A Ranking Of 'The Skywalker Saga' Finales
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Star Wars finales fall on a spectrum. It’s either the saddest finale you’ve ever seen or one of the happiest. Each trilogy has happy and sad endings, but I would argue that the prequel trilogy has more depressing finales. I would also argue that Rogue One deserves an honorable mention, though, because that is probably the saddest Star Wars finale. Let’s look at the Star Wars finale's list in the Skywalker Saga.
9. Attack Of The Clones
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I will be the first to admit that this movie is not one of my favorites. I find the politics and the final battle super interesting, but the rest of the movie is just dull for me. We see an older Anakin, who is now a Padawan to Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his relationship with Padme. There’s also the politics happening regarding the ongoing Clone Wars. This is the movie that introduces the Clones when Obi-Wan visits Kamino. The ending has one of the coolest battles. The Jedi and the Separatists meet on Geonosis and have an epic battle. We see the death of Jango Fett and the rise of Boba Fett. Anakin and Padme also marry in a private ceremony on Naboo. While it’s a good ending, it’s not one of the best.
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8. The Force Awakens
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A new era of Star Wars was born with the sequels. They are highly contested but are still a part of the franchise, no matter what. Rey is trying to figure out who she is. During her journey, she meets Finn and Poe, who become her family. She also joins the Resistance, led by General Leia Organa. She eventually has a goal to find Luke Skywalker. The movie ends with a shocking reveal, where Rey presents the lightsaber to an old Luke Skywalker.
7. The Last Jedi
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Unfortunately, this movie continues the trend of the original trio dying. Kylo Ren and the First Order have found the Resistance on Crait. Their chances seem slim until Luke Skywalker faces Kylo Ren head-on. However, he is not there and is force-projecting himself. He can push back the Resistance, but this causes him to become one with the Force.
6. The Rise Of Skywalker
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I love this movie, and I am not ashamed of it. Its ending is very similar to Return Of The Jedi. The First Order has been defeated once and for all. Rey channels all the Jedi who came before her to beat Palpatine, and Poe rallies people to his cause. They all reunite and celebrate their victory.
5. The Empire Strikes Back
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Where do I even start with this movie? Luke discovers that Darth Vader is his father, and he loses his hand. Leia and Han are separated, after Han is frozen in carbonite, to make up his debt to Jabba The Hutt. The two of them can proclaim their love before his freezing. Looking at it now, it’s not a sad ending, but that’s because we know what happens next.
4. A New Hope
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This is one of the happier endings in Star Wars. The first Death Star has been defeated, and the Rebellion has some time to breathe. Unfortunately, their fight is far from over, but it’s nice that they get a small moment of reprieve. Luke and Han were awarded medals for their victory. Chewie was robbed, however, and deserved a medal as well.
3. The Phantom Menace
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This was the movie that introduced us to Anakin Skywalker. When we meet him, he is a child slave on the planet of Tatooine. That soon changes when he meets Jedi Master Qui Gon Jin, his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Queen Amidala/Padme of Naboo. Little did he know, they would change his life. They take him off the world to train him as a Jedi. Of course, we know what happens next. Even though we lost Qui Gon, the ending of the movie has a happy ending, with a celebration of Naboo. I love happy endings, so it’s nice that this film has one before everything goes bad.
2. Revenge Of The Sith
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This is probably one of the most important finales, as it’s where we finally see Anakin turn into Darth Vader. It also features one of the best fights in the entire series. Anakin has officially turned to the Dark Side. Unfortunately, Anakin won’t listen to reason, and so he and Obi-Wan have their final and iconic fight. The movie ends with a charred and missing limb Anakin being “saved” by Darth Sidious, who turns him into Darth Vader.
1. Return Of The Jedi
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I’m biased, but this is my favorite Star Wars movie. I love the vibes of the movie and the Ewoks, who were essential in defeating the Empire. The ending is one of the happiest in the series. The Empire has been defeated, including the second Death Star. Luke has defeated Palpatine with the help of his father. He is reunited with his family on Endor, and they and the Ewoks have a huge celebration that rings across the galaxy.
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Is 'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Really That Bad?
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The sequel trilogy has yet to receive the best reception from fans. While I love the sequels, they did have flaws, with one of the biggest ones being the direction of the films. The last one in the trilogy, The Rise Of Skywalker, is the worst in most people's opinion, but is the final film really that bad?
The short answer is no, and I know this will shock many people, but I will explain why. Don’t get me wrong, the movie has its issues, and it's not in my top 3 Star Wars movies, but I don’t hate it like some people do. I enjoyed it and think it was a perfect ending to this saga. But I will talk about the good later. For now, let's talk about the bad. One of the biggest issues in the movie is the dialogue. This is Star Wars, and the dialogue has never been the strong point, even in the original trilogy. For some reason, some of the lines they say in this movie are even worse, with the biggest being “Somehow Palpatine returned”. It also relies heavily on nostalgia and classic quotes. The direction of the trilogy is also a big issue. This isn't the movie's fault, but going from JJ Abrams to Rian Johnson back to JJ Abrams doesn't make for a cohesive trilogy. Abrams's movies are completely different from Johnson's. Abrams also introduced a lot in his first movie, that was never continued in the last one.
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Okay, now for the good. The good in my opinion outweighs the bad. First of all, Rey is at her peak in this movie. She is used to the training Luke and Leia gave her and can utilize it in her fights. She is stronger than she ever was. It was also great to see Leia train Rey at the beginning of the movie. Rey also was never tempted to the Dark Side. Yes, Kylo Ren tried to get her to switch, but it was never going to happen. She is too strong in the light. Rey has grown considerably throughout the trilogy and it's great to see how far she's come in the end. She deserves the Skywalker name, and I am so glad she took it.
The Force Ghosts scene gives me goosebumps to this day. While it would’ve been cool to see the actual force ghosts, the voices alone are enough for me to love it. All the Jedi that came before her, help her in the moment she needs it the most. She can use all of their powers, and defeat Palpatine once and for all. Helping is a big part of Star Wars, and we see this at the end when all the civilians in the galaxy bring their ships to help take down the Final Order once and for all. They’re not soldiers, just people. It’s a beautiful scene, and really keeps up the hope message of Star Wars. It also contributes to the much-deserved happy ending that the Resistance fighters finally get.
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I also have to give an honorable mention to Babu Frik. I always love it when they introduce a little guy in Star Wars, so naturally, I love Babu Frik. He’s so chaotic and helpful, but he also is great at his job. He was such a great addition to this universe. Another little guy that was introduced was the droid D-O. He’s a little droid that was treated badly and is awoken by BB-8. He joins the resistance and is shown the way by BB-8. He’s still a little weary of those around him and is very polite. He, like Babu Frik, is just a little guy, and I’m happy he was introduced in this movie.
So is the Rise Of Skywalker bad? It depends on who you ask. For me, it's a no. I saw it twice in theaters and loved it. I still enjoy it to this day. Every Star Wars movie has its flaws, and this is no different. There is still so much more I could say about this movie, especially when it comes to Rey’s friends, and the music in the movie, but at the end of the day, the good outweighs the bad for me, and I will always enjoy this movie. Hopefully one day, it gets the love it deserves.
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