The Star Wars franchise features many of the most famous, frequently quoted lines in movie history. Select bits of dialogue from the later films might be more appropriately called “infamous.” But more of the series’ best-known quotes are revered for being well-written parts of iconic scenes. Some lines simply delight because of the imagination and personality the filmmakers and actors display.
But others transcend the franchise’s sci-fi setting and have been adopted as common advice on a variety of real-life topics. We’ve put together a list of some of the series’ very best quotes, with some analysis on what makes them so great. For simplicity’s sake, this list is limited to the franchise’s main, 9-film “Skywalker Saga,” though there are plenty of great lines in the spin-off films and TV series as well.
Plenty of others come close but these are arguably Star Wars’ most famous quotes overall:
Scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
This blessing and farewell is used and paraphrased by many different characters throughout the series. It has become a common real world way to wish others good fortune. It is used and understood even by people with minimal knowledge of Star Wars.
Darth Vader’s (James Earl Jones) response to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back is arguably the most famous plot twist in all of cinema.
It is so well-known that most audiences born after the film’s 1980 release learn of the surprise before or without seeing the film in full. It is often misquoted as “Luke, I am your father.”
Also from The Empire Strikes Back is Yoda’s (Frank Oz) firm command to Luke while training him to use the Force. Like many of Yoda’s lines the phrase has been widely adopted as philosophical advice.
The end of Princess Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) holographic message that sets the events of the original film, Episode IV - A New Hope, in motion.
This line introduces the series’ emphasis on the importance of hope. It is used in modified ways throughout pop culture to indicate either optimism or desperation.
Princess Leia’s emotional confession to Han Solo before he is frozen in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back. The line raises the stakes of their relationship and sets up one of the most memorable exchanges in Star Wars history.
Leia’s iconic exchange with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) before the latter is frozen and taken prisoner in The Empire Strikes Back. Ford famously suggested his character’s response over a different scripted line, feeling it was more true to Han’s personality.
The beginning of a warning Yoda gives young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) about how he could be corrupted by the malevolent portion of the Force. The quote, featured in Episode I - The Phantom Menace, succinctly foreshadows Anakin’s tragic development across the Prequel Trilogy.
This simple acknowledgement of foreboding or danger quickly became a franchise tradition. Variations of the phrase are used in all of the numbered, episodic films in the main saga.
However, in Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, it’s delivered in the beeping dialect of robotic droid BB-8, leading many to assume that film broke the pattern.
This recurring line became one of the franchise's most recognizable traditions.
![Every I’ve got a bad feeling about this in Star Wars movies [2021]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TSAbWBGo5aM/hqdefault.jpg)
Take a break and take a look at the above compilation of clips from the Star Wars movie franchise.
Yoda quotes
The character Yoda (Frank Oz) in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
More than those of other characters, many of Yoda's quotes are practical bits of wisdom applicable to real life. The Jedi Master’s unique speech patterns, which often effectively phrase sentences backwards, add to his aura of wisdom and authority.
Franchise creator George Lucas confirmed this was intentional, noting that audiences pay closer attention to speakers they have difficulty understanding, and that Yoda’s role as a “philosopher,” required that kind of focus.
Oz’s delivery of the line is not accompanied by score. This emphasizes Yoda’s firmness and that his point is something Luke needs to learn. Luke obviously doesn’t believe he will succeed in telekinetically lifting his spaceship and is only “trying” to appease Yoda. Yoda knows this and criticizes him for it.
The realistic nature of the dynamic is why the quote has become so widely used outside the franchise context. People often approach difficult tasks with similar attitudes to Luke’s, making a show of “trying” without ever really believing they can or intending to accomplish the tasks.
Yoda’s statement urges against this. He emphasizes the importance of genuine, confident effort and intention.
In addition to foreshadowing Anakin’s future, this scene and line also served as Yoda’s reintroduction for the Prequel Trilogy.
The relatively long dialogue allows Oz to establish the differences in his vocal and puppeteering performances. The eccentric, comical qualities the older Yoda displays in the Original Trilogy are more subdued in The Phantom Menace. The younger version is much more stern and grave in demeanor.
While not as widely quoted as others, the line’s practical meaning urging people not to let fear control them will be obvious to most viewers.
11. “Size matters not.”
Yoda replies by saying, “Size matters not.”
When he successfully lifts the ship, a stunned Luke remarks that, “I don’t believe it,” with Yoda noting “That is why you fail.”
This both emphasizes the points about effort and belief introduced by “Try not. Do,” and has additional significance to the Force mythology. Yoda is trying to teach Luke that with full understanding of and belief in the Force there’s nothing that cannot be done.
This makes the power of the Force seem limitless and is why these sequences are some of the most awe-inspiring in the franchise.
As Luke leaves Dagobah for Cloud City, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s (Sir Alec Guinness) discouraged ghost remarks that, “That boy is our last hope.” But Yoda says,
This is a line that does only work in the narrative context but it’s still iconic given how it sets up the reveal that Leia is Luke’s sister.
The full scene from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
Vader quotes
James Earl Jones’ iconic voice work is key to most of Vader’s best lines. The Sith Lord is direct and concise with his statements, never speaking or boasting of his power more than necessary to make his point.
This contrasts the villainous incarnation of the character with Lloyd and Hayden Christensen’s younger versions of Anakin, who are more talkative.
The horrifying reveal comes at the worst possible time for Luke. He’s just had his hand cut off and is perched on a platform above a seemingly deadly fall to the bottom of Cloud City.
Watch the full scene from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back below.
![I Am Your Father Scene [4k UltraHD] - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Fight Scene (2/2)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GLheiLGZ1k8/hqdefault.jpg)
Director Irvin Kershner and company do excellent work making the viewer feel his desperation. The sound design emphasizes the intense wind, which is also shown making Vader’s cape and Luke’s hair blow around.
John Williams’ score is again absent for Jones’ actual line delivery, before resuming with the Imperial March for Luke’s reaction. This echoes Luke realizing Vader is telling the truth despite outwardly denying it.
Jones is precise and controlled for the main line while his deliveries of Vader’s subsequent offer for Luke to join him grow increasingly unhinged.
The line is one of the first examples of a spoiler a movie production worked extra hard to keep secret. David Prowse, the actor who physically portrays Vader, performed the scene with placeholder dialogue, and was not told of the revelation Jones’ voiceover would replace it with.
In Episode IV - A New Hope, when an Imperial officer brags about the Death Star’s destructive capabilities Vader remarks:
When the officer is arrogantly disbelieving, Vader briefly uses the Force to choke him, saying:
In a similar scene in The Empire Strikes Back he chokes a different officer to death while speaking with him on video call.
That man had made a tactical mistake at the beginning of the Empire’s attack on the Rebel base on the planet Hoth. Vader declares that:
After turning on and defeating Emperor Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) to save his son, Vader asks:
He’s aware doing so will lead him to die and insists, saying:
These lines allow Jones to complete his performance in the trilogy by briefly portraying Anakin, rather than Vader, after he has reclaimed his humanity. Jones does so by imbuing the lines with a previously unused level of tenderness.
Sebastian Shaw plays the unmasked Anakin. He urges Luke to leave him so he can escape, noting that he’s already saved him by helping turn him away from the Dark Side. He says Luke was right about there being good in him and, with his final words, asks him to:
It’s important for the film to show that Anakin loves his daughter as much as Luke since he and Leia don’t share any scenes after his redemption.
![Darth Vader Unmasking & Death Scene [4k UltraHD] - Star Wars: Return of The Jedi](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W32CDBo6Rx8/hqdefault.jpg)
See the full scene from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back above.
Obi-Wan quotes
Both Guinness’ and Ewan McGregor’s portrayals of Obi-Wan are beloved for their own reasons. The older version played by the former is the first experienced Jedi featured in the franchise and as such is Luke and most viewers’ introduction to the Force mythology.
Guinness’ performances have levels of serenity and wisdom that are perfect for this role, and made Obi-Wan the quintessential movie mentor. However, he also conveys a great deal of sadness in scenes focusing on Obi-Wan’s views on the Empire and relationship with Anakin/Vader.
McGregor’s younger version is the heart of the Prequel Trilogy, often serving as the heroic protagonist as Anakin is gradually corrupted. Both actors masterfully imbue even darker scenes with levels of warmth and humor, resulting in many of the saga’s best quotes.
Actor Alec Guinness in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
First, watch the above full scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan senses Vader’s presence on the Death Star and insists on shutting down the tractor beam trapping the Millennium Falcon alone.
He says this line to Luke as both a reminder and farewell and as usual Guinness delivers a perfect mixture of focus, optimism, and sorrow. Obi-Wan repeats the line as a ghost after Luke destroys the Death Star.
In the midst of his final lightsaber duel with Vader, Obi-Wan makes this confident proclamation.
Guinness’ calm conviction makes the viewer share the character’s belief in his ability to transcend death through the Force.
This is confirmed when his body vanishes and he delivers his first ghostly message:
Earlier in A New Hope, Obi-Wan debuts the Jedi mind trick when he convinces a Stormtrooper to let him, Luke, R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), and C3PO (Anthony Daniels) pass.
The line was instantly iconic as one of the first major depictions of the Force’s power. It becomes extra humorous as the franchise continues, given how often the weak-mindedness of Stormtroopers is demonstrated.
Obi-Wan’s chilling observation about the Death Star emphasizes its overwhelming scale as the group unknowingly approaches it.
Guinness briefly removes the usual confident qualities from his performance to portray more plain fear, indicating that the Empire’s super-weapon poses a serious threat.
Actor Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
While this is also Guinness’ first line in the role, it’s arguably become more famously associated with McGregor’s version.
Guinness says the greeting to R2 to try to set him at ease. McGregor does so in an equally lighthearted way after jumping into the middle of a platoon of battle droids to confront them and General Greivous (Matthew Wood) by himself in Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
It’s a welcome dose of humor in the series’ darkest film that also emphasizes young Obi-Wan’s status as a highly entertaining action hero.
The exchange between Obi-Wan and Anakin as the latter lays burning on Mustafar after their lightsaber duel is the devastating emotional climax of the Prequel Trilogy.
McGregor worked closely with George Lucas to ensure the crucial scene was handled as well as possible. Eventually, they changed Obi-Wan’s response to Anakin shouting “I hate you!” from what Lucas had originally scripted.
This ultimately produced the heartbreaking lines that have haunted viewers for more than 20 years:
Watch the full scene from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith below.
Han quotes
Han has many of the series’ best comedic lines and is arguably the single character most responsible for defining Star Wars’ sense of humor.
But there are also plenty of more serious moments throughout the character’s arc that emphasize his growth.
Watch the full scene above from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
It’s now hard for any viewer to imagine this exchange going any other way. Ford’s role in modifying the scene shows how well he understands the character. More than anything, the response demonstrates the supreme self-confidence that makes Han so charming.
But not reciprocating in the expected way by telling Leia he loves her also underlines the grave nature of the scene in The Empire Strikes Back. It also makes it all the more rewarding when the exchange is finally reversed in Return of the Jedi.
Han’s exasperated response to 3PO’s explanation of how unlikely it is that he can navigate the Falcon through an asteroid field perfectly encapsulates his character.
Han’s defined by his history of accomplishing unbelievable things by using strategies most dub insane and/or reckless.
The trend of Han, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and the Falcon being underestimated is established in the characters’ first scene. When Obi-Wan checks to make sure the Falcon is a fast ship, Han is annoyed he and Luke don’t know of it by name, recalling a past success as evidence of its famous speed.
This is also one of many lines from the original film that establishes the expansive scale and history of the Star Wars galaxy, making it a believable, lived-in setting. That kind of world building is why the franchise has remained so successful for so long.
In the original films, Han is extremely skeptical of the Force mythology, in a way that makes him a kind of audience surrogate. But when he meets Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) in Episode VII - The Force Awakens, he confirms that the legends they’ve heard about Luke and the Jedi are true.
He can no longer hide a degree of wonder about the topic but there’s also a haunted quality to Ford’s performance in the scene. This hints at the tragedies he, Luke, and Leia have endured in the years since Return of the Jedi.
Watch the full scene below from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
Luke quotes
Other than his father, Luke is the character that changes most drastically over the course of the Original Trilogy. A New Hope and even portions of The Empire Strikes Back often make Luke come across as whiny and melodramatic.
This does, however, have the unintentional benefit of making his transition into a mature hero in Return of the Jedi even more striking.
The full scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope above.
Luke’s response when his Uncle Owen (Phil Brown) tells him to start preparing R2 and 3PO for farm work is the future Jedi’s most infamous early line.
His subsequent explanation to 3PO that, “If there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet where it’s farthest from,” is a close, angsty second.
Immediately before the “I am your father,” exchange, Luke rejects Vader’s offer to work with him on the Dark Side. At this point, Luke still has a long way to go before becoming a fully realized Jedi.
But his ability to remain defiant against Vader after having just been maimed and while avoiding a lethal fall is an impressive display of willpower.
Luke comes closest to turning to the Dark Side in his final duel with Vader in Return of the Jedi. When Vader threatens Leia, Luke is overcome by anger. His furious barrage of lightsaber blows allows him to overpower his father but he is then on the verge of killing him, to the Emperor’s delight.
After cutting off one of Vader’s robotic hands Luke looks remorsefully at his own. He throws away his lightsaber, and makes this declaration to Palpatine.
This is the moment that completes his heroic evolution and Hamill’s performance has grown alongside the character. He now displays the kind of confident focus that Guinness made a defining Jedi trait.
Watch the full scene below from Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
Leia quotes
Leia is a feminist icon, known for being more capable and well-developed than the female leads of earlier science fiction and fantasy movie stories.
Watch the full scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope above.
Some may argue that this line is evidence against that idea, but Carrie Fisher’s delivery indicates otherwise.
Leia states the message in a resigned, calm manner. She knows she is going to be captured and will need outside assistance to escape, but is by no means panicking.
Her first few scenes alongside Luke and Han completely eliminate any possibility of the character being a damsel in distress.
When Luke comes into her cell in disguise, Leia’s immediate response is to sardonically ask:
She says this with calm and confidence even though she’s already been tortured by the Empire.
Being an experienced Rebel operative, she’s critical of Luke and Han’s lack of precise planning for the rescue.
She immediately grabs a blaster and decides to escape down the garbage chute, noting:
Before the romantic attraction begins, Leia’s dynamic with Han is more plainly adversarial.
After the group escapes the garbage chute she tells the cocky smuggler:
Palpatine quotes
Palpatine’s key lines reveal the thoroughness of his plans, making his rise to power seem inevitable.
Several also emphasize his storyline’s real-world political meanings.
Watch the full scene from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith below.
Palpatine’s boast early in Return of the Jedi, is, of course, not actually true. Despite his careful manipulations and Dark Side-prescience, he fails to predict key events throughout the series, even before Anakin turns on him.
But Palpatine’s icy confidence that he will win is what makes him so terrifying throughout most of the story.
Palpatine’s command for Anakin to kill Count Dooku (Sir Christopher Lee) is one of many Prequel lines to inspire a steady stream of memes. But it is still supremely effective in context. McDiarmid makes the character’s usual mask of civility disappear momentarily, delivering the line with more openly monstrous energy.
But Anakin is too confused by his emotions to notice this shift, and the scene demonstrates the immense influence Palpatine already has over him.
When Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) leads a team of Jedi to arrest Palpatine, the former states that he will be tried in front of the Senate. Palpatine’s chilling response is surprisingly open.
The Republic has been so thoroughly corrupted at this point that he no longer needs to hide his true nature and intentions.
This is one of several instances, many of which are from the Prequels, which highlight the character’s status as a stand-in for real world dictators.
When Anakin asks if deceased Sith Lord Darth Plagueis was really able to prevent people from dying, Palpatine replies with this character-defining assertion.
McDiarmid often imbues Palpatine with a supreme, grotesque smugness throughout the Prequels. This quality is perhaps never more apparent than in this early scene in Revenge of the Sith.
The character knows he has already succeeded in setting up both Anakin’s corruption and that of the Republic itself.
Prequel quotes
Contemporary reviews of the Prequels criticized much of their dialogue for being stilted and unbelievable. However, the trilogy has been widely reappraised as the generation that grew up with it comes of age and many quotes have been more warmly embraced.
That said, there are also plenty of moments that are still mostly known for being unintentionally humorous.
Actor Hayden Christensen in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Anakin’s angsty reply to Padmé Amidala’s (Natalie Portman) recollection of beachfront memories is the most famous example of awkward Prequel dialogue.
And the character’s subsequent attempt to flirt by noting how different Padmé is from sand is definitely still creepy. But the beginning of the scene does make an important distinction between Anakin and his son, even if one finds the actual lines clumsily worded.
Luke doesn’t like growing up on the desert planet of Tatooine because he finds life as a farmer boring. Anakin hated it because he was a child slave. This drastic discrepancy makes it immediately obvious why the characters progress in such different ways.
It makes sense for the second prequel, Episode II - Attack of the Clones, to remind the audience of this.
Anakin’s enthusiasm for the elaborate space battle at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith reestablishes his maverick cockiness and confirms that there will still be some lighthearted scenes, despite the film’s largely bleak tone.
The line is frequently used in memes to indicate the start of an exciting or dramatic event.
The Prequels show how people come to ignore or actively support the erosion of freedom and democracy in exchange for supposed security and order. This in turn allows fascist or otherwise corrupt societies to develop.
Padmé’s disgusted reaction to fellow Senators cheering Palpatine’s announcement that the Republic will become the Empire succinctly surmises these themes. The quote is deservedly seen as one of the trilogy’s best, most prescient moments.
Padmé’s reaction also shows the growing emotional and ideological distance between her and Anakin, who subsequently demonstrates his newfound dedication to fascism when he tells Obi-Wan “If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy!”
Watch the full scene from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith below.
Sequel quotes
The Sequel Trilogy is even more divisive, and the films have not yet aged enough to enjoy the kind of reappraisal the Prequels have received.
But while the challenging productions did result in some infamous scenes and lines, others are more fondly remembered.
Scene from Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens.
The Force Awakens has been criticized for being repetitive of A New Hope in the intervening years. But upon its initial release it was a can’t-miss cultural event with a level of universal popularity that is extremely rare.
Han’s reaction to entering the Falcon for the first time in years mirrored the audience’s excitement at seeing Star Wars return to the big screen. Ford himself seems to genuinely be thrilled at returning to the role and Falcon sets, which makes his delivery extra endearing.
After Finn admits that he exaggerated his knowledge of the First Order’s Starkiller Base, he assumes he, Han, and Chewie can still accomplish their Resistance mission by using the Force.
Han’s reply is a perfect bit of comic outrage from Ford, putting a hilarious spin on the character’s newfound respect for the mythology. The scene quickly became a template for memes used to express annoyance with misunderstandings.
When Luke appears to confront Ben Solo/Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Leia admits that she’s given up hope of Ben turning away from the Dark Side, saying, “I know my son is gone.”
Luke’s response is a simple but encouraging affirmation emphasizing the saga’s themes of spirituality and redemption. However, some have also used it to critique the franchise’s perceived over reliance on nostalgia and continued use of long-established characters.
Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is widely considered the weakest entry in the saga. The decision to resurrect Palpatine as the main antagonist was met with particularly intense criticism.
Resistance pilot Poe Dameron’s (Oscar Isaac) matter of fact announcement of the resurrection does not create the sense of dread it was intended to and has become one of the series’ most heavily mocked lines.
Isaac is one of several Sequel Trilogy cast members who has been publicly critical of some of the films’ storytelling decisions. Many believe his frustration with the franchise seeped into his delivery of the now infamous, and frequently memed, line.
Isaac recently reflected on the scene, noting that it was added to the film during reshoots, and acknowledged that, “I committed to the exasperation, that’s for sure.”
Watch the full infamous scene from Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker above.
What makes a great Star Wars quote?
Great Star Wars lines tend to have some qualities in common. Most of the franchise’s best statements are short and get directly to the point. Likewise, while John Williams’ compositions are instrumental to the franchise overall, Star Wars’ most meaningful dialogue is often delivered with little or no music.
Several key lines have multiple meanings, either because an actor’s delivery adds specific connotations, or cultural changes alter interpretations. And while some of the series’ dialogue simply describes its fantastical world, many of the best Star Wars quotes are relevant to viewers’ real lives.
The most famous Star Wars quote is “May the Force be with you.” Versions of the mystical blessing are used by various characters throughout the franchise. The best-known single quote is arguably Darth Vader’s statement “No, I am your father,” which he says to Luke Skywalker. That line is often misquoted as “Luke, I am your father.”
Yoda’s most famous quote is “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try,” from The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda delivers the line while training Luke as a Jedi but it has transcended the original context. One of the most frequently used quotes in popular culture, it’s now an aphorism about the importance of effort and confidence.
Many characters throughout the Star Wars franchise use variations of the phrase “May the Force be with you,” on many occasions. The first to use the precise, original wording of the line are minor character General Dodonna and lead Han Solo in the first film, A New Hope.
The unique setting of the Star Wars galaxy influences the writing of the films’ scripts. To see how great screenwriters handle different topics and worlds, read our article on the Best Movie Scripts of All Time.
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