Hi, While going through ROTS withdrawl, seeing that it is no longer in the theatres, and the DVD has not arrived, I did the next best thing (after reading the book, listing to the CD, watching all the ROTS web docs and other info on this site), I started watching all my other Star Wars movies. I especially started watching AOTC, since all the characters from ROTS are in that movie. I know I have read that many people had problems with the movie for various reasons. I liked it a lot! Heck, I loved it! However, I love all the SWs movies. I guess I really started realizing just how awesome AOTC is. Most of the set up for ROTS and the OT is in AOTC. If you missed this film, or did not pay attention, in the words of Obi Wan "then you are lost!"

Let me explain in a list of major events that helped shape the entire saga.

1. Anakin and Padme fall in love and get married ( you see how deeply they love each other, even willing to defy their duties to be together---key in Anakin turning to the darkside and being redeemed by Padme's son)

1.5 You see Padme is very devoted to democracy and politics, which helps us understand why she can't go along with Anakin's ruling the Galaxy in ROTS and while not shown in the movie, she helps create the Rebel Alliance, in which her daughter Leia will work in a similar position, in the OT

2. Anakin jokes about dictatorship, but ends up supporting it in ROTS and the OT.

2.5. Anakin standing and looking out into Naboo in thought, similar to the time Vader looks out into Mustafar in ROTS and the times Vader looks out into space in ESB and ROTJ.

3. Anakin's mother dies. ( Another key to him turning to the darkside. Fear of losing Padme the same way. He tells his mother at the grave that he won't fail again. Key to when he tells Padme in ROTS that he won't lose her the way he lost his mother. He tells Padme someday he will be able to keep people from dying and he will be the most powerful Jedi ever...this is what he tries to do and what he tries to become in ROTS...it also supports how much power he has in the OT, even without all his faculties)

3.5 You see how Palps is praising Anakin and feeding his ego while Obi Wan is pointing out Anakin's fault in order to teach him. The start of the relationship Palps and Anakin have in ROTS and how it remained in the OT that the Emperor calls Vader his friend.

4. Palps gets emergency powers (dictatorial powers) and uses it to create a grand army for the Republic...( So we know how Palps started gaining his power and how he starts to create his Imperial stormtroopers) You also hear the Imperial March while they show the army, so you know they are going to be part of the Empire.

5. Similar to #4, the movie shows how the clones were created to be a grand army for the Republic from Jango Fett's template. ( why Leia tells Luke he is short for a Storm trooper, because they were all the same size, they were clones. You also see what Obi Wan was talking about when he mentioned the Clone wars in ANH.)

6. Jango Fett chasing Obi Wan through the astroid field. (GL said this...you see how Boba learned and used that knowledge to see Han do the same thing in ESB. Also, as Jango bumps his head on the slave 1, GL also said it was put in to show why the stormtroopers bump their heads.

7. You see why Owen and Beru Lars are Luke's Uncle and Aunt and how C3P0 and R2D2 get together (they met in TPM, but C3PO was left on Tatooine).

8. You see Anakin do some very dark deeds that become darker in ROTS and throughout the OT. The cloke he wears flows like the Vader cape, and it even shadows like Vader against the Lars sand home.

9. You see Yoda fight for the first time, proving that he was the great warrior Luke was looking for in ESB.

9.5. You see Mace fight and see how awesome he is, even without seeing the clone war cartoon, you know he was a powerful Jedi, powerful enough to hold his own against Palps.

10. You see how powerful Anakin is, even though he is a padawan, as he catches Zam by jumping out of the speeder and fights Dooku, although he loses, he gives a good fight. You also see why Obi Wan tells Anakin in ROTS that "this time we'll do it together", since in this film, Anakin rushes to fight Dooku and does not wait for Obi Wan. Because of that, he got zapped by force lightning.

11. You see Obi Wan training Anakin and it explains what Obi Wan was talking about in ANH that Anakin was a pupil of his until he turned to evil.

12. Because of Shmi's death, you see why Vader never goes back to Tatooine, therefore why it was safe to let the Lars raise Luke on Tatooine.

There are so many, but you get my point. I have always loved AOTCs, but I appreciate it so much more now. I continue to eagerly await the ROTS DVD to drop.