My Favorite "Star Wars" Moments

Looking back at the best moments to come out of a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

By: Josh McCormack

May the 4th be with you, and happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate. Between the May 4 festivities, the surprisingly great “Maul: Shadow Lord” and the soon-to-be-released “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” I’m deep in the “Star Wars” spirit for the first time since “The Rise of Skywalker” was about to be released back in 2019.

In honor of the first “Star Wars” theatrical release in nearly seven years, I will be celebrating by sharing an in-depth review of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” on the site once I see the film, as well as an updated ranking of all 12 “Star Wars” movies soon after.

For now, however, I want to observe May the 4th by taking a look back at my 10 favorite moments throughout the history of “Star Wars.”

From film to television, there are too many great sequences to count, but I narrowed it down to the 10 sequences that best exemplify what I love about “Star Wars.”

10. Millennium Falcon chase — “Episode VII: The Force Awakens”

Before the prequel reclamation took full force in the culture, “The Force Awakens” was tasked with cleaning up the perceived mess left by Episodes I, II and III, taking audiences back to what they loved about the original trilogy.

The result is a film that introduces new characters through familiar iconography, and in no way is this more successfully showcased than in the film’s reintroduction of the Millennium Falcon.

Led by new characters Rey and Finn, we get to see this iconic ship through the lens of people who are unfamiliar with it. The reason why the ensuing action sequence is so exciting is due to the tension that comes with characters being unfamiliar with the ship.

After a divisive trilogy devoted to two invulnerable Jedi knights who can basically do anything, it’s really refreshing to watch an action sequence in which a scavenger and disgraced former stormtrooper are struggling to fight off two measly TIE fighters on their tail. Rey is straining to put the shields up, Finn can’t get the blaster cannons unstuck from the forward position, and all the while they have to keep the Falcon dangerously close to the ground to manipulate their pursuers’ tracking devices.

Thanks to the zippy dialogue and energetic direction from J.J. Abrams, this chase sequence is a rousing set piece and one that beautifully marries the old with the new.

9. Vader’s hallway massacre — “Rogue One”

In the decade-plus of Disney’s “Star Wars” era, very few things have been met with as much warmth from fans as the final act of 2016’s “Rogue One.” From the heist on the beach planet of Scarif to the VFX-heavy space battle taking place above, the final 45 minutes of the film is an onslaught of great action, emotional sacrifice and all the “Star Wars” machinations a fan could ever want.

But let’s be real. The star of the show is a brief, 90-second sequence of Darth Vader showing up in a hallway and going to work on a group of terrified rebel soldiers.

From Michael Giacchino’s score to the sound design as we first hear Vader’s breath and the slow push in on the actors playing the rebel soldiers as they begin to realize how screwed they are, it’s all goosebump-inducing stuff.

Never have we seen the Dark Lord from this perspective, showcasing just how intimidating he is in the eyes of an unsuspecting extra as opposed to one of our lead characters. It’s imposing, incredibly badass and made for one of the best experiences I ever had seeing a “Star Wars” movie in theaters.

If you ever just need a good shot of adrenaline, go ahead and throw this scene on.

8. The Podrace — “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”

For all of its issues, “The Phantom Menace” is a film that signified a changing cinematic landscape, one that had one foot in the practical filmmaking of cinema’s past and another foot in what would inevitably become the medium’s future. In no way is this better exemplified than in the showstopping podrace sequence that arrives at the film’s midpoint.

Utilizing stunning model work in tandem with then-state-of-the-art CGI, the sequence is an absolute marvel of craftsmanship and one that showcases just how proficient George Lucas could be at creating an immersive audiovisual experience.

While Lucas is often criticized for relying too heavily on the postproduction process to make up for his faults as a filmmaker during the actual production, I believe that Lucas’ strength comes from his understanding of cinema as a collaborative art form. He relied on the best sound designers, composers and VFX artists to elevate his work. The podrace is a marriage of all those disciplines.

Visually, it’s stunning. But next time you watch the sequence, close your eyes and listen to Ben Burtt’s sound design. The auditory ecosystem that is created for this 15-minute sequence is just as immersive as anything you’re seeing. The sounds of Sebulba’s massive podracing engines pressing right up against Anakin’s tiny vehicle tell a David and Goliath story all on their own.

On top of that, the decision to hold back on John Williams’ score and then bring it in for the climactic final lap is a genius act of restraint and helps raise the stakes in the last moments.

Mostly captured on film and set against the backdrop of Tatooine — arguably the most iconic planet in “Star Wars”’ 50-year history — the podrace crystallizes what made the original films so successful, while setting the path for what was to come.

7. The Battle of Mustafar — “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”

This is an epic moment in “Star Wars” history that left a monumental impact on my 7-year-old self.

For all the issues people have with the prequels, I think most everyone can agree that Lucas and co. stick the landing with Obi-Wan and Anakin’s final confrontation.

Set against a volcanic backdrop that perfectly reflects both characters’ inner turmoil, the Battle of Mustafar is “Star Wars” by way of heavy metal, Faustian aesthetics. The battle might be overlong, but as a result, it feels grand and operatic.

John Williams’ musical accompaniment, “Battle of the Heroes,” is also my all-time favorite track in “Star Wars.” Its blaring horns combined with a dramatic choir make this feel not only like the culmination of the prequel trilogy, but the culmination of what was then a six-movie saga.

For my fellow Gen Zers, there’s also arguably no other sequence in any film from our childhoods that has been so ruthlessly parodied and memed. From Anakin and Obi-Wan’s first dialogue exchange (“If you are not with me, then you are against me”) to Obi-Wan taking the high ground, I feel like there isn’t a day that goes by without my TikTok algorithm feeding me a piece of content that’s somehow related to this sequence.

The choreography from stunt coordinator Nick Gillard is an absolute marvel too. It’s perfectly executed by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, and while I’ll argue there have been some great action sequences for “Star Wars” in the years since “Revenge of the Sith,” I don’t think any are as skillfully crafted as this one.

6. The Throne Room — “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi”

Now in the captivity of Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo), Rey is taken to Supreme Leader Snoke’s throne room in a scene that initially invokes the final confrontation in “Return of the Jedi.” While Snoke tortures Rey in an attempt to receive information on the location of Luke Skywalker, Kylo is clearly in distress. Played beautifully by Adam Driver in a mostly wordless performance, we see how Snoke’s cruel treatment of him after he successfully killed his father one film prior has been weighing on him and how Rey has clearly awakened something within him through their shared connection to the Force. Is it a call to the light? A hope at redemption for this once irredeemable monster?

Before we as an audience can decide, Kylo uses the Force to ignite Rey’s saber and slice Snoke in two. In a cheer-worthy moment, Rey’s hand rises into frame to clasp her saber. John Williams’ iconic Force theme blares on the soundtrack, and after sharing a quick look, Rey and Kylo stand back to back to face a small army of praetorian guards.

I’m getting chills just writing about it.

After a visually stunning lightsaber duel, Rey pleads for Kylo to once again see the light. He doesn’t, and instead takes the anarchist view that the entire system in which that generation’s past has abided by should be taken down. No more Jedi. No more Sith. “Let the past die,” he says. “Kill it if you have to.” Now at their most emotionally vulnerable, Kylo gets Rey to admit that her parents were “nobodies” and that only he sees her as something as opposed to nothing.

For the first time ever, the dark side seems to be a truly seductive force. Rey is someone who has long been searching for a purpose, and now here is her chance. However, the inherent goodness of the character wins, and the sequence concludes with both of our main characters — a young man trying to destroy the past and a woman who wants to build upon that past — reaching for a symbol that represents everything he is fighting against and she is fighting for: Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber.

It is a powerful, symbolic and mythic moment in the saga, one that would be ranked a lot higher on this list if only the following movie didn’t completely undermine so much of what makes this scene work.

5. “Who are you?” — “Andor,” Season 2, Episode 8

In my lifetime, there have been some pretty compelling characters added to the “Star Wars” canon. But if you were to ask me my favorite modern character, I might say “Andor”’s Syril Karn.

A failed, impotent employee of the ISB, Karn longs for nothing more than quelling rebellious activity and bringing defiant individuals to order at the hands of the Galactic Empire. In no way is this defiance better personified than in the titular Cassian Andor, a rebel leader who escaped Karn’s grasp at the start of the series and becomes an obsession over the course of “Andor”’s two seasons.

In the second season’s eighth episode, amid the jaw-dropping Ghorman Massacre, Syril finally comes face to face with Cassian. Cast aside by his love and the greater Imperial forces, Syril decides to try to take down the rebel once and for all. What ensues is one of “Star Wars”’ only bare-knuckled brawls. It’s messy and unromantic. The characters are flailing and throwing each other around in a half-decimated bar as extras run for cover from Imperial stormtrooper fire.

Finally, Syril gets his hand on a blaster and aims it directly at the unarmed Cassian. Just as he’s about to pull the trigger, Cassian says three devastating words:

“Who are you?”

Before he can respond, Syril is shot in the head by a blaster bolt.

It’s a perfectly tragic and darkly funny end to the galaxy’s most compelling loser.

4. Luthen’s monologue — “Andor,” Season 1, Episode 10

What makes “Andor” stand apart from all of the other “Star Wars” television projects (and honestly, the entire franchise as a whole) is that it’s not just a great “Star Wars” show, it’s a great piece of television. And if there’s one sequence in which it really hit me just how special “Andor” was, it’s this one, when Stellan Skarsgard’s Luthen Rael is asked by a put-upon Imperial informant what he sacrifices.

Let’s have it speak for itself:

Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion: I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost, and by the time I looked down there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my, what is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them.

I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!

One of the greatest performances in “Star Wars” history, paired with Tony Gilroy’s writing, which basically puts any other screenwriter’s dialogue to shame. You can’t get much better than this.

3. Binary Sunset — “Episode IV: A New Hope”

“Star Wars”’ most defining image carries just as much power as it did nearly 50 years ago.

The binary sunset is “Star Wars” distilled into one perfect image. A young farm boy disillusioned with his life on a backwater planet, looking to the suns for something more. The score — which is the first use of the Force theme — is a perfect marriage with Gilbert Taylor’s gorgeous cinematography.

In less than a minute, we as an audience understand everything we need to know about Luke Skywalker: who he is and what he wants. It’s a perfect introduction to Luke’s journey and one that has been consistently echoed throughout the rest of the saga.

What more can be said for such an indelible moment?

2. Han’s sacrifice — “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”

Captured by the Imperial forces to draw out Luke Skywalker, Han, Leia and the gang are taken to Cloud City’s carbon-freezing chamber, where Han is to be frozen in carbonite.

Everything about this scene is iconic. The carbon-freezing chamber is one of my favorite sets in film history, and Ben Burtt’s sound design is yet again masterful. That screeching noise of the chamber as the freezing process begins is forever etched in my brain.

But on top of everything else, it’s one of the most emotionally resonant sequences in the original trilogy. By the second movie, audiences already loved Han Solo and Leia Organa and their relationship — then, quite a big risk, since most probably thought the romance would remain between Luke and Leia — and it’s a testament to the character work that this scene hits as hard as it does.

In many ways, this is the culmination of Han’s arc. In fact, it hinders his role in “Return of the Jedi,” since his transition from uncaring smuggler to sacrificial hero is already completed. And in Ford’s subtle performance, we see so much of that change. When he’s being lowered into the carbon-freezing chamber, he utters the iconic “I know” in response to Leia’s declaration of love. It’s an iconic moment, but I think people underscore just how great Ford is in that moment. His words represent the gruff, reluctant hero from the past, but his final look is one of genuine care and concern.

When he goes into the chamber, the smoke rises, and director Irvin Kershner gives us a beautiful close-up of Darth Vader’s mask peering through the smoke at Leia.

In every way, it’s a perfect sequence.

1. Luke’s final stand — “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”

While it might be my least favorite of the original trilogy, “Return of the Jedi” features my favorite moment in “Star Wars” history, one that focuses on the relationship between the two characters who make “Star Wars” what it is: Anakin Skywalker and his son, Luke.

Near the end of their epic rematch in “Return of the Jedi,” Luke hides from Vader on the lower levels of Emperor Palpatine’s throne room. Avoiding fighting his father as long as he can, Luke is being coaxed by Vader to engage in battle. Once Vader speaks about Leia and how she could potentially turn to the dark side if Luke won’t, our hero screams in anger and begins to clash sabers with Vader at last.

Once they duel, John Williams’ score takes on a mythic tone, feeling more in line with the soundscape of the prequels to come as opposed to the rest of the original trilogy.

The sequence feels like a finale, a culmination of both the father-and-son story that is at the heart of “Star Wars” (and the reason why so much of modern “Star Wars” feels off since these characters are no longer at the forefront).

When Luke knocks his father to the ground, cuts off his mechanical hand and finally begins to see the danger of succumbing to anger, he turns to the watchful Emperor Palpatine and tells him, “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

This is where “Star Wars” peaked and still feels like the true ending of the story. No matter the varying quality that comes after the release of “Jedi” in 1983, I don’t think we’ll ever reach these heights in this franchise ever again.