'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: LIGHT VS DARKNESS!

The Duel of the Fates continues..

Now returned to Coruscant in the aftermath of the brutal slaying of their fellow Jedi during Order 66, Obi-Wan goes off to find Anakin Skywalker via his connection to Padme, whilst Yoda confronts the evil and repulsive Darth Sidious, their intense lightsaber duel taking them into the heart of the senate audience chamber. Though Yoda's impressive skills in the Force almost win the day, it's ultimately the Emperor/Sidious who wins through, as a defeated and depressed Yoda realises that he will now have to begin a life of exile on a mysterious alien world later revealed as Dagobah.

A thrilling CGI sequence that once more makes effective use of John Williams supreme score, originally composed for Episode I but reused here: Duel of the Fates.

The Emperor's hideous cackle must not deter Yoda from combat.

"Fighting Frank (Oz) - fighting Yoda - was a joy. And then I got to experience the full beauty of CGI. In other words, actors in battle with invisible people. Although it was a very precise choreographic sequence - it would have to be, you've seen it - which we did do. Then I sensed, in fact George asked for it in a polite way, he wanted a few sort of improvised strokes. So basically I did a rap to thin air at the end of the choreographed sequence and then collapsed with exhaustion and hysterical laughter on the floor. I don't know if any of those movements are in the final cut... That wasn't difficult, that was great fun."

Ian McDiarmid - Episode III DVD press launch interview - 2005

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: "ORDER 66"

The murder of the Jedi across the galaxy begins as Ki-Adi Mundi falls to his troops on Mygeeto.

With Anakin Skywalker gone and Darth Vader now crowned in his place by the manipulative Darth Sidious, of which the young former hero will soon be unleashed in all his terrifying power against the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the evil Dark Lord master is now ready to send the Order 66 signal across the galaxy that will see the Clone Troopers, after years of pre-planning, finally turn against their Jedi Commanders and murder them across a thousand worlds and beyond. 

The Dark Times of the Sith and the Galactic Empire have begun...

One of the key sequences that Star Wars fans had been anticipating that would be effectively revealed in Episode III, hauntingly bolstered by superb music from John Williams, and featuring pre-viz ideas/contributions from Steven Spielberg, encouraged to provide ideas for the then final film of the saga by his friend George, for both Order 66 and the finale duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan on Mustafar.

Darth Sidious activates Order 66 to the Clone Troopers across the galaxy.

"To be very honest, that scene (Order 66) was about twice as long as it is now. There were a lot more Jedi killed in a lot more ways, but it kind of went on and on. So we finally cut it down to what we thought was the minimum we could get away with and still get a sense that there are thousands of Jedi around the galaxy."

George Lucas - Empire magazine - July 2005

The bold Aayla Secura is cornered and brutally executed on the alien world of Felucia.

Darth Vader leads his elite troops into the Jedi Temple and continue the surprise massacre.

Shaak Ti's (Orli Shoshan) original death scene would instead be re-filmed and editorially moved to the Order 66 sequence, where she would be slain from behind by Anakin/Darth Vader instead of Grievous. sadly, this scene too would end up being deleted.

Vader soon slaughters a group of innocent younglings hiding in the Temple.

As the Jedi drop like flies across the galaxy, Yoda is disturbed in the Force whilst on Kashyyyk.

Fire and explosions rock the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Padme and Threepio are shocked and disturbed by what they see in the distance.

On patrol, Stass Allie (Nina Fallon) is murdered by her speeder bike colleagues on Saleucami.

Plo Koon is taken out by his wingmen above one of the bridge cities of Cato Neimoidia.

Yoda is soon in the Clone blaster crosshairs but escapes the carnage, with help from the Wookiees.

'EPISODE III' AT TWENTY: TO DUEL A SITH LORD!

Lucas watches the new choreography between Ian McDiarmid and Samuel L. Jackson, hastily supervised by Nick Gillard.

With the Sith enemy finally revealed as none other than the Supreme Chancellor himself, Mace Windu finds himself in single, brutal lightsaber combat with Darth Sidious and thankfully seems to overpower his nemesis. But when Anakin Skywalker arrives on the scene playing out within the Chancellor's office, and sees Windu readying to kill the evil energy scarred Sith, the young Jedi has no choice but to intervene, so as to save the life of Padme. And so comes a shocking end to the respected Jedi Master, but a man who had nonetheless been wary of Anakin since his introduction to Yoda and the Jedi Council in Episode I.

"I suppose it's easy to play, I think, a hypercritical politician with a smiling face. It's also quite gratifying. Most difficult, certainly for me, were the all action sequences. The sequence fighting Sam (Jackson) and persuading Hayden (Christensen) to send him through the window. But you'll see from the DVD we had our problems that day. They weren't big ones and were easily surmountable."

"I'd learned some stuff and I worked with Nick Gillard, and when George saw it on the set it wasn't what he needed. And interestingly enough what he needed was more of me. I'd rather thought they'd want less of me. But he wanted not just my facial expressions, which would have been obvious and he was not terribly interested in replacing faces unless it was absolutely necessary, he wanted my energy."

Ian McDiarmid - Episode III DVD press launch - 2005

Locking sabers: Darth Sidious and Mace Windu.

Lucas goes through planned moves on set.

Lucas watches Ian McDiarmid with his double, Michael Byrne, as Sam Jackson and Nick Gillard wait to see what is improvised in the duel.

McDiarmid gets some intriguing new duelling moves in the sequence that are far different from any Jedi's attack/defense.

Filming the duel sequence near the what will be a CGI-smashed observation window.

The sparks are flying!

Anakin arrives to see the fallen Palpatine, as seen in this visual script page from Nick Gillard.

Holding two lightsabers (one presumably being Sidious's) in an unseen moment, Mace resists the dark side energies against him, watched by a troubled Anakin.

Onscreen, with just one saber taking on the powers of Palpatine.

Windu, with just his own saber, holds firm against the Sith's evil energies, but Anakin's surprise action leads to his demise at Sidious's hands - 'unlimited power'!

Mace is propelled out the window in the scene shot at the FOX Studios, Australia.

Jackson enjoys his 'death' alongside Nick Gillard.

"Yeah, it was hard work, a lot harder than before. You get what you ask for sometimes, and it's... damn! So, I ended up in Australia, and then I guess I had to rehearse for 8 days before I actually shot it, learned a 137-move saber fight. It was crazy."

Samuel L. Jackson - Tiscali Internet interview - 2005

"All of the stuff that I shot is in the movie. Nothing is on the floor, and George kept calling me back. We filmed Revenge of the Sith two and a half, almost three years ago, and I went back six times to do re-shoots, enhancement shots or whatever. We kept adding more and more, and all my material is in the picture. I even had to go back and sort of redo my death scene because George didn't think it was long enough. Well, I was kind of there like, "Ahhh," and then out of the window, George was like, "No. No. Stay in there." My death is cool. Actually, I could have ended the saga. I'm still a bad mother, but I had Sidious. I had him!" 

Samuel L. Jackson - Starlog magazine issue 337 - August 2005

Sam Jackson celebrates the 20th Anniversary landmark. Image: Facebook.

AGE OF THE SITH! CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF 'EPISODE III'

Art by Mike Mayhew for Marvel Comics.

It was the finale to the Prequel Trilogy that had to deliver the dramatic/action-packed goods to worldwide audiences eager to see the bridging between the worlds of darkness encapsulating both once Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker and his alter-ego Darth Vader. And for the most part, creator George Lucas delivered the epic goods in ways that we sometimes never expected, amidst a sea of CGI spectacle and lightsaber duels. Revenge of the Sith, now celebrating its iconic Twentieth Anniversary this May 19th, 2025, with its strong tone, fast pace and overall fine performances, has aged well in comparison to this current era of mostly disappointing superhero/sci-fi blockbusters being made, and a packed story continuing to inspire fans who love its doom-laden essence of tragedy seen-in with the rise of the evil Emperor Palpatine, as the fearsome Sith finally achieve their brutal aims against the Republic and their Jedi enemies.

But A New Hope is certain...

It was great to see how well the film did in its Anniversary re-release last month (April 2025), taking its box office final tally to nearly one billion whilst beating out modern films (like The Accountant 2) to a point that was astounding. Another incredible testament to the talent and imagination of George Lucas and his filmmaking team back in 2003.

Wookiee Basketball, Kid Han Solo, and a Kenobi Dummy: 20 Fun Facts about Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith | StarWars.com

Sam Jackson and Hayden Christensen at the El Capitan cinema launch night screening.

'ATTACK' AT 20: DOOKU ESCAPES!

Newly arrived at the secret hangar bay with an accompanying squad of Clone Troopers, battle-ready Padme Amidala is too late to stop the confident Count Dooku's escape from Geonosis, but not for want of trying with her assured blaster fire directed at his solar sail vehicle, which soon after arrives secretly within the hustle and bustle of Coruscant. Touching down in an antiquated building within the mysterious industry area of the planet, Dooku, in his true guise as Darth Tyranus, confidently gives his master, Darth Sidious the welcome news that the galactic war has begun.

His mission of chaos accomplished, Dooku departs Geonosis.

Concept art of the Solar Sail vessel.

Count Dooku returns secretly to Coruscant...

At the secret foundry location, Darth Sidious awaits his returned apprentice.

... to inform his master, Darth Sidious, that 'the war has begun'!

The original construction for the Solar Sail vehicle amidst the secret Separatist hangar at FOX Studios, Australia, for August 21st, 2000 filming.

Ian McDiarmid takes a break on set by the Solar Sail vehicle.

CLASSIC IMAGE: PALPATINE POWER!

The enemy operating from within the heart of the Republic has now been revealed to the Jedi, but alas too late to save the venerable order from near extinction. Now Jedi Master Yoda engages Darth Sidious in combat deep in the senate chambers on Coruscant, but such dark force power soon proves hard to fight, in this great moment of savage fury from EPISODE III.

EPISODE III: A TIME OF CRISIS AND BETRAYAL!

The time has come for the Republic to fall and for the Jedi Order to witness the shocking betrayal from Order 66, in this great showcase for the film's apocalyptic middle, with Mace Windu in action, as well as the Sith villains and Wookiee heroes, on one of the effective Dave Dorman art covers for the Dark Horse comics acclaimed Revenge of the Sith comic adaptation.

EPISODE IX: BACK FROM THE (UN)DEAD!

From his secret lair deeply hidden on the hard-to-reach world of Exegol, the hideous and seemingly more powerful than ever Emperor Palpatine's resurrected, if bodily incapacitated, form presses on with his final plans for dominion or extermination of the galaxy, in The Rise of Skywalker.

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2492873/star-wars-explained-exactly-how-palpatine-survived-hisreturn-of-the-jedi-fall

EPISODE IX: SOMETHING WICKED...

The Emperor- back from the dead!

His consciousness prior transferred to a temporarily weak clone body after the events of Return of the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine's designs on eternal control of the galaxy, decades in the making, are about to be unleashed across the galaxy, as Ian McDiarmid makes a welcome and deliciously evil (as ever) return to the Star Wars universe, witnessed in these great behind the scenes images from The Rise of Skywalker.

The facts on the Emperor's 'return'...

On set and rehearsal prior to make-up and filming, and always attracting attention! Note costume designer Michael Kaplan (far left).

In new/old make-up

And gaining a brand new blood red layered costume for his later fully resurrected scenes.

And looking as handsome as ever!

For more background info on the return of Palpatine and the new Sith, check out New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson's hugely enjoyable 'Expanded Edition' adaptation of the film, out now in UK hardback, from Century.

Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Skywalker-Expanded-Star-Wars-ebook/dp/B07YJZRNDG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rise+of+skywalker+novel&qid=1585075538&sr=8-1