Star Wars 3: This scene would traumatize anyone if it was in the movie

Revenge of the Sith didn’t go far by not being for kids at all! This is confirmed by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard on the YouTube channel Star Wars Theory. Gillard has worked on more than 140 feature films and TV series, including three Star Wars prequel films.

It thus revealed the existence of a deleted scene that is not in the physical edition of Episode III. A very violent scene that takes place during Order 66 when the clones attack the Jedi Order and Anakin destroys the Jedi Temple.

At this moment we see him in front of the children and he draws his lightsaber. The scene is cut and we don’t see them again. But the streak was longer, according to Gillard:

(…) When we did it, we wanted it to be violent, because we are talking about the 66th order. I think I gave the first blow to the child’s throat, which is terrible – it was right on the throat. Grab a little girl and strangle her, I believe that was cut too.

But when we shot the scene, we actually shot it, and George Lucas said, “Oh, it’s too violent.” When I saw the finished film, it was cut short.

The harshness of this scene for the audience (and especially the youngest, to whom George Lucas always dedicated his Star Wars saga) would undoubtedly change the impact of the film, but it could also traumatize a generation. The choice to cut it was probably the best decision, as this one shot of Anakin’s saber being released is enough to understand the drama that will unfold.

Moreover, in the final exchange between Padmé (Natalie Portman) and Anakin (Haiden Christensen), the Queen mentions this massacre and then reveals that she committed it, so any display of violence in the image was rendered useless.

Would you rather have seen this young Jedi massacre sequence unfold? Should we attend to fuel Anakin’s transition to the dark side? Your keyboards!