Star Wars revolutionized the world in so many ways. It created new standards in movie making. It leapt technology forward in so many fields from film to medical and beyond we will never realize its effect. While other films have done this, why does Star Wars stand out when others fall by the way side? Star Wars possesses a depth of though and philosophy as well. Here are the 6 greatest quotes from the Star Wars prequels in chronological order.
WARNING: Truth of the universe #13: The minute you stand for something, you make an enemy. The minute you draw a line someone will be on the wrong side of it. Therefor I feel I have to say the following are my beliefs alone. They do not express the beliefs of THS or any of its personnel.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #1
Qui-Gonn: Don’t center on your anxieties
Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and know where it belongs.
Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gonn: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living force, young padawan.
The Phantom Menace
Worry. Stress. Anxiety. These emotions consume us very easily. Things don’t even need to be going wrong. We get lost and overwhelmed fearing what may happen, we lose sight of where we are now and what we can control. We can do many things to influence how the future may unfold, but tomorrow is a day that may never come.
Obi-Wan could sense the dark side in the events opening The Phantom Menace, but his youth kept him from seeing it. In the end what could he do?Qui-Gonn tells him to keep focused on the present, the now, for in the end that is all we can control. Yoda’s words are wise because those who do not make plans for the future will be caught unprepared when it comes. Qui-Gonn agrees but if one pushes all their concerns and thoughts to the future, one will miss what happens now and forget what it is to live.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #2
Anakin: I don’t want things to change.
Shmi: You can’t stop the change. Any more than you can stop the suns from setting.
The Phantom Menace
This one gets lost in the movie. It’s a quick little scene, but leaves a quote that is very powerful. Anakin just realized his dream! He gets to leave slavery and become he very thing he dreams of becoming, but when it is time for the foot to hit the pavement, he chokes. He gives into his fears.
How often do we do that? Something glorious lays before us; The very thing we desire, yet when it is time to put up or shut up, we choke or hesitate. Luckily, Anakin had his mother there to set him straight. Change comes whether we like it or not. It is as inevitable as the sun (or Thanos). Aughra from the Dark Crystal has a great line “It could be the end of the world! or the beginning. *humph* End. Begin. All the same. Big change. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.” We cannot stop change, so we must learn to flow with it. Shmi ends the scene a bit later with the perfect follow up quote “Now be brave and don’t look back. Don’t look back.”
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #3
Yoda: Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.”
The Phantom Menace
Of course this is one of the most quoted phrases from Star Wars next to ‘May the force be with you,’ but how much thought do people put into this? People being afraid of something drives them to make rash choices. They strike out to protect themselves or quickly anger. Look at people that hate. They fear whatever the thing is will either hurt them or something they care about, so instead of learning and squelching their fear, they lash out, which leads to the suffering. This covers everything from misunderstood animals to race relations. The key to ending the suffering is to end the fear.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #4
Qui-Gonn: Your Focus determines your reality.
The Phantom Menace
This is perhaps my favorite quote from all of Star Wars and is a rule I live by. Two people witness the exact same event, yet when they talk about what they saw, they describe two entirely different events. You slap one person they will hit back, but when you hit another person, they shrug it off and ‘turn the other cheek,’ or when it rains, some complain while others are happy at nature renewing herself. How you interpret life defines the type of life you live.
When Anakin began whining about Padme in Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan warns Anakin he if focusing on the negative and that he should be mindful of his feelings. He is about to see the love of his life, but instead of being happy, he calls up the negatives. If people focused more on the positives in life, it would be a lot harder for the dark times to take hold.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #5
Queen Jamilla: We must keep our faith in the Republic. The day we stop believing democracy can work is the day we lose it.
Attack of the Clones
This, too, is one of my favorite quotes, but it unfortunately skirts politics a bit too much for this article, so let’s widen it out. It does not matter if it is a system of government, a belief of some sort or even a relationship. The minute you quit believing a thing can work is the minute you lose it.
As long as two people believe in a relationship they will try to make it work and find solutions to problems. In the end they believe there is a solution, but when even one person quits believing the relationship can work, they quit. The effort evaporates. They quit caring about the relationship and pack it in.
Ever heard of the phrase ‘buying into what the coach is preaching’? Same thing. When teams believe in heir coaches and what they are trying to do, they play all out and give it their all, but the minute they quit believing in the coaches system, they quit playing and start going through the motions.
Extend this to any government or rule of law or any system. For it to work the people have to believe in it or it’s a lost cause.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: #6
Anakin: I won’t let these visions come true, Master Yoda.
Yoda: Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those who transform into the force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is.
Anakin: What must I do, Master Yoda?
Yoda: Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.
Revenge of the Sith
This too is one of my favorites. Not only does this define Anakin’s character flaws and fall to the dark side, but it carries so much meaning beyond the movies. Anakin’s fall happened because of his attachment to those he loved (his mother and Padme). His fear (return to Yoda’s quote) of loss drove him to the dark side. Jedi preach detachment, so things like this do not happen. Some say the Jedi became too detached, but that is for a different article.
Look at what happens when people become attached and obsessed with items, ideas or people. Their fear of loss drives them to either become angry or strike out and those that threaten their attachment.
This is a school of thought many religions cover. Being attached to things serves little purpose because when we die we cannot take it with us. One might have to go back to ancient Egypt for beliefs where you could. We should care for people, but becoming overly attached can also be harmful. We will all die. That is a given, so Yoda’s words about not mourning those we lose should be heeded, but then again the comfort death brings may also come from religious beliefs. The more we detach ourselves, he easier it is to stave off fear and loss.
Greatest Quotes of Star Wars Prequels: Final Thoughts
Of course there is so much more, but those are 6 of the top quotes from the prequels. If you like quotes and meaning like this, check out books by Joseph Campbell. He knows more than anyone when it comes to mythology and storytelling. He spoke at length about the hero’s journey and the amazing job Lucas did using it in Star Wars.
Look for two more articles to be released shortly with top quotes from both the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy.
