Sunday Best: Top 10 Greatest Star Wars Deaths

 May the Fourth Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day!

There has been a great deal of debate in the fandom (when has there not been) about the state of Star Wars.  Many people have been saying things like "Star Wars is dead."  

I am not here to debate that point.  But the two concepts got me thinking: death and Star Wars.

So while it might sound morbid, I thought I would make a list of the Top 10 Greatest Star Wars deaths.

By "greatest" I mean the most impactful emotionally.  But that doesn't always mean that the emotion is positive or negative.  In fact, I find one of the deaths consistently funny.  But here, it has to make a lasting emotional impression.  For that reason, I can imagine that these will be highly subjective.  Feel free to disagree or debate me on these points.  

Be warned:  SPOILERS FOR ALL STAR WARS MOVIES AND TV SHOWS BELOW.

10.  Greedo (A New Hope)

This scene is amazing for a number of reasons.  You learn so much about Han Solo in this scene: he plays like he a cool guy, quick with his wit.  But beneath the surface, he has such lethal intent.  The version where Han shoots first emphasizes this point so well.  Even though I know this death is coming, I am constantly drawn in by how Han feigns relaxation only overtake his enemy.

9.  Admiral Ozzel (The Empire Strikes Back)

I laugh every time I see this scene.  There is something so darkly humorous about all the elements.  First of all, Vader kills him over what is essentially a zoom call.  Second, Admiral Piett squirming as he steals glances at Ozzel while trying to keep his attention on Vader is incredibly funny.  Finally, when Ozzel does keel over, the technician in the background looks down and then at the camera and then back to work while Ozzel gestures to someone off screen to collect the body.  One of the funniest moments in the series.

8.  Darth Maul (Rebels)

This is not the seeming death found in The Phantom Menace, but the one we see in Rebels.  You expect a knock-down epic battle between him and Obi-wan. Instead, it is over before you know it and in the end you are filled with an overwhelming sense of sadness, despite all of the evil he committed.  Very well done.

7.  Qui-Gon Jinn (The Phantom Menace)

Arguably the most significant death in the entire series, since his loss leads to the tragedy of the the saga.  Everytime I watch it, I ams still on the edge of my seat.  Qui-Gon stood as the most heroic figure of this film and to see him fall has a big impact.

6.  Han Solo (The Force Awakens)

I know a lot of people cry fowl on this one, but I think this was a powerful death scene.  It is also one of the best scenes that JJ Abrams shot for either of his Star Wars movies, with the interplay of color, light, and shadow.  But what was powerful about this is the feeling of a father doing anything to save his son, even if the son is too far gone to be saved at this point.  And then even after that ultimate betrayal, Han's last act is to caress his son's face with love.

5. Yoda (Return of the Jedi)

The entire scene is filled with sadness. Almost all of the deaths in Star Wars are violent ones.  But this captures the feeling of losing a loved one to age.  It is a tender scene that is filled with a profound sense of loss, where the final parental figure is gone and Luke now has to stand on his own as a man.

4. Kanan (Rebels)

Whenever I think of Rebels, this is the first scene that comes to mind.  It was so shocking to watch, because there didn't seem to be anything in the set up that this scene would be anything other than a typical rescue mission.  But then when the moment arrives, you can feel the weight of the moment.  The visuals and music are perfectly done.  And it stirred me deeply that his eyesight was restored one more time so that the last thing he saw was a vision of those he loved.

3. The Ewok (Return of the Jedi)

One of the most profoundly sad moments in the entire saga is this death.  Two ewoks are running through the woods when laser fire explodes.  Both fall to the ground.  One gets up and grabs the hand of the other to keep running.  But the other does not stir.  The standing ewok shakes his friend, but he still does not move.  Realization comes over him and despite the danger around him, the living ewok falls to his knees and embraces his dead companion.  The scene is only a few seconds long without any words.  But to every child who saw it, it conveyed the horrors of war and how the good guys can die and have their hearts broken.

2. Obi-Wan Kenobi (A New Hope)

Watching this moment in the context of the prequels, Clone Wars, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, you can feel an even greater weight to it than when it was originally shown in the original Star Wars.  Obi-Wan's entire journey leads him to this moment.  And then while fighting with his best friend, he looks over and sees Luke and Leia together for the first time since they were born.  And in that moment, he knows that it is his time to exit the narrative.  That knowing smile he gives always fills me with sadness as he serenely raises his lightsaber and sacrifices himself so that there can be born a new hope.

1. Anakin Skywalker (Return of the Jedi)

Everything about this death is amazing. It brings Anakin's entire story to a close with his move to redemption.  He cannot live because he has to pay for his sins.  But he gets to die as a man and not a monster.  He sheds his Darth Vader persona to reveal the scarred and broken good man who had been hidden deep down all along.  Luke finally sees his father as he is: not as a legend or a demon but simply as a man.  And it sums up the beautiful themes of the series when Luke says he has to save Anakin, his father simply replies, "You already have."  Anakin learns the lesson that he failed to learn with Padme: ultimate salvation is not of the body but of the soul.  And then as he dies they play that Imperial March, but as individual strings plucked in gentle morning of a lost father.

Thoughts?