Top 10 Scenes That Ruined Star Wars for Fans
#10: Lost the Will to Live
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“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005) Death is a solemn occasion, particularly when it’s related to childbirth. But the death of Padmé Amidala had fans groaning instead of weeping. After her confrontation with Anakin, Padmé is left heartbroken and ready to deliver her twins. However, her droid doctor informs Obi-Wan and company that while she’s fine physically, she has “lost the will to live.” And she dies. Sure, people dying of a broken heart is medically possible, but it’s hardly narratively satisfying, and it sounds more like poetic license. As it is, this felt to many fans like a half-baked way of killing Padmé off without having Darth Vader be directly responsible.
#9: Rose Saves Finn
“Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017) Usually, when one character saves another from certain death, everyone is on board. Not so here. With the Resistance cornered and the First Order firing death beams at their door, Finn is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to crash his vehicle into the weapon to save the Resistance. Except, Rose decides to crash her ship into his, stopping him - from saving everyone! And then she kisses him. Sure, Luke ends up buying time for everyone to escape, but Rose didn’t know that would happen. Or that the First Order wouldn’t just shoot them after saving Finn! A kiss after all that feels so ill-timed. We can see why this was the last straw for some fans.
#8: Jar Jar Gives Palpatine Emergency Powers
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“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” (2002) People don’t like Jar Jar. That’s no secret. But while his “comedic” relief was understandable, if annoying, there are those who took even more issue when he affected the plot. Jar Jar is responsible for proposing that Chancellor Palpatine be given emergency powers by the Senate to draft the Clone army. This effectively makes Jar Jar partially responsible for the rise of the Emperor and the Empire. Granted, Palpatine and his flunky put the idea in his head, but it’s still galling for fans to know that so much evil came about because this floppy-eared dope made a speech. And speaking of divisive characters…
#7: Rey Skywalker
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“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” (2019) Rey has been a lightning rod of a character since her introduction. But her final scene in the sequel trilogy had fans demanding their money back. On Tatooine, Rey lays the lightsabers of Luke and Leia to rest in the sand, while igniting her own lightsaber. Then, an old woman asks her name. Rey responds with her first name, and then, after looking at Luke and Leia’s Force ghosts, tells her: “Rey Skywalker.” A character that’s already so divisive inheriting the Skywalker legacy and name had many fans outraged. Plus, it kind of goes against what Rey learned in the trilogy – that legacy doesn’t need to define you.
#6: Leia Flies in Space
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“Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017) She flies now? She flies now. “They fly now!” “They fly now?” “They fly now.” People were about as amused with this development as that gag. After being blown out into space, Leia uses the Force to propel herself back to the ship; miraculously surviving being in vacuum. While “The Last Jedi” introduced several new Force abilities, this one had a lot of fans crying foul, if only because of how ridiculous it looked. Plenty compared Leia to Mary Poppins. As much as we’ve all looked forward to Leia using the Force onscreen, the effect was less “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and more “quite atrocious.”
#5: “Somehow, Palpatine Returned”
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“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” (2019) The “Star Wars” franchise has some of the clunkiest dialogue in cinema. We can acknowledge this, and still love it. But this line from “The Rise of Skywalker” quickly reached meme status with how terrible it is. Early in the film, Poe Dameron reports that “somehow, Palpatine returned.” This is then followed by half-hearted speculations on how this is possible. Granted, not everyone needs a thorough explanation of this resurrection. But some fans would’ve preferred something more substantial than “somehow.” By keeping it so vague, there’s no guarantee that Palpatine’s death at the film’s end is going to be permanent either. “Somehow he returned again!” You don’t say.
#4: Han’s Name
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“Solo: A Star Wars Story” (2018) Most fans probably took one look at Han Solo’s last name and thought, “Huh, that’s a weird space name,” and moved on – because most “Star Wars” names are like that. In a reveal no one asked for, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” showed us that Han didn’t always have the moniker. Instead, when signing up to become an Imperial pilot, Han is given the name by the recruiter due to his claim to not have a last name or a people to which he belongs. Many fans feel as though this takes a perfectly innocuous aspect of an iconic character and makes it retroactively worse. It’d be like if a Skywalker ancestor literally walked in the sky. No, that wasn’t a suggestion Disney, don’t-
#3: Sand
“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” (2002) When it comes to awkward “Star Wars” dialogue, it doesn’t get much more infamous than this speech by Anakin Skywalker. While romancing Padmé on Naboo, Anakin abruptly comments on his hatred of sand when Padmé brings up the beach. And while his assessment of sand isn’t wrong, many are still incredulous that it ended up in the final cut of the film. Like, if you’d asked someone before the prequels whether Darth Vader has strong feelings about sand, they’d have looked at you like everyone looks at Jar Jar when he says anything. “How rude.” The memes practically create themselves, it’s so clumsy!
#2: Luke Throws His Lightsaber Away
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“Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017) Luke has thrown away his lightsaber before – when the Emperor told him to kill Vader. So, it’s not the act itself that fans have a problem with. Seeing Rey hand Luke his old lightsaber at the end of “The Force Awakens” felt like a big moment. Then “The Last Jedi” picks up and he just tosses it over his shoulder. It feels like tonal whiplash for many viewers. Luke seems to value Jedi texts that get destroyed later in the film more than the lightsaber he and his father used. The image of Luke tossing the lightsaber away is a go-to example for the #notmylukeskywalker crowd, who feel that the action, like many Luke takes during the film, is not in keeping with his character. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions: No Medal For Chewbacca, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) It’s Always Seemed Kind of Speciesist That He Didn’t Get One Jabba Cameo, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) This Scene Should’ve Stayed on the Cutting Room Floor Phasma’s Death, “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017) How Do You Waste Gwendoline Christie This Much?!
#1: “NOOOOOOOO!”
“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005) Darth Vader is one of cinema’s most iconic villains. “Revenge of the Sith” sees the rise, or descent, of Anakin Skywalker into the identity. After being heavily burned, the modified Vader is awoken in a chilling scene reminiscent of “Frankenstein.” And how does this scene conclude when he’s told he killed his wife in his rage? By Vader yelling, “noooo!,” in a way many fans found goofy, undercutting the tension of the scene. The exclamation has become a meme, synonymous with over-the-top angst. The line was even added into a special edition of “Return of the Jedi,” further souring it for fans. Ironically, the best way to describe fans’ reactions to the scene, is with the scene itself. “Noooooo!”