With the finale of Season 1 of "Ahsoka" airing this week, as I attempt to avoid thinking about how unwatchable the Toronto Blue Jays are, I figured I’d share my thoughts on my truly subjective ranking of Star Wars movies and shows.
In the past two years or so, I've watched all nine films in the trilogy of trilogies, as well as the standalone movies and each of the series. Did I love them all? I did not. But they're all fresh enough in my mind that now is the time to share my rankings, so here it is.
1. Andor could easily land anywhere in the top 1-4, as it is a series impossible without the universe created by episodes 4-6. Putting a show that lacks both a Jedi and a lightsaber feels somewhat unusual, but it’s prestige TV with incredible performances across the board. I'm looking at you, Andy Serkis. I'm looking at you, Stellan Skarsgard.
2. Empire Strikes Back, often regarded as the best installment in the Star Wars saga, possesses harder and darker edges than "Return of the Jedi" and "A New Hope." It's easy to forget how impressive the plot twists and reveals must be to first-time viewers.
3 Return of the Jedi, the original trilogy's conclusion, delivers a satisfying end to the saga. The redemption of Darth Vader and the final showdown with Emperor Palpatine are iconic moments that make the attempts in episodes 1-3 and 7-9 to hearken back to them look like flimsy copies.
4 A New Hope, the film that started it all, remains a timeless classic. I've watched it more times than I can count.
5 Rogue One easily stands as the best film outside of episodes 4-6. It fills in a critical moment in the timeline leading up to Episode 4 and probably should be called Episode 3.5.
6 The Mandalorian is a solid, if unspectacular, show that cleverly evokes the essence of the enigmatic bounty hunter Boba Fett. This evocative connection to Boba Fett's legacy serves as a nostalgic nod to the original films while paving the way for the new adventures of Din Djarin, the titular Mandalorian.
7 Obi-Wan Kenobi leans on Ewan McGregor to make it work. The inconsistency between the behaviour of Obi-Wan in this show and in A New Hope is tough to reconcile. At first, I wasn't a fan, but upon rewatch, it has grown on me.
8 Ahsoka, with its introduction of witches and other elements like Zombie Troopers and a different kind of sword that isn't a lightsaber or a darksaber, leaves me a bit puzzled.
9 Solo, Is it kind of dumb? Yes. Is it kind of fun? Also yes.
10 The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens are fine. "The Last Jedi" takes risks outside of canon, while "The Force Awakens" feels like it was crafted in a lab to avoid angering the fan base. But neither does enough to deserve a higher ranking.
11 The Book of Boba Fett still leaves me unclear on why it exists or what we're supposed to learn from it. The kids with the scooters seem like they belong in another franchise.
12 Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and The Phantom Menace, I think we can all agree on this placement by now.
13 The Rise of Skywalker – No. It's actually just been the Emperor from episodes 4-6 all along? What a truly incredible lack of imagination.
Photo credit María Ten
