Star Wars: The 3 Greatest Moments From Each Movie In The Original Trilogy - Screen Rant

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While the prequel and sequel trilogies each have plenty of detractors, Star Wars fans have been united in unanimously praising the original trilogy as a masterpiece. In telling the story of Luke Skywalker’s hero’s journey and Darth Vader’s redemption, the original trilogy stuck the landing and then some.

Thanks to the Ewoks and the rehashed Death Star plot, Return of the Jedi isn’t held in quite as high regard as the 1977 original or The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s still generally considered to be an epic conclusion to the saga. All three entries in the trilogy are filled with iconic moments.

9 A New Hope: Binary Sunset

Luke Skywalker watches the binary sunset

At their best, Star Wars stories can fill audiences with hope. A prime example of this is the binary sunset sequence. Luke, desperate to leave his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm and join the Rebellion’s intergalactic struggle against the Empire, walks out and watches Tatooine’s twin suns set over the horizon.

This is one of the images that best encapsulates the spirit of Star Wars, beautifully set to the sounds of John Williams’ “The Force Theme.”

8 The Empire Strikes Back: Luke Trips An AT-AT

An AT-AT trips over in The Empire Strikes Back

During the Battle of Hoth, the Rebels contend with the Empire’s AT-AT walkers. Luke goes out in a snowspeeder and gets the bright idea to attach a line to the AT-AT’s ankle and wrap the line around its feet so it trips.

The plan goes off without a hitch, and thanks to timeless cutting-edge stop-motion effects, the spectacle of the moment still holds up today.

7 Return Of The Jedi: Artoo Gives Luke His Lightsaber As He’s Walking The Plank

When Jabba the Hutt takes the Rebels out onto his barge to walk the plank over the Sarlacc Pit, Luke reveals his backup plan. At the end of the plank, R2-D2 shoots Luke’s lightsaber out at him and he starts slashing his way through Jabba’s skiff guards.

The ensuing battle, dubbed the Battle of the Great Pit of Carkoon, ranks among the most exciting battle sequences in Star Wars history.

6 A New Hope: The Trash Compactor

One of the most thrilling sequences in the Star Wars saga sees Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie jumping down a chute to avoid Stormtroopers’ blaster fire and ending up in a trash compactor.

They’re attacked by a dianoga lurking beneath the surface of the garbage water, then the walls start closing in and Luke desperately radios C-3PO to shut it down.

5 The Empire Strikes Back: Yoda Lifts Luke’s X-Wing Out Of The Swamp

When Luke senses that Han and Leia are in trouble, he wants to cut his Jedi training on Dagobah short so he can go to help them. Yoda discourages him from going, saying that he’s not ready to face Darth Vader, but Luke doesn’t think he has a choice. However, his X-wing is stuck in the swamp.

He tries to use the Force to lift it out but deems it to be impossible and gives up. Then, John Williams’ uplifting “Yoda and the Force” kicks in as Yoda holds up his hand, closes his eyes, and the X-wing rises out of the swamp. This moment encapsulates what makes Star Wars so great.

4 Return Of The Jedi: The Falcon Narrowly Escapes The Death Star Blast

The Falcon escapes from the second Death Star

Yes, Return of the Jedi just rehashed the Death Star plot from the first movie, but it also raised the stakes by giving the Rebels a shield generator to blow up, and the real final battle was the showdown in the Emperor’s throne room anyway.

When Lando Calrissian and Nien Nunb have destroyed the Death Star’s power station, they turn back and desperately flee from the explosion down a long network of tunnels. As TIE fighters around them are engulfed in flames, the fire just catches up to the Falcon at the last second before it shoots out into space and makes it to safety.

3 A New Hope: Blowing Up The Death Star

Luke uses the Force to blow up the Death Star

Countless blockbusters’ final battle sequences have paled in comparison to the sheer thrill of the Death Star trench run in the original Star Wars movie. From Han and Chewie’s triumphant return to Obi-Wan’s Force ghost encouraging Luke to use the Force, the Battle of Yavin is a perfect movie climax.

The sequence culminates in the iconic shot of the Rebels quickly fleeing the scene before the Empire’s superweapon is blown to smithereens.

2 The Empire Strikes Back: “No, I Am Your Father.”

Perhaps the best plot twist in cinematic history, Darth Vader’s confession that he is Luke Skywalker’s father floored audiences in 1980. It’s common knowledge now, as the scene has been parodied countless times and the prequel trilogy has filled in Anakin Skywalker’s backstory, but back then, moviegoers’ minds were blown by the reveal.

The twist also raises the stakes ahead of the third and final chapter in the trilogy. If Vader is Luke’s father, then he can still be brought back to the light. But similarly, Luke is susceptible to the dark side. Fans were left with all kinds of questions by Empire’s famous downer ending.

1 Return Of The Jedi: Darth Vader’s Redemption

Although it inspired an endless slew of unearned redemption arcs in sci-fi and fantasy stories (including one in its own Disney-mounted sequel 30 years down the line), Return of the Jedi nailed the redemption of Darth Vader. He’s not forgiven for his litany of war crimes against the galaxy, but he is forgiven in the eyes of his son after he sacrifices himself to briefly return to the light and kill the Emperor. Luke believed there was still good in Vader and Vader died proving him right.

Vader’s funeral, attended only by his son, solemnly watching his redeemed father’s corpse burn on a pyre, is one of the most emotionally charged moments in the entire Star Wars saga.

NEXT: Star Wars: 10 Ways The Empire Strikes Back Is The Saga's Best Movie

Next Star Wars: The Skywalker Family, Ranked From Least To Most Heroic

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Ben Sherlock (2329 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, and independent filmmaker, and he's good at at least two of those things. In addition to writing news and features for Game Rant and lists for Screen Rant and CBR, Ben directs independent films and does standup comedy. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature film, Hunting Trip, and has been for a while because filmmaking is expensive. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema and BabbleTop.