Star Wars: Mark Hamill Claims Prequel Trilogy is More Unique Than ‘Force Awakens’

Star Wars creator George Lucas‘ oft-maligned prequel trilogy is a source of divisiveness for fans, but franchise veteran Mark Hamill has praised the films, saying they offered a unique experience.

“What I thought was great about the prequels was the different technology that I had never seen before,” Hamill told Metro. “All that CGI. And the fact that [Lucas] wasn’t trying to do the same experience all over again.”

Lucas’ prequels — The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith — weren’t quite what fans were expecting: the trilogy launched with a prepubescent Anakin Skywalker and a slapstick, all-CGI alien sidekick that has been a point of derision for most diehards.

The flashy trio of films featured characters from the original movies — Yoda, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, a younger Darth Vader, and perennial companions R2-D2 and C-3PO — but they explored their own path, instead of tapping into the source of what made A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi so popular.

“I thought The Force Awakens did that more than the early ones, because it had that the girl from a different planet, the death star, the Cantina sequence,” Hamill said of director J.J. Abrams‘ 2015 revival of the long running franchise.

“Of course,” Hamill answered when asked if it was Abrams’ intention to explore the familiarity of the cherished original trilogy. “He was trying to figure out what was it about the original movies that everybody loved. And that’s a different thought process than what George would have done. Because he would go, ‘I had a beginning, middle, and an end.’”

Writer-director Rian Johnson took over from Abrams for the series’ middle installment, The Last Jedi, which is proving to be a critical and commercial success.

Though The Last Jedi boasts a 93% “certified fresh” from critics, the blockbuster has the lowest audience approval score of any live-action Star Wars film — including all three of Lucas’ prequels.

Abrams will return to direct sequel trilogy closer Star Wars: Episode IX, opening December 20, 2019.

Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now playing.