# Are there any good prequels that actually stand alone and don't need the original to make sense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [October 3, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657 "2022-10-03T22:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/21 "2022-10-04T04:26:43Z")
The movie _Red Dragon_ is a remake of the film _Manhunter_. _Silence of the Lambs_, novel and film, is the sequel to _Red Dragon_ and _Manhunter_. The prequals are both titled _Hannibal Rising_. **Novels** _Red Dragon_ (1981) _The Silence of the Lambs_ (1988) _Hannibal_ (1999) _Hannibal Rising_ (2006) **Films** _Manhunter_ (1986) _The Silence of the Lambs_ (1991) _Hannibal_ (2001) _Red Dragon_ (2002) _Hannibal Rising_ (2007) The less said about _Hannibal Rising_ the better. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/22 "2022-10-04T04:57:38Z")
All of the early Hornblower novels are prequels, including _Lieutenant Hornblower_, which I regard as the best of the series by a very large margin. Consider also the _Sharpe’s Rifles_ series by Bernard Cornwell. The novel that gives its name to the collection was the 9th one published, but the 6th story chronologically. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/23 "2022-10-04T05:21:30Z")
The last of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels ( **Metropolis** ) is a prequel to the previous 13. I’m holding onto all of them so I can eventually read them in chronological order. > **[Bernie Gunther Books in Order: How to read Philip Kerr's Series? - How To...](https://www.howtoread.me/bernie-gunther-books-in-order/)** > > A long time after the Berlin Noir trilogy, Bernie Gunther came back for more investigations… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/24 "2022-10-04T05:26:29Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That’s kind of a special case, since the source material was written and published first. > > Even so, there were some things that Peter Jackson stuck in that, it seems to me, viewers who hadn’t already seen LotR wouldn’t fully appreciate (like the framing opening with cameos by Ian Holm and Elijah Wood). You make excellent points. > [@Nyvaak](#): > > All of the early Hornblower novels are prequels, including _Lieutenant Hornblower_, which I regard as the best of the series by a very large margin. Atropos and Hotspur were good also. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/25 "2022-10-04T05:28:28Z")
Yes. They were. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/26 "2022-10-04T05:44:17Z")
Octavia E. Butler’s _Patternist_ series books were first published in 5-2-4-1-3 order. The version I read, the currently-in-print _Seed to Harvest_, is in 1-2-3-5 order (book 4 having been disowned by Butler). If I hadn’t known that they were published out of order, I wouldn’t have guessed it. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/27 "2022-10-04T07:41:52Z")
Better Call Saul, if we’re including television. There’s no shortage of nods to Breaking Bad and you’ll probably enjoy it more if you’ve already seen BB, but it’s still standalone. I mean, stuff like Gus’ introduction might be a little disjointed if you haven’t watched BB, but his place in the show quickly becomes very apparent. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/28 "2022-10-04T08:05:59Z")
_Falling Free_ by Lois McMaster Bujold is a prequel to her Vorkosigan Saga. It gives the origin story to one aspect of that complex universe. The story is completely independent unto itself and can be read at any point in relation to the other Vorkosigan books. (I read it first.) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/29 "2022-10-04T10:06:11Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The last of Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther novels ( **Metropolis** ) is a prequel to the previous 13. I’m holding onto all of them so I can eventually read them in chronological order. I had never heard of Philip Kerr or these books until I read your post but I am now halfway through _Metropolis_. It is absolutely engrossing and beautifully written. Set shortly after the 1928 German elections it is ripe with dramatic irony. I look forward to reading the rest in order. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/30 "2022-10-04T11:22:02Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > _Oedipus Rex_, a prequel to [Antigone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigone_(Sophocles_play)) which was written first. Mother%#$%! I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/31 "2022-10-04T12:26:46Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I look forward to reading the rest in order. Thanks for bringing them to my attention. You’re welcome. For a ten year stretch a new book would come out every year and I couldn’t wait to read it. It was a sad day when I learned Kerr had passed away and the _Metropolis_ would be the last Bernie Gunther book. I won’t give anything away, but you should probably be aware that the other books are narratively structured a little differently; they usually tell two connected stories in different time periods. That was probably the original intention with _Metropolis_ but Kerr’s illness intervened. It’s remarkable just how good that book came out considering the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/32 "2022-10-04T12:45:16Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The OP said “good.” > [@Miller](#): > > _Small Gods_, the 13th Discworld novel, takes place a couple hundred years before most of the preceding books, and is one of the best in the series. According to L-Space, _Small Gods_ is contemporaneous with _Men At Arms_. _Two sets of character links falsify this hypothesis._ _1. The philosophers from Pyramids appear in Small Gods. The final clincher is the fact that both Reaper Man and Small Gods occur, according to the texts, in the Year of the Notional Serpent._ _2. Dr Cruces appears in Pyramids and Men At Arms._ Of course, _The Thief of Time_ renders all such speculation moot. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/33 "2022-10-04T13:02:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_ is a prequel. I didn’t know that until years after I’d seen it. A prequel to what? If you’re thinking about, “A Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More”, Lee Van Cleef played in the latter. I’ve never seen the same actor play a different role in a prequel than in the subsequent movie. I also question the validity of characterizing a movie as a prequel if it has absolutely no connection to what is supposed to be subsequent events. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/34 "2022-10-04T13:10:56Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > A prequel to what? If you’re thinking about, “A Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More” It’s a fan theory (perhaps) supported by some mischief by the director. In the scene with the dying soldier, Blondie acquires the poncho worn by the man with no name in the previous films. As you note, for that to work, Lee Van Cleef has to be playing two different characters. _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_ itself deserves a good prequel since the three title characters are already acquainted before the film starts. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/35 "2022-10-04T14:15:53Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > So are there any good prequel works that are completely independent of the original? Is that even possible? There has to be _some_ connection to the original work, otherwise it’s just a stand-alone work set in the same universe. If I write a romance novel set in 19th Century Japan, and later I write one set in 16th Century France, there would have to be some shared plot point(s) between the two for the latter to be considered a “prequel.” ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/36 "2022-10-04T14:20:27Z")
Monsters University. There’s little teases to Monster’s Inc but they’re not needed to enjoy the movie. It’s also a rare prequel where you really can’t predict how it’s going to end. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/37 "2022-10-04T14:28:03Z")
There are lists of prequels online and some of them just aren’t. Like the last three films of the _Planet of the Apes_ pentalogy. Just because they take place in the first two films’ past doesn’t make them prequels. They are sequels that follow the lives of time travelers (and their offspring). In fact, the time travelers’s son changes the past, completely voiding the future of the earlier films. It’s like calling _Back to the Future 3_ a prequel. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/38 "2022-10-04T14:32:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Is that even possible? There has to be _some_ connection to the original work It’s pretty clear to me that, by “completely independent of the original,” @Asuka didn’t mean “not having anything in common,” but rather that a reader’s/viewer’s appreciation of the prequel doesn’t depend on their familiarity with the original. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/39 "2022-10-04T14:37:30Z")
Doesn’t count. The OP specified **good** prequel. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657/40 "2022-10-04T14:40:15Z")
The _Endeavour_ series is prequel to _Inspector Morse_ and IMHO a lot better than the Morse series. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-prequels-that-actually-stand-alone-and-dont-need-the-original-to-make-sense/972657.md?page=3)