->''"Every generation has a legend. Every journey has a first step. Every saga has a beginning."''
-->-- ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' {{tagline}}

A work that is produced ''after'' one installment in a series but, internally, is chronologically set ''prior'' to it.

Maybe the last entry in the series left no room for a sequel. Maybe the writers just want to explore the {{backstory}}, OriginsEpisode, StartOfDarkness or what have you. Maybe they want to provide more context to certain elements of previous installments. As they might say, sometimes it's not about the destination...but the journey.

Either way, it may be time for a Prequel (a {{portmanteau}} of "pre-" and "{{sequel}}"): a sequel that is set chronologically ''before'' the previous work. On one hand, this allows for {{Call Forward}}s as well as an opportunity to [[ExpandedUniverse further expand the universe]] of a work. On the other, the prequel often heavily {{retcon}}s the backstory, it can have consequences that should have been mentioned in the original story, and it's difficult to keep up the tension when [[ForegoneConclusion the audience knows how it ends]]. For example, in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy, various characters interact with others they would meet again in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but in that film they show no evidence of recognizing them. Because the second ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' film was a prequel, audiences knew he would survive, and that he wouldn't get to keep the girl. That, however, doesn't mean a prequel can't have big twists or major [[TheReveal reveals]] of their own and may even cast some aspects, if not the entirety, of a previous work in a whole new light.

TV Series usually wrap a prequel in a WholeEpisodeFlashback. A movie may get a prequel TV series. Sometimes writers will squeeze a story between existing entries in a series, making it both a sequel and a prequel. Prequels are also an easy way to make use of an ExpansionPackWorld and introduce new conflicts without undermining the resolution of the previous work by introducing an [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil even more ultimate evil]]. Occasionally said ultimate evil can get their own prequel with a StartOfDarkness.

One issue with prequels in electronic media is that if they come out years after the original, you have the problem of technology in RealLife advancing to the point that special effects, graphics, etc. make the prequel look more advanced than the original, which ends up with a CosmeticallyAdvancedPrequel. Depending on the series, and the circumstances surrounding it, this can be overlooked, or jarring.

'''Remember that a work must be produced ''after'' its related installment to be considered a prequel; previous installments do not qualify for the definition. For example, ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' is not a prequel to ''Film/RockyII'', because ''Rocky II'' was both produced and set after the first.'''

Is often, but not always, an OriginsEpisode. Compare {{Backstory}}, {{Flashback}} and {{Interquel}}. PrequelInTheLostAge is a subtrope set in a bygone era mentioned in-universe. If a genuine sequel or interquel is released after the prequel, then it's AnachronicOrder.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{Agaki}}'' is a prequel to ''Manga/TenTheBlessedWayOfTheNiceGuy'', where an older Akagi is one of the major characters. IT got its own prequel spin off in the form of ''Washizu: King of Mahjong Hell''.
* ''Manga/{{Arachnid}}'': The seventh volume introduces an assassin named Imomushi who has her own goal in the story's battle royale. Shortly after, however, she's [[DroppedABridgeOnHim anti-climatically knocked off the plot]] and [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse isn't seen again]]. A spinoff named ''Manga/{{Caterpillar}}'' was then published alongside the main story, showing Imomushi on an adventure of her own a year earlier. After 93 chapters, the story catches up to ''Arachnid'' and becomes a POVSequel.
* ''Manga/BadCompany'' is an OriginsEpisode prequel to ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'' showing how Eikichi and Ryuji first met and became friends.
* ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}} Gaiden'' is the story of the main four's godly past lives (and in Goku's case, forcibly forgotten childhood). The author acknowledged in the first volume that the ending is obvious for anyone familiar with the main series, and used it to heighten the tension: the audience knew from the very first page that Konzen, Kenren and Tenpou are going to die, and that Goku will lose his memory and spend 500 years imprisoned. What we don't know is how, or when.
* ''Manga/{{Spiral}}: Alive'' is the prequel to ''Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna,'' and mostly focuses on the serial murder of several Blade Children whose existence was missed by the Organization, and what the killer hopes to gain, involving Kiyotaka, Kousuke, Ryoko, Rio, and more.
* ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' occupies the strange definition of being both a prequel, and the source, of ''Manga/SailorMoon''. This is because, though ''Sailor V'' came first; most of ''Sailor Moon'' came before ''Sailor V'' which ran sporadically and wrapped up after ''Sailor Moon'' ended.
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Technically, anything that takes place in the Universal Century timeline and was released after ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'' is this to both it, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 F91]] and [[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone]]; some parts of Crossbone itself even count as this to Victory.
** The novel ''Advance of Zeta'' serves as this to ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', telling the story of the [[StateSec Titans]]' test unit.
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' had a manga-only prequel named ''Episode Zero'' that showed formative moments from the early lives of the Gundam Pilots and Relena. The stories actually began life as a pair of [[WholeEpisodeFlashback flashback episodes]] that had to be cut when scheduling complications arose, and have the benefit of being penned by the show's head writer.
* ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky'' is a distant prequel to ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', set in pre-World War II Asia. It doesn't have much to do with ''North Star'', but stars Ryuken's elder brother and predecessor Kasumi Kenshiro, whom the Kenshiro from ''North Star'' was named after. Other spinoffs of ''Fist of the North Star'' are standard prequels and side-stories though, centering around characters from the original series (the 25th anniversary movie ''Hokuto no Ken Zero'' is a prequel set a year before the events of the original manga).
* ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'' tells the story of the previous Holy War between Hades and Athena, taking place 250 years before the original series.
* Around the time the ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'' anime was made, a manga was created called ''Ginga Densetsu Riki'', the prequel to the 1980s manga and anime ''Manga/GingaNagareboshiGin''. This tells about Riki when he was a puppy and encounters his father Shiro.
* ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'' has two Gaiden series totalling 52 episodes which basically revealed the early military careers of Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li before the start of the series proper.
* Due to the ''Franchise/LupinIII'' franchise's NegativeContinuity, the only way to determine if a story is a sequel or prequel is if it is also an OriginsEpisode. A given episode or chapter cannot even promise if it happened before or after the last episode or chapter.
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul: JACK'' takes place 12-years prior to the main story, and focuses on a teenage [[TheDreaded Kishou]] [[WorldsStrongestMan Arima]].
* ''Handa-kun'' is a gag-comedy prequel to ''{{Manga/Barakamon}}'' that that features the main character's life in high school six years earlier.
* Creator/OsamuTezuka's works tend to get some dubiously official prequels in order to explain how the main characters ended up the way they did. ''Young Black Jack'' fills in the holes of Dr. Manga/BlackJack's time in the Japanese medical field and how he came to abandon it, and ''Manga/AtomTheBeginning'' shows Professor Ochanomizu and Dr. Tenma as young scientists on the path to creating the technology that would one day help create Manga/AstroBoy.
* Like ''Sailor V'', ''Literature/HighSpeed2013'' turned into a strange hybrid of source material and prequel for ''Anime/{{Free}}'' over its run. The first book came out well before its sequel anime, but the second was released before ''Eternal Summer'' and adapted afterwards as a [[Anime/HighSpeedFreeStartingDays prequel film]].
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademiaVigilantes'' is a standalone prequel to ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', set some time shortly before the events of the main series.
* ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'': The first episode serves as a prequel to the whole ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', also revealing that Ash's Pikachu was a wild Pichu prior to evolving into a Pikachu.
* ''Manga/QueenMillennia'': Chronologically, this series takes place generations before ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'' and gives a bit of background context for that setting, followed by ''Maetel Legend''.
* ''Manga/NarutoTheWhorlWithinTheSpiral'' one-shot is a prequel to ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' focused on Naruto's father, and future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arts]]
* ''Art/TheLastSupper'': Leonardo da Vinci was tasked with painting something opposite to a depiction of ''Art/TheCrucifixion''. Leonardo painted ''The Last Supper'', where Christ announced his sacrifice through bread and wine.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/{{Mechamato}}'' is an indirect prequel to ''Animation/BoBoiBoy'', likely occurring more than a decade before that titular hero was even born, since the show's child protagonist [[spoiler:is [=BoBoiBoy=]'s father as a kid]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Audio Plays]]
* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'':
** ''Quinnis'', narrated by Susan, takes place on a planet that was a NoodleIncident in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E3TheEdgeOfDestruction the third ever serial]].
** ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoDOTD1HuntersOfEarth Hunters of Earth]]'', narrated by Creator/CaroleAnnFord not as Susan, is set during the period Susan was attending Coal Hill School.
** ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoCCS8E5TheBeginning The Beginning]]'', narrated by Susan, begins with the Doctor stealing the TARDIS.
** ''The War Doctor Begins'', starring [[FakeShemp Jonathon Carley]] as a nascent version of the late Creator/{{John Hurt}}'s War Doctor, is a prequel to the original series ''The War Doctor'', which itself precedes "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumLivingHell'' is one. While published in the time frame between "Officer Down" and "Face the Face", it takes place before it (with a footnote even stating that it happened before ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'') and features Jim Gordon, not Michael Akins, as police commissioner yelling at a doctor for releasing an inmate (which [[spoiler: given both the "doctor" and the inmate are question are serial killers, with the former even stealing the real doctor's identity, one can't blame him]]) and Harvey Bullock as a police detective.
* ''ComicBook/Agent47BirthOfTheHitman'' is an OriginsEpisode for Diana, 47 and the Shadow Client before they came to meet each other prior to ''VideoGame/HitmanCodename47'' (or in the case of the Shadow Client, how [[spoiler:he's a clone and helped 47 free them from their masters; The Institute]]). The comic book was released at the end of ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'', serving as a prequel to the franchise as a whole, and becomes increasingly more relevant to the story arcs of ''2016's'' sequels; ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' and ''VideoGame/Hitman3'', which directly callback to this comic series.
* ''ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer'': ''Plutarch's Staff'' (released in 2014) is the first story in the continuity of the series (at this point) as it is set in 1944. It tells how Blake joined MI-5, how him and Mortimer met again decades after their Indian adventure during their teens, and features the rising threat of the Yellow Empire while World War II isn't finished yet. ''Plutarch's Staff'' ending is actually the beginning of ''The Secret of the Swordfish'', making it a direct Prequel.
* ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold (2007)'': Issue #33 is a prequel to ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke''.
* ''ComicBook/DisneyKingdoms: Figment'' explores the origins of Ride/DisneyThemeParks characters Dreamfinder and Figment.
* The ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'' comics had a number of prequels over the years, most notably ''Bearclaw''. The title character was the father of Cutter, the hero of the original series. The ''Bearclaw'' series sets up many of the events which occurred before the main story began, and in particular explains the implacable enmity between the human and elf tribes which led to [[spoiler:the humans burning the elves out of their forest home]] at the beginning of ''Elfquest #1''.
* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' had a prequel in the form of a video game titled ''VideoGame/TheWolfAmongUs''.
* ''ComicBook/FishPolice'': A special issue from Comico gives a backstory on main character Gill and the S.Q.U.I.D. organization.
* ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck'' works as a prequel to the ''ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse'', telling Scrooge [=McDuck's=] life story long before WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and rest of characters were born.
* ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyTheMoviePrequel'' is an unusual case. It's set prior to the events of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'', establishing the major new characters and settings. However, the actual release of the comics predates the film; the first issue was released in June 2017, four months prior to the movie's release.
* ''ComicBook/PoetAndersonTheDreamWalker'' is a prequel to [[WesternAnimation/PoetAndersonTheDreamWalker the short film of the same name]]. It also gives background information [[AllThereInTheManual that isn't in the short film]].
* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs''' limited-edition 50th anniversary story "The Flute Smurfers" is a prequel to the ''ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit'' story "The Smurfs And The Magic Flute", telling what the magic flute was originally made for. It should be noted, however, that the Smurf Forest in the prequel resembles the flourishing SugarBowl forest of the Smurf comic book series more than it does [[{{Mordor}} the sparse rock-filled forest]] of the ''Johan And Peewit'' story that chronologically follows it.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' has ''ComicBook/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. Pitched and sold as a prequel to the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' video game, the series avoids many typical prequel pitfalls such as ForegoneConclusion, SavedByCanon and having to feature heroes prior to their CharacterDevelopment by focusing on an entirely different cast with an original plot instead. The game characters that do appear are relegated to supporting roles, and some too-on-the-nose {{Foreshadowing}} turned out to be RedHerring to keep the readers on their toes. In the end, the comics share the same setting and hit the required important plot points, but end standing completely on their own, with only a passing knowledge of the game required.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Many comic book prequels explain how things are different after a retcon. For example, ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #158 shows young Clark Kent's life in a different way than ''ComicBook/SupermanNumber1'' had. This version was reconned out by ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'', which in turn was displaced by ''ComicBook/SupermanBirthright'', ''ComicBook/SupermanSecretOrigin'' and ''ComicBook/ActionComicsNew52''.
** ''ComicBook/TheKryptonChronicles'', published forty-three years after the first story featuring Superman, narrates the history of Pre-Crisis Krypton and the House of El since the dawn of Kryptonian civilization.
** The ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' stories in ''ComicBook/Superboy1949'', ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'' and ''ComicBook/Superboy1980'' were a prequel to the mainline series, telling the history of Clark Kent before becoming Superman.
** ''Superman: Secret Files 2009'' told the story of the beginning of the friendship between Kara Zor-El and Thara Ak-Var, and it is set prior to the events of ''ComicBook/NewKrypton'' and ''ComicBook/WhoIsSuperwoman'', which introduced Thara.
** ''ComicBook/AdventureComics #271: ''ComicBook/HowLuthorMetSuperboy'' narrated the until then untold story of the first meeting between both characters.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''
** ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' had gotten prequels from ''Franchise/TransformersTimelines'', in multiple media formats.
*** The "Dawn of Future's Past" comic book, which takes place just before the first episode of ''Beast Wars'' and depicted the Maximals' pursuing of the Predacons that ultimately led to both factions ending up on prehistoric Earth.
*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIJVSjIuNYg Theft of The Golden Disk]]", which is an animated short taking place before "Dawn of Future's Past" that serves to explain the circumstances under which Megatron got the Golden Disk.
*** "The Razor's Edge", a text story made available on the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' fan club website that tells of an adventure Airazor went on in her days as Wing Saber, the name she went by before she ended up on prehistoric Earth as one of the protoforms sealed in stasis pods the Maximals and Predacons searched for in the events of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
** ''ComicBook/TransformersGenerationOne'': ''[[ComicBook/TransformersTheWarWithin The War Within]]'' series happens before the events of the main book, establishing the details of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons before they ended up on Earth.
** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAutocracy'', ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMonstrosity'' and ''ComicBook/TheTransformersPrimacy'' are a trilogy of miniseries that serve as prequels to Creator/IDWPublishing's ''Transformers'' continuity that is part of the ComicBook/HasbroComicUniverse. The trilogy goes into detail about Optimus Prime's early experiences as a Prime and the Autobots' first clashes with the Decepticons before their war ended up bringing them to Earth.
** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'' continuity received a prequel in a 2019 one-shot titled ''ComicBook/Transformers84'', which had a FramingDevice of Punch narrating the events that led to Optimus Prime and several other Autobots leaving Cybertron in the Ark. The unexpected success of the one-shot led to it being followed the next year by a miniseries titled ''Secrets & Lies'', where Punch continued to explain the events that unfolded on Earth and Cybertron after the Ark took flight and before the Autobots and Decepticons aboard the spacecraft were reactivated in the 1980's.
* ''ComicBook/StardewValleyBeforeTheFarmer'' is this for ''VideoGame/StardewValley'', as it tells the story of what happened in the valley during the year before the player character arrived.
* ''ComicBook/StarTrekEarlyVoyages'': Aside from the series itself being a prequel to ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', "Our Dearest Blood" depicts the ''Enterprise'''s mission to Rigel VII, a major part of the backstory to "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage The Cage]]". This includes Captain Pike's fight with the Kaylar in the abandoned Zemtar fortress, which the Talosians forced him to relive soon after abducting him. It turns out that the dress that the DamselInDistress Vina wore in this illusion is identical to one actually worn by Talza, the aide of the Rigellian Minister Etashnan. Unlike Vina in the illusion, however, Talza left as soon as the Kaylar began to attack Pike as she had brought him to the fortress so that he could be ambushed.
* ''ComicBook/{{Ewoks}}'': The events of the comic book chronologically took place before the events of [[WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}} the cartoon]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* While the fics in the ''Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}}'' series don't all take place in the order they were published, ''City of Lost Children'' is set the earliest of all, years before the point of divergence from canon.
* ''Fanfic/FromBajorToTheBlack'' and "Fanfic/TheUniverseDoesntCheat", for the series of ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' fics starring Captain Kanril Eleya. ''Fanfic/FromBajorToTheBlack'' explains how and why Eleya first joined the military and eventually became a Starfleet commanding officer, while "Fanfic/TheUniverseDoesntCheat" has her take the ''KobayashiMaru''.
* ''Fanfic/SoulEaterZeta'' is a prequel to ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls''.
* ''Fanfic/TheDiaryOfGlyndaGoodwitch'' is the prequel to ''Fanfic/WeissReacts''.
* ''Triumvirate'' is a prequel to the Fanfic/ElementalChessTrilogy.
* ''Fanfic/CourtneyAndTheViolinOfDespair'' is [[DownplayedTrope mostly]] set at earlier dates than [[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama its parent work]].
* ''Fanfic/SunsplitSaga'': The second story, ''Sunspawned'', is the prequel to the first story, ''Sunsplit''.
* ''Fanfic/HeartOfALionessThroughTheEyesOfAQueen'' begins 20-30 years prior to the first ''Lion King''. The first book stars Simba's great-grandparents, the first King and Queen of Pride Rock.
* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily'' (taking place during ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' and some time after the end of Book 2 of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'') starts months before ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' (which takes place sometime before Episode 29 of ''Journeys'' and starting just when Book 3 of ''Infinity Train'' begins)
* ''Fanfic/PrideLandsGenerations'' is a different telling of the [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Pride Lands' first king]]. While no set number of years are given for each generation, the main character Dhahabu is Simba's great-great-grandfather, and his father is the actual first Lion King until the final chapters. (Dhahabu is the first to actually rule from Pride Rock, however.)
* ''Fanfic/SunsplitSaga'': "Sunspawned" is the second story in the series, and its events are before the previous story, and expands on how Sunset and Sunburst are related, the fact of their relation having been revealed in the previous story, but not the precise events.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Animation]]
* ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'', an animated anthology film and prequel to ''Film/TheMatrix''.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' is generally considered a prequel of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' as it tells the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. Whether the parts of the movie set in "present" are before, after or during the events of the show is open to fans' interpretation.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingOneAndAHalf'' tells a bit of backstory about Timon and Pumbaa, as well as how they met.
* ''Animation/MiniforceNewHeroesRise'' is this to [[Animation/{{Miniforce}} the TV show]] as it shows how they became the team they are today.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'' reveals before they served Gru by the time of ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'', the minions served Scarlet Overkill. This movie's sequel, ''WesternAnimation/MinionsTheRiseOfGru'' serves even more as a prequel as it concentrates on Gru, the ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' franchises adult protagonist Gru as a child.
* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'': Good friends Mike and Sulley met each other at ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity''. This is the first, and currently ''only'' prequel that Pixar has ever produced.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirlsMovie'' was a retroactive prequel, converting what was covered in just a couple lines from the ExpositoryThemeTune into a full movie.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Puss in Boots|2011}}'' is chronologically set before all of the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' movies.
* The Disney movie ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'' is effectively a prequel to Myth/KingArthur's reign; it's based on the first quarter or so of the book ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing''.
* Mexican movie ''WesternAnimation/TopCatBegins'' is the prequel to both ''WesternAnimation/TopCatTheMovie'' and [[WesternAnimation/TopCat the show]], as it shows how the gang met.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'' has a German-American prequel film titled ''Army of Thieves'', which centers around safecracker Ludwig Dieter (Creator/MatthiasSchweighofer, who also directs).
* The ''wuxia'' film ''Film/AshesOfTime'' is a prequel to the novel, ''Literature/TheLegendOfTheCondorHeroes'', with it's WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue seguing directly to the novel's first chapter.
* ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII'' is at once a prequel and a sequel to the original film, jumping back and forth between the young Vito at the turn of the century and Michael in the '50s.
* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' is a prequel to the first film, set one year earlier.
* The prologue sequence in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' shows Indy as a boy in the year 1912, featuring the origin of such things as his iconic hat, whip, scar and fear of snakes.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** The entire Prequel Trilogy provides the backstory for Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side and the formation of the [[TheEmpire Galactic Empire]]. Some viewers objected to the way the series has Anakin interact with characters he does not seem to recognize later in the Original Trilogy. The Expanded Universe attempts to retcon some of the discrepancies away.
*** This despite the fact that Anakin/Vader was in the same scene in both trilogies with only a handful of characters. To wit, Palpatine, Obi Wan, Boba Fett (using a very generous definition of "with"), Tarkin and [=C3P0=]. In each case except the last, he does recognize them, with [=C3P0=], well when they meet in Empire Strikes Back, Vader was kind of preoccupied.
*** The Prequel Trilogy’s films also show [[CosmeticallyAdvancedPrequel a far more advanced galaxy]] than the Original Trilogy, despite it being over two decades earlier. Justified to an extent as most of the Original trilogy takes place in the galactic boondocks or on Naval Ships while the Prequels are set in the main part of the galaxy. OTH, George Lucas says that was deliberate, as the prequels were a more "civilized age".
** ''Film/RogueOne'' is a prequel to ''A New Hope'', ending very shortly (possibly ''minutes'') before the first movie kicks off.
** ''Film/{{Solo}}'' is a prequel to the Original Trilogy featuring the origin story of Han Solo (naturally). It includes the beginning of his friendship with Chewbacca, his history with Lando Calrissian and the Millennium Falcon, and the circumstances of his record-breaking Kessel Run.
* ''Cruel Intentions II'' is a prequel to ''Film/CruelIntentions''.
* The Tsui Hark movie ''A Better Tomorrow III'' was the prequel to the two John Woo movies that would kick off the HeroicBloodshed genre. It follows Chow Yun-Fat's Mark Gor as he goes to Saigon, falls in love, and develops into the gunslinging badass that we know from ''Film/ABetterTomorrow.'' And no, he does not keep the girl.
* Creator/UweBoll's ''Film/HouseOfTheDead'' is actually a prequel to the video games, although it is not considered canon.
** Likewise with the first two ''Film/{{BloodRayne}}s''.
* ''Film/FuriosaAMadMaxSaga'' details Furiosa's story before the events of ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad''.
* ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'' is set the day before the events in ''Film/{{Clerks}}''.
* ''Film/TheScorpionKing'' is supposed to be a prequel to ''Film/TheMummyReturns'', although the fact that there is nothing to indicate that Mathias will turn evil appears to break that connection. However, WordOfGod is that the Scorpion King featured in ''The Mummy Returns'' is actually Mathias's IdenticalGrandson. It is probably more of a spin-off than a true prequel.
** The DirectToVideo film ''The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior'' is a prequel to ''The Scorpion King'', making it a prequel to a prequel.
* ''Film/ParanormalActivity2'' is (mostly) a prequel to the [[Film/ParanormalActivity first film]]. Its follow-up, ''Film/ParanormalActivity3'', is a prequel to the second film.
* ''Film/FinalDestination5'' isn't explicitly advertised as such, instead opting for a TwistEnding in which [[spoiler:the final two survivors of the bridge collapse die in the Flight 180 disaster that started the first film.]] However, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil some of the trailers spoiled this]] by showing new footage of [[spoiler:Flight 180]].
* ''Film/TheThing2011'' is set less than a week before [[Film/TheThing1982 the first movie]]; it shows how the monster was first discovered and what it did to the Norwegian base.
* Although the films in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse are standalone for the most part, their internal chronology makes ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'' prequels as they take place entirely before the events of ''Film/IronMan''.
* Most people would be surprised if you pointed out that ''Film/TheMuppetMovie'' was actually a prequel to ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. Unless they've actually ''seen'' them. of course, since it's blindingly obvious that many of the various characters who are friends or at least co-workers of long standing on Show are meeting for the first time in Movie.
* Both ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' and ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' serve as prequels to the original ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' trilogy. ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', meanwhile, is an odd example in that it is both a prequel ''and'' a sequel to the original trilogy, concluding with a [[spoiler: CosmicRetcon that deletes the entire trilogy, and probably ''Origins: Wolverine'' and ''Film/TheWolverine'' also, from the timeline.]] That means its sequel, ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', while still taking place years before the original trilogy, isn't a prequel anymore (if one wants to nitpick very much, it is still ''technically'' a prequel, since the ending of ''Days'' [[spoiler: features the aforementioned retconned timeline set during the original trilogy's time period.]]
* In the ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' film series: The third, fourth and fifth films of the original series were Prequels to the first two, however; thanks to time travel the third qualifies as both a Prequel (from the Verse's point of view) ''and'' a Sequel (from that of the ape characters). Whilst ''Film/RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'' is officially a ContinuityReboot but works perfectly as a prequel to the original franchise.
* ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' is a bit of an oddball because of the series's heavy use of time travel. It is both a sequel to ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', and a prequel to the events of the original ''Film/TheTerminator''.
* ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' is described as a "semi-prequel" to the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' series.
* ''Film/AVPAlienVsPredator'' and ''Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem'' were also prequels to ''Film/{{Alien}}'', but in the wake of this new film, their canon it difficult to determine.
* ''Film/RedDragon'' is a prequel to ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''. The novel had already been adapted to film as ''Film/{{Manhunter}}'', but the original version did not fit into the film series with Anthony Hopkins as Lecter. The same goes for ''Film/HannibalRising''.
* ''Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd'' is a prequel to ''Film/DumbAndDumber''.
* Both ''Exorcist: The Beginning'' and ''Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist'', ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Prequels to [[Film/TheExorcist the original film]] in two different perspectives (of the directors; the former is the result of a complex ExecutiveMeddling for the latter).
* ''Film/Tremors4TheLegendBegins'' is the fourth and final film in the Film/{{Tremors}} series and a prequel to the earlier movies.
* ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy is set before ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy. This doesn't apply to the books, though: ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was a proper sequel.
* There is no WordOfGod and it wasn't marketed as such, but ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', the last movie in the Film/DollarsTrilogy, is a prequel to the other two. It takes place during the UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar (1861–1865), while a grave stone dated 1873 is clearly seen in the first movie(''Film/AFistfulOfDollars''). 'Blondie' also gains the iconic clothes [[note]]poncho, brown hat, Sheep fur vest[[/note]] he wears in the two other movies during the last third of Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly.
* ''Film/CubeZero'' is a prequel to the original ''Film/{{Cube}}''. The main character suffers the same fate as [[spoiler:Kazan]] from the original, but since they couldn't get the original actor they're only vaguely implied to be the same person. The continuity in this series is already marginal at best due to having different creators for each entry who all had different ideas on what the mythology should be.
* ''Film/GingerSnapsBackTheBeginning'' is a distant prequel to the first ''Film/GingerSnaps'' featuring the apparent ancestors of the Fitzgerald sisters encountering a werewolf in a completely different time period.
* The western ''Film/NevadaSmith'', is a prequel to the ''Film/TheCarpetbaggers'', a film about the movie industry.
* ''Film/{{Underworld|2003}}: Rise of the Lycans'' is the prequel to the rest of the series.
* ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' is a [[SequelSeries prequel series]] to the ''Film/HarryPotter'' films. [[Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem The first]] is set in 1926 (65 years before ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone''), [[Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald the second]] is set in 1927, and [[Film/FantasticBeastsTheSecretsOfDumbledore the third]] is set in 1932.
* ''Film/{{Insidious}}: Chapter 3'' is set before the events of the first film, showing what Elise, Specs, and Tucker were up to before they become involved with the Lamberts.
* ''Film/TheConjuring'' series:
** ''Film/{{Annabelle}}'' is set a year before the titular doll is retrieved by the Warrens in the opening scene of ''The Conjuring''.
** As the title suggests, ''Film/AnnabelleCreation'' shows how the doll came to be and thus predates the previous three films by having a 1955 setting (the first ''Annabelle'' is set in 1970).
** ''Film/TheNun'' is set in 1952, the earliest time period of the series and predating all previous films released.
* As indicated in the title, ''Film/OuijaOriginOfEvil'' details the StartOfDarkness of the main villains of ''Film/{{Ouija}}'', with a setting some fifty years prior.
* As the events of ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' happened before and in the same universe of ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' then is a prequel of both, though more directly connected to the latter.
* ''Film/SmokinAces2AssassinsBall'' takes place prior to ''Film/SmokinAces''. This doesn't show too much, since the plots are mostly unrelated except for featuring some recurring characters (such as [[LatexPerfection Laslo Zoot]] and the [[HillbillyHorrors Tremor family]]), at least one of whom was killed in the first movie.
* The original Japanese adaptation of ''Literature/TheRing'' has a prequel in ''Ring 0: Birthday'', an OriginsEpisode set 30 years prior. The prequel is adapted from a short story of an omnibus novel that among other things includes a plain sequel and an {{Interquel}}.
* ''Film/DeathRace2FrankensteinLives'' and ''Film/DeathRace3Inferno'', despite being NumberedSequels, are both prequels to the ''Film/DeathRace'' remake.
* ''Film/{{Ophelia}}'' is a partial example. The first forty or so minutes is set before the beginning of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', covering what happened in the months leading up the king's death (including how Ophelia and Hamlet became a couple). It then segues into the events of the play, albeit with alterations due the story being told from [[PerspectiveFlip Ophelia's perspective]] in this version.
* ''Film/OrphanFirstKill'' is a prequel to ''Film/{{Orphan}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''VideoGame/SeventhDragon III [=UE72=] Mikan no Yuuma'' is set before ''7th Dragon III Code: VFD''.
* In the ''Literature/AmberBrown'' series, the ''A is for Amber'' books featured rather younger versions of Amber and Justin, before Justin moved away and Amber's parents got divorced.
* ''Literature/AssassinsCreedUnderworld'' is a prequel to ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'' starring Henry "The Ghost" Green, the leader of the British Assassins at the time and TheMentor to the Frye Twins.
* ''Literature/BeforeTheBatman: An Original Movie Novel'' is an all-ages superhero prequel tie-in book to ''Film/TheBatman2022''.
* ''Literature/BehindBlueEyes'': a series called ''Nephilim: Behind Blue Eyes Origins'' was released in 2022, consisting of three volumes and detailing the early life of the central protagonist.
* ''Literature/TheBelgariad''/''Literature/TheMalloreon'': The authors wrote prequels in which all "hidden" details and the like are explained. The FramingDevice was a sequel, where the main characters are asked to write their memories.
* ''Literature/BruceCovillesBookOf Magic'': ''Wizard's Boy'' is one prequel to Coville's earlier story ''[[Literature/MagicShop Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher]]'' -- that book tells, briefly, of how the wizard Bellenmore was the one who helped send the dragons to their new world, and his apprentice Aaron, the title character of this story, is the one who figured out how to save the species by bringing their eggs back to Earth so they could be hatched and then sent to the other world again once they were old enough. This story takes place before those events.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Several books are prequels or interquels to books written before. This is further complicated by the fact that the prequels assume that the reader is reading the books in the ''published'' order. ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'', for example, is the first novel (chronologically speaking, but the 6th in the publishing order), but unless one has read ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' (the 2nd novel chronologically speaking), one can miss a lot of the subtext and the deeper meanings worked into the novel. Complicating matters is the fact that the events of ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (Book 5) are in fact taking place during the final chapter of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (Book 1). While the author and most experts agree that you should read them in order of release rather than chronology, the publisher continues to insist on numbering them in chronological order, further confusing new readers.
* When Jennifer Fallon was writing the prequels to her ''Demon Child'' series, she had a large board labelled "These People Must Die" next to her desk, indicating characters she had to kill off before the end of the prequel series in order to avoid having to [[AWizardDidIt explain]] their absence in the original series.
* The ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' trilogy is followed by four Four-centric short stories, three of which focus on him as a Dauntless initiate, 2 years before the events of the main series (the other is a POVSequel of the first book). All were later collected in the ''Four: A Divergent Collection'' omnibus.
* In the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'', the novella ''Time and Relative'' by Creator/KimNewman is set shortly before [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E1AnUnearthlyChild "An Unearthly Child"]]. There are also about ten short stories in the ''Short Trips'' series set prior to the TARDIS landing in Totter's Lane.
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': The novels ''Literature/TheStolenThrone'' and ''Literature/TheCalling'' are prequels to ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. The former deals with the liberation of Ferelden from under the boot of the Orlesian Empire, while the latter introduces the ExpansionPack, explains how the Grey Wardens were allowed back into Ferelden, and hints at the origins of a major character.
* ''Literature/DragonsOfRequiem'' has the ''Dawn of Dragons'' trilogy, which was released three years after the original trilogy. It takes place three thousand years before ''Song of Dragons'' and shows who founded and built Requiem, and how the Vir Requis united as a whole.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': ''Literature/BriefCases'' has "A Fistful of Warlocks", detailing Anastasia Luccio's pursuit of a warlock in the Wild West in the late 19th century. It also features a guest appearance by [[spoiler:the necromancer Heinrich Kemmler, who is very, very dead in the series' present.]]
* ''VideoGame/DustyRevenge'' have a prequel, ''VideoGame/DustyRagingFist'', released four years after the original but set a decade before. The titular rabbit protagonist managed to obtain ElementalPowers in the prequel, but thanks to BagOfSpilling lose his abilities after the final battle where the original game have him restored to his BadassNormal state.
* ''Literature/TheEvolutionofClaire'' takes place eleven years prior to the events of ''Film/JurassicWorld'' which follows the character of Claire Dearing in her first year of internship for Masrani Global.
* ''Literature/FateZero'' is a series of novels that detail the events leading up to famous VisualNovel ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. Considering the relatively short timespan between the two story-wise (ten years), much of the events in ''[[Literature/FateZero Zero]]'' had a significant impact on ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight stay night]]''.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov: %%Note that PrequelInTheLostAge is a subtrope
** "Literature/ThePsychohistorians": This ShortStory was added [[OrwellianRetcon retroactively]] when ''Literature/Foundation1951'' was published, to begin the ''Foundation'' series at [[AlternativeCalendar -2 Foundation Era]], compared to 50 F.E. of "Literature/TheEncyclopedists". Year 1 is when the planet Terminus [[FoundingDay is colonized]] by the Encyclopedia Foundation.
** ''Literature/PreludetoFoundation'': This book is a prequel to his original Foundation trilogy.
** ''Literature/TheStarsLikeDust'': This book is a follow-up to ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'', still taking place in a [[TheFuture far future]] where the Earth has become radioactive, but before the Trantorian Empire becomes relevant to the region of space it takes place in. This was followed by ''The Currents of Space'', which takes place after ''The Stars, Like Dust'' but before ''Pebble in the Sky'' at a point when the Trantorian Empire's galactic dominance [[RisingEmpire is in sight]], but still distant enough that it hasn't renamed itself as the Galactic Empire it was in ''Pebble in the Sky''.
* [[Creator/JohnHemry Jack Campbell]]'s ''Literature/TheGenesisFleet'' series is set in the same universe as his ''Literature/TheLostFleet'' books, but centuries earlier, during the formation of TheAlliance. In the ''Vanguard'' novel, the recent invention of the jump drive has rapidly sped up the expansion of humanity into the galaxy. However, Old Earth's influence is waning, and the once mighty Earth fleet is being decommissioned. Even the old colonies are no longer the beacon of civilization they once were. The new colonies must fend for themselves in the face of pirates, slavers, and hostile colonies. The novel is focused on a number of characters, two of which appear to be the ancestors of key characters from the main series: Lieutenant Robert Geary of the recently-settled Glenlyon (in fact, the colony isn't even named at the start of the book) and Sergeant Dominic Desjani (although he doesn't appear until about two thirds of the way into the book) of the slightly more established Kosatka. Glenlyon finds itself the target of an expansionist militant colony called Scatha and, with no defense forces to speak of, must figure out a way to survive, its leaders realizing that colonies in similar situations must band together for common protection. The third and final novel of the prequels ends with the formation of the building blocks of the Alliance. The DistantFinale returns to just after the main series, with the two main characters discussing their ancestors and their roles in creating the Alliance.
* Creator/JoanneHarris's ''Literature/TheGospelOfLoki'' serves as a prequel to her earlier fantasy novels ''{{Literature/Runemarks}}'' and ''Runelight''. However, as a lifelong Myth/NorseMythology fan, Harris likely worked out the basic plot of ''Gospel'' long before writing the other two books, much as Tolkien did with ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and the hobbit books.
* Several ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' novels serve as this, including ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'' and ''Literature/HaloContactHarvest''; the former focuses on the SPARTAN-II program, while the latter focuses on Sergeant Johnson and first contact with the Covenant. Another example is the ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' trilogy, a distant prequel that takes place during the time of the Forerunners.
* ''Literature/HannahSwensen'':
** Book 23 (''Christmas Cake Murder'') is the earliest in chronological order, set soon after Hannah dropped out of college and came home to help her mother after Delores lost her husband and sank into depression from it.
** Book 20 (''Christmas Caramel Murder'') was released after book 19 (Wedding Cake Murder), but takes place earlier — the prologue and epilogue of Christmas Caramel are set in September, while Wedding Cake is set in October.
** Book 26 (''Christmas Cupcake Murder'') is set "before Hannah solves her first missing person case" and before her mother opened her antique store, making it a prequel to most of the series (the store in question had opened by book 4).
%%* ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'': ''Hannibal Rising'' is a full indication of just how badly these can go.
* ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'': The first book published, ''The Happy Return'' (''Beat to Quarters'' in some regions) was intended as a stand-alone novel, but later became part of a multi-book arc (''Ship of the Line'', ''Flying Colours'', ''The Commodore'' and ''Lord Hornblower''). ''Hornblower and the Atropos'', ''Hornblower and the Hotspur'', ''Lieutenant Hornblower'' and ''Midshipman Hornblower'', as well as the short stories ''The Hand of Destiny'' and ''Hornblower and the Widow [=McCool=]'' all take place before the events of ''The Happy Return''.
* ''Literature/TheHouseOfNight'':
** ''Dragon's Oath'', about Dragon's past and his relationship with Anastasia.
** ''Lenobia's Vow'', about Lenobia's past.
** ''Neferet's Curse'', which relates Neferet's past.
* ''Literature/{{Inkmistress}}'': The book serves as one to ''Literature/OfFireAndStars''. Set centuries before, it shows the backstory for Queen Invasya when she was just a girl (who's a supporting character in both) and how Zumorda had come to the way things are there.
* ''Literature/TheKharkanasTrilogy'' is a prequel to the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', set in TheTimeOfMyths and telling an important part of the setting's backstory. It originally seemed like there was no need for a prequel as the backstory is covered quite extensively in the main series, however it turns out that a few millennia of time can change what actually happened into myths hardly related to the truth anymore. So even knowing how events eventually play out, ''how'' things ended up the way they did is a wholly different matter, sometimes overturning supposedly known facts without actually contradicting them.
* Creator/JamesFenimoreCooper's ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'', published in this order: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1.
* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko:
** ''Dances on the Snow'' takes place about a century prior to the events of ''Literature/{{Genome}}'', the first novel of the series. However, the author insists that ''Genome'' should still be read first, even though the novels target completely different issues (DesignerBabies in ''Genome'', clones in ''Dances on the Snow'') and don't feature any of the same characters (except for one mentioned off-hand).
** Lukyanenko's short story ''Shadows of Dreams'' is a prequel to ''Literature/LineOfDelirium'', as it describes [[spoiler:one of Arthur's previous failed attempts to get to Grail with a teenage girl as his bodyguard]]. The latter is not revealed until the end of the short story, though.
* By the same token, ''Literature/MassEffectRevelation'' is a prequel to the first ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' game, revealing the history between Captain Anderson and Saren, as well as [[spoiler:how Saren found ''Sovereign'']].
* ''The Kill Order'' and ''The Fever Code'' are both prequels to the main trilogy of ''Literature/TheMazeRunner'' series, taking focus to the background story and lore. The former tells the story of the first outbreak of the ZombieApocalypse approximately a decade before the events at the Glade, while the latter is a direct prequel to the first book.
* ''Literature/LeftBehind'' had a three-book prequel series following the twelve-book main series: ''The Rising'', ''The Regime'', and ''The Rapture'', which all tell of events that took place up to the start of the main series, such as the rise of the Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia as well as the lives of future Tribulation Force members Rayford and Chloe Steele and Buck Williams.
* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'' series has one completed prequel series (''Literature/TheInfernalDevices'') and one still in development (''The Last Hours''), both being set more than a century before the events of the main series. Plus, some of the novella collections (particularly, ''The Bane Chronicles'') have stories predating ''TMI'', as well.
* Most of Creator/AnthonyPrice's thriller novels form a sequence set in the present day (i.e. the 1970s and '80s, contemporary with when they were written), but four of them are prequels set in the 1940s and '50s, exploring the roots of the main sequence protaonists and the organisation they work for.
* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': The SpinOff volume ''Side of Fire: Chronicle of Purgatory'' is set three years before the start of the main series and expands on the backstory of Alvin Godfrey, Leoncio Echevalria, and the {{rival}}ry between their respective student body factions, which forms a major part of several volumes of the main series.
* ''Literature/JackRyan'':
** ''Without Remorse'' covers the backstory for John Clark [[spoiler:formerly Kelly]], set before Jack Ryan, Sr becomes an adult.
** ''Literature/PatriotGames'' occurs before ''Literature/TheHuntForRedOctober'', in which there are a few off-hand references to PG's events.
** ''Red Rabbit'' takes a step back to the very start of Jack Ryan, Sr's involvement with the US government, though was published after ''Executive Orders''.
* In Creator/JohnMasefield's ''Literature/SardHarker'', the protagonist's backstory includes him having once played a small but important role in a rebellion in South America. Masefield's later novel ''Literature/{{Odtaa}}'' is set during the rebellion.
* ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' by Creator/TerryBrooks:
** ''Literature/FirstKingOfShannara'' is the prequel to ''Literature/TheSwordOfShannaraTrilogy''. It was written decades after that series was published. Even the trilogy's ''sequel'' series (''Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara'') had been published before the ''First King of Shannara'' came out. As with the Narnia novels, it's best to actually read the ''Sword of Shannara'' and perhaps even the ''Heritage of Shannara'' novels before reading the prequel, as it assumes knowledge and therefore acts as a spoiler to the original novels (''The Sword of Shannara'' especially).
** ''Literature/TheGenesisOfShannara'' is set even earlier; the ApocalypseHow to the AfterTheEnd setting of the main series. It also [[CanonWelding canon welds]] Brooks' UrbanFantasy series ''Literature/TheWordAndTheVoid'', retroactively making them ''Shannara'' prequels as well.
* ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' is an example of how good some of these can be. None of the foreshadowing starts till the end of the Quenta Silmarillion, with ''Akallabêth'' and ''On the Rings of Power and the Third Age''.
** Not a wholly straightforward example though, since Tolkien started writing ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' long before he wrote ''Literature/TheHobbit'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' (in fact, ''Literature/TheHobbit'' was not initially part of the same continuity) ''and'' continued afterwards. Consider also that the main events of ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' are set thousands of years before ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' ([[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld though a few characters are still in both]].) ''Akallabêth'' and ''On the Rings of Power...'' are (admittedly long) epilogues to the main narrative, with the latter bringing the action to the time of ''LOTR''.
** Especially true because Tolkien didn't actually write ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' ... he wrote a '''lot''' of background material for ''LOTR'', in many drafts and revisions, and then used tiny fragments of them in ''LOTR'' to suggest that it had its own tales and legends. After he died his son pieced together a mostly-consistent narrative out of the background material and published it. Then he started publishing the ''Unfinished Tales'' series, which were various drafts of stuff that ''didn't'' get used in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' (many of these being earlier drafts of pieces that ''did'' get used; confused yet?).
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** The ''Literature/TalesOfDunkAndEgg'' novellas of are set hundred years before the main series. They portray the [[LighterAndSofter golden age of House Targaryen]] and feature many "legendary" characters from the main series, and links between the books have surfaced, including the MythArc relating to "The Prince That Was Promised" and the revelation in ''Literature/ADanceWithDragons'' [[spoiler:of Lord Bloodraven, a supporting character in the earlier series alive in the present]].
** ''Literature/ArchmaesterGyldaynsHistories'' are another series of novellas going back even further to a CivilWar known as the Dance of the Dragons that took place 70 years before Dunk and Egg and 170 years before the main series. ''The Rogue Prince'' takes place before ''The Princess and the Queen'', making it a prequel of a prequel.
* The ''Star Trek: Terok Nor'' novel trilogy; ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' prequels set during the Cardassian occupation of Bajor.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'':
** ''[[Literature/StarWarsMasterAndApprentice Master and Apprentice]]'' is set before ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', covering Obi-Wan's apprenticeship to Qui-Gon.
** ''[[Literature/StarWarsQueensPeril Queen's Peril]]'' is a prequel to both ''The Phantom Menace'', set at the very beginning of Padmé's reign as Queen of Naboo, and its predecessor novel ''[[Literature/StarWarsQueensShadow Queen's Shadow]]'', which starts at the ''end'' of Padmé's time as queen.
** Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Ascendancy Trilogy'' is a prequel to his new-canon trilogy about Grand Admiral Thrawn (''Literature/{{Thrawn}}'', ''[[Literature/ThrawnAlliances Alliances]]'', ''[[Literature/ThrawnTreason Treason]]''), about Thrawn's time serving the Chiss Ascendancy.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': Timothy Zahn wrote ''Literature/OutboundFlight'' before he came up with the idea for the later-set ''Literature/SurvivorsQuest'', but due to scheduling ''Survivors' Quest'' was released first, resulting in a situation like this.
* ''The Tale of Little Pig Robinson'' by Creator/BeatrixPotter explains that Pig Robinson is actually the "piggy-wig" in Creator/EdwardLear's "The Owl and the Pussycat", and this is the story of how he ended up in the Land Where the Bong Tree Grows.
* ''Literature/TheTaleOfMagic'' is this to ''Literature/TheLandOfStories''. It takes place when the main characters’ grandmother was a teenager.
* ''Literature/ThirdMaccabees'' from the apocryphal books of the Maccabees is an InNameOnly prequel story, as it has nothing to do with Judah Maccabee or UsefulNotes/TheMaccabeanRevolt, but rather an early persecution of the Jews that took place in the 3rd Century BC.
* Wolfram von Eschenbach's unfinished epic poem ''Titurel'' was a prequel to his ''Literature/{{Parzival}}''.
* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': The ''Literature/BekaCooper'' trilogy is set nearly 200 years before the rest of the series, and features main protagonist Beka Cooper, who's the ancestor of other characters George and Aly. While the main plot is very much self-contained, it does show a bit about how Tortall came to be the way it is, including the outlawing of slavery and the decline of the female knights.
* ''When The Tripods Came'', the prequel to ''Literature/TheTripods'' trilogy.
* ''Literature/TheWalkingDeadRiseOfTheGovernor'' is a prequel to the comic book series ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead''.
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' began doing prequels with several standalone Super Editions taking place a generation or two before the first series, a time period that is now often nicknamed the "prequel era". Some novellas have expanded upon this time period, as well as a generation or two before ''that''. Later, the fifth [[MythArc arc]] ''Literature/WarriorCatsDawnOfTheClans'' came out; it's a prequel about the founding of the Clans, set at least a few decades before the modern books.
* ''New Spring'' is a prequel to ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series, taking place about 20 years before ''The Eye of the World''. What's particularly jarring is that it's actually a lot better written than the previous few books.
* ''Literature/WoodwalkersAndFriends'': ''Katzige Gefährten'' is one to ''Literature/{{Seawalkers}}''. It shows what Carag and Tikaani did in the gap between [[Literature/{{Woodwalkers}} Tag der Rache]] and [[Literature/{{Seawalkers}} Gefährliche Gestalten]]- ForegoneConclusion obviously ensues, because both of them are revealed to be alive in ''Seawalkers'' which was released a year before this book.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
!!!'''In General:'''
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is a prequel of the Superman mythos.
** ''Series/{{Krypton}}'' is another prequel to the Superman mythos. The series takes place on the titular planet 200 years before its destruction and Kal-El's arrival on Earth. The protagonist is his grandfather Seg-El.
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' is a prequel to the Batman mythos.
!!!'''Series:'''
* The 1998 TV film ''Film/BabylonFiveInTheBeginning'' is a prequel to ''Series/{{Babylon 5}}'', which depicts the Earth-Minbari War (2245-2248), a major part of the series' backstory. Its storyline explores the involvement, direct and indirect, of numerous regular characters in the war, including Sheridan, Sinclair, Delenn, Londo, G'Kar, Franklin and Ivanova. The major exception is Garibaldi, who was said to have served as a Ground Pounder (GROPO) during the war in "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS02E05TheLongDark The Long Dark]]". The {{Framing Device}}, which ties into the future sequences of "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E17WarWithoutEndPart2 War Without End Part 2]]" featuring a devastated Centauri Prime, takes place in 2278. It involves the elderly Londo, the Emperor of the Centauri Republic, telling two young children and their nanny of humanity's heroism during the Earth-Minbari War and how it inspired the Babylon Project, the last, best hope for peace. The film ties into several other episodes as well such as "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS01E08AndTheSkyFullOfStars And the Sky, Full of Stars]]", "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS03E13ALateDeliveryFromAvalon A Late Delivery from Avalon]]" and "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E09Atonement Atonement]]".
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is a prequel to ''Series/BreakingBad'' and focuses on the life of AmoralAttorney Saul Goodman seven years before he first met Walter White. At the time Saul still goes by his birth name of Jimmy [=McGill=] and has yet to have his StartOfDarkness that would make him such a key player in the Heisenberg saga. Similarly, Mike Ehrmantraut has just arrived in Albuquerque and has yet to embark on his career as a criminal fixer.
* ''Series/BlackSails'' is a prequel to ''Literature/TreasureIsland''. It shows how Captain Flint got the ''Urca'' gold and why he put it on Treasure Island. It also provides backstory for various characters from the book, including Long John Silver, Billy Bones, Israel Hands and Ben Gunn.
* ''Series/{{Caprica}}'' is a rare example of a prequel TV series (to ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''). The prequel is so far separated in time (it begins 58 years before ''BSG'') that only one character, William Adama, is shared between them--and while he was unquestionably the male lead in ''BSG'', he's a secondary (if important) character in ''Caprica'' (and the vast time difference makes things, if anything, ''more'' interesting: How does he go from Willie Adama, gangster-in-training, to William "The Old Man" Adama, hardened officer of the Colonial Fleet?).
** [[spoiler:He doesn't. He dies, and his father has another son with his second wife whom they name William. He is the one who will become "The Old Man".]]
* There's a very popular, long-running Italian police-detective show, ''Series/IlCommissarioMontalbano''. In 2012, the spinoff ''Young Montalbano'' appeared alongside it, about Montalbano as a young man.
* ''Series/TheContinental'' is a prequel series to the ''Franchise/JohnWick'' films. It follows a young Winston Scott as he begins his journey to become the manager of the New York City Continental Hotel
* The 1986 TV film ''Dallas: The Early Years'' is a prequel to ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' which explores the origins of the Barnes-Ewing feud in the 1930s. The {{Framing Device}} takes place in 1951 and features J.R. as a teenager and Bobby, Cliff, Pam and Gary as young children.
* ''Series/TheDarkCrystalAgeOfResistance'' is a prequel series to the 1982 Creator/JimHenson film ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'', detailing how the depraved Skeksis came to be at war with the Gelflings and caused the world of Thra to decay.
* ''Series/{{Dickensian}}'', a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover of all Creator/CharlesDickens's characters is set prior to the novels (with, the writer admits, some fudging of dates). So [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebeneezer Scrooge]] is still a miser, [[Literature/GreatExpectations Miss Havisham]] is a young woman who's just met Compeyson, [[Literature/BleakHouse Inspector Bucket]] has just become a detective, and so on.
* ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'' depicts the very beginning of the ZombieApocalypse that ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'' takes place in the aftermath of (albeit thousands of miles away).
* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' is a distant prequel to ''Series/GameOfThrones'', taking place 200 years before it and chronicling the Dance of the Dragons, whose consequences will eventually culminate in the downfall of House Targaryen.
* ''Series/InspectorMorse'' has spawned the prequel series ''Series/{{Endeavour}}'', about the young Morse (as well as a sequel series, ''Series/{{Lewis}}'', starring Morse's sergeant/sidekick). This allows more stories about Morse on TV, even though both the character and the actor have died.
* The events of ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' are set before ''The Lord of the Rings''.
* ''Prime Suspect 1973'' is a prequel to ''Series/PrimeSuspect'', about WPC Jane Tennison at the beginning of her career dealing with even more sexism than she will as DCI Jane Tennison.
* ''Series/QueenCharlotteABridgertonStory'' was produced after ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'' and shows the youth of Queen Charlotte, before she became one of the ton's most formidable figures.
* ''Series/RockAndChips'' (originally announced as ''Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Chips''), a prequel to ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' which is set in 1960, and tells the story of Joan and Freddie the Frog. It's a bit of a GenreShift, being a rather downbeat drama with some laughs rather than the traditional sitcom of the original (and ''Series/TheGreenGreenGrass'').
* The ''Film/DirtyHarry'' parody TV series ''Series/SledgeHammer'' ended its first season by blowing up Los Angeles, since the producers were expecting the series be canceled. When, much to their surprise, the series was picked up for a second season, they had to set it five years before the finale and called it ''Sledge Hammer: The Early Years''.
* The mini-series ''Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'' is the prequel of ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'', sadly made because the main actor suffered from cancer (that eventually caused his death) and therefore the producers have to made something without him to entertain the audience in the hopes he would recover. He didn't, so they went for TheOtherDarrin route.
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', which is set 100 years before Kirk's time period. ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' is more of an {{Interquel}}, being set between ''Enterprise'' and [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]. ''Discovery'' itself has a {{spinoff}}, ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', in the timeframe of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage the original]] PilotEpisode of TOS.
* ''Series/WalkerIndependence'', set in the 1800s is a prequel to ''Series/{{Walker|2021}}'' focused on Cordell Walker's ancestor, Abby Walker.
* ''Series/WhyWomenKill'': The second season, which is set from 1949-1950, takes place before the first season, which was set from 1963-2019.
* ''Series/TheWinchesters'', which focuses on John and Mary Winchesters, is a ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' prequel set in the 1970s.
* ''Series/YoungHercules'', a prequel TV series to ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' with a young ''Creator/RyanGosling'' portraying a much younger version of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Sorbo Kevin Sorbo]]'s title character.
* ''Young Hyacinth'' was a one-off prequel to ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances'', explaining how Hyacinth's snobbish pretensions were formed when she was in domestic service to the local gentry in the 1950s.
* ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'', a prequel TV series featuring stories from Indiana Jones' early life in AnachronicOrder. The majority of episodes depicted Indy as a young man, set during his experiences in World War One and in the years after; the rest were about Indy as a boy, while on an extended journey around the world.
* ''Series/YoungSheldon'' is a prequel to ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' that focuses on Sheldon Cooper's childhood.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Multimedia]]
* The entire 2004-'05 saga of ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'', including the ''Adventures'' novel series, comics, online videos and the films ''[[WesternAnimation/Bionicle2LegendsOfMetruNui Legends of Metru Nui]]'' and ''Web of Shadows'' take place 1,000 years before the 2001-'03 saga, detailing the struggles of the Toa Metru/Hordika before they became the Turaga of Mata Nui and how the Matoran of Metru Nui ended up on the island of Mata Nui in the first place. Technically, the 2005 story was an {{interquel}} set just before the ending of the 2004 plot, but it contained yet more flashbacks in comics and short stories. The original plan was to have even more prequel arcs, the ''Legends of Metru Nui'' film was actually set up as the finale of a whole series of prequel movies revealing the origin and FaceHeelTurn of [[BigBad Makuta]], but those plans were scrapped after Franchise/{{LEGO}} executives realized the new timeline confused children. Thus, later prequel materials were sprinkled into the novels, short stories and one graphic novel.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Noah|Indonesia}}'s music video for "Kota Mati" is a prequel to their old "Tak Ada yang Abadi" video back when they were named Peterpan, showing how the people ends up dead in the latter video and who is the shooter.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Literature/TheAchilleid'' is set ten years before ''Literature/TheIliad'' and promises to explain how Achilles became a hero of legend. We see Achilles' training under Chiron, Thetis' first attempts to avert her son's destined death, and even the first meeting of Achilles and the HeroOfAnotherStory, Ulysses.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Parodied in one ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'' round, which proposes such prequels as ''[[Film/AliceDoesntLiveHereAnyMore Alice Lives Here]]'', ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Too Much Cheese Before Bedtime on Elm Street]]'', ''[[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack The Empire Gets Struck]]'' and ''[[Film/TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai Taking the Long Way Round, Avoiding the River Kwai]]''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' CCG featured two prequel sets: ''Scorpion Clan Coup'', about the events that set the Clan War in motion, and ''Dawn of the Empire'', which finally put the legendary gods and heroes of Rokugan's founding into CCG form.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* While ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'' is chronologically the first play of Sophocles' Theban trilogy, is was the second in production order, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare did it too. The second history tetralogy (''Theatre/RichardII'', ''Theatre/HenryIV'' (1&2), and ''Theatre/HenryV'') were prequels to the first history tetralogy (''Theatre/HenryVI'' (1,2&3) and ''Theatre/RichardIII''). And even those probably weren't written in order either; ''Henry VI'' 2, 3, and ''Richard III'' are almost one long play in three parts, the first part of ''Henry VI'' may well have been written a few years later.
* ''Another Part of the Forest'' by Creator/LillianHellman was a prequel to her play ''Theatre/TheLittleFoxes'' set 20 years earlier.
* Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/TorukTheFirstFlight'' is the prequel to ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', retelling the story of the first Toruk Makto (an individual who manages to tame and ride a toruk in a time of great peril for the Na'vi) in the 9th century BC. The Tree of Souls is threatened by a volcanic eruption, and the Omaticaya clan sends a brave young hunter to gather the five items he needs in order to tame the toruk and and use the creature as a symbol to unite the clans and save the Tree. [[spoiler:The hunter, Ralu, fails, but his friend Entu, a failed hunter, succeeds. The clans manage to rally even without the Toruk Makto, but their efforts to save the tree prove futile. Then Entu appears on the back of the toruk, and the creature manages to put out the flames, dying during the act. The Storyteller then reveals that ''he'' is Entu. There is some discontinuity there, as the Storyteller appears to be telling all this to the Sky People (i.e. humans), except humans didn't make it to Pandora until the 22nd century. It's highly doubtful that Entu has lived for so long]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Act Raiser 2'' is hinted to be a prequel to the first ''VideoGame/ActRaiser''.
* [[VideoGame/COPS2170ThePowerOfLaw COPS 2170 The Power Of Law]] is a Prequel to ''VideoGame/ParadiseCracked''.
* ''The Legend of Oasis'', known in Europe as ''The Story of Thor 2'', is a prequel to the first ''The Story of Thor'', known as ''VideoGame/BeyondOasis'' in North America.
* ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'' and ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' take place during the Second Era, hundreds of years before the main entries in ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''.
* ''Ever Quest Online Adventures'' takes place 500 years before the first ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}}''.
* ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' serves as a prequel, starring the hero that appeared in the prologue and was the ancestor of the PlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/LufiaAndTheFortressOfDoom''.
* In ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint: Cold War Crisis'' the main villain is a Soviet general called Guba, and one of the protagonists is a US special forces soldier by the name of Gastovski. The expansion pack ''Resistance'' features a new campaign set three years earlier, in which then-colonel Guba leads the Soviet invasion of a different island than those featured in the original game, and Gastovski is there to lend the locals a hand. Naturally, there are zero references to this earlier armed conflict in the original game.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' practically runs on this trope. Only ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' and the ''Breath of the Wild'' trilogy occur chronologically after the original game, with all the others being either prequels, sequels to those prequels, or take place on concurrent {{Alternate Timeline}}s.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' was originally envisioned as a distant prequel to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI''. That remains the case, but as of 2020, there are five other games that take place during that timespan; three direct sequels to [=ALTTP=] (''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle of Ages/Seasons]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'') and two distant sequels featuring their own version of Link (''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTriForceHeroes TriForce Heroes]]'').
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' is chronologically the first game in the series, serving as an origin story for the Master Sword, the Kingdom of Hyrule, and even why [[spoiler:evil is always able to rear its ugly head again and again, particularly with regards to Ganon's inability to stay fully dead]].
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap The Minish Cap]]'', chronologically the second game in the series, is the prequel to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords Four Swords]]'', explaining the origins of both the Four Swords and Vaati.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' was created to serve as a distant prequel to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' and it still retains that status, with no other games taking place between them. That said, ''Ocarina of Time'' is also where the three main {{Alternate Timeline}}s of the series originate.
** ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' is a SpinOff entry in terms of gameplay, but a canonical prequel ([[spoiler:well, [[AlternateTimeline given the events of the game]], psuedo-prequel]]) to ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', making it the first ''Zelda'' game to be a prequel with the same Link.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' takes place thousands of years before ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', the game it precedes, and this is only known through references in the game, rather than being explicitly stated... such as the two worlds having the same names as the two moons of Aseria in ''Phantasia'', the existence of Martel who guards a giant tree named Yggdrasill, the world maps in ''Symphonia'' being that of ''Phantasia'' split in two, Suzu and Sheena Fujibayashi, the Eternal Sword, discrimination against half-elves (although it's not as big a plot point in ''Phantasia'' as it was in ''Symphonia''), {{Magitek}} flying machines (the Techbirds of ''Phantasia'' and the Rheairds of ''Symphonia'' have very similar designs, and in both games powering them up involves gaining the aid of the lightning summon spirit Volt).
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', you play what appears to be a standalone game in the series, only towards the end you end up in an alternate universe -- the universe of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' and ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII''. Only it's hundreds of years before ''I''. At the end of the game, your hero is given the title of Loto (Erdrick in the original US translation) -- which is the name of the legendary hero that the ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' character is descended from...
** The second trilogy (''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV IV]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestV V]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI VI]]'') also appear to follow this format, though much more ambiguously.
** The ending of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' reveals that [[spoiler:it takes place in the distant past of ''Dragon Quest III'''s world, as shown by the Hero of that game's mother reading about the story in an old book, before getting up to wake up her child to see the king.]]
* Creator/{{Infocom}}'s InteractiveFiction game ''VideoGame/ZorkZero'' is, as the name implies, a prequel to the company's previous VideoGame/{{Zork}} and VideoGame/{{Enchanter}} trilogies.
* ''S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky'' is a prequel to ''[[VideoGame/{{Stalker}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl]]''.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout76'' takes place 59 years before the original ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' in the year 2102, although [[ContinuitySnarl Super Mutants are still present despite the Master not having created them until the following year and the Institute ones not being created until over a century later]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' is a prequel to the entire series and details the backstory and StartOfDarkness of Big Boss, and was followed with ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' and finally ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' (with ''V'' having a closing scene teasing ''VideoGame/MetalGear'').
** Ordered by canon chronology, the central plot thread is as follows: ''[=MGS3=]'', ''Portable Ops'', ''Peace Walker'', ''[=MGSV=]'', ''Metal Gear'', ''Metal Gear 2'', ''Metal Gear Solid'', ''Metal Gear Solid 2'', and (finally) ''Metal Gear Solid 4''.
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' is pretty bad about this. After the [[CapcomSequelStagnation constant updates]] of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' series arrived onto the scene in 1995, with the purpose of fleshing out the backstory by... showing what happened in between the original ''Street Fighter''/''VideoGame/FinalFight'' and ''Street Fighter II''. After ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' (as well as ''2nd Impact'' and ''3rd Strike'') came and went, ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' comes out and... it takes place after ''II'' and before ''III''. ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' would later continue the trend by being set after ''IV''... but ''still'' before ''III''.
* Most media associated with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' (also known as the ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'') take place before the titular game. In fact, the franchise only has one video game sequel, ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'', which is set a few years after the ending of the game.
** ''VideoGame/BeforeCrisis'' is set six years before ''VII'', with the focus shifting to a brand of villains that got [[{{Retcon}} retconned]].
** ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' is set four years before ''VII'' and explores about an important PosthumousCharacter who influenced that game's main protagonist. [[spoiler: The ending even outright sequences into the opening of ''VII''.]]
* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' gets ''Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy'', which takes place on the previous iteration of the GroundhogDayLoop. Also, [[spoiler: the series is technically a prequel to the first ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'', as the game's setting is revealed to be a copy of that game's world ("World B", as opposed to "World A"). The ending shows the Warrior of Light setting up for another adventure in World A (the first game's storyline), with other heroes returning back to their own homeworlds.]]
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' takes place roughly ten years before the events of the first game. [[spoiler: The secret ending includes a DistantFinale that takes place right after ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''.]]
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX'' not only takes place long before every other game, including ''Birth by Sleep'', but immediately before the Keyblade War which made the universe the way it is throught the rest of the series.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series:
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' is a prequel to the first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'' game.
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' used to be considered a prequel as it originally took place before ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', following the original AnachronicOrder of the games (''3'' -> ''1'' -> ''4'' -> ''2'') in such a way that ''[=DMC2=]'' was still the last distant game in the lore. However, the release and marketing of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' {{retcon}}ned the chronology into swapping ''2'' and ''4'', no longer making the latter game a prequel.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' had its [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaI first game]] set in 1691, but there have been games set before this time. And a shitload of sequels/interquels. So much so that the main climax isn't even a game yet! Chronologically, the main timeline begins with ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence'', which is set in 1094 and depicts the origins of Dracula, the Vampire Killer and the Belmont Clan.
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed:''
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedAltairsChronicles'' is a prequel to ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI''.
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' is a prequel to ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' that shows the life of Connor's grandfather Edward Kenway. Technically, however, it's still a sequel, since the modern day storyline takes place TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, and the lives of the Kenways are only recordings that are simply viewed out of order.
** By that same token, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' could also be considered a prequel of ''Assassin's Creed III'', since the events deal with the fall of the Colonial Assassins some time before Connor meets Achilles.
** And now there's ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'', which portrays the founding of the Assassin Brotherhood in Ptolemaic Egypt as the Hidden Ones by Bayek of Siwa and his wife Aya.
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' goes even further back in time than any of the previous installments in the franchise as it's set in [[UsefulNotes/ThePeloponnesianWar the Peloponnesian War]] between 431 and 422 BC, around 400 years before the events of ''Origins''.
** ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla'' is set three centuries before the Third Crusade of ''Assassin's Creed I''.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' is a prequel to ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' and ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar''. ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'' is a sequel to ''Human Revolution'' and the second prequel to the original ''Deus Ex''.
* According to WordOfGod, ''VideoGame/NexusTheJupiterIncident'' is an unofficial prequel to the ''VideoGame/ImperiumGalactica'' series, as it was originally planned as ''Imperium Galactica III: Genesis'' before getting stuck in DevelopmentHell and switching developers and publishers several times. The basic storyline has not changed from the original, though.
* ''VideoGame/IMissTheSunrise'' expands on and explains the shocking {{Sequel Hook}}s dropped at the end of ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction''.
* The mod/scenario ''VideoGame/FallFromHeavenAgeOfIce'', included in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV: Beyond the Sword'', is a prequel to the popular mod ''Fall From Heaven II''. The original mod is set in the fantasy world of Erebus at the start of the Age of Rebirth. The prequel scenario shows how the previous age (the Age of Ice) was ended by a hero unifying a scattered tribe and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu vanquishing a god]].
* ''VideoGame/FreddyPharkasFrontierPharmacist'' is a prequel to ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'', set in TheWildWest. Zircon Jim Laffer is an ancestor of Larry Laffer.
* ''VideoGame/ChildOfEden'' is said to be a prequel to ''VideoGame/{{Rez}}'', although some call it a [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual sequel]].
* ''VideoGame/HaloReach'': Since the game retells a well-known catastrophe in the franchise's backstory, much of the plot and marketing played on the drama of the ForegoneConclusion.
* ''VideoGame/HomeworldDesertsOfKharak'' is a prequel to the original ''Videogame/{{Homeworld}}''. The game expands the backstory of Kharak, and how the search for the starship wasn't a simple ride into the desert. But a long grueling war where the Kiithid of the North fought a long bloody war against the Gaalsiens over the ruins of the starship.
* The entire ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series released after ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere''.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' is a prequel to the entire series, especially ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar as the aftermath of the Belkan War itself plays a major part in 5's plot.
* ''VideoGame/TheTaleOfALLTYNEX'' brings us ''VideoGame/{{RefleX}}'' (2008), which is a prequel to ''VideoGame/{{KAMUI}}'' (1999). ''[=RefleX=]'' in turn is preceded by ''VideoGame/ALLTYNEXSecond'' (2010). Amusingly, the latter two games in the series are remakes of existing games: ''Reflection'' (1998) and ''ALLTYNEX'' (1996), meaning that retroactively, the series was still released in straight chronological order.
* The ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' LicensedGame is a prequel to [[WesternAnimation/SonicBoom the TV show.]]
* The ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' series (besides ''Yoshi Topsy-Turvy'') is a prequel to the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, set when the Mario Bros. and Bowser were babies.
* TheStinger in the ending for ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'' reveals [[spoiler: that the game actually takes place before ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' (or as of the Switch port, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''), as Captain Toad winds up in 3D World's opening cutscene. Captain Toad follows Mario and crew down the clear pipe, which also explains how he wound up in the Sprixie Kingdom in said game. In the Switch port, instead, Toad and Toadette's cart ends in the Sand Kingdom, and upon Toad seeing the Odyssey flying through the skies, he eagerly follows it, much to the dismay of Toadette.]]
* WordOfGod has stated that ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' is the prequel to ''VideoGame/{{Ico}}'', and that [[spoiler:Wander is the progenitor of the "cursed" horned children like the titular Ico, as signified by Wander becoming an infant with horns at the end.]]
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' is a stealth prequel, thus explaining [[spoiler:why Phone Guy is alive and the restaurant is still running.]] It actually takes place shortly before "The Bite of 1987".
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' is either this or a POVSequel to ''[[spoiler:2.]]'' If it's the former, it reveals that there was also a "[[spoiler:Bite of 1983.]]" If it's the latter, then it shows a child who is scared of Freddy and friends who ultimately becomes the [[spoiler:Bite of 1987 victim.]]
** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'', thanks to a certain secret ending from the game's update, is implied to be a prequel, though just ''what'' it is a prequel to is hard to pinpoint. Basically, the game is designed as such that it could be placed at any point in the timeline. For a full answer: [[spoiler: it might be an OriginsEpisode for the main antagonist and thus take place before the events of other games in the series, it might happen sometime in between ''4'' and ''3'' and explain about the antagonist's previously unmentioned son (though there's no stopping for the son to appear before ''4'' either), or it might be unconnected to any game thus far, because the antagonist's name is not fully confirmed to be his canonical name (it was previously revealed in a non-canon spinoff novel).]]
* One of the endings of ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead 4'' sets up the game as a prequel to ''House Of The Dead 3''. It gets this in your face by telling you to go back and play ''House Of The Dead 3'' after you managed to get said ending.
** Meanwhile, ''[[VideoGame/TheHouseOfTheDeadOverkill Overkill]]'' is set before any other game in the series, identifiable because Agent G is introduced as being sent on his ''first'' assignment here.
* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'', rather than simply being remakes of the original ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', add new plot points touching upon the origin of Mega Evolution and the war in Kalos 3,000 years before the start of the series, tying them into ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. According to WordOfGod, the former two take place an unspecified amount of time before the latter two.
* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance game ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasThePumpkinKing'' is a prequel to the animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' that explains how Jack Skellington first encountered Oogie Boogie and why they hate each other.
* While most sequels in the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series are standalone, the [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 first game]] has a prequel in the form of ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins Origins]]'' that focuses on a new protagonist who is nevertheless involved with the characters of ''1''.
* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'' takes place three years before [[VideoGame/LifeIsStrange the original game.]] It shows how Chloe met Rachel Amber, who never appeared in the original but whose relationships and strange disappearance [[PresentAbsence drove much of the plot.]]
* The followups to the Flash puzzle platformer ''[[https://armorgames.com/sleepy-knight-game/18427 Sleepy Knight]]'': ''[[https://armorgames.com/one-trick-mage-game/18453 One-Trick Mage]]'', ''[[https://armorgames.com/choppy-orc-game/18464 Choppy Orc]]'' and ''[[https://armorgames.com/sticky-sorcerer-game/18488 Sticky Sorcerer]]'', are prequels. (Each game ends with [[spoiler: you freeing the main character of the previous one]].)
* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} [=ReBirth=]'' (2009) is this to ''Nemesis 2'' (1987), featuring Dr. Venom as James Burton's commanding officer before the former went rogue. Completing the third and final loop of the game exposes Venom's coup d'etat and FaceHeelTurn, setting up the events of ''Nemesis 2''.
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'': The second trilogy of games take place before the first, telling how, among other things, Layton met his assistant Luke.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' takes place before the first ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', focusing on Dutch van der Linde's gang; the same gang whose remnants John must hunt down in the first game.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManBattleForNewYork'' is set before ''VideoGame/UltimateSpiderMan2005'' with Peter Parker still at high school.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hiveswap}}'' serves as one to ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', taking place two decades (and several sweeps) before the Kids' and Trolls' sessions.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' took place 20 years before ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', which stars Roy's father, Eliwood. Several characters from Binding Blade appear in Blazing Blade in their younger years like Hector and Marcus, and even few characters make cameo appearances like Sophia.
* ''VideoGame/OctopathTravelerChampionsOfTheContinent'' is a mobile spin-off of ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' that takes place 3 years before the events of the latter. Specifically, it goes over events that were largely untouched in the original game and includes several [[TheCameo cameos]] of characters from the base game.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'' (2002) is chronologically the first installment of the series, showing what happened to Rebecca Chambers before she arrived at the Spencer Estate in the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 original game]].
** The ''Operation Javier'' scenario from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles'' (2010) is a prequel to ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' (2005), showing how Leon met his once comrade Krauser in 2002- along with the latter's StartOfDarkness.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations'' (2012) is set in 2004 and 2005, therefore preceding the entirety of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' (2009)- to which the epilogue provides a CallForward.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations2'' (2015) is set in 2011, which places it before ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'' (2012)- and references are made to the latter's story.
* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 0}}'' serves as an OriginStory for [[TheHero Kazuma Kiryu]] and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Goro Majima]], telling a story set during TheEighties that documents how both men end up rising to power in the Tojo Clan and would become the Dragon of Dojima and the Mad Dog of Shimano respectively.
* ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'''s 1980's Mode is a prequel to the main game, featuring [[spoiler:Yandere-chan's mother Ryoba, and setting up events that play key roles in the main story, such as the murder trial that led to Akademi's distrust of the police, the reason the third floor bathroom is haunted, and, of course, Ryoba meeting and successfully kidnapping her Senpai/Yan-chan's father]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' chronologically begins with ''Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins'', which is the second game in the series and shows Rikimaru and Ayame as teenagers and how they became the Azuma ninja they are in the present. The UsefulNotes/NintendoDS installment ''Tenchu: Dark Secret'' is also set before the first game.
* ''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' is a prequel to the ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' games set during the title character’s childhood.
* The ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'' series chronologically precedes the ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' series, with the second game of the former featuring a younger Geese Howard go from corrupt police commissioner to a feared criminal mastermind.
* ''VideoGame/MetroAwakening'' takes place in the year 2028, a full five years before the events of ''VideoGame/Metro2033'' started in the titular year.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Weirdly enough, this is {{subverted}} in ''DDLC+'', the UpdatedRerelease of ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' -- that is to say, something looks like a prequel but isn't exactly. The side stories that are added are clearly a prequel to the original story in the sense that they detail how the characters got to know each other and formed the Literature Club. They do suffer from slight continuity problems typical in prequels in that, since they focus on developing the characters' relationships, it makes it a bit odd that some issues seem to be more unresolved in the original story that was written first.[[note]]For example, Natsuki is insecure about reading manga because it's seen as immature in her school. In the original game, she says "As if I could ever get my friends to read this. They just think manga is for kids." However, in the side stories, Sayori did read her manga with her, the rest of the Literature Club learnt not to look down on it, and she broke up with her old friends who were mean to her about it, so what's she even talking about? You could contrive an explanation -- eg. she got insecure again, to the point of ignoring what's actually happened, because Monika suddenly kind of made fun of her for reading manga, which itself seems like AesopAmnesia or OutOfCharacterMoment in the light of the prequels, but that could be explained knowing Monika was under pressure for an unrelated reason -- but it would get a bit strained.[[/note]] However, ''DDLC+'' also contains a backstory, revealed later, about a group of people who were the fictional developers of the game, and this explains how the side stories are in a different simulated universe than the game proper, one where certain things are different. So the sort-of-prequel side stories are actually in a different in-universe AlternateContinuity from the main game; they (or at least the first ones, anyway) are set before those events in the timeline of the history of the Literature Club but don't actually lead up to them in the broader story where it all being a game is part of the story. ItMakesSenseInContext.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Comics 5-11 of ''WebAnimation/KirbyGuardian'' take place before the rest of the series and showcase why Adeline is the way she is in episode 6
* Season 9 of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' began showing a prequel story delving into the backstory of Project Freelancer, split between showing Church's attempts to revive Tex in the Epsilon Capture Unit. Season 10 continued this setup, though the modern parts are about the Reds and Blues (plus Agents Washington and Carolina) trying to hunt down the Director of Project Freelancer.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Webcomic parody: In [[http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=934 this strip]] of ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics'', God publishes a sequel to ''Literature/TheBible'', then a prequel that takes place in the universe before this one.
-->'''T-rex:''' What happened to it?\\
'''God: IT WAS FULL OF WIENERS DUDE'''
* ''The Webcomic/{{Aikonia}}'' webcomic is one to the videogame of the same name.
* In a way, Hivebent is one for ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', revolving around the trolls' session without any input from the kids. [[spoiler: Of course, it's later revealed that without the kids, their entire session couldn't have happened.]]
* ''Webcomic/MyImpossibleSoulmate'' is a standalone prequel to ''Webcomic/Rain2010''. It centers on the life of Chiaki Koizumi, the author of the [[ShowWithinAShow fictional in-universe manga]] ''Black Wings: Kaminari'', Rain’s favorite manga.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has had two print-only books. The first, numbered 0, is ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickOnTheOriginOfPCs On the Origin of PCs]]'', which shows what the heroes were doing before joining together. The second, #-1, is ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'', which shows the backstory and origins of Team Evil leaders Xykon and Redcloak, along with how the Monster in the Dark ended up as their secret weapon.
* ''Webcomic/ContestJitters'' is one for ''Webcomic/SatinSteele''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Prequel}}'', the aforementioned ''Elder Scrolls'' fan webcomic, is is one for ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''.
* ''Webcomic/DirtyHealings'' was released after the ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'' pilot but is set before it. It shows how Angel Dust wound up being Charlie's first patron.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* ''WebVideo/TheVampireDiariesADarkerTruth'': The show is supposed to be a prequel to the events of the first episode of Series/TheVampireDiaries. It shows what happened when Damon first arrived in Mystic Falls and leads up to Vickie's attack in the pilot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The '90s cartoon short ''WesternAnimation/AnotherFroggyEvening'' appeared to be a prequel to ''WesternAnimation/OneFroggyEvening'' for most of the cartoon, where Michigan J. Frog appears in earlier time periods and meets characters who resemble the man who discovered him in the original short, but this is subverted in the TwistEnding: [[spoiler:Michigan eventually reaches a desert island, and the castaway that sees him thinks of him as food rather than a chance to exploit him for fame. Just before the frog was put in a cooking pot, however, he was then abducted by Marvin the Martian. It turns out, happily, that Michigan's croaks are considered Martian, and Marvin and Michigan end it off with a duet]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'' is a prequel series for ''Franchise/LeagueOfLegends'', serving to tell the origins of several of the game's Champions and how they end up where they are in the present lore. While the show was originally considered an AlternateContinuity to the franchise's mainline lore, a developer update released in October 2023 announced that the series would now be treated as the canonical origins of any Champions that appear in it from that point onward.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'', with a "promo" of ''Young Earthworm Jim'' which would feature Jim's many "adventures" before the suit came about.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}: All Growed Down'' was released in 2003 (two years after the show was cancelled), but features T.J. and his friends as kindergarteners, rather than fourth (or fifth) graders.
* ''WesternAnimation/AllHailKingJulien'' serves as a prequel to the ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' franchise, as it explains how King Julien became king in the first episode, and is otherwise set chronologically before the first movie.
* ''WesternAnimation/DawnOfTheCroods'' serves as a prequel to ''WesternAnimation/TheCroods'', showing the family living happily with other cave families in Ahh! Valley.
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' is heavily implied to be a prequel to the original [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou 1969 series]] in its [[Recap/ScoobyDooMysteryIncS2E26ComeUndone final episode]].
** The forthcoming [=HBO=] Max series ''Velma'' will definitely be a prequel to the Scooby series as it will focus on Velma's origins as mystery cracker.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'', the first two seasons take place in the middle of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride'', as Kiara, Kovu and Vitani were shown as cubs. However, the final season takes place after the end of The Lion King II as Kiara, Kovu and Vitani were shown as adults.
* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'' is a prequel to the Disney movie ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' of the same name, showing Hercules during his teen-age years.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Alf}}'' animated series is a prequel to ''Series/{{Alf}}'' showing Alf's life on Melmac.
* In the case of ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', [[TheEighties long before the prequels that we all know]], the animated shows ''WesternAnimation/{{Droids}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Ewoks}}'' were prequels of the original trilogy. The first told the story of [=C-3PO=] and [=R2-D2=] before they met Luke and the second one told the lives of the Ewoks before their first encounter with humans.
* Considering that ''WesternAnimation/TazMania'' shows Taz still living in Tazmania and in his parent's house probably in his late teens/early twenties, then the show can be considered a loose prequel to the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoons.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''[='=]s season 3 episode "Bold Beginnings!" features stories told by Green Arrow, Plastic Man, and Aquaman as they each take turns explaining to one another how they first met Batman.
* ''WesternAnimation/GremlinsSecretsOfTheMogwai'' is set in the year 1920, about 64 years before [[Film/Gremlins1984 the original film]], and follows the origins of Gizmo and the shopkeeper Mr. Wing.
[[/folder]]
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