Star Wars: Battlefront II - What Does The Ending Really Mean?

3. The Prequels Aren't Dead Yet

Battlefront Iden Del
EA

Once thought dead, buried, and well and truly erased, the prequels are very much back in Battlefront II. Or at least, some elements are.

Right at the climax of the game's third act, players take on the role of Leia Organa as they fend off an Imperial invasion of Naboo along with Iden and Del. The successful defence of Theed then sets in motion the collapse of Operation Cinder, and the destruction of the Empire as a whole, but this doesn't just mark a pivotal event in the Star Wars canon; it proclaims that there's a place for the prequels in this new era.

And yes, while there's nothing to write home about in Episodes I-III (bar a few brilliant performances), there were parts that worked - a fact illustrated by the crowning success of both iterations of the Clone Wars animated series and by other Star Wars titles too, particularly Republic Commando.

While it would be wise not to expect Naboo, Coruscant, or any other prequel planet getting a nod in Episode VIII, IX, or otherwise, it does illustrate a general willingness on Disney's behalf to retain certain bits and bobs from the prequel timeline, particularly the Clone Wars and some of the more impressive looking planets Lucas conceptualised during the millennium.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.