10 Best Characters From the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Ranked

10 Best Characters From the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Ranked

[ad_1]

Star Wars has had hundreds, perhaps thousands of characters come and go in its nearly fifty years of life, with some being unique and some being forgettable. Through multiple films and TV shows, many characters have left a major mark on Star Wars’ devoted fanbase, with perhaps some of the better ones coming from the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy.

The prequel trilogy marked a new era for the franchise, telling a new story that fans had been dying for more of. With this new story came a whole slew of new Jedi and Sith, as well as new bounty hunters, soldiers, politicians, and pretty much everything in between. But naturally, only a few really stood out as fan-favorites, which is often due to their impact on the narrative, their personalities, or their combat proficiency.

10

General Grievous

Portrayed by Matthew Wood

General Grievous looking intently ahead in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
Image via Lucasfilm

General Grievous (Matthew Wood) was formerly an esteemed Kaleesh warrior before being turned into a cyborg by the Sith, which gave him numerous advantages along with a robot-like body. Though he was not introduced in the films until Revenge of the Sith, he is an intimidating and memorable presence, even in spite of his hacking cough and stooped posture. Grievous is not Force-sensitive, yet he wields several blue and green lightsabers–up to four at a time–that he has taken from Jedi that he personally killed.

Not only is he a prolific Jedi hunter, but he is also the leader of the Separatists’ droid army, and is often inaccurately referred to as a droid himself. He doesn’t really appear for too long in the film, but has a much more crucial role in other TV series and such. Sure, his presence is a minor one, but Grievous still stands as being one of the more unique and interesting characters created specifically for the prequel era, providing fans with one of the most thrilling fights of the most thrilling movie.

9

Jango Fett

Portrayed by Temuera Morrison

Jango Fett points a blaster in 'Star Wars: Attack of the Clones'.
Image via Lucasfilm

Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) is a Mandalorian bounty hunter, and the father of the fan-favorite character from the original trilogy, Boba Fett (Daniel Logan). Jango is a highly-trained individual, and served as the basis for the Clone Troopers, with his DNA being used to create the army of the Republic, along with his son. However, Jango was no friend of the Republic, and, as bounty hunters do, did it strictly for money.

His sleek silver and blue armor make quite an appearance, and even if Jango only appears in Attack of the Clones, he is one of the coolest characters presented to the audience. It quickly becomes apparent why he was selected to be the genetic benefactor, as his skills allow him to kill multiple Jedi and nearly kill several others. He is a fearsome fighter with a variety of weapons at his disposal, a ruthless assassin, and a superb villain for the franchise.

8

Darth Maul

Portrayed by Ray Park & Peter Serafinowicz

Ray Park as Darth Maul looking directly at the camera in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace.
Image via Lucasfilm

Darth Maul is portrayed on screen by martial artist Ray Park, but is voiced by Peter Serafinowicz. As cool of a character as he is, being the first canonical character to appear with a double-bladed lightsaber, fans were left wanting more of him, as he seemingly kicks the bucket at the very end of The Phantom Menace. Clearly, the makers of Star Wars felt they hadn’t seen enough of him either, so they brought him back for various TV projects and stand-alone films.

Maul is stoic and foreboding in his first appearance, and is lithe and highly-skilled in combat, proving to be a formidable foe for the Jedi in the film. His dark and brooding exterior has made him an intriguing figure that never gets boring to watch, and who really deserved a much larger role in the prequel trilogy than he had. Unfortunately, this means he just isn’t as good as some of the other characters, but he’d be a lot better and more impactful if he had a heavier hand in the films.

7

Padmé Amidala

Portrayed by Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala looks seriously at someone off camera, standing on a balcony in Star Wars.
Image via Lucasfilm

Padmé (Natalie Portman) might be a queen, but she is certainly no damsel in distress. Beginning her role as the Queen of Naboo despite her young age, she has no issue rising to the challenge and showing the invading droid army what for. She’s a superb shot with her blaster, and can often be found along the front lines of the battle rather than hiding in the back like many rulers would. Throughout the trilogy, if there’s ever a problem, the queen turned senator is usually quick to investigate things herself rather than send one of her personal guards or handmaidens, even if the problem is happening on a distant and dangerous planet.

Padmé isn’t just a loyal wife, but a compassionate, reserved politician free of the corruption that plagues the rest of the Senate, and a fierce fighter, to boot.

Later, she secretly becomes Anakin’s (Hayden Christensen) wife, and winds up pregnant with twins, who fans know to be Luke (Mark Hamill) and Leia (Carrie Fisher) of the original trilogy. Padmé isn’t just a loyal wife, but a compassionate, reserved politician free of the corruption that plagues the rest of the Senate, and a fierce fighter, to boot. She really is one of the better characters introduced in the prequel trilogy, even if her idealistic nature often leads to naïveté.

6

Yoda

Portrayed by Frank Oz

Fans got a taste of Yoda’s (Frank Oz) goofier side back in the original trilogy, but in the prequel trilogy, fans get to see Yoda as his most serious. The little green Grand Master of the Jedi Order is proof that size matters not, as his initially frail appearance is merely a front for immense skill in the Force, outranking almost all Jedi in his proficiency with it. But this isn’t the only way he’s capable of being a warrior when duty calls.

Yoda was also revealed to possess a lightsaber in Attack of the Clones, a green one with a shorter blade than normal to match his short stature. Even though Yoda is often seen hobbling around with a cane, Yoda turns into a lightning-fast blur of green when his lightsaber is out, flying around the room at breakneck speed. Yoda went from being a silly, yet lovable mentor, to a wise and highly-skilled leader in the prequel trilogy, which is a side that added a whole new layer of depth to his character.

5

Count Dooku

Portrayed by Sir Christopher Lee

close-up of Dooku smirking while sitting in a chair in Star Wars
Image via Lucasfilm

Count Dooku (Sir Christopher Lee), also known as Darth Tyranus, was a former Jedi master who fell to the Dark Side following the death of his former Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), cementing his place as one of the Jedi’s “Lost Twenty.” He bears a crimson lightsaber with a curved hilt, allowing for a more controlled grip, and is the primary antagonist of Attack of the Clones, though he also appears in Revenge of the Sith.

Sir Lee’s cold, yet impeccable English accent combined with his booming bass give Count Dooku a level of elegance not commonly seen in Sith Lords.

Sir Lee’s cold, yet impeccable English accent combined with his booming bass give Count Dooku a level of elegance not commonly seen in Sith Lords. He is uncharacteristically polite as a foe, favoring civilized conversation, yet not without his more ruthless side. Sir Christopher Lee is already a beloved actor, which means that Dooku was bound to be a beloved character, even if he is pretty evil.

4

Qui-Gon Jinn

Portrayed by Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn holds his lightsaber and prepares for battle in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
Image via Lucasfilm

Qui-Gon Jinn only lasted for one film, that being the first one, but he has left a profound impact on fans, many of whom adore his character’s wise demeanor. Qui-Gon is the former Padawan of Dooku and the master of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), responsible for training the young man to become a Jedi master himself. Qui-Gon may not be the most skilled with his lightsaber, but he has a lot of genuinely good advice that is actually applicable to real life, and has a clear-cut set of morals that he stands for.

With Qui-Gon as a master, there’s no question in anyone’s mind how Obi-Wan came to be the mentor that he is, especially later in his life teaching the son of his former Padawan.

He is a firm believer that everyone deserves to be helped in their hour of need, no matter how annoying he finds them (looking at you, Jar Jar). With Qui-Gon as a master, there’s no question in anyone’s mind how Obi-Wan came to be the mentor that he is, especially later in his life teaching the son of his former Padawan. Qui-Gon did make some minor appearances as a Force ghost in later prospects, but his role in the first film remains the most important, and the most heartwarming.

3

Mace Windu

Portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu points his purple lightsaber at someone in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Image via Lucasfilm

Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) may have been just a side character in the prequel trilogy, but he is by far among the most loved side characters from this era of Star Wars. Sporting a unique purple lightsaber, Mace can often be cold and distant, but he is not without his soft side, or his more aggressive side. He is among Yoda’s most trusted council members, one who is strict and rigorous about upholding the Jedi code, and intends to mold Anakin to be the Chosen One the Jedi always needed, whether the boy likes it or not.

Sporting a unique purple lightsaber, Mace can often be cold and distant, but he is not without his soft side, or his more aggressive side.

But perhaps the main reason Mace is so liked by fans is that he’s just a badass. He kills Jango Fett, and successfully wins a fight against Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), which is something that not even Yoda himself was able to do. Not only is he skilled with his lightsaber, but with the Force too, and in keeping up the traditions and moral code of the Jedi above all else. Fans couldn’t get enough of him once that purple blade was revealed in the second film, and it’s left some hoping Jackson will return to the role sometime later on.

2

Anakin Skywalker

Portrayed by Hayden Christensen & Jake Lloyd

A young Anakin Skywalker first appears in The Phantom Menace as an exceptionally talented young boy that is played by Jake Lloyd. He is an enthusiastic young man that loves podracing, and is apparently the only human who is capable of doing it. He is also a skilled mechanic, and extremely talented in the Force, even if he doesn’t know it just yet. Later, from Attack of the Clones onwards, an adult Anakin is played by Hayden Christensen, who becomes the actor most associated with the role.

Anakin is a talented and brutal fighter, perhaps the most skilled lightsaber user the Jedi have seen, and is uncharacteristically brash and impulsvie for a Jedi, which often annoys his master. It was obvious from the start that Anakin would become Darth Vader, because the original trilogy made this revolution and came out decades prior, but seeing Anakin’s tragic and eventful journey to the Dark Side was practically the entire point of the prequel trilogy, and made for a very entertaining ride.

1

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Portrayed by Ewan McGregor

Good old Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has got to be the best character from the prequel trilogy. In this younger version of the wise old Jedi first revealed in A New Hope played by Alec Guinness, Obi-Wan is presented as much more fluid and capable with his lightsaber, while still retaining his signature sense of humor and dry wit that Guinness delivered decades prior. As much as he might enjoy teasing his Padawan from time to time, Obi-Wan enjoys guiding him more, and never misses the opportunity to teach Anakin a lesson when he needs it the most.

McGregor really gives a heartfelt performance as Obi-Wan, perfectly embodying the pain, guilt, and betrayal of losing his closest friend to the Dark Side of the Force. Obi-Wan is among the most iconic Jedi in the franchise, but the prequel trilogy is where he really gets his time to shine, and made fans fall in love with him even more. Truly, what would this franchise be without Ewan McGregor’s role as Obi-Wan?

NEXT: Every ‘Star Wars’ Movie Ranked from Worst to Best

[ad_2]

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

x
x