Here we go! Let’s start the knock-down, drag-out duel of the fates! In one corner, the movie event that almost eclipsed coming of the original trilogy! In the other, the Disney sanctioned sequels that promised to continue the tale of that galaxy far, far away!

Will it be THE PHANTOM MENACE, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, and REVENGE OF THE SITH or will THE FORCE AWAKENS, THE LAST JEDI, and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER take the title?

Ladies and Gentlemen –           

            Which trilogy was better? Episodes 1 – 3 or episodes 7 – 9? I will be breaking it down over the next few weeks – examining different parts of the movies until we have an answer. How about we begin with…

DROIDS

            Let’s start off with the cornerstone of any good Star Wars film – The droids. Artoo-Deetoo and See-Threepio set the bar awfully high in the original trilogy. How do the prequels and sequels stack up? Both have our lovable Laurel and Hardy of outer space in them, so we won’t be counting R2 and C-3PO in this study as they cancel each other out. For the sequels, the addition of BB-8 was both a fresh addition and a callback to the original films. BB-8 was expressive, funny and wasn’t afraid to follow the crew into danger. Much like the gutsy R2-D2, BB-8 was the perfect droid vehicle to help move the story forward.

            Looking at the prequels, it’s obvious that the battle droids lead the charge in this category. Outside of the perceived threat of IG-88 in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, droids had never been seen as killing machines on the big screen. Between the battle, destroyer and vulture droids, the prequels gave the world the proof that droids can be deadly, even while sounding like a 1950’s, B-movie robot.

As much as I love BB-8, I have to give this one to the prequels. Lucas brought droids into the fray with the 3 prequel films and it was a game changer. From the movies to The Clone Wars, the new threat droids now presented was enough to solidify their importance in the Star Wars universe.

Side Note – Attack of the Clones introduced us to FLO, the WA-7 waitress droid that worked at Dexter’s Diner. That alone is almost enough for me to give the win to the prequels.

Prequels – 1

Sequels – 0

Next Category? How about lightsaber action?  See you in a few days…