When it comes to Star Wars fans, there are few movie lovers as dedicated or biased as the lightsaber loving crowd. Many of them eat and breathe Star Wars and will defend the highly entertaining space saga until they're blue in the face. Most fans initially fell in love with George Lucas' original trilogy, Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return Of The Jedi (1983), before he went to the well again almost two decades later for the prequel trilogy made up of The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack Of The Clones (2002), and Revenge Of The Sith (2005).

The prequel trilogy created a massive division between new and old Star Wars fans, as Lucas went about making a set of films aimed at children to help him sell more merchandise. The storylines throughout the three films are weak, the dialogue poor, the special effects below average, and the acting disgraceful. Obviously, it's easy to see which category of fan I fall into when it comes to the two trilogies, although upon reflection the prequels aren't that bad. Even so, there are millions of fans who were brought up on the new films who can't stand the original trilogy and don't understand why it's so highly regarded by their parents.

As with any dispute of this nature, there's only one way to settle it and that's by taking to the internet to air out your feelings. While many fans use their own social media to let it be known what their favorite trilogy was others took to forums and sites such as Reddit, where a number of threads have been created for fans to show which side of the fence they sit on via memes. There are hundreds of memes fans use to show which of the trilogies they prefer, with many of them laugh out loud funny. So here for your enjoyment are the best 25 Star Wars original v prequel memes.

25 How Times Have Changed

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When George Lucas first got the opportunity to direct his dream project, it's safe to say he was quite worried about how it would be received. At first, Lucas wanted to revitalize Flash Gordon in a new film but when he failed to gain the rights to the franchise he wrote his own space opera. Lucas shopped his new project around but was continually rejected until 20th Century Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. saw something in the young Lucas and offered him a deal. The filming of A New Hope began in 1975 and was beset with rewrites, on set arguments, and a rising budget. Set for a 1976 release post-production issues meant it wasn't released until the summer of 1977.

By this time, Lucas was questioning everything he had created and wondered if this could be the end of his film career.

Star Wars: A New Hope was released May 25, 1977, and became a smash hit. It broke box office records and allowed Lucas the opportunity to film two more sequels before he returned to the franchise almost two decades later with the prequel trilogy. This meme perfectly sums up the two periods in Lucas' life. When he released the original films he thought it was all going to go wrong, but the films turned out to be a massive success. Fast forward to 1999 and Lucas, now regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest creatives, thinks fans won't be able to get enough of his new set of films. Oh, how wrong he was.

24 The Best Thing About The Prequels

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It's easy to take shots at the prequel trilogy. The storyline is poorly conceived, the dialogue horrible, the special effects cheesy, and the introduction of characters like Jar Jar Binks give the films a sour taste. There's also the fact Lucas appears to have had dollar signs in his eyes when making the films, making sure everything could be marketed as a toy in some shape or form. If there's one shining light from the films, it's the performance of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. Portraying the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, he not only has a passing resemblance to Alec Guinness but gives the character an emotional depth not seen in the original trilogy.

Before taking the role of Obi-Wan, McGregor established himself as one of Britain's up and coming actors, having broken out with his role in Trainspotting. He followed this with a string of so-so films before The Phantom Menace catapulted him into the Hollywood mainstream. He quickly scored the lead role alongside Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! and in the action sci-fi flick Island while also providing his voice for a number of animated films. Over the pasts 15 years, he's been a mainstay on cinema and television screens, with his portrayal of the Stussy brothers in the third season of Fargo his best effort in recent years.

23 It's Hard Not To Agree

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Another one of the prequel lovers that's hard to disagree with. While there are certain parts of The Empire Strikes featuring battle scenes, particularly the opening assault on the planet Hoth, for the most part, it's a rather bleak film with few action sequences. There's much more emphasis placed on character development and Luke Skywalker's journey to Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda. The same can't be said of the battle scenes in Attack Of The Clones. From the small skirmishes to the rescue mission of Anakin, Padmé and, Obi-Wan from the clutches of evil, this film has action in spades.

The climactic battle between the Jedi and clone warriors up against the droid armies is a cracker, full of lightsaber duels and one-on-one fight scenes. It's much more enjoyable seeing a young Yoda swirling his lightsaber than the old near-crippled version we meet in The Empire Strikes Back. It's also cool to see Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu wreck havoc and his battle with Jango Fett is fantastic and adds to the Star Wars mythology. As the meme clearly states, the action scenes in Attack Of The Clones are much better than those seen in The Empire Strikes Back. Now if only they could have got the story right...

22 Jar Jar Binks Says It All

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Of all the characters in the original and prequel trilogies, none are more annoying or cringe-worthy than the infamous Jar Jar Binks. The first lead animated character of the Star Wars universe, Binks is a clumsy yet thoughtful Gungan from the planet of Naboo. George Lucas based the character on Disney's Goofy, believing he could bring an element of fun and act as the ideal comic relief. Unfortunately, nobody else agreed with this assessment as Binks is one of the main points of frustration and ridicule from critics and fans. Many critics cited Binks as one of the prequels main downfalls; being that he was created as a way to attract young children so they could market Star Wars toys and merchandise. There's also the fact Binks is overly annoying and is another demonstration of Lucas' reliance on special effects instead of a gripping and well thought out storyline.

While you could mount a case for the Ewoks as being in a similar mold to Binks, at least they fought for their survival and helped take down the Empire, much more than Binks ever does during the prequels. This meme perfectly sums up what many Star Wars fans feel Jar Jar Binks ruined the franchise.

21 Willy Wonka Knows Best

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The condescending face of Willy Wonka has been a staple of meme culture for almost a decade. The picture of a smiling Willy Wonka (the late, great Gene Wilder) is taken from the 1971 flick Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. Asked what "the most secret machine in the entire factory" does, he responds with the line "would you like to see?" before pausing to look at the children with the now famous smile as seen in the meme above. It was first used in a series of "you must be new here" memes before a Reddit user uploaded the picture with the words "Oh you just graduated?  You must know everything," and the condescending Willy Wonka meme was born.

It was inevitable this would be paired with the Star Wars universe at some time and is expressed perfectly in the meme above. Fans of the original trilogy are always aghast when people say they like the new films, and this meme sarcastically suggests those who like the prequels must have been hit on the head at some point and lost their bearings when it comes to what's good and bad. There are plenty of variations of this meme referencing Star Wars on the Internet but this is easily one of the best and my personal favorite.

20 Oh George

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When it was revealed George Lucas was planning on writing and directing another three Star Wars films fan boys and girls across the world almost wet their pants in anticipation. The original trilogy is one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all time so expectations were high for Lucas' new films. Deciding to tell the story of how the young and naive Anakin Skywalker transformed into the evil Darth Vader, the three films were set before the first trilogy.

Unfortunately, when The Phantom Menace hit screens in 1999 it was savaged by critics and fans alike. 

Lucas went for a child-friendly film full of tacky CGI that introduced audiences to one of the worst characters in not only the Star Wars universe but film altogether, the clumsy and downright annoying Jar Jar Binks. This meme features a young Obi-Wan Kenobi from a scene in Revenge Of The Sith where he tells Anakin he was supposed to be the one to build the Jedi empire, not destroy it, substituting the Jedi for the Star Wars franchise, with a photo of Lucas looking slightly confused and surprised. If Star Wars fans ever needed any more proof about how bad the prequels were this meme sums it up perfectly.

19 Obi-Wan With The Burn

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Even though he's responsible for Luke Skywalker escaping Tatooine and heading on the path to being a Jedi Knight, the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi made sure he kept the truth about Skywalker's father from him. He didn't want the future savior of the galaxy knowing the truth about his evil father Darth Vader and how he succumbed to the dark side of the force.

As Star Wars fans are aware, during the prequel trilogy Obi-Wan is tasked with guiding a young Anakin Skywalker, but even he couldn't prevent the young boy from being led astray by the dark side. The two eventually have a showdown on the planet Mustafar, known as the Duel on Mustafar, with pupil up against master. The two engage in a furious and anger filled battle with the elder Obi-Wan ending up defeating his protege and leaving him to die in the lava enveloping the planet. This hilarious meme references that moment from Revenge Of The Sith. When Skywalker asks Obi-Wan about Anakin in A New Hope he states, "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time..." with this meme taking his words in another direction, with Obi-Wan admitting he hadn't heard about Anakin since he left him to perish on Mustafar. This is quite a clever meme at the expense of the prequel trilogy and brought a smile to my face.

18 Green Screen Fail

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The great thing about the original Star Wars trilogy is the fact the majority of special effects were actually models built by the crew. George Lucas created his own special effects company called Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) to handle every aspect of the production. Everything from the Rebel's X-Wings and transporters, the Empire's AT-AT and Imperial Cruisers, through to the alien creatures seen in Jabba's Palace and Mos Eisley Cantina, involved handmade models and puppets. All the sets were built from scratch and the special effects team relied on visual trickery to create the vast Star Wars universe. As former ILM main man John Dykstra told Den Of Geek, "Back in the days of Star Wars, we kind of walked into an empty warehouse and sat on the floor and went, 'How are we going to do this?'"

When Lucas decided to film the prequels special effects had come a long way and he no longer needed to employ hundreds of people to build models or puppets when a computer could do it all for him. As this meme points out, in the beginning, Lucas used meticulously crafted models before switching to the ever boring green screen to bring the Star Wars universe to life. Much like the two depictions, the original films are full of life while the prequel flicks are as dull as looking at a green wall.

17 These Aren't The Prequels You're Looking For

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The force is a powerful thing and few characters in the Star Wars universe possess the force the way Obi-Wan Kenobi does. The Jedi Master has the ability to sway people's minds with a few simple words, such as when he, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are pulled over by five stormtroopers. Arriving in Mos Eisley and hoping to secure a passage off-world, the group is stopped as they cruise about town in Luke's landspeeder. The lead stormtrooper asks to see Luke's ID when Obi-Wan waves him off and tells him "you don't need to see his identification." The stormtrooper repeats these words as Obi-Wan continues, "These aren't the droids you're looking for." The stormtrooper repeats this phrase as well and after a few more words from Obi-Wan lets the group pass without checking their identification.

This meme uses that scene as a way of Obi-Wan telling fans the prequels aren't the films you want to watch. It's another clever play on a line of dialogue from the film that will no doubt upset fans of the prequels. To be honest, this meme could also be used to address the new films, with all four Disney Star Wars films failing to live up to expectations.

16 Can't We All Just Be Friends?

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This meme pits not only the original and prequel fans against each other but also fans of the recently released sequels and both animated series. The meme uses a scene from Pirates Of The Caribbean 3: At World's End where the main players are involved in a Mexican standoff. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), and Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) all pull guns on each other as they try to convince Sparrow to join forces with the other pirates.

This meme features each one of the characters represented as a Star Wars film or television series arguing over which is best. Knightly's Swann and Bloom's Turner try and convince everyone that they can all love different Star Wars films and be friends, but this ends with them all still pointing guns at each other. Very much like the real world, Star Wars fans are very passionate about what films and series they enjoy the best and would rather risk violence than admit the series or film they don't like is actually decent. While I'd much rather Knightly as the face of the original films, Depp will have to do for this meme.

15 R.I.P. George Lucas

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Many fans of the original trilogy like to joke the release of The Phantom Menace signaled the demise of the Star Wars franchise, with this meme taking it to the extreme and pointing out it was also the end of George Lucas. This is, of course, all tongue in cheek as anyone who is a fan of the Star Wars universe understands Lucas, for all his failings, is still the man responsible for one of the greatest franchises in film history.

While his career will always be remembered for what he achieved with the Star Wars flicks, he's also been involved in the creation of many other great cinematic works. His first major film of note was the American 70s coming-of-age drama American Graffiti that helped him on the path to getting A New Hope made. He combined with Steven Spielberg to help produce all four Indiana Jones films as well as being the money man for cult classics Willow and Howard The Duck as well as the David Bowie-starring Labyrinth. Although he hasn't directed a film since the prequel trilogy and his output as a producer has been patchy since, Lucas' career is still one many in film would love to have.

14 Mutually Exclusive

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Finally, we have a meme for all you prequel lovers. Taking the classic distracted boyfriend meme, this version of the funny meme has the man as a Star Wars fan walking with his girlfriend, the original trilogy, and being distracted by the prequel trilogy.

Even as a fan of the original trilogy I get a kick out this one. 

The distracted boyfriend meme is a classic that rose to fame in 2017 and is still regarded as one of the best memes the culture has offered up. The original image is taken from stock photo database iStock and titled "Disloyal man with his girlfriend looking at another girl." As you can clearly see, the meme features a man with his girlfriend being distracted by another attractive woman. According to the internet the meme first appeared on a Turkish Facebook site and took off in January of 2017 when someone posted the photo with the man as Phil Collins creeping on pop music (woman in red) while prog music looks on (women in blue). Since then, the meme has been used hundreds of times to represent many different themes and ideas including music, politics, film, social issues, and relationships.

13 Who Really Trained Obi-Wan Kenobi?

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When you decide to make a prequel you often have to take into account what has come before, but that didn't stop George Lucas from changing the Star Wars mythology when writing The Phantom Menace. In the original trilogy, it was revealed Obi-Wan Kenobi was taught the ways of the force by Jedi Master Yoda. This was canon in the universe until Lucas decided to change this vital information in the prequel trilogy. Lucas hoped nobody would notice this slight change in history, but even the most casual fan was left scratching their head after Lucas decided Obi-Wan was actually taught how to use his powers by someone else. That person ended up being Qui-Gon Jinn, another human character played by Liam Neeson.

As you can see from this meme it's taking the mickey out of Lucas changing the storyline. Asking a bunch of people if they've any ideas about who could be Obi Wan's mentor, one lad pipes up that Master Yoda was his trainer. Not liking the answer Lucas throws the worker out of the window. Lucas rewriting Star Wars history is just another reason why the prequels failed to better the original films.

12 Ezekiel 25:17

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Few films from the 90s are as revered as Pulp Fiction. The sophomore effort from rising director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction intwines the stories of hitmen Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, and boxer Butch Coolidge over the course of 154 blood-soaked, conversation-based minutes. It's a wonderful film allowing Tarantino to flex his muscle as a writer while also showcasing scenes of extreme violence and laugh out loud humor. The film helped revitalize John Travolta's career while confirming Samuel Jackson as a Hollywood favorite.

The first glimpse we get of Travolta's Vincent and Jackson's Jules is when they arrive at an apartment to retrieve a briefcase for their boss Marsellus Wallace. Things get ugly and Jules shoots one of the men there. He then recites a verse from the Bible before taking out Brett who tried to double cross Wallace. It's a classic scene and people love to recite Jules' speech, with Star Wars fans having made it all about the original trilogy being better than the prequels, with Jules daring them to say they are better. This is another clever meme from fans of the original trilogy that once again makes you realize saying nothing about the prequels is the best way to live.

11 Plot Holes, Yes Yoda Says

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The problem with making a prequel is you have to adhere to an already established film, and in the case of Star Wars, three films. When George Lucas decided he wanted to tell the story of how Anakin Skywalker morphed into Darth Vader, many fans wondered how the new films would tie into the originals. Well, it seems Lucas wasn't too concerned with the mythology he had already established, creating brand new plots that left fans confused about the franchise. As already stated in an earlier entry, Lucas changed Obi Wan's mentor from Yoda to Qui-Gon Jinn, but he also made a number of other interesting choices.

In the original trilogy, Leia remembers her mother as "beautiful," "kind," and "sad," while in the prequels she never meets her mother as she perishes during childbirth. Yoda also pops up again when he describes the rule of two; that there are only ever two Sith, a master, and an apprentice. In the original films, both Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader try to woo Luke Skywalker to the dark side, making the rule null and void. This meme sums all that up perfectly with wise Yoda suggesting Lucas' lack of planning as the reason behind the films being released out of order.

10 Everything Is Better When You're Young

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It's funny how things appear different when we are young. When you grow up and have lived a little there are a number of things you might have found funny or enjoyed as children that are no longer relevant. Playing in sandpits and building sandcastles is something I no longer enjoy. Watching Playschool and other kiddy shows is also something I don't spend a great deal of time doing.

My enjoyment of the Star Wars prequels is another thing taken from my youth.

This meme illustrates how many people, including myself, felt when they first watched the films as a kid and how they feel while watching them in the present. While some of the acting talent involved in the prequels is top notch, the appearance of Jar Jar Binks on a regular occasion is a major downer. The first part of this meme shows a badly drawn young child exclaiming how awesome the Star Wars prequel trilogy is. Below that is a real life picture of a guy who looks horrified with the words "SO MUCH. STUPID STUFF." Which... sadly makes all too much sense to fans of the original trilogy. There's nothing quite like realizing how dumb the child version of yourself was.

9 Don't Mess With The Jesus

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When it comes to cult classics, they don't get any better than The Big Lebowski. The 1998 crime caper from the Cohen brothers stars the wonderful Jeff Bridges as slacker "The Dude," who gets mistaken for somebody else and gets caught up in a ransom plot involving the daughter of a shady millionaire. Containing the Cohen's unconventional storytelling ways and laugh out loud humor, the film is notable for not only Bridges' take on the dude, but standout performances from John Goodman (Walter Sobchak) and Steve Buscemi (Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos) as his two best friends. Goodman, in particular, is great as Vietnam Vet Walter who is prone to outbursts of anger and violence.

This meme depicts Walter getting ready to do some damage with his pistol to anyone who takes offense to him liking the prequel trilogy. His feelings of isolation and frustration at being the only prequel fan is something I believe most prequel lovers feel on a day to day basis. Hopefully they aren't resorting to gun violence to get their point across, instead chatting nicely with their friends about why Hayden Christensen is the best actor of the franchise.

8 Can't Disagree With This One

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If I was asked to describe the original trilogy to someone who has no idea about Star Wars I'd say it was a space opera about a young farm boy who discovers it's his destiny to lead the rebel forces against the tyrannical rule of Emperor Palpatine and his evil assistant Darth Vader and is full of space battles, alien creatures, action set pieces, thrilling storylines, and some tremendous acting. If you asked me to describe the prequel trilogy I would point you in the direction of the meme above that succinctly explains the entire trilogy.

All jokes aside, the prequel films are pretty much all about Anakin messing up and being told not to do things by his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Although a number of other things happen, such as the clone wars, Jar Jar Binks, and the ill-fated romance between Anakin and Queen Amidala, it's all about Anakin. He seems to spend all three films screwing up constantly, eventually turning to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader by the time we get to Revenge Of The Sith. The film isn't helped by Hayden Christensen's awful acting either, making what could have been a great character in Anakin Skywalker into a boring leading man with no personality.

7 Yeah, Baby!

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Mike Myers might not be making many films these days but he'll always be remembered for Wayne's World and the Austin Powers franchise. The latter is a hilarious spoof on British spy films with Myers playing international man of mystery Austin Powers as he battles his nemesis Dr. Evil over the course of three films. The above photo is a screen capture from the first film, Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery, where Powers is playing a high stakes blackjack game involving Dr. Evil's highest ranking officer, Number Two. When Number Two hits on 17 he declares he likes to live dangerously. Not to be outdone, Powers also expresses his willingness to live dangerously, sitting on 5. He, of course, loses but this funny scene has been turned into hundreds of different memes over the years with people expressing how they live dangerously.

On this occasion, it's Star Wars fans who prefer the prequels who declare they are living dangerously. Considering how people who like the prequels are often ridiculed (just look at this list!) this meme works well expressing how they like to live life on the edge. Hopefully, this meme will encourage more prequel fans to let it be known there's nothing wrong with liking the second best trilogy in the Star Wars universe.

6 Change My Mind

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It's not just classic memes that have gotten the Star Wars treatment, with the above meme that first went viral this year abridged for the Star Wars crowd. You can check out the original picture here that shows comedian Steven Crowder sitting behind a table with a sign at the front reading, "Male privilege is a myth/Change my mind." Crowder has a podcast where he challenges people to change his mind on certain topics he believes in, and this particular stunt was done to get people to convince him male privilege doesn't exist.

Not long after Crowder posted the picture to his twitter feed the internet took over and churned out multiple memes taking the mickey out of a wide variety of subjects. It's no surprise the Star Wars trilogies got the treatment too. In this meme, Crowder wants people to change his mind on the prequel trilogy, with an extra caption saying, "Jar Jar doesn't seem so bad." While I don't think you can go to the extreme of saying Jar Jar Binks isn't that bad, there are some positives about the prequels, although you won't be able to change my mind about which of the trilogies I prefer. Original till I perish!