Warning! SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2, episodes 1 & 2.One of the biggest questions surrounding the Return of the Jedi rectified this error by including a montage of prequel-era worlds celebrating the downfall of the Empire, but there may be another reason as to why so few worlds from the prequels make an appearance in the Star Wars original trilogy.
When the Clone Wars ended, Palpatine began to reorganize much of the governmental structure throughout the galaxy. Both George Lucas vision for Imperials, as they slowly squeeze what little freedom remains out of the common citizen. Before cracking down on the people left alive under its rule, however, the Empire expunged any planet it deemed unusable for its cause. Before the Death Star was complete, the Empire used other means, such as orbital bombardment, to decimate worlds and civilizations.
The Bad Batch Has Shown The Fate Of Two Worlds
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 begins with Clone Force 99 heading to Serenno to intercept Count Dooku’s fortunes from the Clone Wars. This is not the first time Star Wars has featured Dooku’s homeworld, but this depiction is shockingly different from the last time Serenno was seen in canon. Despite his years of service to Palpatine’s cause, Dooku and his homeworld were obliterated by the Empire. Palpatine likely saw Dooku’s excessive wealth and sway over the Serennians as a challenge to his power, and this act of destruction could explain why planets important during the prequel era no longer feature during the Star Wars original trilogy.
Serenno is not the first planet the Empire has deemed unfit to be part of its enterprise. Tipoca City on Kamino was also obliterated through orbital bombardment in The Bad Batch season 1. While neither planet was necessarily destroyed, their capitals and important locations were wiped out - though not before the Empire stripped whatever resources it could from them. Dooku’s Serennian wealth helped fund the Separatists during the Clone Wars, and the Empire destroying Kamino after Attack of the Clones helped the Republic by providing a clone army, yet both were laid to waste once their usefulness had run its course.
Did The Empire Destroy Many Prequel-Era Worlds?
Because the Empire had no problems disposing of Kamino and Serenno, it is possible that other crucial prequel-era Star Wars worlds were decimated as well. The Bad Batch implies that any planet not immediately useful to the Empire was either disposed of or heavily persecuted, which may provide the answer as to why there are so few prequel trilogy worlds mentioned in the Star Wars original trilogy. Naboo managed to survive post-Republic, proving that not every important prequel location was assaulted, but it remains unclear just how many worlds may have been leveled in reprisal for the Clone Wars.
The real reason Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, there will almost certainly be more sad cases like Kamino and Serenno.
