It’s no surprise thatStar Warsrevolves around conflict on a galactic scale. Whether that’s the Republic fighting the Separatists, the Rebellion taking on the might of the Empire, or the Resistance struggling to survive the threat of the First Order, the franchise is filled with great action scenes.
Whether it’s the impressive lightsaber duels between skilled Force users, exciting dogfights in battles such as Yavin and Starkiller Base, or ground-based battles on planets like Geonosis and Hoth,Star Warshas some of the best action in cinema.
11’Solo: A Star Wars Story' (2018)
Directed by Ron Howard
So far, Han Solo is the only character to receive an origin movie all of his own.Solo: A Star Wars Storycharts his journey from a scrappy thief on Corellia to him joining the Empire and fighting as a soldier, and eventually taking on the role of smuggler and getting his first taste of the criminal underworld.
Solodoesn’t get into the action in the same way as otherStar Warsmovies, with its plot closely resembling the heist movie formula. There are still speeder chases, firefights, and even a brief look at what life in the Imperial army was like, but it focuses less on open conflict than the entries in the Skywalker Saga.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Watch On Disney+
10’Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017)
Directed by Rian Johnson
The second entry in the sequel trilogy follows the Resistance as they continue their fight against the First Order. While they have the same spirit, they’re not as well-equipped as the Rebellion, meaning they don’t get much opportunity to face Snoke’s forces head-on.
The Last Jeditakes a different approach to the conflict, mainly featuring the last surviving Resistance ships desperately trying to outrun the First Order fleet as they come up with an escape plan. This gives it a more tense story with less focus on action, though there is still the fight between Rey, Kylo Ren and Snoke’s Praetorian guard, as well as the climactic Battle of Crait.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
9’Episode I - The Phantom Menace' (1999)
Directed by George Lucas
When the first of the prequels arrived in 1999, it brought in a new era ofStar Wars, where the focus moved to the political troubles of the Galactic Republic. Several major characters were politicians, and often what happened in the Senate was just as important as what happened on the battlefield.
The movies didn’t lose touch with their roots, though, and we were treated to a new kind of action. George Lucas made full use of the digital technology available to him, creating the completely computer-generated battle between the Gungans and the Trade Federation droid army. WhereThe Phantom Menacereally broke new ground though was in its lightsaber fights,which were bigger, faster, and bolder than anything seen before, setting the tone for future duels.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
8’Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)
Directed by Irvin Kershner
It might be one of the bestStar Warsmovies, butEmpire Strikes Backisn’t as focused on war as other entries. The Battle of Hoth is one of the most memorable, introducing the AT-AT walker, but after that the Rebels have to flee, and a significant part of the film follows Han and Leia trying to shake off their Imperial pursuers in the asteroid field.
Most of Luke’s involvement in the film is his training with Yoda on the swamp planet of Dagobah. The scenes between him and Vader on Cloud City are some of the best in the saga, however, ending with a lightsaber duel that is intelligent and brutal.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
7’Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker' (2019)
Directed by J.J. Abrams
The movie that closed out the sequel trilogy in 2019,Rise of Skywalkeris an explosive end to the saga, as Rey, Finn, and Poe travel from one location to another as they try and find a way to the planet Exogol, where the recently returned Palpatine has assembled a new fleet.
While the film isn’t without its problems, the climactic battle of Exogol is one of the largest in the franchise, as hundreds of Resistance ships converge on the planet to take down the fleet of Star Destroyers, while Rey and Palpatine fight it out to decide the future of the galaxy.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
6’Episode IV - A New Hope' (1977)
The movie that launchedStar Warsalmost fifty years ago,A New Hopeset the tone for the kind of action we could expect from the franchise. It opens with one of the most iconic firefights as Vader and the 501st Legion blast their way onto theTantive IVin search of the Death Star plans.
The action rarely lets up from that moment on, climbing to new levels once the heroes are on the Death Star and have to fight their way through squads of stormtroopers to escape. The movie is capped off with the Rebels' attack on the Death Star, a tense and exciting sequence that still holds up decades later.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
5’Episode VII - The Force Awakens' (2015)
After a decade-long absence,Star Warsmade its live-action return in a suitably action-packed way,giving us a new era where the galaxy is facing the threat of the First Order, and the small, under-resourced Resistance is all that stands in their way.
The climactic ending features the Resistance attacking and destroying Starkiller Base, the latest planet-killing superweapon designed by the First Order, able to take down entire systems of worlds, while Rey and Kylo Ren fight a lightsaber duel that’s more restrained than what was shown in the prequels andThe Clone Wars.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
4’Episode VI - Return of the Jedi' (1983)
Directed by Richard Marquand
Return of the Jedipaid off on everything that the original trilogy had been building up to, as the Rebellion takes the fight to the Empire, hoping to destroy the second Death Star, taking Palpatine down with it and ending the galactic civil war.
The action starts in a much smaller fashion, however, with Luke showing off his recently acquired Jedi skills by rescuing Han from Jabba the Hutt, bringing an end to the crime lord’s rule. While the Battle of Endor is often criticized for the inclusion of the Ewoks, it’s still an exciting sequence, playing off against the large fleet action between Rebel and Imperial forces, and Luke’s confrontation with Vader and the Emperor.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
3’Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
The first Star Wars movie not based around any member of the Skywalker family,Rogue Oneinstead follows the activities of a small group of Rebels in the days leading up to the Battle of Yavin, as they steal the Death Star plans.
DirectorGareth Edwardsdelivered a more realistic depiction of war than the franchise usually shows. The battles were brutal and realistic, showing the ruthlessness of the Empire first hand, as they caused devastation with their new weapon, the Death Star. Unlike mostStar Warsmovies, the heroes don’t survive, with every member of the Rogue One team giving their lives to deliver the plans.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
2’Episode II - Attack of the Clones' (2002)
A lot of Episode II involves the love story between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala as the two spend time together and grow closer, but like allStar Warsmovies, it mixes everything up with a good dose of action and excitement.
There’s a fast-paced speeder chase across Coruscant, and Obi Wan tracking down top bounty hunter Jango Fett. The film has some of the best lightsaber fights in the prequels, as Yoda duels his old padawan Count Dooku, and the Battle of Geonosis is one of the greatest seen up to that point, featuring over two hundred Jedi fighting the thousands of battle droids from the Separatist military.
