I always liked Star Wars, but when my kids little, I started seeing the movies (and eventually TV shows) with new eyes. Now, I fully embrace my inner Star Wars nerd. You can too with these quintessential Star Wars lines.
Fear is the path to the dark side.
People like to hate on The Phantom Menace.
We spend so much time arguing about Jar-Jar Binks, that we can overlook some of the gems in the movie.
One of my favorite quotes from Episode I is when Yoda warns a young Anakin Skywalker of how fear of loss can be a path to the dark side.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Little did Yoda know he’d be telling Anakin’s son, Luke, nearly the same thing a few decades later, after Anakin failed to heed his advice.
Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?
One of the benefits of the prequels coming out AFTER the heart of the Star Wars saga is that George Lucas could call back to major plot points.
In Attack of the Clones, or Episode II, we get one such callout when Obi-Wan Kenobi says the following to Anakin Skywalker, who would eventually kill him.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?”
Obi-Wan says it in a crowded bar after a thrilling chase scene, but it comes to pass when he faces then-Darth Vadar as an old man in Episode IV.
This is how liberty dies.
Padme Amidala was one of the most striking female characters in the Star Wars universe.
We meet her as Queen of Naboo in Episode I, see her as a Galactic Senator in Episode II, and see her as Anakin’s wife in Episode III.
While Revenge of the Sith focuses on the downfall of Anakin and destruction of the Jedi Order, it also tells the tale of the collapse of the Galactic Senate.
When the senate gives unchecked imperial powers to Chancellor Palpatine, Senator Amidala delivers a chilling, poignant line that stands as one of my all-time favorites.
“So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.”
I have a bad feeling about this.
Let’s agree upfront that there are far too many excellent quotes in Episode IV, A New Hope, to pick just one. (Don’t worry, the next few slides will be dedicated to this one.)
Luke Skywalker is the first to deliver this epic line. But he won’t be the last. It goes on to become a catchphrase throughout the movies.
When Luke delivers it at the beginning of his journey, it sets the tone for what is about to unfold.
May the Force be with you.
The hands-down most iconic line of all time from Star Wars, I could have led with this one.
Instead, I saved it for when it appeared in chronological order within the series.
Many fans attribute the famous line to Obi-Wan, and while he ‘reminds’ Luke that the force will be with him…always after he dies, he isn’t the first character to utter it.
Nor is he the first one to say, “May the force be with you.” That honor goes to rebel general Jan Dodonnain Episode IV.
Han later says it to Luke as they prepare to blow up the Death Star.
Now, there’s a holiday (May 4th) based off the line. It’s definitely an all-time great.
I love you.
While Star Wars certainly wasn’t the first to use this line, Han and Leia made it famous in Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back.
As Han is about to be frozen in carbonite by Darth Vader, Leia finally breaks down and tells him what they both know.
I know.
A moment later, Han delivers an unscripted response that would go on to be one of the franchise’s best. (And which occupies countless hats, t-shirts and other memorabilia.)
He says simply, “I know.”
And then is plunged into carbonite, where he is frozen in agony.
Relive this moment, and all of them, on Disney+ where everything Star Wars is streaming.
I am your father.
How could any all-time favorites quote list possibly leave out the biggest spoiler of them all???
When Darth Vader said this to Luke in Episode V, Mark Hamil’s reaction of shock was sincere.
Desperate to keep their relationship a secret, producers kept the line out of the script until moments before filming.
I guess Luke’s agonizing, “Nooooooooo!” is how any of us would respond if we found out our Dad was the personification of evil.
When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not.
It’s hard to believe it’s been forty years since Return of the Jedi hit the big screen. With such an iconic film, it’s hard to pick just one great line.
While there are so many good ones (I could pick 40 from Episode VI alone!) this one is one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but if I lived to 900, I hope I’d look as good as the little green guy.
Chewie, we’re home.
When Episode VII, The Force Awakens, premiered, it introduced a new generation of fans to the Star Wars franchise.
Since new movies hadn’t come out for decades, it was important to re-establish the main characters. And the important ships.
Han’s line to Chewbacca does exactly that. After hunting for the Millennium Falcon across the galaxy, Han and Chewie find it.
Of course, they also find Rey and Finn, who have used it to smuggle themselves off of Jakku.
Fans of the original trilogy can almost feel Han delivering the line to them.
I saved you.
Many fans hated Episode VIII, The Last Jedi. I wasn’t one of them. Along with Episode V, this was one of my favorites.
Sure, I could have done without quite so much sulking from Luke, but the movie gave us Rose Tico and her amazing, incredible line to Finn.
While Finn ignores everyone and is about to sacrifice himself to thwart Kylo Ren on Crait. Rose sacrifices herself to save Finn.
As he pulls her body from the wreckage, he asks her, “Why would you do that, huh? I was almost there! Why would you stop me?” Rose responds with what may be my favorite line of the entire franchise:
“I saved you, dummy. That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.”
At a time when there was so much tribalism in the real world, the scene provided a timeless reminder of the real motivation for fighting.
Taking one last look, sir, at my friends.
C3PO delivers this line to Poe Dameron right before he has his memory bank wiped in Episode XVI, The Rise of Skywalker.
But it was included in the final trailer for the movie.
It instantly got me (and many other fans) crying.
It’s one of my favorite because it reminds you that droids, in particular C3PO and R2D2, have always been our window into the entire saga.
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