Here are some movie clips to remind you of past Star Wars movies!
How would you rate the movies?
Agree? Disagree?
George Lucas released the first Star Wars movie, "Star Wars" (later renamed "A New Hope (Episode IV))" in 1977, followed by two sequels, "The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V)" released in 1980, and "The Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) released in 1983. After a 16-year break, Lucas opted to release Star Wars three "prequels", telling the Star Wars stories of events leading up the time of "A New Hope".
The Phantom Menace (Episode I)
"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was released in 1999. Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-wan Kenobi, are sent to Naboo to settle a trade dispute. In an attempt to take Naboo's Queen Amidala to Coruscant to plead her case, their damaged ship is forced to land on Tatooine. Qui-gon and the Queen's handmaiden, Padmé, soon meet Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old boy, the slave of Watto, a scrap dealer. Qui-gon suspects Anakin may be the "Chosen One" who will bring balance to the "Force". He wins a bet on a podrace with Watto and secures Anakin's freedom. On their way back to their ship, they encounter a mysterious being that Qui-gon believes to be a Sith. Qui-gon tells the Jedi Council about the suspected Sith, and that he wants to train Anakin to be a Jedi. Sensing the boy's fear, the Council denied his request. The group returns to Naboo, where the Queen forms an alliance with the Gungans to battle against the Federation army. In the meantime, Qui-gon and Obi-wan battle with Darth Maul, the Sith apprentice. While Obi-wan was able to kill the Sith, Qui-gon was fatally injured. Before dying, he extracted a promise from Obi-wan that he would train Anakin to be a Jedi. At Qui-gon's funeral, the Jedi Council are left to wonder about the Sith, whether he was the master or the apprentice, for the Sith followed the Rule of Two (one master and one apprentice).
Attack of the Clones (Episode II)
“Attack of the Clones (Episode II)” was released in 2002. It's ten years later and the galaxy is in turmoil after the invasion of Naboo. Padmé Amidala, formerly the queen, is now a Senator, returning to Coruscant to vote on the formation of a Republic army. While under the protection of Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, an assassination attempt was made on her life. Anakin and Obi-wan pursued the assassin in a high speed space chase. She was captured, but died before revealing the name of her employer. Obi-wan discovered the poison dart was manufactured on the planet of Kamino. Obi-wan travelled to Kamino while Anakin escorted Padmé back to Naboo. On Kamino, Obi-wan discovered that a long-dead Jedi had arranged for a clone army to be built from the genetic material of a bounty hunter, Jango Fett, and that Jango Fett had hired the assassin. He battled Jango, but Jango escaped with his son, Boba. Obi-wan then tracked them to Geonosis. In the meantime, Anakin and Padmé fall in love. Against Obi-wan's orders, Anakin and Padmé travelled to Tatooine, where Anakin met his stepfather, Cliegg Lars, and stepbrother, Owen. He learned his mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. He searched for her, but found her too late. In his anger, he killed all the Tuskens. Meanwhile, on Geonosis, Obi-wan was captured by Count Dooku, a former Jedi, now a Sith known as Darth Tyranus. Dooku told Obi-wan that a Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, was controlling the Republic. Anakin and Padmé were captured, and along with Obi-wan, sentenced to death in a gladiator arena. The Jedis arrived in time to rescue the prisoners, with Yoda leading a group of clone troopers. In a lightsaber battle with Count Dooku, Obi-wan was injured and Anakin lost his right hand. Yoda arrived and battled Dooku, but Dooku escaped to Coruscant with the plans for a new super-weapon. Darth Sidious gloated that things were going according to plan since the galaxy was at war. Anakin and Padmé secretly married on Naboo.
Revenge of the Sith (Episode III)
“Revenge of the Sith (Episode III)” was released in 2005. During a battle between the Separatists and the Republic, Obi-wan and Anakin rescued Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from Separatist General Grievous. The two Jedis engaged Count Dooku in a lightsaber battle. At the urging of Palpatine, Anakin killed an unarmed Count Dooku, in violation of Jedi beliefs. The two Jedis returned to Coruscant, where Anakin rendezvoused with Padmé, who revealed she was pregnant. At first excited, Anakin had premonitions that Padmé died in childbirth. Palpatine insisted that Anakin be placed on the Jedi Council as his representative. The Council reluctantly agreed, but denied Anakin the rank of Jedi Master and asked that he spy on the Chancellor. Anakin became disenchanted with the Jedi. Palpatine told Anakin that the Sith had the power to prevent death, and that he was a Sith. Anakin reported this news to the Jedi Council. Four Jedi Masters, including Mace Windu, confronted the Chancellor and engaged in a lightsaber battle. Due to Anakin's interference, Windu, the lone survivor, was killed. Anakin pledged to become a Sith and was renamed Darth Vader. Darth Sidious issued "Order 66" (the extermination of all the Jedis). Anakin was ordered to kill all the Jedi at the Jedi Temple and the Separatist leaders hiding on Mustafar. Obi-wan and Yoda returned to the Jedi Temple, where they discovered everyone dead, including “younglings”; all killed by Anakin. Obi-wan warned Padmé about Anakin's turn to the dark side. Padmé followed Anakin to Mustafar, not knowing Obi-wan was hiding on board. While Padmé was talking to Anakin, Obi-wan revealed himself. In anger, Anakin forced choked Padmé into unconsciousness. Obi-wan and Anakin engaged in a lightsaber battle over the lava pits. Obi-wan left a severely dismembered Anakin to die and returned to assist Padmé. Meanwhile, Darth Sidious rescued Anakin, taking him to medical care where he was fitted with a mechanical body. Padmé delivered twins: a boy, Luke, and a girl, Leia, before dying. Yoda and Obi-wan decided to hide the twins from the Emperor. Leia was adopted by Alderaan Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Breha, while Obi-wan delivered Luke to Anakin's stepbrother, Owen Lars, and his wife, Beru. Before going in to exile on Dagobah, Yoda taught Obi-wan how to commune with the spirit of Qui-gon.
A New Hope (Episode IV)
The first Star Wars movie, "Star Wars", later renamed "A New Hope (Episode IV), was released in 1977. The galaxy is in civil war. Rebel spies, led by Princess Leia, have stolen plans to the empire's new secret weapon, but are under attack by Darth Vader's forces. Before being captured, the princess hid the plans in an astromech droid called "R2D2". The droid and fellow droid C3PO escaped to the planet Tatooine. Both were captured by Jawa traders and sold to Owen Lars, and his nephew, 19-year-old Luke Skywalker. While cleaning the droids, Luke discovered part of a message for an “Obi-wan Kenobi”. That night, R2D2 escaped. Because of the dangerous Sand People, it wasn’t until morning that Luke could search for the droid. Luke learned that "Ben Kenobi" was Obi-wan Kenobi, a famous general and Jedi Master during the Clone wars. Obi-wan described "The Force" to Luke, and told him that his father was a Jedi Knight who had fought alongside him during the Clone wars. He said that his father was betrayed and killed by Darth Vader, Obi-wan's former pupil who turned to the dark side of the Force. Obi-wan viewed the holographic message from Princess Leia, where she begged him to take the plans to her father on Alderaan. Obi-wan invited Luke to join him but he declined until he discovered that his uncle and aunt had been killed by stormtroopers. Obi-wan hired a space smuggler, Han Solo, and his co-pilot, a Wookiee named "Chewbacca", to take them to Alderaan on the Millennium Falcon. When they arrived at Alderaan, they discovered it had been destroyed by the Death Star in an attempt to get Princess Leia to reveal the location of the hidden rebel base. The ship was caught in a tractor beam and brought inside the Death Star. While Obi-wan went to disable the tractor beam, Luke found out the Princess was on board, scheduled for execution. He, Han and Chewbacca rescued her. After disabling the tractor beam, Obi-wan engaged in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. He allowed himself to be killed to become one with The Force and to become more powerful. Han, Luke, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids escaped the Death Star but were tracked. At the rebel base on Yavin IV, Han prepared to leave with his payment for providing passage to Alderaan. Rebel leaders had analyzed the plans and found a weakness: that small ships could evade enemy fire. The crews went to their ships and took off to engage the imperial troops. After several attempts and severe losses, Luke, one of the few surviving pilots, prepared to make a final attack run. While Vader and a group of TIE fighters prepared to attack Luke's ship, Han Solo unexpectedly returned, destroyed the TIE fighters and caused Vader's ship to ricochet off into space. Encouraged by the voice of Obi-wan to "use The Force", Luke destroyed the Death Star before it could fire on the rebel base. For their heroism, Princess Leia awarded medals to Luke and Han.
The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V)
“The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V)” was released in 1980, and the story takes place three years after the first Star Wars movie. The rebels, led by Princess Leia, are hiding on the ice planet Hoth. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were setting sensors, when Luke saw something and went to investigate. He was attacked and held prisoner by a wampa. When he didn’t return to base, Han went out to rescue him. Luke had escaped from the wampa, and while lying near death, was told by Obi-wan Kenobi to go to Dagobah to train with Master Yoda. Probe drones sent by Darth Vader soon found the rebels; an attack began and the base was overrun. Trapped by debris and unable to get to her ship, Princess Leia escaped with Han, Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 on the Millennium Falcon, eventually hiding in an asteroid field. After leaving the asteroid field, Han decided to get help from an old rival, Lando Calrissian, administrator of Cloud City, a gas mining colony. Vader hired bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, to find Han and Leia, in order to set a trap for Luke Skywalker. At the Cloud City, Lando reluctantly agreed to turn Han over to Boba Fett and Leia and Chewbacca to Darth Vader. Han was encased in carbonite and given to Boba Fett to take to Jabba the Hutt. Lando, Leia, Chewbacca and the droids escaped. Luke arrived at the Cloud City and engaged in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. In the duel, Vader cuts off Luke's right hand. He then revealed that he was Luke's father. Repulsed by the news, Luke refused his offer to rule the galaxy and threw himself down an airshaft. He sent a telepathic message to Leia and was rescued by Lando and Leia. After receiving a robotic artificial hand, Leia helped Luke recuperate while Lando and Chewbacca, in the Millennium Falcon, went to find Han.
Return of the Jedi (Episode VI)
"The Return of the Jedi (Episode VI)", was released in 1983. As part of Luke Skywalker’s plan to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, Leia, disguised as a bounty hunter, infiltrated Jabba's palace on Tatooine and freed Han from the carbonite. They were discovered; Leia was enslaved and Han was made a prisoner. Luke arrived and allowed himself to be imprisoned. Both Han and Luke were sentenced to a long painful death by ingestion by the Sarlaac. On Jabba’s sail barge hovering over the Sarlaac, Luke broke free and a battle ensued. Leia choked Jabba; Boba Fett was knocked into the Sarlaac; and Jabba's sail barge was destroyed. While Leia and Han reunited with the rebels, Luke returned to Dagobah to complete his training with Yoda, only to discover that Yoda was dying. Yoda confirmed that Vader was Luke's father and later Obi-wan confirmed Luke's "feelings" that Leia was his sister. The rebels learned of a new Death Star, with Vader and the Emperor on board, to oversee its construction. The rebels initiated plans to destroy it: Han, Leia, and Luke, using a stolen Imperial shuttle, led a strike team to the planet of Endor, to destroy the shield generator protecting the Death Star. Lando, in the Millennium Falcon, was leading the attack on the Death Star. On Endor, the group formed an alliance with the Ewoks, small but fierce warriors. Luke decided to confront Vader to try to turn him to the good side of “The Force”. Before leaving, he told Leia that she was his sister. He surrendered to Vader and was turned over to the Emperor. The Emperor told Luke that his friends were walking into a trap, and he encouraged Luke to turn to the dark side to take his father's place in ruling the galaxy. Luke refused and fought a lightsaber duel with Vader. Vader sensed Luke’s feelings for “his sister”, and after indicating he would turn her to the dark side, Luke ferociously attacked and defeated him. When the Emperor encouraged him to kill Vader, Luke refused. The Emperor started to kill him with "Force Lightning". Vader, seeing his son suffering, killed the Emperor, bringing balance to "The Force" and redemption for himself. Mortally wounded by the "Force Lightning", Anakin Skywalker emerged and father and son were united. Meanwhile, on Endor, the Ewoks and rebels fought the Imperial troops. The shield generator was destroyed and the fighters were able to commence their attack on the Death Star. Luke, dragging Anakin's body, escaped minutes before the Death Star blew. Seeing the blast from Endor, Han assured Leia that Luke was safe, and thinking she had romantic feelings for Luke, offered to step aside. Leia told Han that Luke was her brother. Luke returned to Endor, where he built a funeral pyre for Anakin. He rejoined the rebels, and as they were celebrating the victory over the Empire, he saw the spirits of Yoda, Obi-wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker watching over them.
Questions? Contact Jane Eichenberger