10 Overlooked Positives Of Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

While it's hard to hold a candle to the raw villainous aura that surrounds the legendary Darth Vader, the prequel trilogy did give us some of the most iconic and interesting villains not only of the Star Wars series, but of modern cinema in general.

Despite his potential as a character being wasted, Darth Maul is arguably the single best designed alien character in the entire series, with an iconic and effective look that fans and non fans alike recognize the moment they see it. Purely from a design standpoint, Maul was the perfect way to introduce fans to the Sith.

Then, we were gifted with Count Dooku, who is portrayed perfectly by Christopher Lee. Dooku is confident, competent, calculating and strong, everything a Star Wars villain should be. He is one of the post powerful users of the Force we've seen, his curved-hilt lightsaber gives him a unique look, and Lee's classical style of acting adds a certain sophistication to the character.

Later, we were introduced to General Grievous. While his actual role in the film's narrative ended up being rather inconsequential, they certainly made him seem like a big deal, as his death was established to be the key to ending the Clone Wars. And the fact that we was a seven-foot tall mechanical soldier who could wield four lightsabers at once certainly didn't hurt.

Finally, we get to the soon-to-be emperor, Palpatine, who is undoubtedly one of the most well-rounded villains in all of Star Wars. He is a master manipulator, capable of showing all different sides of his personality, from friendliness to humor to utter psychopathy. Ian McDiarmid was tasked with showing us all of the sides of the character he first played in Return of the Jedi, and he did a phenomenal job, making the Emperor feel that much more evil and powerful in the process.