In this era of movie mega-franchises, few loom larger than Star Wars. What started as one 1977 blockbuster is today every bit as much a cultural phenomenon as it was nearly 50 years ago, with a whole universe of movies, TV shows, books, and video games, and new additions to the canon being released seemingly every year (especially on the TV front).
There’s no denying that the Star Wars films have been financial juggernauts. Of the 12 official Star Wars films, five have topped $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue, according to The Numbers: 1999’s “The Phantom Menace,” 2015’s “The Force Awakens” (breaking records for highest-grossing opening weekend and the fastest film to gross $1 billion), 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi,” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” All the Star Wars films combined have grossed over $10 billion at the box office.
When a franchise is so successful, there are bound to be some quotes that make their way into the public consciousness, and Star Wars has no shortage of them, especially from the original trilogy.
The most famous quotes from Star Wars are more than just movie quotes; they’re phrases that have entered the cultural lexicon and aren’t going anywhere. The majority of the most legendary Star Wars quotes come from the original trilogy and were uttered by Luke, Leia, Han, or Darth Vader at crucial moments – the perfect line at the perfect time. They shocked us, made us laugh, and added a human element – they stuck in our minds for one reason or another. While most likely not all of these quotes are ones you know by heart, the ones you do are up there with the greatest movie quotes of all time.
“I am your father.”
- Character: Darth Vader
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“May the Force be with you.”
- Character: Multiple characters
- Film: Multiple films
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
- Character: Princess Leia
- Film: “A New Hope”
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
- Character: Yoda
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
- Character: Multiple characters
- Film: Multiple films
“It’s a trap!”
- Character: Admiral Ackbar
- Film: “Return of the Jedi”
“That’s no moon.”
- Character: Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Film: “A New Hope”
“Never tell me the odds!”
- Character: Han Solo
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
- Character: Darth Vader
- Film: “A New Hope”
“It’s the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.”
- Character: Han Solo
- Film: “A New Hope”
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”
- Character: Yoda
- Film: “The Phantom Menace”
“You stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!”
“Who’s scruffy-looking?”
- Character: Princess Leia & Han Solo
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“That’s not how the Force works!”
- Character: Han Solo
- Film: “The Force Awakens”
“The Force is strong with this one.”
- Character: Darth Vader
- Film: “A New Hope”
“Laugh it up, fuzzball.”
- Character: Han Solo
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
- Character: Princess Leia & Han Solo
- Film: “The Empire Strikes Back”
“You’ve failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”
- Character: Luke Skywalker
- Film: “Return of the Jedi”
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”
- Character: Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Film: “A New Hope”
“I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere.”
- Character: Anakin Skywalker
- Film: “Attack of the Clones”
“Chewie, we’re home.”
- Character: Han Solo
- Film: “The Force Awakens”
“So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.”
- Character: Padmé Amidala
- Film: “Revenge of the Sith”
“You don’t know the power of the Dark Side.”
- Character: Darth Vader
- Film: “Return of the Jedi”