Your Complete Guide To The Star Wars Cinematic Universe

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith

Released: May 16th, 2002

Runtime: 2hrs 20mins

Directed by: George Lucas

Written by: George Lucas

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits, Frank Oz, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Temuera Morrison, Ahmed Best, Rohan Nichol, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Genevieve O’Reilly, James Earl Jones.

Significant characters introduced: Captain Raymus Antilles.

Notable universe developments: Padme is pregnant; Anakin turns to the Dark Side because he fears for Padme’s life; Padme dies; Luke and Leia are born; Obi-Wan battles Anakin; Anakin is saved by Palpatine and receives his distinctive armoured suit; Luke and Leia are hidden from the Sith.

Opening crawl: “War! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Sith Lord, Count Dooku. There are heroes on both sides. Evil is everywhere. In a stunning move, the fiendish droid leader, General Grievous, has swept into the Republic Capital and kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine, leader of the Galactic Senate. As the Separatist Droid Army attempts to flee the besieged capital with their valuable hostage, two Jedi Knights lead a desperate mission to rescue the captive Chancellor…”

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has been kidnapped by Separatist General Grievous, and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker mount a rescue mission. During the mission, the Jedi fight Count Dooku, and Anakin is persuaded by Palpatine to kill him, while General Grievous escapes. Anakin and Padme then reunite and she confides in him that she’s pregnant. He begins to have premonitions of her dying in childbirth – a series of visions that he finds increasingly distressing and unbearable.

Anakin finds himself torn between Palpatine and the Jedi Council – the Dark Side and the Light. Both want him to essentially infiltrate the other side. The attitude of the Jedi Council causes him to question his faith in them, while Palpatine continues to tempt him with tales of the power of the Dark Side – including the power to prevent death.

Palpatine reveals his true Sith identity to Anakin, and assures him that he can save Padme using the Dark Side of The Force. Mace Windu confronts Palpatine, but Anakin has already made his choice, and facilitates Palpatine killing Windu. Palpatine bestows Anakin with the title Darth Vader and dispatches him to slaughter the Separatist leaders on Mustafar – a volcanic planet. He also orders the clone army to kill their Jedi commanders. While these murders are undertaken, Palpatine addresses the Senate and declare the Republic to now be an Empire – with him as the Emperor.

Obi-Wan tries to convince Padme about Anakin’s crimes, but she flees to meet her husband with Obi-Wan stowed away on board. When Anakin spots him, he chokes Padme into unconsciousness and Obi-Wan engages him in a ferocious battle – leaving Anakin badly burned and near death. Padme dies in childbirth, having delivered twins Luke and Leia, and Palpatine tells Vader that Vader killed her in a fit of rage.

Palpatine re-builds Darth Vader’s badly burned body and gives him a distinctive armoured suit. Obi-Wan and Yoda hide the twins from the Sith – arranging for Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) to adopt Leia and raise her on Alderaan, and for Owen and Beru Lars to raise Luke on Tatooine. Yoda exiles himself to Dagobah, and Palpatine begins construction of the Death Star.