Even the best-laid plans of Jedi and men go awry, and that’s par for the course in the Star Wars universe. For every plan that leads to victory, there’s another that inevitably leads to ruin. Over the course of the Star Wars prequel films, many characters made many mistakes on both sides of the conflict.
Whether it’s heroic determination winning out over meticulous planning, or the most well-intentioned plans falling apart in the face of pure evil, the Star Wars prequels have no shortage of failures. Many of them would have long-lasting ramifications not just for the conflict at hand, but for the entire galaxy moving forward.
10 Watto’s Deal With Qui-Gon Jinn
Watto thought he had Qui-Gon over a barrel when it came to winning the Boonta Eve pod races. The Jedi Master had given the junkshop dealer an offer he couldn’t possibly refuse, but it didn’t exactly pan out in the end. He manipulated a chance cube using the Force in order to sweeten the deal in his favor, and it paid off later.
When Anakin ended up winning the race against all odds, Watto was forced to give up not only the parts to repair the Queen’s ship, but also release the boy from slavery, and into Qui-Gon’s custody. It was a major blow against his trade that would have ramifications down the line, driven largely by Watto’s own nonsensical decisions.
9 The Vote Of No Confidence In Chancellor Valorum
Under the calculated manipulations of Senator Palpatine, Queen Amidala fell into a political trap that would forever redefine the structure of the Republic. Enraged by the bureaucratic red tape tying up action on behalf of the blockaded planet Naboo, she took Palpatine’s advice and triggered a vote of no confidence in then-Chancellor Valorum.
The heightened sensitivity of the blockade, combined with years of political inaction and apathy was enough to turn the tide. Palpatine was elected Chancellor, which gave him the control he needed to start his plan to bring Sith dominance back over the galaxy.
8 Assigning Darth Maul To Kill Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon
Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, had trained his Sith apprentice Darth Maul in the killing arts from a very young age. He spent years torturing, tormenting, and disciplining the boy in order to turn him into the ultimate weapon. Then, he dispatched his apprentice to take out Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Battle of Naboo.
Indeed, Maul’s training was highly effective, and when he managed to separate the two Jedi from each other, he succeeded in slaying Qui-Gon Jinn. However, Sidious’ plan backfired when Obi-Wan Kenobi managed to kill the Sith Lord, creating a deeply complex rivalry between Kenobi & Maul in the process.
7 Assigning Anakin To Protect Padmé
The Jedi Order should have known better than to send an already impetuous and impulsive young Padawan to protect such an esteemed dignitary, but they decided to go ahead with the plan anyway. The objective was simple – to provide protection for Padmé Amidala on her home planet of Naboo.
While the whole scenario should have been an uneventful affair, things took a turn for the worse when their romance blossomed. In the end, this would be the catalyst for Anakin Skywalker’s downfall, and his ascension as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the scourge of the Jedi.
6 Anakin & Padme’s Rescue Mission
After Anakin successfully rescued his mother from the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, he learned that Obi-Wan Kenobi had been captured by Separatist forces on Geonosis. Rather than obey the Jedi Council and stay put, the two of them decided to launch a rescue mission all by themselves.
Needless to say, it didn’t end well. Both were captured, earning Anakin a right scolding from his Jedi Master. It proved somewhat fruitful in the end when the Jedi descended upon Geonosis and engaged the Separatist forces. It would be the battle that kicked off the Clone Wars, the most destructive conflict the galaxy had seen in a thousand years.
5 Count Dooku Trusting Darth Sidious
The esteemed and ever-quotable Count Dooku left the Order after he became frustrated and disillusioned with their apathy. Though this frustration had merit, it was also a conduit through which Darth Sidious was able to influence him. Dooku became Darth Tyranus, the new apprentice following the apparent demise of Darth Maul.
From the start, Dooku believed that Sidious’ aims would bring about peace, stability, and order. It was a misguided view on his part, driven largely by his own arrogance and sense of grandeur. Dooku’s life came to an end when Sidious betrayed him by encouraging Anakin Skywalker to slay him, tying up nothing more than a loose end.
4 Spreading The Jedi Too Thin During The Clone Wars
The Clone Wars was not the first period in galactic history when the Jedi Order was dragged from its peacekeeping role, and into a military one. Nevertheless, it seemed the Order hadn’t learned from history, particularly the Mandalorian Wars that occurred a few thousand years prior. In effect, they got caught in the same trap.
After spreading their forces too thinly across the galaxy in an effort to quell the Separatist movement, the Jedi were left in a weakened state. Their plan to end the war became their undoing when Darth Sidious enacted Order 66, pushing them to the brink of total extinction.
3 The Entire Separatist Plan
The Separatists standing in opposition to the Republic were comprised largely of intergalactic conglomerates such as the Techno Union and the International Banking Clan, and they were keen on ruling the galaxy with an iron fist. Little did they know that it was just another machination of Darth Sidious, designed to nab himself more power.
When the Clone Wars came to a crushing end, the Separatists believed that Sidious would keep them safe. In the end, their greed and lust for power became their epitaph when Sidious ordered the newly christened Darth Vader to head to Mustafar, and slay the entire Council. When the dust had settled, they ended up with absolutely nothing.
2 Trusting Anakin Skywalker
While Anakin Skywalker’s role in the events of the Clone Wars was an important one, it was wrought with folly from the start. Anakin had proven himself to be a capable military commander, but a terrible Jedi Knight. As his status and reputation grew, so too did his arrogance, and a desire to sit on the Jedi Council. Even after everything he had been taught, Skywalker openly scolded the Council when they refused to grant him a seat. To make matters worse, several members of the Order such as Mace Windu were deeply distrustful of him, yet continued to allow him to operate as a Jedi Knight.
Recognizing both his lust for power and his innate fears of losing those he loved, they never should have trusted him. Their ultimate faith in the prophecy of the Chosen One probably had a lot to do with that decision. In an ironic twist of fate, it ended up allowing him to fulfill that very prophecy.
1 Taking Down The Sith
After Order 66 had been carried out, the Jedi Order was in ruins, leaving only a scant few to escape the purge. Two of these Jedi were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who quickly planned a counterattack to try and take down the Sith before they had a chance to fully cement themselves in the halls of the Republic.
Obi-Wan was sent to either bring Anakin back from the dark side or kill him outright, while Yoda went straight for the throat of Darth Sidious. Obi-Wan failed in his mission by refusing to finish Anakin off, while Yoda was unable to overcome the sheer ferocity of Darth Sidious’ power. The two fought to a virtual stalemate in one of the best prequel scenes featuring Palpatine, but it wasn’t enough to oust him from office.
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