EDIT: The original post has been updated to include The Rise of Skywalker. TROS spoilers abound! You’ve been warned.

It’s finally come to that time in my life when I have seen Star Wars enough times to determine my own personal ranking for the movies. About two weeks ago, my husband and I watched A New Hope (or, episode IV for those of you who prefer numbers, or “the first one” for those of you who don’t care enough to keep track of the movies*) because we were dogsitting, and the dog owners had the DVD. Mind you, we, too, have the DVD, but we couldn’t resist the lure of the Force. Anyway, at the end of the movie, we obviously decided that we were going to have to continue and watch The Empire Strikes Back (episode V). By the end of that film, we had agreed that we would watch them all–even the less than great ones–over the course of the next two weeks. Because we started with A New Hope, we watched them in the order in which they were released. At some point soon, I’d like to watch them all chronologically (which I’ve never done)–maybe right before The Rise of Skywalker (episode IX) is released.

*If that’s you–whether it’s because you’re new to the Star Wars universe or just got confused along the way–I recommend this handy guide.

It was toward the end of our viewing of Return of the Jedi (episode VI) when I started compiling a list of Star Wars movies ranked from best to worst. Of course, I needed to settle on some criteria. At first, I was just going to rank them based on whether or not they were good movies. That proved to be too limiting. For example, Solo is a good movie, but I have some major beef with its portrayal of Han. Therefore, I came up with three considerations when ranking the films: (1) Is it entertaining? Is it objectively enjoyable to watch? Is it a “good movie”? (2) How well does it fit into the established Star Wars universe? Does it treat the characters fairly? How “Star Wars-y” is it? (3) Do I like it? Now, the third criteria here was added because I have a particular attachment to certain Star Wars movies due to my childhood. I know The Phantom Menace has some bad acting and Jar-Jar is super annoying, but damnit if podracing isn’t one of the coolest things ever. As a kid, if I could have been any Star Wars character, first, it would have been Leia but, second, it would have been Anakin solely because PODRACING! Plus, The Phantom Menace was the first to come out when I was alive, so we had all the action figures and such, ergo I have a serious personal attachment. My point here is really that this list is my own personal ranking. I’m not saying every Star Wars fan should agree with me (my husband has already argued with my list) or that my opinion is better than other fans’. I don’t care if you don’t agree. This is my list, ranked best to worst, with a list of pros and cons for each.

1. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Pros: always been my personal favorite; took what made episode IV great and improved on it; introduction to Yoda; Han Solo and Leia’s relationship; most iconic line in the whole series: “I am your father.”; good setup for episode VI

Cons: literally nothing

2. Episode IV: A New Hope (originally titled just Star Wars) (1977)

Pros: the OG Star Wars; fantastic opening; Leia being an independent, badass woman; introduction to all our favorite characters and machines; Darth Vader is a great villain; Luke turning off targeting computer and destroying the Death Star

Cons: If I’m being picky… Darth Vader/Obi-Wan fight scene (could’ve been better); the ending with the medal ceremony (too cheesy for my taste)

3. Rogue One (2016)

Pros: fills in the major Star Wars question “But how did they get the Death Star plans?”; literally every character in this film is fantastic (Jyn, Cassian, K-2SO, Chirrut, etc.); James Earl Jones is back as Vader; Chirrut’s belief in the Force adds a new dimension to it and the Jedi religion; Eadu; the ending (both when Jyn and Cassian accept death peacefully and the throwback to episode IV)

Cons: Again, if I’m being picky… Because it’s a standalone film, it doesn’t quite capture the sprawling spirit of the other films. The battle scenes are great, but all these great characters die at the end which leaves you a bit sad rather than hopeful (maybe because we know the outcome of the plan to destroy the Death Star).

4. Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

Pros: a really worthy comeback after the disasters of episodes I-III; Rey makes a fantastic hero with her combination of resilience, determination, and desire for family; BB-8 is super cute; Po and Finn’s bromance; Finn’s backstory; return of all the old favorite characters and lots of nods to the earlier films; Kylo Ren is a villain to rival Vader; Han’s death got me (I cry every time.); the ending with Luke Skywalker!!

Cons: Po magically survives the crash on Jakku, and there’s not really an explanation for how… Also, where did Snoke come from? I want answers.

5. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

Pros: Luke Skywalker is way better at the force and wears all black and I am here for it; the rescue of Han Solo on Tatooine; Luke and Leia’s emotional conversation about their relation; Vader saving Luke from the Emperor/Vader becoming good at the end (I love a good redemption story!)

Cons: almost the entire movie takes place on Endor (the planet itself is kinda boring); in comparison to the other movies, the plot is a bit weak (It seems like George Lucas was running out of ideas. “What could make these two parties clash again? Oh, I know! How about another Death Star!” I just wish it was a bit more creative.)

6. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Pros: To quote one of my friends, “It’s way better than you remember it being.” Palpatine basically carries this movie; all dialogue in conversations between Obi-Wan and Anakin about whose side the Jedi should be on; Anakin’s descent into the Dark Side is actually pretty freaking scary (example: he literally murdered children)

Cons: Hayden Christianson still sucks at acting despite Anakin becoming Vader being absolutely terrifying; the CGI is just so, so bad; Padme’s makeup still perfect after childbirth (huge pet peeve: guys in movies get to look beat up after action sequences but the women in the film look airbrushed no matter what happens); Hayden Christianson voicing Vader at the end (like they couldn’t have gotten James Earl Jones to read that one line?); how does Padme go from being really smart to a complete idiot in only three movies??

7. Solo (2018)

Pros: genuinely fun and enjoyable; the train scene; Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover (Nothing to say about them being particularly good or anything–not that either was bad; I just really like them both.); fills in a decent back story for Han, covering Chewie and him becoming friends, acquiring the Millennium Falcon, his “catch phrases”, etc.; the ending where everyone is flipping teams left and right

Cons: fun but not really necessary or that important; Beckett gets over his wife’s death in, like, 5 seconds; L3 can be kinda annoying at times; I really don’t buy Qi’ra being in cahoots with Darth Maul; the biggest issue: Han Solo himself #notmyHanSolo (He just doesn’t have the rogue-ish attitude that Harrison Ford had. Harrison Ford gave Han this rebellious swagger that made him engaging and sexy and cool. Alden Ehrenreich tries to capture it but doesn’t. The only thing this film gets right about Han’s personality is the fact that, despite all his talk, he always does what’s right.)

8. Episode I: The Phantom Menance (1999)

Pros: As I said at the beginning, I have so many positive memories associated with this movie: PODRACING! and Qui-Gon (who I loved so much, I named one of my favorite stuffed animals Qui-Gon Jinn)

Cons: overall just really weak; Jake Lloyd’s terrible acting; Jar-Jar (and not only is he annoying but he’s also essentially useless to the story: he doesn’t even do the one thing they hire him for and then, all of the sudden, he becomes a political attache??)

9. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

Pros: Rey and Kylo Ren’s Force connection, Rey and Kylo Ren killing Snoke then fighting his guards, Kylo Ren trying to get Rey to join him in his desire to rule… Rey and Kylo Ren were the best part of the film and one of my favorite relationships to ever happen in this franchise. Period. Other positives: Luke and Leia’s reunion; Luke struggling with his failure in training Kylo Ren; Luke teaching Rey about the Force and the Jedi; Luke using Force projection to fight Kylo Ren on Crait; the kid at the end who has the ring from the Rebellion (I thought it was a nice touch and emphasized that there is hope left in the Rebellion to succeed.)

Cons: serious continuity issues; Rose (To be clear, I have no beef with the actress; I have beef with the character. My main problem is she literally stops Finn from saving the day because why? She loves him? Also, then, she gets to live to torment us in episode IX.); Finn (mainly because he’s dumb and listens to everything Rose says); Rose and Finn together (literally don’t do the one thing they were suppose to do and end up causing more problems; their entire storyline could be cut and nothing would change); Poe (Why is he suddenly so angsty and rebellious?); Leia just magically surviving in empty space (like, okay, she used the Force or whatever but it was ridiculous and she looked like a poorly conceived Marvel superhero)

Neutral: I feel like I need to add this because so many people took issue with what the writers did to Luke Skywalker’s character. I honestly didn’t. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but the film takes place so far in the future; we have to expect that people change. I actually appreciated the backstory about his relationship with Kylo Ren. However, I completely and totally see why people would be frustrated because I do agree that Luke’s character has changed a lot from the original films. It just didn’t get to me like it did others.

10. Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

Pros: Anakin killing the sand people (literally gave me nightmares as a kid, so it was effective in indicating his descent into the Dark Side); the arena scene (the only redeeming scene in this movie, tbh)

Cons:* overall absolute trash and mostly useless (literally could get rid of it and story would actually not be that hard to follow); way too much romance (And can we talk about the age gap here that just magically disappears between episodes I and II??); most of the dialogue sounds like things no real person would say (example: “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth.” – Anakin creepily stroking Padme’s arm); that one scene where Anakin and Padme literally run through a field and then have a picnic and they’re playing truth or dare or some shit; the CGI is so bad it’s distracting (to be fair, it probably looked dope when it came out, but it has not aged well); the secret marriage at the end (like they are literally both so dumb)

*If you ever want to talk about how much I hate this movie, I would be happy to explain–at an elevated volume–all the things that make this movie so terrible.

11. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Pros: Like episode VIII, Kylo and Rey’s force connection was my favorite part of (read: only thing I liked about) this movie (Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley basically carried this entire film. Without them, it would have been absolute garbage.); Reylo finally becoming a “thing” (con: which is promptly destroyed 5 seconds later… but that line: “I wanted to take your hand–Ben’s hand.” Oh, so perfect.); basically writing Rose out of the film almost entirely; really awesome new planets: Pasaana, Kijimi, and (my favorite) Kef Bir

Note: I feel as though I need to preface my list of cons with a few notes: (1) There are legitimately good things in this movie (see pros above); (2) I know that there are some things they wanted to do with this film but couldn’t due to Carrie Fisher’s untimely passing (like the emotional connection between Leia and Ben was really weak but, theoretically, would not have been had they been able to film new scenes with Fisher as opposed to using B roll); and (3) I decided to rank it lower than episode II because, while I vehemently hate Episode II, at least Episode II had a story (even though it’s mostly a stupid one and the good parts tend to be overshadowed by the overwrought romance plot). Now that’s out of the way…

Cons:* I have lots of questions (How did Chewie survive? Seriously, “another transport”? Also, allowing him to survive totally ruins the impact of Rey’s potential dark side. I felt similarly about the C-3PO memory wipe. Why even bother if you’re going to then ruin the emotional impact by giving it back? Next, Leia trained to be a Jedi?! Don’t even get me started on that… Also, why is whatshisface the mole? It doesn’t make sense, and his motivation was stupid. And, where did Palpatine come from? I mean, honestly, why did they bring him back? And, finally, what was the thing Finn needed to tell Rey? What was it?!); the stormtroopers being able to fly (Save it for the Mandolorians.); the addition of new characters that were largely completely unnecessary (Zorii Bliss, Jannah, Dominic Monaghan’s character, D-0); the attempt to make Po, Finn, and Rey the new Han, Luke, and Leia respectively (which doesn’t really work because Po wasn’t around much during Episode VII and Finn was around much during VIII); the lack of continuity in the two plots that were happening (the battle against the Sith and the Rey/Kylo relationship) which made the film feel like it really should’ve been two movies; so much damn pandering (I thought one of the tweets I read in this perfect Buzzfeed post said it best: the writers were basically like, “You like this right?! Please like this!”); lastly (the big one), the rise of Skywalker wasn’t really the rise of Skywalker at all (Kylo Ren finally becomes Ben Solo–Praise Jesus they did not mess that up!–and he and Rey finally get the opportunity to battle Palpatine together, and Ben just gets cast aside. There should’ve been an epic fight where he and Rey fight Palpatine together! Maybe they should’ve called the movie The Rise of Palpatine if Rey was going to do this whole thing on her own. Anyway, then, after Ben force heals Rey, and they finally kiss and he’s finally smiling and happy and things are perfect and then he just DIES?! Excuse me?! The whole series has been building to a happily ever after for him, and he doesn’t get it. I mean, I see the parallel they were trying to make between his redemption and Vader’s but still… Then, even worse, the film is so rushed that we don’t even get to see Rey mourn for him which makes it seem like their connection was weaker than this film and the previous one implied and really just drives home the idea that Ben Solo doesn’t deserve anything good which is just not true.); in sum: ugh.

*If you ever want to talk about how much I did not like this movie (in addition to episode II), I would be happy to explain–in a 30 minute lecture–all the things that make this movie worst than episode II.

Well, there you have it. Do you agree with my list? How would you order the movies? Want to fight about it? Comment below!

–Mads