Star Wars is loved not just for its action and special effects, but also for its amazing quotes. Here are the best ones from each film in the original trilogy.
The original Star Wars trilogy is considered by most to be the best. It has the best characters, story, and overall moments. It’s a nearly flawless series of films that are near and dear to the hearts of those who grew up watching them as the only source of Star Wars.
Not only does this trilogy consist of a great overall story with amazing characters but it has plenty of great lines that these characters get to speak. Some of these may be thoughtful mind provoking quotes, others may just be moments that show the true heart of the heroes we are rooting for.
Here is a list of the best quote from each film in the original trilogy.
“Who’s the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?” – Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a wise old hermit when we meet him in A New Hope. He has a mysterious background, as there is a droid searching for him with an important message. Luke ends up finding the old recluse, who brings him on a life-changing journey.
Ben, as he’s known to Luke, tells the young naive farm boy tales from a more civilized age. Luke is fascinated by these and is basically entranced any time the wise old Jedi speaks. Later in the film, Obi-Wan meets Han Solo, who isn’t as enthralled with the wise old man as Luke is, as he has more street smarts and grew up a little more well versed in the real world.
After the group is pulled into the Death Star via its tractor beam, they quickly come up with a plan that involves hiding in the smuggling compartments of the Falcon. As they are coming out of hiding, Han gripes about the effectiveness of sneaking around, and Obi-Wan quips back, “Who’s the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him?” This is a great line and one that parents have certainly pressed upon their children a time or two.
It’s easy for kids to fall to peer pressure. If a friend or group of friends is doing something they know isn’t right, they could feel obligated to join them. If they were told this wise logic by Obi-Wan, they’d realize they are a bigger fool for following someone who is doing something they know is wrong and would opt to not repeat that mistake in the future.
“I love you…I know” Leia Organa & Han Solo
This isn’t so much a quote as it is a combination of quotes, but it is easily my favorite back and forth in the entire saga. This line is so great it beats out some of Yoda‘s classics like “Do or do not, there is no try,” “Wars not make one great”, and “Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter.”
Han Solo is facing what could be his death. The carbon freezing chamber on Bespin hasn’t been used on humans and he’s basically a test subject. Lando is a gambling man and doesn’t like the odds of his friend surviving the process.
Throughout the film, Han is trying to woo Leia and earlier is able to steal a passionate kiss from her. As he’s about to be lowered to what could be his death, Leia breaks free from the stormtrooper that his holding her, and tells Han, “I love you.” This is clearly what he has wanted all movie long, and instead of giving the standard “I love you too” he responds in a way that only the cocksure scoundrel can, with “I know.”
Keeping his cocky demeanor even in the face of almost certain death, brought Han Solo to the highest level of badass there is. He clearly loves Leia too, and this is his way of telling her while staying true to himself. It’s such a smooth line, and one of the best all-time responses in the history of cinema, if not the best.
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“So be it…Jedi” -Emperor Palpatine
The Emperor is so well played by Ian McDiarmid throughout the saga, but in Return of the Jedi we get our best and longest look at who this epitome of evil is. The Emperor is a powerful master of the Dark Side. He clearly enjoys destroying his enemies and takes pleasure in their suffering. Not only does he like destroying those who would oppose him, but he also relishes toying and teasing them.
When he has Luke aboard the Second Death Star and shows him the trap the Rebel fleet is flying into, he mocks him in a fake sympathetic voice. He also tells Luke his faith in his friends is his weakness and tells him his father can never be turned from the Dark Side.
After resisting the urge to turn to the Dark Side, Luke informs the Emperor that he’s failed and that he will never turn to the darkness. He tells the Emperor that he’s a Jedi like his father before him. The Emperor takes offense to this but then responds with a challenge to Luke when he tells him “So be it…Jedi.”
This line is great for a couple of reasons. First of all, it shows the extreme confidence and arrogance the Emperor has in his powers. He is basically telling Luke to bring it on and believes 100% that Luke, even as a Jedi, has no shot to destroy him.
The other thing it shows is that the Emperor is acknowledging Luke as a Jedi, and sees him as such. This is the part of the saga where the Jedi truly return, and it is in Luke refusing to kill Darth Vader and standing up to the epitome of evil that is the Emperor.
What are some other great lines from the original trilogy?