Star Wars: 10 Prequel Characters Who Stole The Spotlight From Anakin

George Lucas focused on the misbehaving Jedi trainee Anakin Skywalker. He described how he came to embrace the dark side of the Force and become Darth Vader when he went to a galaxy far, far away to direct the Star Wars prequel trilogy. But several enduring supporting figures ultimately took the spotlight away from Anakin.

Nearly every other figure took Anakin’s place throughout the trilogy, from the prequel age heroes in the limelight.

General Grievous

Throughout the prequel trilogy, Palpatine took on three apprentices, each symbolizing a different aspect of Darth Vader: Maul stands for his fury, Dooku for the corrupted Jedi, and General Grievous for the man-turned-machine.

One of the most spectacular confrontations in the series was made possible by Grievous’ four arms, each holding the lightsaber of a Jedi he had killed. He unleashes a furious flash of light in Kenobi’s direction.

Qui Gon Jinn

Even though Qui-Gon Jinn only had one movie appearance, that was enough for him to establish himself as a cherished legend among fans. Qui-Gon left a lasting effect with his one film appearance, from his healthy master-padawan connection with Obi-Wan to his sarcastic answers to Jar Jar’s comic antics to his devastating dying scene.

His passing cemented Anakin’s doomed destiny. The father figure Anakin required was Qui-Gon. Instead, the fatherly position left vacant by Qui-Gon was replaced by Palpatine, who used him as his almighty puppet in the creation of the Empire since Obi-Wan was more of a brother to Anakin.

Jango Fett

Fans who were let down by Boba Fett’s underwhelming death scene in Return of the Jedi were more than satisfied with Attack of the Clones’ Boba Fett action. In the film, Jango Fett, Boba’s father, a similarly cool bounty hunter, was introduced.

Jango makes for an amazing secondary villain in Attack of the Clones, from leading Obi-Wan on a wild goose chase through an asteroid field to getting his head chopped off by Mace Windu.

Mace Windu

When Samuel L. Jackson played Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy, he added a touch of Tarantino coolness to the Star Wars world. Jackson continues to be a captivating presence on television. Windu is innately endearing, even when he’s treating Anakin badly and unintentionally driving him closer to the evil side.

Windu is distinctive not just because of his purple lightsaber. A school of thinking claims he is the most potent Jedi. He is Yoda’s right-hand man and most trusted confidant.

Count Dooku

The Jedi Master-turned-Sith neophyte Count Dooku succeeded Maul as Palpatine’s new trainee and the major antagonist in Attack of the Clones after Maul’s severance in The Phantom Menace.

Christopher Lee, the king of Hammer Horror, was the ideal option for the role of a hammered-up, mustache-twirling Sith evil. Lee perfectly captured every evil quality of this quirky bad guy, from his smarmy grin to his meticulous swordplay, and he stole every scene he was in.

Padme Amidala

The fierce Padmé Amidala received incredibly little attention in Revenge of the Sith. Instead, she spends most of the film in her apartment until she dies from melancholy. But like Leia before her, Padmé participated in many of the actions in the first two films.

She went to the front lines of Naboo in The Phantom Menace to take back her castle from the Trade Federation. Then, she defeated a Godzilla beast in the Geonosis arena by herself in Attack of the Clones while Anakin and Obi-Wan were still formulating a plan of Attack.

Darth Maul

The Phantom Menace’s antagonist had to find a way to live up to the mystique of Darth Vader, the last antagonist in the Star Wars series and one of cinema’s most recognizable figures, along with Nurse Ratched and the Wicked Witch of the West. However, Darth Maul was capable against all circumstances.

Maul is a wonderfully memorable villain, from his eerie red-skinned, beady-eyed visage conjuring up thoughts of the Devil to Ray Park’s great physique energizing the battle sequences.

Yoda

In the original trilogy, an ill, old Yoda served as a wise tutor to Luke during his last years. He demonstrated his tremendous Force abilities, but viewers never saw him brandish a lightsaber.

Finally, the public witnessed Yoda in action in the prequel trilogy when he was a few decades younger. In Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, he faced up against Count Dooku and Darth Sidious. Yoda never missed an occasion to crack a wisecrack, “Lost a planet; Master Obi-Wan has… how humiliating!” on top of all the excitement.

Chancellor Palpatine

Ian McDiarmid did a terrific job portraying the Emperor in Return of the Jedi as the blatantly evil leader of the Empire. Still, he even outdid himself when he revealed the character’s past during the prequel trilogy. He gave the boy all the information he wanted to hear until he was prepared to convert Anakin to the dark side and take him under his wing as a Sith apprentice.

Despite his deceptively camp exterior, Palpatine poses as a sincere statesman in the prequels. But when his true identity as Darth Sidious is known, he might quickly transform into something evil.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan was intended to be a supporting character in the prequel trilogy, while Anakin was the main protagonist; nevertheless, Obi-Wan ended up stealing the show in each film. Obi-Wan is undoubtedly the undisputed MVP of the prequels, from his droll one-liners to his action-packed B-plots.

Alec Guinness’s initial portrayal of the role was warm and noble. However, Ewan McGregor expertly brought that back while giving the part the vibrant, young energy of a Jedi who has not yet survived a purge and gone into hiding.

Gary Wilson

Gary is a geeky-binge watcher who loves to pen down all that he watches. The night-owl has just got two hobbies, binge-watching all the latest shows and writing everything about them.