George Lucas evidently cut hours of footage from the Star Wars prequel trilogy, raising questions about what exactly he included in the first place and why so much was cut. The prequels are unique among Star Wars movies and TV shows. Although there was considerable backlash and criticism when they were first released, there is now plenty of nostalgia for these stories and the characters, and they are considered some of Star Wars’ best movies.
Apparently, though, Star Wars’ prequel trilogy movies very nearly looked quite different. In a video posted by Chris Castellani on YouTube, Star Wars stunt coordinator Nick Gillard shared that there are “three more movies in footage” just in terms of what was cut from the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
It’s shocking to think that there could really be hours of alternate scenes and deleted footage, but based on the deleted scenes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith alone, it’s clear that plenty of changes were made before the final versions of these movies were released.
Why Did George Lucas Cut So Much?
Revenge Of The Sith In Particular Changed Considerably With These Edits
After the success of the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas was much more willing to experiment with ideas and take risks, ultimately requiring him to edit and streamline later. This willingness to get creative is clear with concepts like midi-chlorians (although that ended up being one of the biggest complaints about the prequel trilogy) and the revelation that Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One. While those innovative ideas made it into the movies, though, plenty were taken out or replaced.
Among the concepts that were left on the cutting room floor were the scenes depicting Padmé Amidala collaborating with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma to form the Rebellion and Anakin asking Obi-Wan to help him as he lay injured on Mustafar. George Lucas’ interest in maintaining a focused story throughout the three movies explains why such scenes were cut. The question remains, though: were those cuts really for the best?
Some Of George Lucas’ Deleted Scenes Were A Mistake
Many Of The Scenes Removed From The Prequels Would Have Been Brilliant
Some of the scenes that were cut from the prequels were truly disappointing to miss out on. The aforementioned Revenge of the Sith scenes are certainly on that list. Seeing Padmé establish the Rebellion in Revenge of the Sith would have been a beautiful way for her legacy to be honored, which was needed especially in light of how Padmé died. Likewise, seeing Anakin call out for Obi-Wan would have made Anakin’s fall even more tragic (and added brand-new complexity to Obi-Wan).
Even some funnier deletions, such as the Revenge of the Sith scene in which Anakin and Obi-Wan communicate with various motions, would have been wonderful to see on screen. It makes sense why George Lucas needed to cut all that he did, given the risks he was taking and the many ideas he had. Even so, there were clearly many changes made to the Star Wars prequel trilogy in terms of deletions and alterations, and, at times, that very specific focus may have actually limited the story and character development.
