The OFFICIAL Star Wars Rankings

In 1977, a movie was released that would change the way science fiction movies were made forever. Star Wars, as it was originally called, was a smash hit at the box office and started a movement that creator George Lucas probably didn't even fathom. This space opera combined a sense of reality and fantasy into one; presenting elements that anyone can appreciate. While I grew up on the prequel trilogy, there's something magical about the simplicity and complexity of the original trilogy that makes them stand above the rest.

So here's MY (and the only correct ranking) of all the Star Wars movies to date, take it or leave it:

1. Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

It's VERY rare that a sequel to a movie is better than the original. However, this is one of the few exceptions. In the second time around, Irving Kershner does an excellent job of expanding the Star Wars galaxy! The rebel alliance is on an ice planet, Luke trains with Yoda on his swamp planet, and the gang meets up at a floating city in the clouds for the climax. Not to mention you get a more in-depth idea of what the Force is and how to channel/use it. The only thing that might not add up is the time that passes between Luke's training and them all meeting up in Cloud City. Other than that, this is far and away the best Star Wars movie in terms of storyline, action sequences and set design! Bringing on Billy Dee Williams to play the equally suave and charming swindler of Lando Calrissian is also a plus. Not to mention this movie has one of the more shocking plot twists in movie history!

2. Episode 6: Return of the Jedi (1983)

I'll state for the record right now and say this is my favorite Star Wars movie. Is it the best in terms of elements overall? No. There are certain elements in it that bring it down a little bit. The fact that there's a second Death Star, Boba Fett's quick death, and Ewoks are just a few. However, this was an excellent conclusion to Star Wars (for the time being). You're given more answers than questions and practically every plot hole is tied up. At the end of the day, this is just an enjoyable movie. The action sequences are massive in scope, symbolizing that one final fight that will determine who rules the galaxy in the end.

3. Episode 4: A New Hope (1977)

The one that started it all gives a great introduction to Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader as characters. While the effects may come off as a little dated now, they were extremely advanced for the time. And frankly, they aren't all that bad! We get a chance to learn what makes these characters who they are without it seeming too over bearing and how the Force works (non-Midichlorian style). That's mainly because they have to worry about rescuing a princess from certain death and avoid getting captured by the evil galactic Empire. And while it may seem slow at times, this movie has heart where it counts.

4. Rogue One (2016)

Of all the anthology movies Disney has decided to make, this is far and away the best one (so far). It follows Jyn Erso and a group of Reliance rebels as they go out to find the plans to the Death Star that was introduced in the very first Star Wars movie. I think what made this movie so successful was the lack of force-wielding Jedi. You get a chance to see what life is like in the underworld and streets of different planets if you aren't carrying a lightsaber. Not to mention it has one of the best Darth Vader moments of all time at the end (which I found out was added last minute to the script).

5. Episode 7: The Force Awakens (2015)

Ah, what I would give to have the rest of the new trilogy movies be as good as the first one here. When I heard a new trilogy was coming out I was stoked! Not only because of new characters being introduced, but because some of the ones from the original movies were going to be side characters. There was also a little more diversity as far as casting goes, so that's great! A woman is the lead protagonist and a black storm trooper easily saw through the ways of the evil First Order and defects. The new story line was interesting enough to make me excited for what the other two movies had to offer. And while it is VERY similar to A New Hope as far as the story goes, that was probably for the best. People wanted to put the prequels behind them and remember what the original trilogy did so well.

6. Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

I think it's safe to assume that while the prequel trilogy isn't incredibly liked, this one is the best of the three. You could also make the argument that only this one needed to be made and not the other two. But here we are. Order 66 absolutely blindsided me as a kid when this came out. Maybe that's because I was only 6 at the time so I didn't exactly understand the whole point of it at first. In terms of emotion, this movie leaves you with something bittersweet; despite the fact we know these are the events leading up to Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader. The scale of this movie is what really sets it apart from the other prequel movies. They're intense and spectacular looking on from a galaxy far, far away.

7. Episode 2: Attack of the Clones (2002)

The love story, why did there have to be a love story? Anakin's affection for Senator Padme Amidala has only grown over the 10 years that have passed since beginning his Jedi training. And when he comes back into her life, it makes it all more cringe-worthy to watch because of the age gap. I feel as though this is one of the reasons so many people dislike the prequels. And the dialogue! The dialogue is very tough to listen to in this one. However, the water planet of Kamino (home of what will be the Republics clone army) and bug-infested planet of Geonosis make this movie a little more bearable and exciting to watch. Not to mention there's a new villain in town named Count Dooku (Christopher Lee).

8. Solo (2018)

It's hard to imagine anyone else except Harrison Ford in the space smuggler role of Han Solo. But Disney had the idea to go and give Han Solo his own origin story. We see his time as a Imperial cadet, how he gets his name, meeting Chewbacca and making him his co-pilot and finding his friend Lando (Donald Glover). But that's the thing, did we really need this movie? No one was jumping out and begging for it to come out. In the end, it was alright but fell a little flat. And the movie didn't exactly spend a lot of time on his origin story as it did this side adventure to collect something for a crime syndicate. It really didn't take that many risks either to make it stand out which was a little disappointing.

9. Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

I wanted the latest one to be good, I really did. After The Last Jedi fell flat, I was hoping that J.J. Abrams would come back and be the savior Disney needed. That wasn't the case. In all honesty, it left me with a mixture of confusion and frustration. So apparently the emperor isn't dead? And Rey has mastered all of the skills you need to become a Jedi and earned the name Skyalker? I don't know, it just seems that there wasn't a true cohesive plan in place for this to be a good movie. Sure there are some great moments of original trilogy characters making cameos and great set designs for fight sequences. But at the end of the day, it was pretty convoluted and all over the map.

10. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)

This was the movie that was introduced to me first to get me invested Star Wars as a franchise. I remember getting a VHS copy of this movie and dressing up as Darth Maul for Halloween one year. Ray Parks portrayal of Darth Maul, his double-sided lightsaber, the climax fight, and the pod race are really the only things people remember about this movie. Or maybe that's the Jar Jar Binks factor (but I won't go into too much detail there). The third act will keep you invested but make you ask the question, "Why hasn't the rest of the movie been this good?" Because lets be honest, the reason ALL this fighting in Star Wars happened was because of taxes and trade disputes, BOO!

11. Episode 8: The Last Jedi (2017)

When I first watched this in the theater, I had a lot of mixed feelings when I left. For me, it felt as though I had more questions than answers as far as the plot went. But the more reviews I read that other people were posting, the more I started to agree with what they were saying. I think this video from How It Should Have Ended pretty much sums it up.