2. The Force
"It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." So said Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker during his introduction to the mystical phenomenon known as the Force in the original trilogy. The Force is one of the most important aspects of the whole Star Wars universe. It is what gives the Jedi (and Sith) the special abilities they use to either control or protect the galaxy depending on which side of the Force they reside. While both trilogies gave us facts and information regarding the Force, it is through the visible use of the Force that allows the prequel trilogy to shine over the original. In the original trilogy, the concept of the Force was new to everyone. It was a special power harnessed by the Jedi and Sith. Being that there was barely any of them left in the original trilogy we didnt get a great visual sense of what the Force actually was capable of. We saw Force pulls by Luke retrieving his lightsaber from the ice on Hoth and by Yoda retrieving Lukes downed X-Wing from the swamps on Dagobah. We even saw the Force choke a few times from Darth Vader on some of his subordinates. The only time we really saw what the Force was capable of as far as being a true weapon is when we witnessed the Force Lightning of Emperor Palpatine on Luke in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." In the prequel trilogy we experienced the Force as a whole different entity from the moment Episode I began. It was the era of the Jedi. So naturally we saw the Force used much more prominently. We see Force jumps, Force Pulls, and Force pushes all over the prequel trilogy as the Jedi encounter and fight battle droids and other adversaries. It is also a time where there are more active Sith. When the Jedi fight these Sith in battle, they use the Force more often than the original trilogy. A prime example of this occurs at the end of Episode II: Attack of the Clones when Jedi master Yoda faces off with Count Dooku. The majority of the fight involves them exchanging blows using the knowledge of the Force. Count Dooku starts off by using the Force to break off and throw metal pieces attached to the wall at Yoda, only to have them blocked. Dooku then attempts to collapse part of the roof above Yoda using the Force to again have it blocked by the Jedi Master. Finally Count Dooku shoots the Force Lighting at Yoda who just simply absorbs it and throws it back at him. One of the more subtle and personal favorite uses of the Force during a Jedi-Sith battle was in Episode I: The Phantom Menace while Darth Maul is simultaneously fighting Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon towards the end of the film. As they approach a door that needs to be opened, Darth Maul uses the Force to take a decapitated battle droid head and throws it towards the door switch, opening it up so they can continue on with the fight. It is through these many smaller overlooked uses of the Force along with the bigger obvious examples that end up making the Force visibly stand out better in the prequels compared to the original trilogy.