4) Kamino
The prequel trilogy, for all its obvious flaws and shortcomings, did much more good for the series’ development than it perhaps gets credit for. Putting aside the hammy dialogue, irritating, whiny man-child that would eventually become a universally feared Sith Lord and, of course, Jar Jar Binks (I know, that’s asking a lot), there’s genuinely a lot to love about Darth Vader’s origin story.
One of the most prevalent criticisms aimed at George Lucas’ trio of precursors – besides the above – is the abundance of special effects, an element that, some argue, borders on the gratuitous and subsequently betrays the original trilogy’s ‘lived-in’ aesthetic that many hold dear. It’s the most subjective complaint of them all, to be fair, and whether or not it affects your own enjoyment of the prequels largely comes down to personal preference.
Yes, Lucas did, perhaps, get a little overenthusiastic about the advancements in film technology that had emerged in the 16-year gap between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, but without that eagerness, Kamino may never have existed, at least not in its current form.
The home of the Clone Army is, without a doubt, a contender for most unique environment in the entire franchise, an accomplishment that deserves to be recognized in Star Wars Battlefront II. If not in the campaign, then most definitely as a multiplayer map.
I, for one, would massacre the entire Gungan race if it meant being able to do battle on its aquatic, eternally rain-soaked surface.
