J.J. Abrams on his favorite scene from the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

After years of hype, the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy couldn't really be anything but a disappointment, and while I doubt that many fans are placing THE PHANTOM MENACE, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, or REVENGE OF THE SITH on the top level of their STAR WARS lists, attitude towards the films has softened in recent years. With the upcoming STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER not only set to serve as the conclusion to the Sequel Trilogy, but also as the culmination of the entire nine-film Skywalker Saga, we're likely to see a few more elements from the Prequel Trilogy pop up before all is said and done.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER director J.J. Abrams was asked what his favourite scene from the STAR WARS Prequel Trilogy is. Abrams chose the scene from REVENGE OF THE SITH when Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) seduces Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to the dark side with his tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise.

There’s just something about that scene. There’s just two people sitting there. It’s visually interesting. But I just think Ian’s performance in it is spectacular.

Abrams then asked Ross what his favourite scene was, to which Ross responded, "the lightsaber battle in PHANTOM MENACE." Abrams acknowledged that the sequence had an incredible score, but expressed his diappointment that the character of Darth Maul was killed off before he had the chance to develop. "It was over too quickly," Abrams said. "This character that I thought was… the begining of something that will take me somewhere, I just remember when it ended, I was like, 'what?' I mean, the scene is amazing, but…" Getting back to J.J. Abrams' scene of choice, I've got to agree with him. In a film full of over-the-top visuals and CG characters, there's something very appealing about a simple conversation between two characters, complete with an unsettling score from John Williams. Thankfully, we'll be getting a little more of Ian McDiarmid's Emperor when STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER hits theaters on December 20, 2019.