Star Wars: Ranking Every Final Battle From Worst To Best
4. Return Of The Jedi
Lando piloting the Falcon in what was the biggest space battle the franchise had attempted thus far, Han and Leia working alongside Chewie and the Ewoks to defeat an army of stormtroopers and disable the shields, and Luke and Vader one of the most emotionally charged duels of the entire saga. Yep, this finale is a winner.
It also benefits from a huge sense of finality. It truly feels like the final battle between the Empire and the Rebellion, where only one can survive. This is obviously aided by the fact that Luke and Vader's showdown mimics this exact dynamic, where clearly only one of them will get out alive this time. This finale also features Ian McDiarmid's first appearance as The Emperor, and right out of the gate, he absolutely kills it.
In its final moments, as Vader turns on the Emperor to save Luke, the film offers up a thematically resonant ending to not only just the original trilogy but also to the as-of-yet-unmade prequel trilogy as well, which just makes it all the more effective.
Also, who doesn't love a good Ewok party?