Correcting One George Lucas Mistake Would Have Made Revenge Of The Sith Even Better

Correcting one mistake made by George Lucas in Revenge of the Sith would have made the final Star Wars prequel movie even better. Showcasing the end of the Clone Wars with the corruption of Anakin Skywalker before the rise of the Galactic Empire, Revenge of the Sith is one of the most important and momentous movies in the entire Skywalker saga. However, one major character deserved far more screen time and agency than she ultimately got.

As seen in Revenge of the Sith, multiple campaigns and battles are being waged across the galaxy with the Republic’s clone troopers being led by their Jedi generals. This includes the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk which receives far more screen time than most of the other planets seen on screen, perhaps matched only by Utapau with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s final confrontation with General Grievous. However, the decision to feature Kashyyyk so heavily in Revenge of the Sith is somewhat odd considering how much of Padmé Amidala’s arc was cut in the final prequel film.

George Lucas Wanted Revenge Of The Sith To Focus On Anakin… So Why Show Kashyyyk?

Kashyyyk Wasn’t Very Important For Anakin’s Fall To The Dark Side

Due to its galactic position as a major navigational point, Kashyyyk became a key world during the Clone Wars. As such, a major invasion force was mustered by the Separatist Alliance in the final days of the war, prompting an equally large counteroffensive from the Galactic Republic supporting the mighty Wookiee warriors. With efforts being coordinated by Jedi Master Luminara Unduli with support from Quinlan Vos, Jedi Grandmaster Yoda himself provided further support to the campaign as seen in Revenge of the Sith, having been present on the forest world during the tragic events of Order 66 and the Jedi Purge.

To that end, Kashyyyk is featured multiple times during Revenge of the Sith. Not only are multiple scenes of the battle shown, but also the events of Order 66 and Yoda’s escape from the world once the clones turn on the Jedi. Remarkably, there were even scenes cut from the final film despite its comparatively long length, such as Quinlan Vos being betrayed by his clones while aboard a turbo tank. Seeing as how the Wookiee homeworld was originally envisioned for Return of the Jedi before Lucas chose to go with Endor and the Ewoks, Lucas certainly got Kashyyyk on screen with Revenge of the Sith.

As impressive as the Battle of Kashyyyk is, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t do much for Anakin Skywalker’s corruption to the dark side. There’s no real connection point, as the focus with Kashyyyk is primarily on Yoda. As such, it’s somewhat bizarre that so much time is dedicated to the Wookiee homeworld when the movie’s overarching focus is meant to be on the fall of the Chosen One and his seduction to the dark side of the Force by Palpatine aka Darth Sidious.

George Lucas Cut Key Padme Scenes To Focus On Anakin

Padmé Helped Lay The Foundations Of Future Rebellion

Giving Kashyyyk so much screen time is even more strange considering how much of Padmé Amidala’s Revenge of the Sith was cut for the sake of focusing more on Anakin and his temptation to the dark side. As his secret wife, Padmé is crucial to Anakin’s story as is her opposition to Palpatine’s increase in power over the Galactic Senate. Considering her own significant journey throughout the first two prequel films, it’s unfortunate that some of Padmé’s best scenes were deleted from Revenge of the Sith’s final cut.

While still part of the established Star Wars canon, deleted scenes from Revenge of the Sith feature Padmé meeting with key figures of the future Rebel Alliance such as Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Having formed The Delegation of the Two Thousand, official opposition was being formed against Palpatine and his growing abuses of power with Padmé at the heart. However, these moments were removed from the final cut. As a result, Padmé’s character is depicted as far more passive than she actually was during the final days of the Clone Wars.

George Lucas Made The Wrong Cuts

Padmé Needed More Agency In Revenge of the Sith

Although they can still be watched as part of Revenge of the Sith’s collected deleted scenes, these key scenes with Padmé help show the growing rifts between her and Anakin who is favored by Palpatine. Likewise, they also help confirm that Padmé would have almost certainly been a key leader of the Rebel Alliance had she survived beyond the events of Revenge of the Sith. It further cements the idea that she would have never joined Anakin following his corruption to the dark side of the Force.

Without these scenes, Padmé’s arc in Revenge of the Sith isn’t as dynamic as it could have been. Much of her time on-screen aside from giving birth is either watching Anakin struggle or watching Palpatine as he brings about the rise of the Galactic Empire (without the scenes showing how she tried to motivate a restoration of democracy). As a result, the Battle of Kaskyyyk makes the most sense as the sequence that should have been cut and pared down in favor of keeping Padmé deleted scenes.

Kashyyyk doesn’t have any real bearing on Anakin’s arc. Likewise, Padmé scenes are certainly more connected by comparison. At any rate, it is nice that the scenes have been confirmed to be part of the official Star Wars canon, even if George Lucas should have kept them in Revenge of the Sith’s final cut to begin with.