The legendary ‘Star Wars’ scene drafted by Steven Spielberg (2024)

Say what you will about George Lucas’ prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, but the final instalment of the lot, Revenge of the Sith, was something of a diamond in the rough. Bookending the story of Anakin Skywalker’s demise and the rise of Darth Vader, the film expressed some of Lucas’ finest skills as a filmmaker, getting the most out of actors Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee and Samuel L Jackson.

The movie was never going to be able to immediately stand up to the work Lucas, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill generated during the first run, but as the prequel series continued, hopes got a little higher that the entire saga could be delivered as expected. Revenge of the Sith would be the first of that series that gave diehard fans confidence things could get better.

Bombastically fun, the final film of Lucas’ trilogy manages to access the essence of what made the original trilogy so great, ending Anakin Skywalker’s story with frenetic delight. Chronicling the rebellion’s collapse as the Galactic Empire seizes power, Revenge of the Sith energetically hops from scene to scene in a flurry of consistent excitement, perfectly embodying what Star Wars always was and should continue to be.

Since then, the Star Wars franchise has hit somewhat troubled waters, with Disney buying the property in 2012 only to swan dive the series into generic mediocrity. As a result, many fans have looked back fondly on the final film of Lucas’ prequel trilogy, with Revenge of the Sith, in particular, being given a new lease of life years after its release. Perhaps one of the reasons its audience is now growing in affection is that one of its pivotal scenes is connected to a master of cinema: Steven Spielberg.

One of the most celebrated scenes in the movie is the ‘Order 66’ sequence, in which Darth Sidious orders the death of each and every Jedi across the galaxy. The following montage sees several iconic Jedi from across the series meeting their demise at the hands of clone troopers, with Lucas pairing this scene with John Williams’ iconic soundtrack ‘Anakin’s Betrayal’.

Widely recognised as one of the finest scenes in the prequel trilogy, it’s no surprise that Steven Spielberg had a say in how the masterful moment played out. Undoubtedly one of the best blockbuster directors of all time, Spielberg knows his way around such a scene and helped Lucas and his team deliver something special.

Speaking about how the scene was created behind the scenes, a crewmember states in a newly unearthed video, “We also had Steven Spielberg working on his version of some of these sequences”.

Outlining Spielberg’s input, he adds: “Stephen wanted to play with not showing the death. For instance, when Aayla Secura is killed on Felucia, we see the camera boom up past these pitcher plants, the camera is obscured by those, but we see what’s going on by the implied explosions going on behind it”.

It’s not the first time Spielberg has hid what the audience believes it would want to see. One need only look at his smash-hit Jaws as a reminder of how hiding the monster shark would help increase the terror of the movie. The same principle is applied here and the death of Secura is hidden from view to make the tragedy all the more impactful.

Continuing, he adds: “He had other ideas for how, on Cato Neimoidia, there was an aerial dog fight going on, but it was taking place in between giant Columns of smoke where it’s really hide and seek… you’re seeing this very visual storytelling about this realisation that this really bad thing is happening and the Jedi are being murdered throughout the Galaxy all at one time”.

Despite having worked on the sequence for around a year, the team behind the scene was only allowed a three-minute montage of footage featuring distinctive planets and satisfying deaths without detracting from Lucas’ main story. Without Spielberg’s input, this moment may never have been as great as it was.

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