The Star Wars Prequels Have Held Up Pretty Well, Darth Vader Says

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Star Wars prequels when they first launched, as well as a lot of negative reception for the trilogy that fleshed out the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order. These days, those films are more fondly remembered, something that Darth Vader believes is due to them having aged surprisingly well over the decades.

In an interview with Empire, actor Hayden Christensen explained that seeing the films receive more positive recognition from fans has been a vindicating moment for the actor.

"The journey that I’ve been on with Star Wars over the last 20-plus years--it's been a wild ride, and where we're at now is really meaningful to me," Christensen said. "I think that those movies have held up well over time. It feels like vindication for the work that we did. Everyone that worked on those movies thought that we were part of something special. We all wanted to do our very best work, and we cared a lot about it. And so to see the response from the fans now, it's very cool."

Christensen played Anakin Skywalker and Episodes 2 and 3, eventually transforming into Darth Vader along the way. He'd return to the role in 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi series, seeking revenge for his mutilation at the hands of the former Jedi master.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace will be returning to theaters for a limited time on Star Wars Day, May 4. In case you missed it in 1999, this is the film that kickstarted the prequel trilogy with pod racing, galactic intrigue, and an unforgettable lightsaber duel between Kenobi and his nemesis Darth Maul.

The future also looks busy for the franchise as the next film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is scheduled to arrive in 2026. Then there's the return of Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker in a new Star Wars film, Logan director James Mangold is working on a movie chronicling the dawn of the Jedi Order, Dave Filoni has his own Star Wars movie in development, and Rian Johnson's Star Wars trilogy is reportedly also still going ahead.