We've all partaken in the casual pastime of sharing our personal rankings of every Star Wars film. There are 12 of them now, counting Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008); The Mandalorian & Grogu will be No. 13.
As Star Wars fans, it's generally understood that ranking the films from best to worst doesn't technically mean the ones at the bottom are bad. It can actually be quite fun to see how much other people's rankings compare to yours. Some people even put Rogue One: A Star Wars Story all the way at the top, though the film's director apparently has it in a different spot on his theoretical list.
"I don’t agree with it, but I appreciate it. I'm very grateful that people say nice things," Gareth Edwards told Business Insider, referring to his film's spot on some fans' rankings list as the best the Disney era has made so far. Which does raise an important question: What IS the best Star Wars film of the past few decades?
It's really all a matter of opinion at the end of the day, since everyone watching a movie comes into it with their own viewing lens. One person might hate Rogue One, while the person sitting right next to them might think it deserves that No. 1 spot. It's very rarely about quality and likely much more about preference.
As an audience member, your experiences largely determine what does and doesn't resonate with you in a film. Looking at Rogue One specifically, maybe you grew up with a great dad, and Jyn Erso's complicated relationship with Saw Gerrera doesn't mean much to you. But someone else who has lived that experience of being abandoned by someone who played a large part in raising them might feel it deep in their soul. One opinion isn't right or wrong; they're just different.
To rank the Star Wars films requires a healthy dose of one's willingness to not take these things too seriously. So many like to joke that Attack of the Clones deserves the bottom spot, but how many of us actually believe that these days? The movie I have at the top of my list isn't even technically the "best"—it's just my favorite. Even the manner in which we construct these lists varies from fan to fan.
Edwards doesn't agree that the film he directed is the best in the franchise of the last decade, and maybe you do too. The real crime here is that he has yet to reveal which movie he thinks is the best of the five that have been released since 2015. Come on, man. That's just cruel.
Elsewhere in his interview, Edwards confirmed he’s not looking to direct another Star Wars movie, stating, "I'm very happy to move on and do my thing."
The director is currently promoting his latest film, Jurassic World Rebirth, out in theaters this Friday.