Vote up the best opening sequences from the Star Wars franchise.
As a film franchise with the word "wars" in the title, Star Wars naturally revolves around some scale of conflict, and opening battles in Star Wars help to set the scene in a galaxy far, far away. The best battle scenes in Star Wars range from grand-scale confrontations between space fleets to intimate but high-stakes matches between two light saber-wielding foes. Depending on their scale and level of conflict, Star Wars opening battle scenes help provide the tone for a given episode. Like lightsaber duels, no Star Wars opening battle sequence follows the same trajectory. Naturally, a film such as The Last Jedi, the last to feature characters like Leia Organa, requires much more gravitas and drama than a filler episode like Attack of the Clones.
Because of this, certain Star Wars opening sequences feel much more compelling than others, and it's up to you to settle the score. It comes down to whether you prefer a low-key opening sequence or an epic fight in the depths of space. Unlike the general consensus on Jar-Jar Binks, the best Star Wars opening battle is not as easy to select.
When Vader discovers the Resistance's new base on Hoth, he dispatches troops to destroy it in one of the franchise's most recognizable fights. During this battle, viewers witness the Imperial Walkers for the first time, who lumber across the frozen landscape like monstrous mammoths.
Actors: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker head to Coruscant to rescue Senator Palpatine from General Grievous. Featuring battles between spacecrafts and more intimate conflicts between Jedi, the battle over Coruscant gives the viewers a little bit of everything.
Actors: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson
The scene that started it all, this battle sets the stage for all future Star Wars battles. Stormtroopers, rebels, Darth Vader, and the nervous observations of quirky robots quickly became a winning formula for the franchise.
Actors: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing
One of the lighter openings in Star Wars, the gang must escape from the clutches of Jabba the Hut. With all the heroes sticking it to a mutual foe together, it's hard not to root for them, especially Leia as she gets revenge against the breathing big toe that enslaved her.
Actors: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels
The opening battle between Resistance and First Order ships incorporates new characters and flashy, modern effects alongside the classic elements that make a Star Wars battle. 40 years after her first rodeo, Princess Leia still knows how to fight.
Actors: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega
A darker opening for the franchise, the attack on Jakku involves the First Order decimating a village in search of Luke Skywalker. The brutality of Kylo Ren and his minions makes this less of a battle and more of an elimination, but it does the job of igniting your ire against the First Order.
Actors: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley
