Star Wars has always been the center of controversy, be it the prequel era with Anakin's hatred for sand or the more recent house of mouse additions that some may argue are a retread of the glory days of Star Wars. However, there is one consistent thing that all fans can agree upon and that is that over the years the creative teams behind the production of the films have given us some of the most iconic and memorable scenes in cinema.
With the ninth and final instalment of the Skywalker Saga set to be released in December of this year, what better time to look back and remind ourselves why the world is so in love with Star Wars with some of the greatest scenes the franchise has to offer as well as some of those that would be much more suited to a life of desolation in the outer regions of a galaxy far far away.
Worst: Leia Poppins (The Last Jedi)
One of the more ridiculous additions to The Last Jedi is the sequence in which we see our beloved General Leia Organa thrust into the vacuum of outer space after suffering a devastating attack to her ship the Raddus. It has always been in the mind of the audience that Leia as the daughter of one of the greatest Sith in the galaxy has some kind of force abilities but it is the execution here that is its downfall.
The visualization of the late great Carrie Fisher flying Mary Poppins style through space is one that connected with fans in all the wrong ways and unfortunately has since become a thing of ridicule.
Greatest: Snoke's Throne Room Fight (The Last Jedi)
Never has a Star Wars film split the fan base quite like The Last Jedi but one sequence truly stands above the rest and it is one that gives us our first possible look at things to come with Rey and Kylo Ren. Masterfully shot, we see Reylo join forces to take on the Praetorian guards in a flaming, post-Snoke world and it is a glorious sight to behold.
Oozing with style reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa with its deep reds and fighting styles that become one with their characters, the throne room sequence is a credit to Rian Johnsson as a filmmaker and his ability to shoot beautiful, cinematic sequences that will remain some of the most memorable within the entire saga.
Worst: The Throne Room (A New Hope)
The rebels win, the galaxy is saved and its time to reap the rewards of one's servitude....except you Chewbacca. You get nothing. Everyone gets their medals of honor for their parts played in the destruction of the death star except one half of the greatest space crew in the galaxy, who doesn't seem to get any kind acknowledgment at all.
This sequence has always been an irritation for fans since its release. It would appear that even in this modern era of Star Wars, Chewbacca is still often overlooked, but nothing will quite compare to the ultimate misstep of not giving the Wookiee his medal.
Greatest: Binary Sunset (A New Hope)
At just 34 seconds in length and with nothing but the outstanding John Williams score and George Lucas visuals to tell the story, the sequence we see in A New Hope which features our hero Luke Skywalker gazing off into the distance at the twin suns of Tatooine is an incredibly emotional piece of cinema.
This starts our hero's journey. It is something an audience can relate to and it has since become a throughline for all the films and their protagonists. Everyone longs for purpose. This sequence captures those ideals and feelings beautifully.
Worst: Anakin's "I don't like sand" line (Attack Of The Clones)
Nothing else in the entire Star Wars saga really shines a light on just how bad the dialogue and chemistry (or lack thereof) really is between Anakin and Padme quite like a description of how irritating and coarse sand is.
Twenty years after its release, Anakin's "I don't like sand" sequence is still one of, if not the most mocked sequences in Star Wars thanks to a very unconvincing delivery from Hayden Christensen and its complete lack of relevance to anything. It's a poor attempt at conveying romance and one that should have remained on the cutting room floor.
Greatest: Han Solo and Chewbacca's homecoming (The Force Awakens)
After 10 years without a Star Wars film, fans lost hope that they would ever get to see their favorite characters on screen again until the house of mouse became the spark that lit the fire that brought fans dreams to fruition and no sequence will ever have the same effect as Han Solo and Chewbacca boarding the Millennium Falcon uttering the words "Chewie... We're home."
It has since become the flagship quote for this sequel era of films for some and still gives audiences goosebumps at the prospect of things to come with the original trilogies cast. It created an excitement that is yet to be rivaled in the build-up to its release and The Force Awakens still remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time thanks to a stellar marketing campaign led by this sequence.
Worst: Boba Fett meets the Sarlacc (Return Of The Jedi)
With his first on screen appearance in the now infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, the world was introduced to Boba Fett. As a character who was completely underutilized in the Empire Strikes Back fans remained optimistic that Boba Fett would get his time to shine in Return Of The Jedi.
This was however not the case as again he was given the cold shoulder and met an untimely, bumbling death at the hands of the Han Solo and the Sarlacc pit leaving fans befuddled at the creative choices of Lucasfilm, in what is now known as one of the biggest character fumbles in modern cinema.
Greatest: Darth Vader's big reveal (Empire Strikes Back)
In a world where every detail of every movie and casting is circulated around the internet months before a film's release, audiences find themselves in a constant search for that moment of sheer bliss and surprise that the modern world and internet is set on spoiling.
Darth Vader's big reveal will forever be remembered as one of the greatest twists in movie history. Supported with a stellar performance from Mark Hamill and delivery from James Earl Jones the audience felt the anguish portrayed on screen and along with it came arguably one of history's most memorable lines of dialogue.
Worst: Darth Vader's "Noooooooooo" (Revenge Of The Sith)
What could have been one of the greatest moments in Star Wars was quickly turned into one of the worst with one simple word. We see the fruition of three films and one sequence that would define one of cinema's greatest villains: Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader.
However, we see Vader stumble from his restraints and utter the word "Noooooo!" All it needed was for him to drop to his knees to make this sequence truly laughable. It is a moment that completely undermines Vader as the greatest villain of all time and although as an audience we can see the intentions of George Lucas, the execution left a lot to be desired.
Greatest: Duel of Fates (The Phantom Menace)
Duel Of Fates is by far one of the greatest fight sequences in any of the Saga films thanks to the memorable score by John Williams and fight choreography of Nick Gillard. We see Darth Maul take on both Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon Jinn in a breathtaking sequence with dire consequences.
It was a much-needed injection of action unlike anything the audience had seen before and was able to show the truly masterful, Samurai inspired abilities of a Jedi Knight and Sith Lord and some fans will argue that this sequence was the saving grace of the lackluster and divisive first entry of the prequels.