Ricky Church with the 10 best quotes from the Star Wars saga…
Anyone whose anyone will recognize lines like “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope’, “No, I am your father” or “May the Force be with you”. The Star Wars saga is chalk full of memorable lines that can be applicable for any daily conversation. Just try standing up at the dinner table and telling your guests “We would be honoured if you would join us.” Everyone will remember you as a total badass.
There are, however, many quotes throughout the franchise that have a lot of great meaning behind them. From wise characters like Yoda to wise-cracking characters like Han Solo, nearly every character has at least one powerful line in the series (well, with the exception of Jar Jar Binks). Here are what I consider to be the ten best lines from the Star Wars films, followed by a brief summary of why I think so.
Do or do not. There is no try. – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
While he didn’t look like much at first, the little green alien proved to be a very wise and powerful Jedi. Yoda is the source of much of Star Wars’ major philosophies. His best-known line is perhaps this one, as he tells the young Luke Skywalker to focus on doing the impossible rather than simply trying. It’s a message of perseverance and patience for anyone trying to find the motivation for something they believe is difficult.
Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid. – Han Solo, A New Hope
Such a simple line, but it establishes so much about everyone’s favourite smuggler/nerf-herder. Han Solo is out all for himself, believing only in what he can see and the value of credits. This line further establishes his cocky attitude and an air of superiority over Luke Skywalker. He believes Luke to be a young and naïve kid, one who doesn’t understand how the galaxy actually works.
This belief slowly changes over the course of the Original Trilogy, but this line retroactively has even bigger impact now as Han is telling Finn and Rey the stories regarding the Jedi and the Dark Side are real. Han Solo, the biggest skeptic in the galaxy who called the Force a hokey religion, has become a believer and is passing on his own knowledge of the Force’s existence to a new generation. Things really have come full circle for Han.
So this is how liberty dies; with thunderous applause. – Padme Amidala, Revenge of the Sith
Yes, a line from the Prequels made it in here. But Padme’s line, spoken just as Palpatine reforms the Republic into the Galactic Empire, speaks volumes to the way Palpatine orchestrated and executed (no pun intended) his devious plot. It wasn’t a sudden, hostile takeover, but a plan meticulously thought out to appear legitimate and scapegoat the Jedi. The fact that so much of the Republic Senate stood behind Palpatine in this measure shows how much he achieved.
This also happens to be Natalie Portman’s best scene and line in all of the Prequel Trilogy. She sounded so sorrowful and convincing in one line than anything she ever said to Hayden Christensen.
Luke, you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Return of the Jedi
Even as a ghost, Obi-Wan Kenobi could still deliver a great amount of wisdom and truth to both Luke Skywalker and Yoda. Though Luke is still reeling from the revelation that Darth Vader truly is his father, Obi-Wan is under the belief that Anakin Skywalker died many years ago. Obi-Wan still lied through a technicality and omission, but this one line also speaks to a very universal truth that, ironically, the truth is subjective.
People will believe whatever they want to believe despite any amount of evidence or people against them. Depending what information they know, from their point of view they’re in the right. The trick through this, as Obi-Wan suggests, is patience and understanding.
He died about the same time as your father. – Owen Lars, A New Hope
No doubt many of you are wondering how such an innocuous line made by a relatively minor supporting character made it onto the list. Though Owen says this to Luke to dissuade him from investigating Old Ben Kenobi, I actually think this is a brilliant line given the full context of Anakin Skywalker’s fall from grace.
As mentioned in the previous line, Obi-Wan firmly believes Anakin Skywalker died the day he became Darth Vader. In a way that is true as Anakin lost everything he loved and fully embraced the Dark Side. But Obi-Wan also lost something significant: he lost his extended Jedi family, his purpose and, ultimately, a friend and brother. From that day on Obi-Wan ceased to be and became Ben Kenobi, a reclusive hermit in the middle of nowhere. In that way, Obi-Wan Kenobi also died soon after Anakin Skywalker did.
Originally published December 15, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
