Star Wars: Ranking All The Movie Endings From Worst To Best

Well, given that the conclusion to Empire features one of the greatest twists in movie history, we couldn't really have picked any other Star Wars film for the top spot, could we?

The ending to The Empire Strikes Back - still unquestionably the best Star Wars movie of the lot, by the way - is the moment the franchise had been building to at that point as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader finally throw down in a lightsaber battle. In a great bit of writing, however, Luke proves to be no match for Vader and ends up losing his hand in the fight. That's right; the bad guy wins. It's a masterstroke, showing how the heroes don't always come out on top.

Then, after Luke refuses to join the Dark Side, Vader delivers the immortal line; "No, I am your father". It's a shocking moment and it still stands up today, 36 years later. Meanwhile, Han Solo has been captured by the Empire and the movie ends with Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca setting off in the Millennium Falcon to try and save him. While some may balk at a cliffhanger ending, this one was incredibly well done and the failings of the heroes here sets up the action perfectly for their eventual victory in Episode VI.