To kick off May the Fourth, I started a Star Wars marathon going in chronological order that will take place over three days! Today’s mission? The prequels.

Now, if you are here for hate on the prequels, this post is not for you. Yes, there are a lot of issues with the movies. My general analysis of the prequels is that they’re almost fantastic, and maybe one day I’ll talk about their failings in a different post. However, I believe that there are actually more good moments in the prequels than bad; most if the issues I find are with individual characters or breakdowns in the overarching plot. But overall I do enjoy watching the movies and they’re especially nostalgic for me because they’re the movies I remember the most growing up.

My sister and brother-in-law made this video a while back where my sister talks about why the prequels aren’t complete garbage. I agree with all of her points, though her top reasons aren’t quite the same as mine. So in this post I’m going to talk about the top five shining aspects of the prequels.

1. Great Characters

If it wasn’t for the prequels, we would have never gotten outstanding characters like Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, General Grievous, etc. Qui-Gon Jinn is especially a really important character to the Star Wars universe because of the fact that he is the perfect picture of what a Jedi should be. Also, can you imagine Star Wars without Mace Windu??? The answer is no. And is Christopher Lee ever a bad addition to any movie?

2. Epic Lightsaber Battles

I don’t know if I’m going to wake up tomorrow to find a lynch mob outside my house after I say this, but I love the lightsaber battles in the prequels way more than the ones in the original trilogy. They found really creative ways to stage the battles, in addition to having some diverse opponents with different fighting styles. Think of the battle between Darth Maul, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan. The Battle of Geonosis. And I mean, Yoda. Fighting. With a lightsaber. It doesn’t get any better than that.

3. Incredible Music

Though John Williams blessed us in the original trilogy with such wonderful motifs like the Force theme, Leia’s theme, and The Imperial March, the prequels introduce lots of new epic, goosebump-inducing themes that honestly just can’t be beat. I personally think that Duel of the Fates is one of the best score tracks ever written. And though we may roll our eyes at some of the Anakin/Padmé romance, their theme is absolutely beautiful. There are lots of impressive battle and chase themes, as well as one of my personal favourites, Augie’s Great Municipal Band from the final scene of The Phantom Menace.

4. Different Planets

I love how many new, diverse planets and settings the prequels introduced! Coruscant is my personal favourite. The chase scene from the beginning of Attack of the Clones is one of my favourite scenes in all of the prequels! Also, I love all the scenes we get in the Jedi Temple. However, I always say that if I could visit any Star Wars planet, it would be Naboo. It’s just so beautiful! But the planets of Utapau, Geonosis, Mustafar, etc. are also fun and unique.

5. The Extended Canon

I mainly made this point just to talk about Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is my favourite Star Wars thing ever. (Actually my ghost is writing this post because I died after the last episode today!) But it is true that without the prequels, Clone Wars, which is widely agreed to be a fantastic series, would have never existed. Obviously I love the fact that Clone Wars fills in the big gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but one of my favourite things about the show is that they “fixed” my number one problem with the prequels: Anakin’s character development. What we see from Anakin in Clone Wars makes him a lot more likable and makes his turning to the Dark Side in Episode III more believable.

There are lots of other things I like about the prequels too, but these are the main aspects that have always stood out to me. While they may not be perfect movies, I still believe that they’re important to the Star Wars universe.

May the Force be with you!