Star Wars‘ time under the Disney umbrella has been a bit of a mixed bag. However, it’s easy to forget that Star Wars has always struggled with quality issues. After the original trilogy captivated audiences, George Lucas and Co. tried to expand the franchise using television specials and books that rarely hit the mark. The prequels also failed to find their footing, and while they’re looked back on more fondly now, it’s hard to justify some of the choices Lucas made. Disney finds itself in the earlier part of the scenario with its projects set in a galaxy far, far away, but they still birthed some genuinely great moments.
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Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012, and the only active project at the time was Star Wars: The Clone Wars. With that show wrapping up shortly after the sale (not counting the final season released in 2020), Star Wars Rebels truly marks the start of the Disney era. Of course, there have been a plethora of projects since then, meaning there’s plenty to sift through when looking for the best moments under Disney.
1) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Maul in Star Wars Rebels
Disney’s first foray into Star Wars follows a group of rebels fighting against the Empire in the years leading up to Star Wars: A New Hope. However, despite the focus not being on Force-users, a decent number of Jedi and Sith pop up in Rebels, including Maul, who’s still seeking revenge for his defeat at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He locates the Jedi on Tatooine, and the two have a short duel that brings an end to a decades-long feud and shows how much Kenobi has grown in his exile.
2) Han Solo Stealing Back the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes the franchise into a new age by introducing new heroes and villains. The movie still finds time to honor the past, though, bringing back iconic heroes like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. One of The Force Awakens‘ best moments sees Han Solo and Chewbacca reenter the Millennium Falcon after years and take it all in. The usually skeptical Solo also gives a speech about the Force that sends chills down the spine.
3) Darth Vader’s Hallway Fight in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Disney’s first attempt at expanding Star Wars on the big screen tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the first Death Star. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a tragic tale about the fights that go on behind the scenes in massive conflicts. However, just because it’s a human story doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more fantastical elements. In an effort to get the Death Star plans back, Darth Vader boards a Rebellion ship, ignites his lightsaber, and lets loose for the first time in live-action.
4) The Throne Room Fight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Despite all the issues that haters want to point out with this moment, the throne room fight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi is one of Disney’s best moments. Kylo Ren killing Snoke and teaming up with Rey is genuinely shocking and throws all of the expectations for the rest of the trilogy out of the window. It is also a clear callback to the end of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, which earns it brownie points.
5) Maul vs. Ahsoka in Star Wars: The Clone Wars
After being unfairly canceled, The Clone Wars returns for an explosive seventh season. The last few episodes cover the Siege of Mandalore, a massive battle between Maul’s Mandalorian forces and the Republic. Maul hopes to lure Anakin Skywalker to the planet to ruin his master’s plan of galactic domination, but he runs into Ahsoka Tano instead. After learning that Maul plans to kill her former master, Ahsoka battles the former Sith Lord in a moment that feels as important as anything in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
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6) The End of the Clone Wars in Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Shortly after Maul and Ahsoka’s duel, the former Jedi and her ally, Captain Rex, who removes his inhibitor chip, crash a Republic cruiser full of Clones, killing some of the iconic characters from the show. It marks the end of the Clone Wars, and after Rex and Ahsoka bury the dead and leave, it feels like the end of an era. Throw in Darth Vader’s cameo at the end, and The Clone Wars‘ final episode earns a spot on this list and then some.
7) Luke Skywalker’s Return in The Mandalorian
During the streaming boom of the late 2010s, Disney decided to try its hand at making a Star Wars TV show. The powers that be decided to center it around a Mandalorian, and the rest is history. However, the one moment from The Mandalorian that stands above all the others is Luke Skywalker’s return in the Season 2 finale. He’s at the height of his power and shows no mercy against a gang of Death Troopers. The CGI after Luke takes off his hood leaves a bit to be desired, but the rest of the moment is so mind-blowing that it’s easy to ignore how strange the Jedi looks.
8) Luthen’s Speech in Andor Season 1
Rogue One ended up being such a success that it got its own spinoff, Andor. The series shines a light on the early days of the Rebellion, including some of the people who helped get it off the ground. Luthen fits into that category, and he gives a speech in Andor Season 1 about the sacrifices he makes and how he’ll never reach the light at the end of the tunnel that fits better on an Emmy highlight reel than a Disney+ advertisement.
9) Kino Loy’s Speech in Andor Season 1
Andor‘s dialogue is good enough that it grabs two spots on this list. After ending up in an Imperial prison, Cassian Andor meets Kino Loy, who never dreams of escaping. Over the course of a couple of episodes, Cassian convinces Kino to rebel, and by the end of the arc, Andy Serkis’ character is delivering a motivational speech of the ages to the rest of the inmates. But what makes this moment extra devastating is that Kino seemingly loses his life after falling into the water outside of the prison, not knowing how to swim.
10) Ben Solo’s Redemption in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a lot of issues because it tries to course-correct after the mixed reception to The Last Jedi. What it excels at, however, is successfully redeeming Ben Solo. The moment between him and his father, Han Solo, is Star Wars at its finest, showing the best in people, even if they don’t necessarily deserve it. Ben even goes as far as to turn on his former allies, the Knights of Ren, and take them out to help Rey in her fight against Palpatine.
Do you think these are the best Disney Star Wars moments? What scenes would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
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