After neglecting the prequel trilogy for years, Star Wars fans have been revisiting it lately, and with that have come acceptance for the films and the actors that were once heavily criticized for their performances, especially Hayden Christensen. The Star Wars universe is preparing for the final installment in the Skywalker saga, and with it closing decades of adventures and family stories that have built one of the biggest franchises in entertainment. It’s not surprising, then, that fans are looking back at the previous films in the saga, especially the prequels.
George Lucas decided to move on with a prequel trilogy in the 1990s as the new technical advancements allowed him to create characters and scenarios he couldn’t in the 1980s, while also giving the films the look he really wanted. The result were three Star Wars films that weren’t well received by critics and fans (although reactions to Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith weren’t as negative as those of its predecessors), and the ones who received the worst punches were the cast, especially Jake Lloyd (young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace), Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks), and Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
Disney’s sequel trilogy has not only allowed Star Wars fans to continue exploring this universe past the events in the original trilogy but it has also prompted multiple reevaluations of the prequel trilogy, with many fans “forgiving” them and their actors, especially Hayden Christensen.
There were many things that didn’t go right with the Star Wars prequels. The overall concept for the stories was good but not so much the execution, many characters were underdeveloped (and then there’s Jar Jar Binks), and the performances of many actors weren’t the best. Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen got a lot of criticism, prompting Lloyd to retire from acting. Still, Christensen received the heaviest load of fan hate, as he portrayed Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in two films, contrary to Lloyd who only appeared in the first film.
His performance in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith wasn’t the best, and it can be blamed on many things: Lucas’ bad script, bad direction, or Christensen’s “unpolished” acting skills. Whatever the case, critics and fans didn’t take it lightly and they voiced their dislike towards his performance, with many Star Wars fans going as far as to hating the actor instead of the character or the portrayal of it. It’s no secret that there’s a lot of toxicity in the Star Wars fandom, which hasn’t changed in recent years as online trolls targeted Kelly Marie Tran following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And given that the prequels were, for many years, the final films in the Star Wars saga, many fans weren’t willing to forgive and forget, and the Hayden Christensen hate continued for years – and it’s finally fading.
The revisiting and reevaluation of the Star Wars prequels have come with a radical change in the opinions of many fans. A lot have forgiven Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, even finding some silver linings among the mess, while many others have decided to let go of their hate towards Hayden Christensen. The reasons behind this are many, but the main ones are that those who grew up with the sequels and whose first approach to the Star Wars universe were the prequels, are giving them another shot mainly for nostalgia reasons, which in turn means accepting Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.
Many fans have also chosen to redirect their hate towards the Disney sequels, whether because they don’t like their approach, because they still refuse to accept Lucasfilm is now a Disney property, or they simply didn’t want more films – more so if they leave the original cast as supporting characters and instead focus on a new generation. Disney’s sequel trilogy hasn’t been free of criticism, which has made fans look back to the prequels and make a comparison, the result being fans forgiving the prequels and Hayden Christensen as well. The reaction to Christensen has changed a lot in the last years, with him being very well received by Star Wars fans all over the world whenever he attends conventions and other public events. Case in point: Christensen’s recent visit to Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.
Another reason why fans might have found forgiveness in their hearts is because Christensen hasn’t appeared in many big films since Revenge of the Sith came out. The most notable films in his post-Star Wars career are Jumper and Takers, and he has only appeared in smaller films in the last years. Perhaps not seeing him so often has made fans forgive Christensen for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, or it has driven them to look into his other works, finally getting to see another side of him. More often than not, directors and actors are just not compatible, which might have been the case with Lucas and Christensen – it’s all about perspectives.
Disney’s Star Wars sequels have had their fair amount of references to the prequel trilogy, and their biggest addition related to the prequels is Palpatine/Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. McDiarmid was safe from the wave of “prequels hate”, and his return has been received with enthusiasm. But now that Star Wars fans have forgiven Hayden Christensen and react quite positively to his public appearances (and the online discussion around him has also improved a lot), he could very easily be one of the surprises J.J. Abrams has up his sleeve in this final chapter of the Skywalker saga.
Of course, Darth Vader is truly dead, unlike Darth Sidious who seems to have survived somehow (then again, it’s Star Wars and anything can happen), so the only way Christensen could reprise his role in The Rise of Skywalker is either through flashbacks or through the appearance of Anakin’s force ghost. It has been confirmed by Star Wars that Anakin’s force ghost returned after The Last Jedi, and given that there’s concept art from Star Wars: The Force Awakens of Anakin’s ghost that could be revisited by Abrams for The Rise of Skywalker, it’s very possible that Christensen will come back for one final Star Wars adventure. Of course, the role Anakin’s ghost could have in the story is unknown, and his presence could either be limited to one scene (like Yoda’s in Star Wars: The Last Jedi) or be more prominent, even appearing to Palpatine.
Rumors about Christensen’s involvement in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker only increased after Disney canceled a Star Wars panel with McDiarmid and Christensen at FanX Salt Lake, making many believe that it was due to spoiler concerns. Whatever the case, having him back for the final film would not only connect the sequel trilogy to the prequels and bring closure to Anakin’s story, but it would also help make peace between Christensen and Star Wars fans after all those years of criticism and hate.
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