The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy has its fair share of haters. Since bad critical reviews began instantly from its first press showings in 1999, George Lucass return to his Saga has been the go to whipping boy when it comes to movie disappointments, leading on to a whole stock of go to negativity when it comes to the prequel trilogy's place in the Star Wars legacy. Well I say pah to all that (I would say something stronger but I'm not allowed to). From 1999 to 2005 I loved watching the prequels. I loved what they added to the original trilogy and the extra layers they generated. It wasn't just Revenge of the Sith that bridged the gap between the trilogies it was the whole run of three films. Lucas loves mirroring events and changing the outcomes or outright playing out the same outcomes when it comes to the Skywalker journeys. I very much feel the saga works as a six episode saga as opposed to two three episode accounts where embittered fans can choose to ignore sections because they've convinced themselves Jar Jar Binks in his supporting role was enough to destroy everything they loved about Star Wars or that Jake Lloyds acting abilities really made a difference to how they felt about Darth Vader. Starting with Phantom Menace (the other prequels will come in later articles), I want to have a look at the knock on effects the prequel had; how it helped strengthen a whole lot of elements in the Original Trilogy and how some of these themes might carry forward into the new Star Wars trilogy as we head towards Episode VII.