The “Star Wars” multimedia franchise began in 1977 when George Lucas created it. Since then, the “Star Wars” franchise has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon encompassing movies and expanding into video games, novels, comic books, etc. To make the story short, the “Star Wars” franchise was so successful that it created its fictional universe and gathered loads of fans worldwide. Because of the immense number of followers and the many movies made based on the franchise, a common question arises about which is the best “Star Wars” movie ever made.
Until today, “Star Wars” fans still argue about the best star wars movie ever made. There is not any shadow of a doubt that the “Star Wars” franchise is phenomenal. Hence, loads of “Star Wars” fans have yet to come up with a standard answer when asked which Star Wars movie they find the best among all the movies in the franchise.
Here are the “Star Wars” movies according to their release date for those who wish to judge the franchise on their own.
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
- Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
- Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
- Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
We aim to help settle the debate here at The New York Banner. Here is our take on what is the best “Star Wars” movie ever made.
#12 Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Director: Dave Filoni
Box Office: $68.3M
Starring (voice): Tom Kane, Dee Bradley Baker, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Eckstein, Matthew Wood, Corey Burton, Terrence ‘T.C.’ Carson, Catherine Taber, Stephen Stanton, Ian Abercrombie, Nika Futterman, Phil LaMarr, Anna Graves, David Acord, Sam Witwer, Brian George, Anthony Daniels
Award: Saturn Award Best Animated Series on Television, Nominee for Saturn award Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series, and Nominee for CCTVA Best Animated Series.
Synopsis:
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is a computer-animated space opera. As other star systems become involved in the Clone Wars, the heroic Jedi knights fight to maintain peace. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, one of his Padawan students, encounter Jabba the Hutt as part of a mission. To ensure the Jedis fail, the evil Count Dooku and his goon Asajj Ventress plot against them. Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi command the clone army as it battles the Dark Side’s forces in the meantime.
The valiant Jedi Knights fight to keep the peace and maintain order as the Clone Wars spread across the galaxy. As the Galactic Republic gradually comes under the control of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army, more and more systems fall prey to the forces of the dark side. On a mission with far-reaching repercussions, Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan student Ahsoka Tano meet with the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Anakin and Ahsoka will stop at nothing to ensure that Count Dooku and his evil minions, especially the diabolical Asajj Ventress, succeed in their mission. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the vast clone army in a gallant endeavor to fight the evil side on the front lines of the Clone Wars.
#11 Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Director: J.J Abrams
Box Office: $1.074B
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Billy Dee Williams, John Boyega, Keri Russell, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Matt Smith
Award: Saturn Award Best Science Fiction Film, Blue Ribbon Award Nominee for Best Foreign Film, DFCS Award Nominee for Best Visual Effects, Odyssey Award Nominee for Best Visual Effects and Best Stunt Work, and NCFCA Award Nominee for Best Special Effects
Synopsis: Once it is known that Darth Vader did not kill the evil Emperor Palpatine, the rebels must act rapidly to find out where he is. While Finn and Poe lead the Resistance to thwart the First Order’s efforts to establish a new Empire, Rey looks forward to her ultimate meeting with Kylo Ren.
Kylo Ren is now the Supreme Leader of the First Order. He searches for Emperor Palpatine to steal an ancient Sith devise known as the “Wayfinder” from the planet Mustafar and uses it to navigate the galaxy. Soon, he finds himself in Exagol, the home of the Sith. In there, Emperor Palpatine awaits him.
#10 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ( 2002 )
Director: George Lucas
Box Office: $ 653.8 M
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Temuera Morrison, Christopher Lee, Rose Byrne, Daniel Logan, Samuel Jackson
Award: Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra, Oscar Nominee for Best Visual Effects, Saturn Award Nominee for Best DVD Collection, Saturn Award Winner for Best Costumes and Best special effects, Saturn Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Film
Synopsis:
The Jedi Council dispatches Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to defend Padmé Amidala and identify the assassin when she returns to Coruscant to cast her vote on a crucial senatorial issue in the wake of an attempted assassination. At the same time, Count Dooku, a rogue Jedi, joins separatists on Geonosis in a revolt against the Senate.
Since there hasn’t been a major conflict since the Republic’s founding, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine calls for a vote to create the Republic Army to defend it as Obi-Wan’s investigations take him to Kamino, where he discovers a large clone army being developed, with the only remaining Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett serving as the master clone.
While pursuing the elusive bounty hunter, Jango (and his cloned son Boba) directs Obi-Wan to Geonosis, where he encounters Count Dooku and discovers a shocking discovery regarding the former Jedi. Anakin’s love for Padmé develops into something more profound when he stays behind to defend her. It develops into love for her as it moves from Naboo to Tatooine. But when a tragedy occurs in Anakin’s life, he starts to drift away from the Light Side of the Force—and maybe even the Force itself.
#9 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Director: George Lucas
Box Office: $ 1.027 B
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Keira Knightley, Ray Park, Samuel Jackson
Awards: MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence, Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra
Synopsis:
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his student Obi-Wan Kenobi journey to Naboo to warn the Queen of the coming cosmic catastrophe as an impending battle between the mighty Trade Federation and the peaceful planet of Naboo looms.
Eventually, Naboo is attacked, forcing the Jedi, along with the Queen and her court, to leave the Earth. They visit the planet Tatooine, a desert world, where they encounter Anakin Skywalker, a slave kid who is obviously in tune with the Force.
While the Jedi engage Darth Maul, one of the Dark Jedi responsible for the invasion, while his master Darth Sidious continues to direct the attack as a phantom in the background, they enlist his assistance in fighting the war.
#8 Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Director: Ron Howard
Box Office: $ 393.2 M
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Phoebe Bridge, Jon Favreau, Thandiwe Newton, Paul Bettany
Awards: Saturn Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Film, CinEuphoria Nominee for Best Visual Effects – International Competition, IGN Award Nominee for Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy Movie, Teen Choice Award Nominee for Choice Summer Movie
Synopsis:
Young Han Solo discovers adventure by joining forces with a crew of intergalactic smugglers and 190-year-old Wookie Chewbacca. To pay off the criminal Dryden Vos, the crew devises a dangerous plan to visit the mining planet Kessel and steal some valuable coaxium. Lando Calrissian, the stylish owner of the Millennium Falcon, the perfect vessel for the risky voyage, is encountered by Han Solo while looking for a quick conveyance.
#7 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ( 2005 )
Director: George Lucas
Box Office: $ 868.4 M
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee, Joel Edgerton, Tempura Morrison, Matthew Wood
Awards: People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie, Saturn Award for Best Music, Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects, Teen Choice Award for Film-Choice Movie: Action Adventure, Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra, Satellite Award for Best Sound ( Editing and Mixing )
Synopsis:
The Clone Wars have been in progress for three years. Chancellor Palpatine is rescued from General Grievous, the leader of the droid armies, by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, although Grievous manages to flee. The Jedi Council expresses concerns about Chancellor Palpatine, a person Anakin has developed a bond with. Anakin embraces the Dark Side after being asked to spy on the chancellor and is enraged with the Jedi Council.
#6 Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Director: J.J Abrams
Box Office: $ 2.066 B
Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Peter Mayhew
Awards: Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Movie, Empire Award for Best Visual Effects, MTV Movie & T.V. Award for Best Movie,
Empire Award for Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Synopsis:
The villainous First Order and the valiant Resistance look for vital information stored in a simple droid. Then something unexpected occurs: Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, discovers the droid and maintains it as her own. She encounters Finn, an ex-stormtrooper trying to move on from his past, and he informs her of the precise significance of the droid.
The next thing either of them knows, they are fleeing to keep the droid from the First Order. They run into a pair of old friends, and after some battles with the tenacious First Order, the droid is transported to the Resistance base. There, various strategies to combat the First Order are developed while the mystery surrounding the droid slowly but surely comes to light.
#5 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Director: Gareth Edwards
Box Office : $ 1.057 B
Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Andor, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed
Awards: Empire Award for Best Film, Saturn Award Winner for Best Science Fiction Film
Synopsis:
“Rogue One” (2016) chronicles the outcast Jyn Erso and how she came to join the Rebel Alliance following the Galactic Empire’s emergence in “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005) and before the Battle of Yavin in “Star Wars” (1977).
As a result of her father Galen’s construction of the terrifying superweapon known as The Death Star, a battle station capable of obliterating an entire planet, Jyn finds herself caught in the center of the ultimate fight between the Rebels and the Empire after joining the Alliance.
#4 Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Director: Rian Johnson
Box Office: $ 1.333 B
Starring: Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Kelly Tran, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Laura Dern
Awards: Empire Award for Best Film, Best Visual Effects, and Best Costume Design, Empire Award Nominee for Best Sci-Fi / Fantasy and Best Production Design, Movies for Grownups Award Winner for Best Film, DFCS Award Nominee for Best Science-Fiction / Horror Film and Best Visual Effects
Synopsis:
General Leia Organa commands the Resistance forces as they evacuate D’Qar after the Battle of Starkiller Base in response to the arrival of a First Order fleet. The First Order pursues the Resistance as they flee into hyperspace and strikes their convoy, despite Poe Dameron’s costly counterattack that successfully kills a First Order dreadnought.
The lead Resistance ship is being attacked by Kylo Ren, Leia’s son, who hesitates to open fire when he senses his mother’s presence. However, his wingmen blow up the bridge, killing most of the leadership and leaving Leia paralyzed. She manages to survive by using the Force. Poe joins mechanic Rose Tico, BB-8, and Finn on a covert mission to take down the First Order’s tracking device because he disapproves of Vice Admiral Holdo, the new leader, and his passive approach.
#3 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Director: Richard Marquand
Box Office: $475.1 M
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Ian McDiarmid, Sebastian Shaw, Peter Mayhew, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams
Awards: People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie,
Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra, Saturn Award Winner Best Science Fiction Film, OFTA Film Hall of Fame Winner for Motion Picture, Young Artist award winner for Best Family Feature Motion Picture
Synopsis:
A new Death Star that is nearly twice as massive but more than twice as powerful is almost halfway complete, thanks to the Empire. Once finished, Luke Skywalker and the rebels will undoubtedly perish. Jabba the Hutt is holding Han Solo as a prisoner, and Princess Leia soon finds herself in his custody. With the help of C-3PO and R2-D2, Luke Skywalker enters Jabba’s castle to negotiate his pals’ release. Jabba, however, has no such plans and tries to execute them all.
They reconnect with the rebel fleet as it prepares to launch an attack against the new satellite battle station at Endor after fleeing from Jabba and the deserts of Tatooine. Han Solo is given command of a squad of soldiers to destroy the shield generator guarding the Death Star, while Lando Calrissian is called upon to lead the rebel fighter attack.
Luke Skywalker, however, gives up to Darth Vader’s troopers on Endor and is transported to the Death Star to face Vader’s Master, Emperor Palpatine, for final Force corruption. The rebels are cornered by the Imperial Star Destroyer fleet’s ambush. What’s worse is that the new Death Star starts directing its massive laser toward the rebel carriers. Unless things begin to shift rapidly, it seems as though the Empire will triumph.
#2 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Director: George Lucas
Box Office: $775.8 M
Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Peter Cushing, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker
Awards: Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie, Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra
Synopsis:
Long before the Earth as we know it today was formed, in a far-off galaxy, great civilizations had already developed. An interstellar Empire that had been built from the wreckage of the long-gone Old Republic rules the galaxy. Several solar systems have rebelled against the Empire and are currently engaged in civil war. Rebel spies have discovered technical blueprints for a massive space station with the codename Death Star during a recent battle, and a young woman who is a dissident member of the Imperial Senate is attempting to smuggle these plans to the rebellion under the guise of a diplomatic mission to the planet Alderaan.
But a massive Empire battleship attacks and seizes her spacecraft. The rebel Senator is apprehended, but the Death Star’s blueprints are nowhere to be discovered. The Death Star plans and the help of an elderly hermit who was once a warrior of an ancient order whose chosen weapons were powerful energy swords known as light-sabers are acquired by a young desert farmer with dreams of becoming a fighter pilot in the rebellion while Empire soldiers search the nearby planet Tatooine.
To get to Alderaan, the two recruit a cynical interstellar smuggler and his enormous alien copilot with an old freighter that has been heavily modified for combat. However, the planet is destroyed, and the four now have to rescue the young woman held captive by the Empire and lead a rebellion attack against the Death Star before it destroys all hope of restoring freedom to the galaxy.
#1 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Box Office: $538–549 million
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels
Awards: People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie,
Satellite Award for Best DVD Extra, Saturn Award Winner for Best Science Fiction Film, OFTA Film Hall of Fame Winner for Motion Picture
Synopsis: Despite the Death Star being destroyed, the stories of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the others did not end. Since then, the Rebels have fled to the ice world of Hoth to evade Imperial soldiers. However, they can’t avoid Darth Vader’s malevolent gaze for long. He launches an attack on the Rebel base using Imperial AT-AT walkers, destroying it even in this freezing, remote world.
Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and C-3PO use the Millennium Falcon to escape the blockade of Imperial Star Destroyers as Luke goes to Dagobah to begin his Jedi training with Master Yoda. Eventually, they are caught up with Bespin by the Imperials, who have been pursuing them across the galaxy. Darth Vader gives Han Solo to Boba Fett as a prize to be given to crime lord Jabba the Hutt, and now he intends to use them as bait to entice Luke Skywalker to him. After failing to defeat the Dark Lord in a sword battle, Luke discovers a dreadful family secret.