Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, is the sixth film in the Star Wars film series and the third installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

Set three years after the onset of the Clone Wars that began at the end of Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith sees the rise of Darth Sidious and the Galactic Empire as well as Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side of the Force becoming Darth Vader leading to the extermination of the Jedi.

George Lucas originally planned to include significantly more ties to the original trilogy; early drafts of the script saw a 10-year-old Han Solo appearing on Kashyyyk but the role was never cast. Lucas also wrote a scene in which Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he created him from midichlorians, and is thus his “father”, but the scene was later scrapped.

During early development of the movie a conversation between Master Yoda and a ghostly Qui-Gon Jinn, with Liam Neeson reprising his role as Qui-Gon, was never filmed but was included in the film’s novelization.

Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars film in which Anakin Skywalker and a suited Darth Vader were played by the same actor in the same film. Hayden Christensen recounted, it was originally intended to have a “tall guy” in the Vader costume, but, after “begging and pleading”, Lucas was persuaded to have the Vader costume created specifically to fit Christensen.

Revenge of the Sith was the first Star Wars film to receive a PG-13 rating for “sci-fi violence and some intense images”, mostly for the scene in which Darth Vader is set aflame by the lava. Lucas had stated months before that he felt the film should receive a PG-13 rating, because of Anakin’s final moments being the darkest and most intense of all six films.

Revenge of the Sith would eventually earn $849 million worldwide at the box office, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2005, behind Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On April 25, 2025, Revenge of the Sith was re-released back into theaters in celebration of its twentieth anniversary earning $25.5 million domestically.

Directed by George Lucas, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Frank Oz.

Reggie’s Take:

Revenge of the Sith is without argument the best movie of the prequels. Does it have its issues, sure but all three of the prequel movies have some kind of issue and on different levels.

Fan backlash over the prequels led Lucas to sell to Disney. Later, fans dissatisfied with the sequel trilogy grew to appreciate the prequels.  Does Star Wars have problems? I would say yes. The problem is the lack of courage to tell stories unrelated to the Skywalker Saga or its timeline and characters.  

For the franchise to move forward, Lucasfilm and Disney need to introduce new characters and stories unrelated to the Skywalker Saga. If these are compelling, fans will accept them without comparing them to the past.  I’m aware not everyone will agree with me and will want to lay blame or make excuses as to why the franchise has failed, but at what point do we stop looking backwards and start asking Lucasfilm/Disney to move the franchise forward rather than keep dipping its toe back into the same pond?

Categories: Movies

Tags: 20th Anniversary, Darth Vader, George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Revenge of the Sith, Science Fiction, Star Wars