The Star Wars prequel trilogy had the difficult task of re-creating the magic and adventure that made the original trilogy so successful. On one hand, the prequel trilogy continued the adventures of the original movies by explaining the backstories of many beloved characters like Boba Fett, Ben Kenobi, and Darth Vader.
On the other hand, the prequel trilogy attempted to add to the expanding Star Wars universe, introducing new and different characters. Some characters became monoliths in the Star Wars franchise while others, because of their lack of character development, became a waste of potential.
10 Jar Jar Binks had the potential to be cool & relevant but became annoying
Jar Jar Binks is perhaps the most hated character in all of the franchise. He was annoying, looked strange, and really served no purpose in the films. The character itself had so much potential to be cool and relevant to the franchise.
He could have become the Chewbacca of the prequel trilogy, acting as a loyal companion to Princess Amidala, a cool fighting companion to the Jedi, and a unique character that represented a new race in the Star Wars Universe. But no, he became a symbol for what fans hated the most about the prequels, a character who tried being more than what they were.
9 Shmi Skywalker became a tool used to progress Anakin’s storyline
Shmi Skywalker, Anakin’s mom, was a strong independent character who was well written, but due to the lack of screen time, became a bit of a waste. She had the potential to be so much for the Vader character. She could have been what Aunt May was to Peter Parker, the small tether that kept Anakin from falling into the path of darkness.
Especially in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Shmi really moved the Anakin storyline forward. Her death revealed Anakin’s true nature to audiences; he wasn’t a Jedi Knight, but an insecure teenager who still didn’t have mastery over his emotions. In helping to develop Anakin’s character, she was reduced to a plot device.
8 Zam Wessell could have been a cool bounty hunter but fell short
Zam Wesell was a bounty hunter who worked for Jango Fett in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. She was tasked with assassinating Padmé, but failed. When she died, it was revealed that she was a Clawdite, a shapeshifting alien from Zolan. She was an assassin, a bounty hunter, and a shapeshifter, meaning that she should not have been killed as easily as she was.
All the ingredients for a cool new character were there but the character was poorly executed. Zam Wesell didn’t use her assassin and shapeshifting skills to their full potential and thereby became a waste of a character.
7 Bail Organa’s only purpose in the prequels was to adopt Leia at the end of Episode III
From his introductions in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, fans knew that he was going to adopt Leia at some point in the trilogy. His fate was sealed the moment he was introduced in the film.
Knowing that his task was ultimately to play a secondary, but vital role in the original trilogy, he wasn’t all that important of a character in the prequels. Sure, he does save Yoda and Obi-Wan from Order 66, but they would have survived anyhow. Plus, audiences knew that Alderaan was going to explode in Episode IV: A New Hope, so fans didn’t even bother to care about the character since they already knew his fate.
6 Mace Windu was underutilized in the prequels, which is strange given how powerful of a Jedi he is
Mace Windu is a great character and has a purple lightsaber to prove it. But despite how strong he is, second only to Yoda on the Jedi Council, he is a bit of an underutilized character. He does kill Jango Fett, thereby pushing the Boba Fett storyline forward, and he does deny Anakin the rank of Jedi Master, catalyzing the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Other than that, his character is notorious for getting brutally killed by Palpatine. He was built up to be an important Jedi but became useless.
5 General Grievous didn’t get the chance to show off his fighting skills
A cyborg Sith with four arms is a recipe for success. The prequels however chose not to focus on his four arms and lightsabers and instead focused more on his cybernetic abilities. He only gets to show off his four arms and lightsabers when he fights Obi-Wan in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
He could have been a much cooler villain if he were a better fighter. Grievous makes the dumb movie mistake of only fighting Obi-Wan with two arms at a time. He could have easily defeated Obi-Wan if he used all his arms, but no, Obi-Wan defeats him with relative ease, making him a waste of a character.
4 Count Dooku was not as great of a villain as he should have been
Count Dooku had so much potential to become a great menacing villain, given his background. He was a former Jedi Master who trained Qui-Gon Jinn and left the path of the Jedi because he was dissatisfied with the Jedi Council and the Republic. Out of all of the villains in the prequel trilogy, he was probably the most justified in becoming a villain.
Though powerful, he became less interesting in each subsequent movie. His motives didn’t change and he became increasingly ignorant and naïve, making him seem more dumb than villainous.
3 Qui-Gon Jinn was killed off too early
If Qui-Gon had survived and trained Anakin himself, who knows how Anakin would have turned out. He was an exciting new character for the franchise and should not have been killed off at the end of Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Qui Gon could have changed the prequel storylines for the better, if he had lived. He was a maverick Jedi who seemed to understand Anakin’s situation more than Obi-Wan ever did and had the potential to become a second Yoda to the franchise. His early death was such a shame since there was still so much potential with his character.
2 Jango Fett didn’t explore his Mandalorian background as much as he should have
Jango Fett proved to be an integral character to the prequels. He was a much-needed addition to the franchise as he explained Boba Fett’s origins as a bounty hunter. Though a Mandalorian, he did not however explore much about his race.
The prequel trilogy would have been a great time to explore more about the Mandalorians, especially their conflict with the Jedi. It was a missed opportunity as the movies were more focused on linking Boba Fett to the prequels and not on exploring his heritage.
1 Maul deserved to be in more movies
Simply stated, Maul was just too cool to be in a single movie. He was a unique alien, an awesome Sith, and an athletic fighter. His fight with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan elevated the Star Wars franchise, demonstrating how fast-paced a lightsaber dual could be.
He’s proven himself to be a fan favorite prequel villain and deserved more screen time than what he was allocated. He was so popular that his storyline was even revisited in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, thus showing how wasted of a character he was in the movie.
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