The trilogy also depicts the corruption of the Galactic Republic, the annihilation of the Jedi Order, and the rise of the Empire under Palpatine (secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious).

[5] However, technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga.

[7]In 1992, Lucas acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy in the Lucasfilm Fan Club magazine, and announced this to Variety in late 1993.

[8] Producer Rick McCallum reached out to Frank Darabont, who had previously written The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and The Shawshank Redemption, for possible future writing duties.

The story jumps ahead 10 years and finds Anakin—now a Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi—pursuing a forbidden romance, as well as the outbreak of the Clone Wars.

Naboo's senator Palpatine—who is secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—has covertly engineered the blockade as a pretext to become Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

[18] The first draft of Episode II was completed just weeks before principal photography, and Lucas hired Jonathan Hales, a writer from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, to polish it.

Palpatine reveals himself as Darth Sidious and convinces Anakin that the dark side of the Force holds the power to save Padmé's life.

[25] Lucas reviewed and radically reorganized the plot,[26] having Anakin execute Dooku in the first act to foreshadow his fall to the dark side.

[30] There are many references to Christianity in the prequel trilogy, such as the appearance of Darth Maul, whose design draws heavily from traditional depictions of the devil, complete with red skin and horns.

[31] The Star Wars film cycle features a similar Christian narrative involving Anakin Skywalker; he is the "Chosen One"—the individual prophesied to bring balance to the Force—who was conceived of a virgin birth.

However, unlike Jesus, Anakin falls from grace and seemingly fails to fulfill his destiny (until the prophecy comes true in Return of the Jedi).

The saga draws heavily from the hero's journey, an archetypical template developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell.

[31] Political science has been an important element of Star Wars since the franchise launched in 1977, focusing on a struggle between democracy and dictatorship.

[32] Lucas has also drawn parallels between Palpatine and historical dictators such as Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as former president of the United States Richard Nixon.

[59] The greedy Neimoidians of the Trade Federation have been noted as resembling East Asian stereotypes[63] with some deliberately given Thai accents,[64] and Watto's mannerisms and hooked nose appearance were based on footage of Alec Guinness as the Jewish character Fagin in the 1948 film Oliver Twist,[65] leading some to assert that the slave-owning character is a Jewish stereotype.

[59][67] Many expressed their disappointment with the trilogy's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, particularly calling the writing weak and the dialogue wooden,[56] although Hayden Christensen's performance in the third film was more well-received.

[68] Contrarily, Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, following in the footsteps of Alec Guinness, has been generally praised.

[71] Lucas has called the choice clever, as it illustrates the halt of technological innovation in a time period of civil war.

[72] Conversely, some argue for the prequel trilogy's positive elements, including its handling of political issues, especially involving the rise of fascism.

[73][74] KING-TV's Kelly Lawler complimented the lightsaber battles as "sleeker affairs with better choreography and more athleticism" compared to the original trilogy.

[1][76] The prequels have been noted as retaining a dedicated fanbase, primarily composed of Millennials[77] and Gen Zers[78] who were children at the time of their release.

[79][80] Since the late 2010s, the prequels have amassed a cult following via memes on social media,[80] with Neel Patel of Syfy Wire attributing this to the internet being a "paradise of irreverence, just like George Lucas' scripts.

"[83] Similarly, Den of Geek's Andrew Blair wrote that the prequels were "enjoying a deserved reappraisal" following vocal discourse surrounding the sequels.