took place in was among the most important and interesting in the entire Star Wars timeline. Here are several reasons why Revenge of the Sith has remained as the best Star Wars prequel.

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World-Building At Its Finest

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The galaxy far, far, away is a large place. There are over 3 billion habitable star systems in the galaxy of Star Wars. More than any other Star Wars film, Episode III understood and portrayed the massive size and scale of the universe. Following Revenge of the Sith, everything in the sequel trilogy felt very shrunken. Both the Jedi and the Sith were all but extinct and the Resistance was too small to defeat the First Order alone. In contrast, the Separatist Droid Army and Grand Army of the Republic were at their peak strength. There were millions of clone troopers produced during the Clone Wars.

Revenge of the Sith took audiences to many different planets, from the tree-covered forest planet Kashyyyk to the volcanic world of Mustafar. The Jedi were spread out across the galaxy, seeking to end the war quickly, but unaware they were caught in a Sith conspiracy. Everything that occurred in Revenge of the Sith conveyed that the Clone Wars had reached almost every corner of the galaxy. There was a strong focus on Anakin Skywalker as he fell victim to the manipulation of Palpatine, all while using the larger galaxy as a narrative backdrop.

Many have looked to Star Wars to get their cinematic dose of sword-fighting action, and Revenge of the Sith delivered. There were more lightsaber fight scenes between different characters in Episode III than there were in any other installment of the Skywalker Saga. It began with a rematch between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi against Count Dooku, and continued with Kenobi facing off against General Grievous. Every lightsaber duel was heavily tied to the actual storytelling, and was not in film to provide unnecessary action sequences. Palpatine revealing himself as Darth Sidious and striking down Jedi was an integral part of the story.

All the Jedi and Sith in Episode III were experienced and very powerful, and that was reflected in the lightsaber duels. They were much faster and precise, representing the skill levels of expert swordsmen. Although still powerful, Darth Vader was significantly slower and weaker as a cyborg than he was when he was Anakin. When Vader duelled Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith, he was a far superior fighter. Jedi Master Yoda also wielded a lightsaber once again, this time against the evil Emperor. The battle was epic, with the fate of the galaxy on the line and backed with John Williams’ “Duel of the Fates.”

The Last Star Wars Movie From George Lucas

There was once a time when fans called for franchise creator George Lucas to be removed from Star Wars. However, Lucas’ departure since made people realize what they had lost. Lucas has proved himself to be an ambitious filmmaker with big ideas. He brought a unique style to Revenge of the Sith that has not been foundanywhere else. Directors J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson beautifully made their own Star Wars films, but they lacked the touch of the original creator. In an interview on Adam Buxton’s Podcast (via Digital Spy), J.J. Abrams’ friend and The Force Awakens actor, Simon Pegg, reminisced about Lucas’ past contributions;

Despite Lucas’ strengths, by no means was he a perfect director or writer. Nevertheless, Revenge of the Sith was his last hurrah and showed what he had learned over his many years working on Star Wars. Innovative new technology, a story that allowed the heroes to be flawed (and not even win), the cultural impact of Revenge of the Sith was astounding. No other space fantasy epic has spawned as many viral memes as the conclusion to the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

For all the complaining that I’d done about him in the prequels, there was something amazing about his imagination. I do feel like his voice is missing from the current ones.

Completed the Saga Before the Sequel Trilogy

George Lucas has been infamous for making changes to his work after it has already been published. He has also been on the record for saying that the Star Wars saga is only six episodes, and would never include a seventh film. Regardless, Lucas created story treatments for three additional films before he sold Lucasfilm to Disney. The newly acquired Lucasfilm went on to create a sequel trilogy, and rebranded the Star Wars saga as the “Skywalker Saga.” The saga came to a close with 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, which was met with a mixed response. In 2005, however, Revenge of the Sith was the final installment that led up to the conclusion in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. The saga was complete.

Episode III represented Star Wars at its best. It was the film that connected the prequel and original trilogies together, but it was also so much more than that. A simple children’s story of a group of underdogs defeating an evil Empire was given surprising depth. Revenge of the Sith transformed the Star Wars saga into a story of a tragic hero, detailing his fall and later redemption. Lucas explored the political theme of a democracy turning into a dictatorship, but it was the people that surrendered their own freedom for something Palpatine described as “a safe and secure society.” In that way, Star Wars became a deeper look into both the light and dark side of human nature.