Star Wars - Harri's Top 5 Moments

 

You may already know this, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens is finally out in cinemas. It’s the first film in the franchise since 2005’s Revenge of the Sith and the first of a new trilogy - and frankly, we couldn’t be more excited. Dan is going to watch the film and will review it soon, but for now I’m here to share my top five moments in the franchise. As it’s a huge galaxy out there, I’ve included scenes not only from the films, but from the animated series that have aired over the years.

 

 

5. Obi Wan vs. Darth Vader - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The prequels written and directed by George Lucas are awful, but despite their reliance on CGI and terrible dialogue, they had some good moments. One of them is the climax of Revenge of the Sith: the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), the newly-named Darth Vader.

At ten minutes - fifteen if you include the concurrent fight between Yoda and Palpatine - it’s the longest and fiercest lightsabre duel in the franchise. However, the scene deserves acknowledgement not for its length, but for the sheer dedication of McGregor and Christensen. They trained for two months to prepare for the scene, allowing them to perform its fast and furious moves without the aid of CGI. This makes it one of the few times the Force was strong with the prequels. 

 

4. General Grievous - Clone Wars (2003)

In 2003, Dan and I watched a series on Cartoon Network called Star Wars: Clone Wars (not the recent CGI series). It was a “microseries” created by Genndy Tartakovsky - creator of Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack - consisting of three-to-five-minute episodes set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. However, they were infinitely better than them. Clone Wars was more action-driven than the prequels, but what little dialogue it had easily put Lucas’ writing to shame.

Even better was its introduction of General Grievous; the cybernetic Jedi-killer from RotS. Lucas hadn’t developed his character at the time, making him a very different foe in Clone Wars. Grievous made his first public appearance late in the series when he took on five Jedi at once and utterly beat them. The scene was tense, brutal and - surprisingly, for a cartoon - scary. A far cry from the skulking, coughing wimp we see in RotS.

 

3. The Trench Run - A New Hope (1977)

Over the years, George Lucas has revisited the Star Wars films and edited them, adding new sounds, CGI and even new scenes. These changes were meant to match his original vision, which couldn’t be done in the 80s… but like the two sides of the Force, Lucas’ changes draw split opinions among fans; some worked, some didn’t. One of the few that did work is the climax of A New Hope: the trench run.

Luke Skywalker joins the Rebel Alliance and pilots an X-Wing in a last-ditch attack on the Death Star. The Rebels plan to destroy it by firing at an exhaust port… but have to fly a gauntlet of turrets, TIE fighters and Darth Vader himself. The scene was originally filmed with miniatures, but even without the added effects, it’s everything a climax needs to be: tense, gripping and incredibly rewarding. It’s also one of the few scenes that stuck with me in childhood before I got into Star Wars for real.

 

2. Yoda - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Empire Strikes Back is considered the best film in the series and for good reason. Picking up three years after A New Hope, it walks a darker path and raises the stakes to levels few other entries have done since. The film has many iconic scenes from the AT-AT (All Terrain Armoured Transport) Battle of Hoth to the shocking revelation of Luke Skywalker’s heritage. However, my favourite scene from the film is a quieter moment: Luke’s first meeting with Yoda.

After the Battle of Hoth, Luke travels to Dagobah, a swamp planet, to be trained by Master Yoda. Instead, he finds an elderly green gnome who invites him to dinner at his hut. The gnome bombards Luke with annoying questions... and when he finally snaps, reveals he is the Master Luke is looking for. And gives him a hefty serving of humble pie. It’s a strong lesson - to both Luke and the audience - to not judge a book by its cover.

 

1. Vader’s Redemption - Return of the Jedi (1983)

I couldn’t have written this feature without including a Darth Vader scene. He is central to the saga and one of the most acclaimed villains of all time. However, my favourite moment isn’t the climax of Empire, where Vader is revealed to be Luke Skywalker’s father - but the moment when the saga’s most iconic villain is redeemed.

When Luke defeats Vader on the Death Star II but refuses to kill him, the evil Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) attacks him with Force lightning. At the last moment, Vader turns on Palpatine and kills him, saving his son at the cost of his own life. His actions bring him back from the dark side and allow Vader to pass on as his former self along with Obi-Wan and Yoda. Lucas has changed it heavily in the past few years - replacing Vader’s original actor in his spirit form with Hayden Christensen - but the scene remains a key moment not just for Vader, but for the entire saga.