20 Facts About 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' on Its 15th Anniversary

Image via Lucasfilm

Originally, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was supposed to be 'Revenge of the Jedi.' Lucas changed it at the last minute, reasoning that Jedis, as peacekeepers, would not seek out revenge. Sith, however, follow their emotions, making Episode III's title more appropriate.

Every Star Wars movie has some variation of the line: "I have a bad feeling about this." In this movie, Obi-Wan says it when he and Anakin enter General Grievous' ship, barely squeezing past the closing door.

Chancellor Palpatine foreshadows his true identity in this scene, where he's handcuffed to a swiveling chair. It's very reminiscent of his pose in the throne room in Episode VI, when Vader takes Luke to meet Palpatine for the first time.

There was originally dialogue (later omitted) during the Count Dooku lightsaber fight, which revealed that when Anakin's mother was tortured and killed by Tusken Raiders in Episode II, it was no coincidence; Dooku was the one who had secretly arranged it. This sends Anakin into a rage, which led to him killing Dooku several seconds later.

Christopher Lee, who played Count Dooku, was 83 years old, and thus, could not perform all of the nimble stunt work necessary for his final lightsaber duel. A stunt double took on the majority of the fight, and Lee's face was overlaid, via CGI, onto the double's body.

The Falcon makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo during the establishing shot of the Senate on Coruscant, after Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue Palpatine.

Jar Jar Binks is one of the most controversial characters in Star Wars, but in this movie, he only speaks two words; he says "Excuse me" when he bumps into a Senator while entering the building behind Palpatine.

Padme's hair in this scene is very reminiscent of the 'cinnamon roll' hairstyle that Princess Leia wore in Episode IV.

Ian McDiarmid first played Emperor Palpatine in Episode VI when he was 37 years old. Thanks to this, he was the perfect age to play Palpatine in the prequel trilogy (59 years old during Episode III), and he was also the perfect age to play Palpatine in the sequel trilogy (74 years old during Episode IX).

This alien is played by George Lucas, the writer and director of Revenge of the Sith and the creative genius behind Star Wars. The alien he's speaking to is his real-life daughter, Katie Lucas.

The story that Palpatine tells about Darth Plagueis, and how he learned to prevent people from dying, includes this notable line: "The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." Palpatine later repeats this exact line in Episode IX, implying that he had mastered Plagueis' technique, and confirming that he was the apprentice who killed him.

Lucas planned to feature a massive Wookiee battle in Episode VI. It never came to fruition, and the miniature Ewoks took their place. In Episode III, Lucas finally staged a massive battle on Kashyyyk, the Wookiee home planet. The design of the treetop homes is based on designs from the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special. 

When Obi-Wan drops in on General Grievous, he says, "Hello there!" This is also Obi-Wan's first line in Episode IV, when he sees R2-D2 after saving Luke from the Tusken Raiders.

During the scene where Palpatine is informed about Obi-Wan tracking down Grievous, you can see Palpatine studying the plans of the soon-to-be-built Death Star.

After killing Grievous with a laser blaster, Obi-Wan throws it away, muttering, "So uncivilized." This is a callback to Episode IV, when Obi-Wan describes the Jedi lightsaber as "an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

The Jedi Padawan who holds his own before being gunned down during Order 66 is Jett Lucas, George Lucas' son.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg assisted with directing the movie, most notably during the climactic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin.

At the end of the duel, Obi-Wan picks up Anakin's lightsaber from the ground. This is the same lightsaber that Obi-Wan gives to Luke in Episode IV. Luke loses it in Episode V when Darth Vader cuts off his hand. But somehow, Maz Kanata gets a hold of it, and she gives it to Rey in Episode VII. Finally, Rey buries the lightsaber outside the Lars homestead on Tatooine at the end of Episode IX.

The final shot of Episode III recalls an iconic shot from Episode IV, when Luke is staring at the twin suns setting on Tatooine. There's another tribute shot in Episode VIII during Luke's death scene, and another one at the conclusion of Episode IX, with Rey and BB-8 watching the Tatooine sunset instead of Luke.

For the entire prequel trilogy, Anakin is prophesied as the One who will bring balance to the Force. Obi-Wan voices his anger with Anakin at the end of their lightsaber duel when he yells, "You were the Chosen One! You were supposed to destroy the Sith, not join them!"

In a cruel twist of irony befitting a Greek tragedy, Anakin does eventually fulfill the prophecy in Episode VI when he destroys the Emperor. It's unfortunate that so much blood was shed in the interim.