Star Trek vs. Star Wars (and a collection of memes)

...still... it didn't turn out too well for the Count.

 

I'd say that drop in quality does not equate with a loss of a single wifi bar. More like your modem catches fire, burns down your house with your young children trapped inside.

 

As I knew you would.

 

My ranking is:

• Episode III
• Episode I
• Episode II

Episode III is the clear winner when it comes to the prequels. There are many great moments in that film. The lightsaber fights are solid, the Darth Plagueis Opera scene is fantastic, next to no Jar Jar and this gem...




If the Anakin-Padme romantic scenes were re-worked, along with some of the wonky dialogue and Padme dying from sadness... Episode III could almost contend with the weakest entry in the OT (for me that is A New Hope). Dialogue aside, the story is quite emotional and impactful. Watching the fall of the Jedi order is an extremely significant event, as is the fall of Anakin, the destruction of the Obi + Ani friendship and the rise of the emperor. The movie feels like it as significantly more substance to it. I also feel that it has the advantage of being able to utilize the elements of the overall story arc that were set up in the previous two movies (something that episode IX cannot claim).



Next up is Episode I. Its most obvious draw back is the very large amount of time that Jar Jar is on screen. However, it has (what is in my opinion) the very best lightsaber fight of all the Star Wars movies. In comparison to Episodes II & III it also benefits from not having the Padme-Anakin romantic scenes. It also has one of my favourite Prequel character's, Qui-Gon. I am likely in the minority, but I like Qui-Gon significantly more than Prequel Obi-Wan. That is not a knock on Ewan McGregor, his character is great, but I really like Qui-Gon. And of course.... we have Darth Maul. A simple character, but one whose presence made a huge impact (I prefer him over Count Dooku).


Last and definitely least is Episode II. For the longest time I rated this higher than Episode I due to the Jar Jar factor. However, after re-watching the movies recently, I reevaluated Phantom Menace and placed it far above Attack of the Clones. The Padme-Anakin scenes in Episode II are gag inducing; I absolutely can't stand them. The lightsaber fight, although fun, is worse than those found in Episodes I or III. Ultimately it doesn't have the strength of story of Episode III or the Maul + Qui-Gon cool factor of Episode I.


To be fair, I think most prequel fans and prequel haters would rate ROTS far above the other two.

Most definitely.