A long time ago ...

(You know the rest.)

As hard as it for some of us Olds to believe, Star Wars is almost 50 years old. For half a century this galaxy filled with Jedi and Sith, Rebels and Empires, has proven an endless source of fascination and sometimes unhealthy fixation. Although it’s gone through periods of inactivity, it always seems to return like the Jedi — most recently in 2026’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, a continuation of the hit Disney+ series about the mysterious bounty hunter and his youthful Yoda sidekick.

But which Star Wars is the best? And, maybe more contentiously, which one is the worst? Today at ScreenCrush we’re ranking them at all. Or at least we’re ranking all the theatrical features; none of the direct-to-TV (or video) films are included. (Apologies, Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure fans.) It just didn’t seem fair to judge The Empire Strikes Back according to the same standard as say The Star Wars Holiday Special. That would be like comparing apples to orange-flavored poop. No one wants that.

Without further ado, here’s a ranking guaranteed to make at least a few of you scream “NOOOOoooooo!” like a devastated Anakin Skywalker right after he’s shoved into an unwieldy suit of black armor. If you do hate our list like you hate sand, we’re very sorry. At least it’s not coarse, rough, and irritating!

READ MORE: A Brutally Honest Kid Reviews The Mandalorian and Grogu

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