Star Wars: The 10 Best Duos From The Prequel Trilogy | ScreenRant
There are plenty of mixed opinions regarding the Star Wars prequel trilogy in terms of almost every aspect. One thing that it succeeds at that the rest of the franchise also does is that it features some fantastic duos. These are the pairings that are always entertaining to watch whenever they share the screen.
They could be friends, rivals, romantic relationships, or anything else that is pivotal to the overall story. Now, the prequels arguably had fewer of these than the original or sequel trilogies but the duos who were around are typically iconic or important to the greater lore of the franchise.
10 Darth Maul & Darth Sidious
An interesting thing about the pairings found in these prequels is that they were often expanded upon in other mediums. For example, Darth Maul (Ray Park) and Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) only appeared together in 1999's The Phantom Menace.
However, their history was explored in Legends novels like Darth Plagueis and television shows like The Clone Wars. Since they don't get as much time here, their complexities don't get explored and they can't rank near the top. Still, there are some good moments sprinkled in as Sidious sends out Maul to capture Padmé Amidala.
9 Count Dooku & Yoda
It's kind of a shame that Yoda (Frank Oz) didn't get more meaningful relationships throughout the prequels. He was ultimately a sage source of wisdom who helped every Jedi but he never forged the kind of bond that he had with Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy.
So, his best duo comes alongside one of his enemies. While Palpatine is up there, he is better suited in this series with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). The two butted heads often and it came to a head in 2002's Attack of the Clones when they battled with lightsabers in a crowd-pleasing moment.
8 Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul
Darth Maul is such a unique case because as soon as The Phantom Menace ended, fans everywhere wanted to know more about the character, which they were eventually given in various television series. What was said about his relationship with Sidious goes for his rivalry with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).
The two only got to interact during the first installment, having an incredible battle alongside Qui-Gon Jinn. After Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan continued the fight against Maul and avenged his master's death by cutting Maul in half. If The Clone Wars and Rebels were included, these two would rank much higher.
7 Padmé Amidala & Sheev Palpatine
A lot has been said about the prequels focusing too much on the politics of the franchise. While there is a case for that to be true, it did lead to some fantastic and tense moments involving Sheev Palpatine. You could see him pulling the strings politically while the audience knew who he truly was.
His biggest obstacle was often Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). The two started off as friends and Palpatine could even have been considered a mentor. As Padmé got older, she became fierce and her determination to do good put her in opposition with a lot of Palpatine's plans, making them entertaining to watch even if they never truly faced off.
6 Anakin Skywalker & Mace Windu
In terms of sharing major on-screen time, it doesn't seem like these two had that happen all that much. That being said, the interactions between Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) actually go a long way in setting up the future of the series.
Mace was skeptical of Anakin as soon as he arrived but never seemed to gain respect for him afterward. He doubted Anakin as the Chosen One, didn't want him trained, and used him as a spy. Their constant uneasiness played a factor in Anakin going to the dark side and he was part of Mace's eventual death.
5 R2-D2 & C-3PO
There is simply not a more longstanding duo in the franchise than C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2. They were a blast together in the original trilogy but it still came as a surprise that they spent so much time together in the prequels.
Although they didn't have quite as many major scenes as a unit here, they were involved in some key moments. That included a few adventures off to the side a bit, including one where C-3PO's head ended up on another droid's body, and they were the two witnesses at Anakin and Padmé's wedding.
4 Anakin Skywalker & Sheev Palpatine
Watching Sheev Palpatine manipulate everyone around him is one of the most intriguing aspects of these movies. That was especially true with Anakin Skywalker, with the added caveat that the audience knew these two would become Darth Vader and Darth Sidious.
The most shining example is in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, where Palpatine tells his "tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise" story. It's a gripping scene that makes you really feel Palpatine pulling Anakin to the dark side and how things will eventually play out between them.
3 Anakin Skywalker & Padmé Amidala
At the center of the entire Star Wars story is the romance between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. It's true that a lot of fans don't really think too highly of the relationship or the chemistry between the actors but that doesn't change how much it means to the plot.
Anakin's love for Padmé causes him to go against the ways of the Jedi, which is kind of his first step towards the dark side. Padmé is also so in love with him that she overlooks some of the horrible things that he does. It's not healthy but it drives a lot of their actions. Being the parents of Luke and Leia is also incredibly important.
2 Obi-Wan Kenobi & Qui-Gon Jinn
While it's not as pivotal as Anakin and Padmé, there's no denying how awesome Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) were together. They spend all of The Phantom Menace together and knowing that Qui-Gon taught the great Obi-Wan made him special immediately.
You got the sense that these two were kind of like brothers and their bond is almost at the level of what The Clone Wars did for Obi-Wan and Anakin. They worked extremely well together and Obi-Wan avenging Qui-Gon's death is one of the most emotionally powerful moments of the trilogy.
1 Anakin Skywalker & Obi-Wan Kenobi
It's no secret that the Obi-Wan and Anakin relationship is at its best in The Clone Wars television show. Attack of the Clones has a famous scene where they discuss their missions together but since the audience didn't see those at the time, it felt hollow. Regardless, they still worked well as a duo.
Obi-Wan took him on as a padawan because of Qui-Gon and treated him as a younger brother. They had opposing personalities at times but they worked better due to it. Their friendship was crucial but when they became enemies in Revenge of the Sith, it led to an explosive fight that is arguably the best in the franchise.