He might not have planned this, but J.J. Abrams has become the gatekeeper of the Star Wars franchise… on screen, at least. Sure, Jon Favreau currently is crafting a winning TV series in The Mandalorian. But the big-screen features have fallen back to Abrams as he prepares to wow the world with the saga-closing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
With his eyes on the prize, Abrams is looking back on the legacy of the series, and recently was asked by EW what his favorite scene from the Prequels was. Abrams revealed that it's the moment when Palpatine tells Anakin about the legend of Darth Plagueis in Revenge of the Sith, luring his pupil to the Dark Side. Abrams explains:
There’s just something about that scene. There’s just two people sitting there. It’s visually interesting. But I just think Ian’s performance in it is spectacular.
Interesting. Not an action set piece. Not a devastating turn of events, as when Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) turns into Darth Vader, or Obi-wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) confronts the evil Darth Maul. No, J.J. Abrams chooses a quiet dialogue scene – a conversation between two important characters in the saga, and now we partially wonder if this scene holds weight in the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
That’s because, as an overwhelming surprise, Palpatine will be returning to the Star Wars story after departing the series in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. How? Last time we saw him, he was tossed down a very large hole by his protégé, who appears in this scene. Him telling the legendary story of Darth Plagueis, and revealing his interests in immortality, likely will be important to the character’s resurrection in the upcoming movie.
Here, take a look at J.J. Abrams’ favorite scene from the Star Wars prequels, just in case it’s been a long time since you last watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
Could these words heavily influence Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) as the Star Wars saga draws to a close? We think so, however, the actions in The Last Jedi have us questioning the next steps forward for Rise of Skywalker. Rey (Daisy Ridley) seemed like the focal point of a new Jedi order. But the story has slowly shifted to be about the battle for the soul of Ben Solo. And with a renewed interest in Leia, and the loss of both Han and Luke from the story, the remaining characters may wage a war to bring Kylo back to “Ben,” away from the Dark Side and into the Light.
What about you guys? Do you have a favorite scene from the prequels? It’s been too long since I revisited them, and I know I’m going to have to before I finally see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I’m just dreading Attack of the Clones. It’s so dreadful. The saga concludes on December 20. Do you have your tickets yet?
