The Best Star Wars Movie Scenes
Just over a year ago, in December 2019, the Skywalker Saga – the main element of the Star Wars franchise up until then – came to an epic end with The Rise of Skywalker. Presented here, in no particular order, are some of the best scenes from the 9 Skywalker movies – plus the 2 Anthology movies, Rogue One and Solo.
WARNING: SPOILERS!
“No, I am your father” (The Empire Strikes Back)
One of the best scenes in all of cinema. Both shocking and chilling. It’s not surprising that it regularly ranks as the most popular Star Wars moment – even if it’s also the most misquoted (it’s “No, I am your father”, not “Luke, I am your father”).
Duel of the Fates (The Phantom Menace)
Darth Maul’s duel with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan is the highlight of Episode I, and one of the best lightsaber duels in the series. Epic action, epic music, epic choreography – this scene has it all!
“I am all the Sith” / “And I… I’m all the Jedi” (The Rise of Skywalker)
The climatic moment of Episode IX – the final fight between Rey and Palpatine – is utterly epic. Sure, it’s probably inspired by the equivalent scene in Avengers: Endgame, but it’s still an awesome moment.
“Han… Solo” (Solo)
The moment our favourite smuggler gets his name.
“I’m a Jedi, like my father before me” (Return of the Jedi)
The moment Luke rejects the Dark Side – just in time – never gets old.
Padme dies as Vader rises (Revenge of the Sith)
Dark, chilling and ominous.
Luke blows up the Death Star (A New Hope)
The climatic moment of the original movie – also when Luke begins to show his potential as a Jedi.
The destruction of Alderaan (A New Hope)
Watching the movie as a kid for the first time, this scene really shook me up; it was terrifying. It’s also one of the more memorable moments of the franchise.
The destruction of Jedha (Rogue One)
Chronologically the first use of the Death Star – at partial capacity. Unfortunately I can’t find a video showing the entire scene.
Luke confronts Kylo (and dies) (The Last Jedi)
A truly awe-inspiring and emotional scene.
Ben kills Han (The Force Awakens)
A shocking and emotional moment.
The hallway scene/”Hope” (Rogue One)
Really, does Vader get any better than this? And the ending appearance of Princess Leia and tie-in to A New Hope is pretty damn cool as well.
Yoda/Count Dooku duel (Attack of the Clones)
Watching Yoda hobble in with a cane and then leap around like a ninja – in a fight with CHRISTOPHER LEE, no less! – was quite exhilarating.
Luke force chokes Jabba’s guards (Return of the Jedi)
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, subtly foreshadowing Luke’s struggle with the temptation of the Dark Side later on in the film (and in the flashback scenes of The Last Jedi).
Unfortunately I can’t find a clip of it, so the above GIF will have to suffice.
Luke and Vader’s first fight (The Empire Strikes Back)
Probably the most anticipated scene of the original trilogy!
Luke’s first Force pull (The Empire Strikes Back)
Luke’s second use of the force in the franchise (3rd, if you count his training scene with Obi-Wan in A New Hope).
Obi-Wan fights Vader (and dies) (A New Hope)
The very original lightsaber duel! Admittedly not much compared to the duels of later movies, but still, this is the one that started it all.
Luke’s lightsaber comes to Rey (The Force Awakens)
Such an awesome scene! Made me want to know more about (and see more of) Rey.
Palpatine creates the Empire (Revenge of the Sith)
A chilling scene, and a relevant warning – especially accompanied by Padme’s statement “This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause”.
Anakin/Obi-Wan duel (Revenge of the Sith)
THE ultimate lightsaber duel! (Alongside Palpatine/Yoda)
Palpatine/Yoda duel (Revenge of the Sith)
So epic!
Vader’s redemption (Return of the Jedi)
A beautiful scene!
Ben becomes Kylo (The Last Jedi)
Sobering, thought-provoking, and an important part of Luke’s great character arc in the movie.
The cave (The Last Jedi)
An important part of Rey’s character development. Unfortunately, I can only find part of the scene.
The Battle of Geonosis (Attack of the Clones)
The first conflict of the Clone Wars, and quite an epic one at that.
Yoda trains Luke (The Empire Strikes Back)
Han meets Chewbacca (Solo)
One of my favourite scenes in the movie.
Maul’s alive! (Solo)
Those of us familiar with The Clone Wars and Rebels already knew this, but it’s still awesome that it’s now part of the movies!
“Execute Order 66” (Revenge of the Sith)
A dark and emotional scene.
“There are more of us, Poe” (The Rise of Skywalker)
A beautiful moment.
The Holdo Maneuver (The Last Jedi)
Possibly the most stunning sequence in all of Star Wars.
Padme introduces a motion of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum (The Phantom Menace)
She accidentally directly paved the way for Senator Palpatine’s rise to power.
Jyn’s death and Scarif’s destruction (Rogue One)
This really is superb filmmaking.
Krennic meets Vader (Rogue One)
Any Vader scene is awesome.
Dark Rey (The Rise of Skywalker)
Both exciting and chilling.
Anakin turns to the Dark Side (Revenge of the Sith)
The moment we were all waiting for!
“Rey Skywalker” (The Rise of Skywalker)
A beautiful and fitting ending to the movie and the saga.
Kylo Ren arrives on Exegol (The Rise of Skywalker)
Fantastic opening to the finale.
Force-sensitive boy (The Last Jedi)
A lovely shot complementing the movie’s themes.
Rey enters Kylo’s mind (The Force Awakens)
Another great set up for Rey.
Kylo kills Snoke (The Last Jedi)
No commentary needed.
The Death Star’s first appearance in (Rogue One)
Chronologically speaking, this is the completed Death Star’s first appearance – and is has a great entrance!
“I love you”/”I know” (The Empire Strikes Back)
The first time Leia receiprocates Han’s feelings.
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi” (A New Hope)
The message that launched Luke and Obi-Wan into the Rebellion.
“Nothing will stop the return of the Sith!” (The Rise of Skywalker)
The Jedi speak to Rey (The Rise of Skywalker)
A beautiful, nostalgic scene.
The Kessel Run (Solo)
Is any commentary needed?
Han appears to Ben (The Rise of Skywalker)
This scene really made me sit up in the cinema seat!
The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise (Revenge of the Sith)
I’m a prequel memer.
“Hello there” (Revenge of the Sith)
As I said, prequel memer. Plus it’s a great fight.
Rey finds Luke (The Force Awakens)
Such an incredible moment that set up so many expectations!
The scene that started it all (A New Hope)
The very beginning of the franchise.
Yoda (seemingly) destroys the Jedi texts (The Last Jedi)
Yes, it’s later shown that they survived, but this is still a powerful and symbolic scene.
What are your favourite scenes?
I can only remember 3 times where I've been out to the movies, and the entire place erupted into applause, mid-film. Two of those were "Star Wars" scenes, interestingly enough, and both of them were from the much derided prequels! You have one of those here - the Yoda and Dooku battle. The other one, interestingly enough, is the first time C-3PO and R2D2 appeared onscreen in "The Phantom Menace." The theater went bonkers for that, even though it's just them walking across the sand. But as disappointing as that movie was on a "quality" level, it had been 16 years and it was such an experience, seeing some of these characters on the screen again - I think that's a point which is somewhat lost, if someone is watching Episode I now, on Netflix or whatever, and giving it one star or something based on pure merit.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, sorry to ramble - but this was a great post! Keep it up!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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