The 25 most iconic Star Wars movie posters of all time

Star Wars Episodes IV, I and VII posters. Composite: Dork Side of the Force.
Star Wars Episodes IV, I and VII posters. Composite: Dork Side of the Force.
9 of 25
Star Wars official poster
Star Wars official poster. Lucasfilm.

9. Star Wars official poster

This poster is probably one of the most well-known images to represent the Star Wars movies and is one of the most famous poster designs in history. The image of Luke holding his lightsaber to the sky with Princess Leia beside him has appeared again and again.

While Leia’s location is clearly meant to invoke the image of the pulpy adventures “leg cling” pose, it’s worth noting that even for the original posters for Star Wars, Leia is on her own, holding a blaster, and just as ready to get involved in the action as Luke.

This poster is actually based on an earlier test poster for the movie, with one of the biggest updates being that in this version of the poster, Luke and Leia are actually modeled after the actors that portray them. (No photo references were provided for the designers of the original test poster.) From the now-iconic tagline at the top of the poster to the raw energy of the lightsaber reaching past the confines of the poster in multiple directions, this poster treats the movie it’s advertising as the biggest thing to come to the screen. The tiny X-Wings on the left side of the poster work together to make a massive armada of spaceships.

Everything about this poster seems to focus on how grandiose the idea of Star Wars is going to be.