Summary

• Iconic space battles and lightsaber duels define Star Wars movies, with 10 standout action scenes celebrated for their excellence.
• Space battles like the Battle of Scarif, Battle of Coruscant, and Battle of Endor rank among the best in the franchise.
• Lightsaber battles such as Rey & Kylo vs. the Praetorian Guards, Luke vs. Darth Vader, the Battle of the Heroes, and the Duel of the Fates offer a different kind of fantastic Star Wars action sequence.

The Star Wars movies - from The Mandalorian & Grogu to Rey's New Jedi Order story - as well as the slate of Star Wars TV shows set to be released in the future.

In the last five decades, Star Wars has become a pioneer of sci-fi-based action sequences. From the now iconic Star Wars canon's many lightsaber duels that have become synonymous with the franchise and allowed the weapon to become an iconic part of pop culture history. Concerning solely the Star Wars theatrical films, 10 of these aforementioned action sequences stand out as the franchise’s best.

This list does not include any bad Star Wars fight scenes, simply the 10 best entries ranked from worst to best in contrast with one another.

10 The Battle of Hoth

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The CGI in these sequences is endlessly impressive, as are the practical effects of the walkers.

Coming in as the 10th best Star Wars action sequence is The Empire Strikes Back's Battle of Hoth. After the groundbreaking release of Star Wars in 1977, audiences were curious how George Lucas and his team would improve the action sequences for The Empire Strikes Back. While he may not have regarding space battles, few ground battles in the original Star Wars trilogy sur the Battle of Hoth.

The battle begins chillingly, as the Empire's iconic AT-AT walkers are slowly revealed to the Rebellion soldiers. This is followed by the thrilling attack on the walkers by Luke's snowspeeder squadron, showcasing fantastic cockpit POV shots and allowing the battle to be satisfying on a character level, with Luke shown to be a hardened Rebel leader. The CGI in these sequences is endlessly impressive, as are the practical effects of the walkers. If The Empire Strikes Back's Battle of Hoth had been longer and more climactic, it could have ranked higher among the best Star Wars action sequences.

9 The Battle of Crait

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

One of Crait's biggest strengths is the location design, with the barren wasteland being offset by the vibrant red smoke plumes...

Where Star Wars: The Last Jedi's Battle of Crait succeeds over the Battle of Hoth is squarely in its climactic nature. The entirety of The Last Jedi's plot slowly builds, adding tension until it explodes in the final act. This battle is a spiritual successor to the Battle of Hoth, building on it by focusing on under-equipped Rebels fighting against an army of First Order walkers. As a successor, the Battle of Crait manages to improve on what Empire pioneered for a Star Wars ground assault, complete with a heightened sense of drama brought by the film's ending.

One of Crait's biggest strengths is the location design, with the barren wasteland being offset by the vibrant red smoke plumes as the Resistance's ski speeders barrel toward the First Order. This is accompanied by a sequel-best musical track by John Williams, as "March of the Resistance" blares before transitioning into the iconic trench run soundtrack of A New Hope as Rey reappears in the Millennium Falcon. The canyons of Crait are equally as beautiful as the wasteland above, complete with glowing red crystals to help the Battle of Crait become one of the most visually appealing Star Wars battles.

What makes the Battle of Crait pale in comparison to the entries above is the battle's lack of stakes. The ski speeders are quickly defeated and the Resistance retreats, meaning it is less a battle and more of a brief distraction of the First Order until Luke Skywalker arrives. The standoff between Luke and Kylo is as compelling as any in Star Wars, with beautiful cinematography and amazing performances from Adam Driver and Mark Hamill, though the divisive nature of Luke's ending - despite working for some - renders it not as satisfying on an emotional level as other Star Wars duels.

The lack of a "battle" between the First Order and Resistance stops this entry from ranking higher, yet the fantastic Luke vs. Kylo scene similarly means it does not drop any lower.

8 The Battle of Yavin

A New Hope (1977)

While modern Star Wars has improved on what space battles can be, the Battle of Yavin is the nostalgiac, well-crafted blueprint...

The space battle that began it all in Star Wars was A New Hope's Battle of Yavin. In of being cinematically impressive for its time, the Battle of Yavin's CGI, practical model work, and fantastic editing alone warrant it a place on this list. These elements, combined with Williams' brilliant score and the emotional resonance of Luke blowing up the Death Star as Han returns to aid his friend, help the Battle of Yavin become immensely satisfying, not only on a technical level but an emotional one too.

Despite the Battle of Yavin being technically awe-inspiring for its time, subsequent Star Wars productions make it feel somewhat dated. These dated elements - and the sheer length of the canyon run on the Death Star - rob the scene of some of its initial tension that is only saved by the emotional impact of Luke's success and Han's return. That said, while modern Star Wars has improved on what space battles can be, the Battle of Yavin is the nostalgiac, well-crafted blueprint, meaning not including it as one of the best Star Wars action scenes would be a travesty.

7 Rey & Kylo Ren vs. The Praetorian Guards

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

The battle in Snoke's throne room is undoubtedly the most ambitious fight scene in the sequel trilogy from a choreography standpoint.

A common criticism of the Star Wars sequels is the lack of fantastic lightsaber battles, making Rey and Kylo's fight against Snoke's Praetorian Guards stand out that much more. The battle in Snoke's throne room is undoubtedly the most ambitious fight scene in the sequel trilogy from a choreography standpoint. From the long takes that show Rey and Kylo deflecting, striking, and subduing their enemies to the beautiful cinematography established by the red walls that begin to burn down in flames, the fight scene is the best attempt at a prequel fight scene in the Star Wars sequels.

The Praetorian Guards were also utilized in The Mandalorian season 3, five years after The Last Jedi's release.

Adam Driver specifically shines as Kylo Ren in this fight scene, taking on multiple Praetorian Guards at once with slick choreography. Daisy Ridley's Rey is less experienced, though no less compelling to watch as she fights back in more of a scrappy, untrained manner. While disappearing weapons and some noticeable lapses of timing in the choreography mark the fight scene down, the evident attempt at crafting a largely unedited fight scene with a hauntingly stunning backdrop ranks The Last Jedi's throne room fights as one of the best in Star Wars.

6 The Battle of Scarif

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The Battle of Scarif is one of the more purely exciting third acts of any Star Wars movie.

As far as space battles go, the Battle of Scarif combines the best elements of modern and original Star Wars. The battle only ranks lower than two other space-based combat scenes due to its lesser emotional stakes. Blending the fantastic CGI and practical effects work of Disney Star Wars with the tone, style, and look of the original trilogy makes the Battle of Scarif one of the more overall satisfying action sequences in the franchise.

From the POV shots of The Empire Strikes Back being updated and reused as the Rebellion attacks Scarif's shield generator to the thrill of seeing bombing runs, dog fights, and the Rebellion fleet in all its glory, Rogue One perfected what modern Star Wars space battles should feel like. Accompanied by Michael Giacchino's excellent score which perfectly used Williams' classic cues, the Battle of Scarif is one of the more purely exciting third acts of any Star Wars movie.

While moments like using a hammerhead corvette to push two Star Destroyers into the shield generator aid Rogue One's Battle of Scarif in becoming the third-best space battle - and overall sixth-best action sequence - in Star Wars, it does lack some emotional resonance. Rogue One's ending is suitably tragic, but it remains the case that all the film's best characters are on Scarif's surface. This means that none are physically engaged in the space battle, meaning the Battle of Scarif, while visually inventive and incredibly exciting, lacks the emotional weight of its superiors.

5 The Battle of Coruscant

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

​​​​​​​

The space battle is suitably fantastic in the way Star Wars' best are, but also adds the excitement of a confrontation with General Grievous and Count Dooku.

A Star Wars space battle that does not suffer from the Battle of Scarif's lack of emotional resonance is the Battle of Coruscant from the opening of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. This space battle possesses each element that makes the Battle of Scarif so good, yet with two significant boosts. One is that Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are the two main combatants, meaning it is easy for the audience to emotionally invest in the battle. The other benefit of the Battle of Coruscant is that it transitions into a ship assault and lightsaber battle.

The space battle is suitably fantastic in the way Star Wars' best are, but also adds the excitement of a confrontation with General Grievous and Count Dooku. The battle with the latter drastically improves on the lightsaber sequence from Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and culminates in one of the more consequential character moments of the prequel trilogy when Anakin kills Dooku. All of this coalesces to give the Battle of Coruscant a worthy spot on the list of the best Star Wars action sequences.

4 Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

​​​​​​​

What makes the fight better than most other action sequences in Star Wars is the now iconic reveal that Vader is Luke's father.

One of the best lightsaber fights in the entire saga is Luke vs. Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. The remote location of the chambers of Bespin gives the duel one of the most recognizable backdrops in all of Star Wars, with some of the franchise's most popular imagery coming from Luke's confrontation with Vader. The ensuing fight works incredibly well, with much more fluid choreography than the Obi-Wan vs. Vader fight in A New Hope.

The halls of Bespin were included in Rey's Force visions in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The more ambitious lightsaber choreography is also paired with Force moves that were unlike anything in Star Wars before the film's release. However, what makes the fight better than most other action sequences in Star Wars is the now iconic reveal that Vader is Luke's father. This is one of the biggest plot twists in cinema history, not only Star Wars, and caps off the fight perfectly. What already worked as a clash between good vs. evil takes on a whole new level of emotional depth, making the fight one of the more resonant in Star Wars' long history.

3 The Battle of Endor

Return of the Jedi (1983)

What helps the Battle of Endor rise above other Star Wars space battles is its ability to work on three fronts...

Ranking above the Battle of Scarif and the Battle of Coruscant as the best space battle in Star Wars is Return of the Jedi's Battle of Endor. While ittedly not as visually pleasing as the other two, the Battle of Endor makes up for this by being the climactic battle of the entire original trilogy. What helps the Battle of Endor rise above other Star Wars space battles is its ability to work on three fronts: a space battle, a Rebellion vs. Empire conflict, and the showdown between Luke, Darth Vader, and the Emperor.

All three scenes coalesce into one giant culmination of the original trilogy, with each one working as satisfyingly as the other. From major moments like Luke's flirtations with the dark side, Lando's destruction of the Death Star II, or Han's leadership in the forests of Endor, each scene is edited, shot, filmed, and compiled to perfection. The overwhelmingly satisfying way each facet of the Battle of Endor is cut together is a large factor in its high ranking, despite holding the drawbacks of older VFX than the likes of Rogue One or Revenge of the Sith.

2 The Battle of the Heroes

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

​​​​​​​

This fantastic action is then topped off by the most emotional scene in the Star Wars prequels as Obi-Wan bests Anakin, confronting his fallen brother.

While the Star Wars prequels were divisive, one thing many would agree they got right was their action sequences. None proves this better than the Battle of the Heroes and the Duel of the Fates, the former of which is Star Wars' second-best action sequence. The Battle of the Heroes, like the Battle of Endor before it, was the climactic action scene of an entire trilogy. Seeing Anakin and Obi-Wan come to blows was incredibly tragic on an emotional level, but endlessly entertaining from a pure action standpoint.

The choreography of the lightsaber fight in the Battle of the Heroes is arguably Star Wars' best, performed to perfection by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen. The fluidity and impressiveness of the lightsaber combat never waver, even as the fight progresses down a lava river or through the compounds on Mustafar. This fantastic action is then topped off by the most emotional scene in the Star Wars prequels as Obi-Wan bests Anakin, confronting his fallen brother.

1 The Duel of the Fates

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

​​​​​​​

Undoubtedly the pinnacle of Star Wars lightsaber duels, and action sequences as a whole, is Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace's Duel of the Fates. The confrontation between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul is one of the more memorable in the entire franchise. From the brilliant design of Darth Maul, the fantastically choreographed lightsaber duels, and the emotional weight of Qui-Gon's death and Anakin's now-fractured future, the Duel of the Fates has everything fans could want from a Star Wars action sequence.

Even 25 years after The Phantom Menace's release, Star Wars fight scenes are still being compared to the Duel of the Fates. While the Battle of the Heroes came close, the perfected lightsaber combat on display by Ray Park as Darth Maul is still the standout performance. Another standout performance in Duel of the Fates comes from John Williams, who crafted one of the most iconic, instantly recognizable, epic themes in Star Wars history to accompany the battle.

Aside from these technical elements, The Phantom Menace's Duel of the Fates has a wealth of emotional weight. Qui-Gon's death is suitably tragic, as are the ramifications this has on Anakin's future, or fate. Overall, the fact that Duel of the Fates is yet to be topped as an action sequence by modern Star Wars is a testament to its quality, truly proving the climax of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace to be the high bar all future Star Wars productions will strive to sur.