The Star Wars prequels in order explain how Anakin Skywalker went from a slave boy to a Jedi apprentice to a famed Jedi Knight to the fearsome Darth Vader. However, there is so much more to these films than just the fall of Luke and Leia’s father.
In this post, we will list the Star Wars prequels in order of release while providing brief explanations for each. While we’re here, this article will not touch on the events of The Clone Wars or The Bad Batch.
The Phantom Menace (1999)
The first film in the prequel trilogy is The Phantom Menace. This is the film that sets up Anakin Skywalker as a character long before he enters the black armour. We meet him as a preteen and learn he was a slave on his home planet of Tatooine, the later home of his son, Luke Skywalker.
The Phantom Menace also introduces us to a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and the mother of Luke and Leia, Padmé Amidala, two characters who are vital to Anakin’s story. The movie also explains how Anakin became a Jedi with the assistance of Obi-Wan’s master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
Attack Of The Clones (2002)
Attack of the Clones is the second prequel film. A decade after the Phantom Menace, Anakin is now an adult under the mentorship of Obi-Wan. The pair are thrown into the middle of a conspiracy when their friend, Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, is almost assassinated.
While Obi-Wan is assigned to investigate the conspiracy, Anakin’s mission is to protect the senator at all costs. However, as Anakin and Padmé fall in love, Skywalker is continuously plagued with visions of his mother, Shmi Skywalker, in trouble. Returning to Tatooine, they discover that she has been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders, much to the fear of her husband, Cliegg Lars, her stepson, Owen and daughter-in-law, Beru.
Anakin finds his mother in a terrible state, and she dies in his arms. Devastated, he slaughters the entire village of Tuskens, tapping into the dark side. Skywalker confesses his crime to Amidala, who, despite being horrified by his actions, understands why he did what he did. The pair pay say their farewells to the Lars family after Shmi’s funeral and head to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan who has been captured. This event becomes known as the First Battle of Geonosis, the opening battle of the Clone Wars.
Upon returning to Naboo, Anakin and Padmé secretly marry with only C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses.
Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
Revenge of the Sith is the final prequel film. Three years after Attack of the Clones, Anakin is now a Jedi Knight and the face of the Clone Wars as ‘the Hero Without Fear.’ No longer Obi-Wan’s student, the pair have become brothers. General Grievous and Count Dooku kidnap Palpatine.
Palpatine, Anakin and Obi-Wan escape. Upon arriving home, Anakin reunites with Padmé, who tells him she’s pregnant. The joy doesn’t last.
Anakin becomes frantic in finding a way to save Padmé from death. At the same time, the Jedi council is weary of his friendship with Palpatine. They ask Obi-Wan to get Anakin to spy on the Chancellor.
Meanwhile, Palpatine sees through the plan and reveals himself to Anakin as a Sith Lord. Anakin resists at first. When Mace Windu and other council members go to arrest the Chancellor upon being told by Anakin that he’s a Sith, he does a 180 and pledges himself to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan returns to Coruscant to find the Jedi in the Jedi Temple slaughtered. He checks the security footage and finds that Anakin had a hand in the massacre. Before realising that Anakin is the child’s father, he goes to Padmé to see what she knows.
Padmé heads to Mustafar, unaware that Obi-Wan has hidden on the ship. Reuniting with her husband, the senator begs him to stop. Anakin strangles her when Obi-Wan emerges. Obi-Wan then leaves his brother to die, taking his lightsaber.
Obi-Wan rushes Padmé to Polis Massa, where Grandmaster Yoda and Bail Organa meet them. Padmé gives birth to twins, a boy, Luke and a girl, Leia, before perishing.
The Jedi Masters and the senator decide that the Skywalker twins will be separated to protect them. Luke is sent with Obi-Wan to be raised by Anakin’s stepbrother and sister-in-law, Owen and Beru Lars. Bail adopts Leia with his wife, Queen Breha, making her the heir to Alderaan.
Padmé’s body is returned to Naboo. Palpatine recovers Anakin and seals him inside the black armour. The pair oversee the Death Star.
