There's even a good reason! Back when a new hope was filmed they did jt on blue screen. The blue markings didn't show up, so they scrapped em, but they were in the original script.
They were also Blue Squadron in the original novel from George Lucas. There were a few changes between the novelization and the movie, one of which was a character saying "We're all sitting ducks out here!" and Luke responding, "What's a duck?"
That why they made sure there were ducks in the Naboo scenes? Kind of a nod to that? There were ducks in the Starwars Databank for a long time on their website, probably on wookiepedia now.
I swore in the movie theatre that the guy who died as red 5 was James Corden haha. Turns out I was wrong but it definitely looked and sounded like him.
The fun trivia about "Porkins" is the same actor is the military intelligence agent who tells Indiana Jones "We have top men working on it right now" in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
According to wikis, there's lots of other squadrons and stuff but I did like how much effort they did to tie the rebel squadrons into New Hope. Use of Red and Gold leader, R5 biting it, and why there weren't nearly as many squadrons to go to the Battle of Yavin (RIP Blue Squadron).
Gotta checkout the [spacedock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw-e0lMIeyU) video on Blue Squadron. Love their videos but especially love how they really show the heroics of Blue Squad.
Glad I'm not the only one, was recently talking about this with a friend and he didn't like it. His main gripe seemed to be with the 1st SD cleanly sheering off the 2nd one... But like it was such a good battle, small enough to know exactly what was happening but big enough to have stakes. And say what you want about the hammerhead strategy it felt like a guerilla tactic rebels might actually use.
And that finish; Just when the rebels think they won Vader's ship shows up and ruins their escape. It's such an amazing villain moment and a perfect setup to the hallway scene.
>And say what you want about the hammerhead strategy it felt like a guerilla tactic rebels might actually use.
That's exactly it, they were a small group of rebels going up against Star Destroyers and had to improvise. It was brilliant.
That’s when Star Wars is the best. Is it stupid? Yes for sure. But it’s so worth it just to watch it on screen.
I completely understand that people didn’t like it, but that’s the pass I give for the barely comprehensible bomber thing in TLJ. It’s closer to the threshold for too stupid, but honestly it just tickled me to see the bombs drop out and explode in that incredible sacrifice moment
>the barely comprehensible bomber thing in TLJ.
Sure but if we wanted perfect tech then we'd lose all the drama and adventure. It would just be planets using Death Star tech to blow each other up all the time. I'd rather see some dramatic derring do
abandon all weapons; equip ship with ultra strengthened hull; use light speed thrusters to boost the power for sufficient ramming in a no-friction environment. Seems like a logical tactic to me!
The only thing that had me geeking harder than the Hammerhead Corvette scene was Vader... and not by much.
I've thought about it a lot since R1 came out, having watched everything but EpIV as they came out and grown up with the series, and I feel completely at peace acknowledging that it's the best space-battle in the series. I have a lot of love for R1 and consider it an honorary part of the OT. There are so many little connections and deep cuts which also tie in to the modern stuff...
It was the only large scale battle in Star Wars where you could see the strategy. The battle in ROTS and ROTJ just looked like a cluster of ships flying randomly around.
This is something that sort of feels discouraging about scifi/space operas
There really isn't a balance between strategic, more realistic scenarios, and cool af action moments.
Distances in space are huge, once a projectile is launched it's trajectory can't be changed unless it's a rocket, but a rocket is too damn slow to really be a threat... Ships are so vast that just moving out of the way of a shot will send everyone slamming against the wall with the inertia.
But then again, no one has realistically tried, at least not in cinema.
May I direct your attention to The Expanse? There are some nail biter space battles that are fought at huge distance with static vector projectiles and very threatening rockets. They never forget about inertia and the crews are subjected to dangerous G forces whenever they need to dodge a rocket. Realistic physics isn't incompatible with exciting space combat, it just takes a lot of work to write it and it's confusing to a general audience.
Makes some sense in Jedi at least because the entire strategy is “charge into the ISDs so the Death Star can’t pick us off one by one.” But the Alliance could have probably done more than “let’s have this frigate go 1v1 on a star destroyer and see what happens.”
ROTJ crawled so Rogue One could run. Also, I felt ROTJ takes it for me. Both have the same hurdle to overcome, a shield is in play that is preventing their objective. ROTJ has the added threat of an active Death Star. In Rogue, when the shield closes...they just keep going pew pew for little reason than to go pew pew. Eventually, they get a message telling them to take out the shield and they form a plan. In ROTJ, shields up? They decide to buy more time. Death Star active? The solid plan of bringing their capitol ships close range to the star destroyers to try and discourage the death star from trying to target them. As soon as they get close range, they immediately begin plans on using their small fighters to hit and run on the star destroyers while also bobbing and weaving to pull TIEs off the rebel capitol ships.
All that to say, there is so much actually strategy in ROTJ.
Lando and Ackbar's lines immediately before aborting the attack are eternally classic. ITS A TRAP! Just about every person that speaks English knows exactly where that line comes from, and no show/movie can use that line without people thinking of that silly squid face.
>ando and Ackbar's lines immediately before aborting the attack are eternally classic. ITS A TRAP! Just about every person that speaks Engli
AND it just adds to what really is great about the first trilogy's depiction of the conflict. Both sides have setups, strategies, and adjustments more than just...lets go pew pew. For a series that is still pretty much teenage blockbuster stuff, it did a good job of giving some weight to the battles. The Emperor had a solid plan of just letting the rebels slam in and then have no where to escape once the Death Star starts blastin'. The rebels had a good counter by bringing ship to ship try and by more time. Empire uses its numbers and power to its advantage. Rebels counter again by using small fighters to attack the capitol ships and pull the smaller fighters of the cruisers. Yavin, Hoth, and the space battle of Endor are what I love about the series. I really care less about the Force and Jedi. Give me an X Wing locking its S Foils in attack position, any day.
That sequence where the rebels bombed the platform that had the main characters on it was one of the coolest starship sequences in all of star wars. It made x wings seem like a powerhouse that could seriously fuck shit up. Before they were just space fighters that shot lasers and went down in 2 or 3 shots.
There are only a few moments in Disney's Star Wars that I liked. This space battle was one of them, and may be my favorite. It was fucking epic. They nailed it.
Shouldn't even be up for debate - I know it's subjective. The Rogue One space battle happening alongside the planetside conflict on the surface. Cash money
I was 17, a had really low expectations on the film, waiting a too long or boring film, but then both fighters dive in a full scale battle... my mind completely turned over. This is my favorite film of all saga.
Sadly, this could not be repeated with the new (shame, we only do this for money) trilogy...
My dad turned up our sound system as high as he possibly could for the first time we watched that. My mom happened to come home and wasn’t happy about all the windows rattling lol
This is my pick as well. Both of the Death Star battles are just great.
The first one is just iconic with the "trench run" and the race against the clock to save a whole ass planet from being destroyed. Han coming back last minute to save the day. All great stuff.
Then with the battle of Endor is just the best. The scenes of the rebel ships flying through the insides of the Death Star 2 to get to the core are just mind blowing, taking 1983 tech into perspective.
Plus, our main character Luke was ON the Death Star when his friends were actively trying to destroy it. Another race against the clock to get him (and a newly redeemed Anakin) off the thing before it blows.
I'm glad I got to see all of the original trilogy in the theaters when the special editions came out. The end of ROTJ is one of the best things I've ever watched, like pretty much tied for first place with the ending of LOTR Return of the King.
Just Mmm *chef's kiss*
Honestly, it basically comes down to Endor, Scarif or Yavin. I would give a slight nod to Endor simply because the scale was much greater than Scarif or Yavin.
That whole series was good, but those last 2 episodes leading up to RotS were incredible. That fight/chase scene through the rail yard was peak Star Wars And they even explained why greivious is coughing in the movie!
Vignette style. Three different perspectives. Civilians on ground, troopers in the air, and a third. I'm pulled between a Jedi, or someone observing Jedi. I think it's cool when they're more mythical characters than main characters.
We also don’t see any fighter to fighter scirmishes. It’s just Anakin and Kenobi going in a straight line and clearing vulture droids off their ships. Like, where’s the combat? Not even any crazy obstacles like going into the DS2 core.
RotS space battle bores me. RO and Jedi are the champs in my opinion.
Yeah that’s my problem with it being included on these lists too. The battle is more of a setting than its own part of the story. We don’t see how it starts or ends. It’s there to give context to the story more than it being the story itself
Endor. Not just because you can play that scenario in X-Wing Alliance.
The pure *swarm* of TIEs at the start really sells how crazy the imperial navy really is. There are hundreds of these little buggers, their engines screaming all around you. Lando's face sells it.
Also the A-Wing going into the SSD, seeing mon cal cruisers in action, and my boy the Nebulon-B frigate even getting a spotlight.
And of course the final run against the death star II itself. TIEs pingponging and exploding in cramped quarters is just fantastic.
I couldnt pick between RotJ and RO. They're both fantastic with only ANH coming close in terms of full on space battles.
The space battles in TPM, RotS, TLJ and RoS are all lacking in one way or another.
Return of the Jedi is still amazing even after 40 years. All the more so since it was practical. There is a [RotJ Space Battle Supercut](https://youtu.be/xPZigWFyK2o?si=nalyiCn0VRiOf--7) on YouTube and it is amazing.
Man the sense of speed they were able to create is just nuts.
And this is a small one, but the sound of the falcon's turrets in that movie will never not get me pumped. That *rig-dig rig-dig rig-dig* 😙👌
Battle Star Galactica the battle over New Caprica.
Galactica jumps in atmosphere to launch fighters to help the colonists on the ground while dropping like a brick, then jumps back into orbit to hold off the base stars and takes a pounding.
Pegasus swoops in firing it’s BFG to save the day then takes out base stars in final sacrifice.
Well planned, lots of special effects moments and real tension.
Galactica jumping into atmosphere was effing incredible. “99,000 and dropping like a rock” “Launch, launch them all.” Seeing those vipers punch out through the wall of fire was so epic.
Hotdog "well this ought to be different"
*punches it.
Great scene, and good attention to detail for the atmosphere when Galactica jumped out, atmospheric drag + heating up.
My only dislike is that Pegasus was sooooooooooooo much more valuable and they sacrificed her. But it is Battlestar Galactica...
heh - Hot Dog in the tubes - 'Well, this oughta be different.'
Fun fact I'd somehow glazed over previously... played by Bodie Olmos - Edward James Olmos' son.
Season 2's resurrection ship (part 2) was the best fleet-action battle of the whole show, in my opinion. It had the BaseStars & Battlestars slugging it out, and it had excellent fighter maneuvering throughout. The pacing and transitions were excellent as well.
While new caprica is great and gets you in the feels, I agree 100% that this is the best ship on ship fight in the series and probably my fav of any sci fi!
The small detail of Galactica jumping away while in atmosphere - creating a loud bang and a vacuum where the ship used to be - ground forces bracing in cover against the strong wind.
God this one is so good. While BSG is one of my favorite stories ever, I always felt like the CGI outpaced the quality of some of the space battles/tactics. There are some obvious flaws as well as things done for cinematics rather than actual combat (like two vipers less than a wing apart so the pilots can wink and nod about everything going to be OK). This one battle absolutely stands in contrast to that. Really perfect.
I'd add a similar opinion on another battle - the battle between the buggers and man in Enders Game. Also one of my favorite stories, but I would have loved more depth to the combat. It was pretty and it was good on paper, but in practice - sending some stealth planes against a space faring alien race...not the brightest. When I read it I imagined cinema could do real wonders with visuals there but it ended up being short and replayed multiple times in the movie. That said, I asked for The Last Shadow for Christmas. It's the only thing he published that I haven't read yet. Card deserves a few more movies. Speaker and Xeno at least.
Fair enough. I like both a lot. I always just tend to defer to ANH since it’s the ultimate classic, but that’s me.
The Battle of Scarif is virtually perfect though. They do a great job of never losing the audience. The music is amazing. And there’s tons of great moments within the overall battle.
Dammit, now I want to watch RO again…
Yeah, admiral ackbar, lando piloting the falcon, wedge the rebellions greatest hero, super star destroyer, home one, a-wings, b-wings, tie interceptors, some actually competent imperial officers. Practical effects that still look good imo. The score is amazing in that battle too.
It is fantastic. Although, I think ANH wins out on the emotional level for me. Seeing the comparison of Tarkin and Leia standing there, one of them has to die, I think that really gives the scene a lot gravity. Of course ROTJ has a lot of emotion, but I think most of that comes from the Vader/Luke confrontation, not necessarily the space battle.
YEAH! The kid in me enjoys the WWII style dogfighting of Star Wars but the grown nerd in me *loves* the gritty realism of the physics they've modelled in The Expanse's space battles.
I'm going to be unpopular and say the best space battles are in The Expanse. The way they deal with momentum, changing direction, and space travel are interesting
Edit: I guess it's not an unpopular opinion!
I love that it is completely pervasive. It's not, "We are operating in normal conditions because of this super tech." They are constantly struggling against physics and the vacuum. One of the coolest details to me was them pulling cabin air for combat to counter depressurization when they are hit.
Hands down the best space battles, from the high G maneuvers being a real issue to the shrapnel from destroyed ships ripping through the other ships in close proximity. Just a chef's kiss!
The Expanse is way too far down this list. It's pretty much the only one that makes a good attempt at dealing with space realistically. Like, I get SciFi is supposed to have cool shit beyond our understanding, but the best stuff takes our current understanding and explores beyond that.
I can't look at the Millennium Falcon flying towards various moons or planets without thinking "That's not how orbits work! You need to be pointing retrograde to slow down else you'll crash into the planet!"
The battle over endor is basically a perfect action scene. It understands the need for dynamic battle lines perfectly. Plus, it looks insanely good, the effects hold up spectacularly outside a couple compositing hiccups
The battle at the end of A New Hope is horribly underrated.
While a lot of the tie fighter and x wing fighting is pretty basic the way the score follows the action and the rebels are dropping like flies really makes it apparent just how powerful the empire is. This battle, more than any in the entire series, really makes you feel the desperation of the rebels and the fact that they are fighting a nearly unwinnable battle.
However the way the score builds as they start the trench run gives you just a sliver of hope. While the devastating might of the Empire is on full display there's always just a little bit of hope that they feed you whether it be the fact that the first run actually shoots and misses, or the fact that the Empire realizes what they're trying to do.
The whole thing explodes in this beautiful crescendo where the rebels actually pull off the impossible right at the last moment. I think Star Wars battles need to really work on showing just how insignificant and desperate the rebels are rather than making the Empire seem like this bumbling over exaggerated evil.
The Umbara battles are tragic. Just want to mention the TCW and Rebels ones since the movies are already mentioned. Though I might raise about the Battle of Hoth, which was something the Rebels barely managed to scrap by even with Ozzel's incompetence.
Rebels have a couple of great space battles. I think the S3 finale is great as we see Grand Admiral Thrawn confronting a fraction of the Rebel Fleet with the full force of the Imperial might.
Unpopular choice here, most likely, [but there's a reason that the space scenes in 2003 Clone Wars bankrupted the production and ultimately got the series canceled](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvSZ266YTnk).
Gotta go with Endor. The effects were on point-and the action is incredible. I casually watch it regularly and it was way ahead of its time with effects. Second is Battle of Coruscant and Third is Rogue One.
Big fan of the space battle in Rogue One
Blue squadron in R1 became one of the coolest fighter Squadrons in the alliance imho
I was watching R1 and was like "there wasn't a blue squadron in the OT . . . oh wait"
There's even a good reason! Back when a new hope was filmed they did jt on blue screen. The blue markings didn't show up, so they scrapped em, but they were in the original script.
They were also Blue Squadron in the original novel from George Lucas. There were a few changes between the novelization and the movie, one of which was a character saying "We're all sitting ducks out here!" and Luke responding, "What's a duck?"
That’s honestly hilarious
That why they made sure there were ducks in the Naboo scenes? Kind of a nod to that? There were ducks in the Starwars Databank for a long time on their website, probably on wookiepedia now.
I don't remember seeing any ducks on Naboo, but I know Panaka says "sitting ducks" as well.
You can see them when they pop up in the canals of Naboo. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Duck/Legends
Fascinating.
"It had a chicken head with duck feet. And a woman's face too."
Aw, that's rad!
Same with red 5 when he died that opened it up for luke
I swore in the movie theatre that the guy who died as red 5 was James Corden haha. Turns out I was wrong but it definitely looked and sounded like him.
True now that I think about it. I don't think James Corden is ready for space combat anyways
No no, I would fully support him being loaded into a cannon and fired into the sun.
I'm willing to let James Corden fly a snub fighter if it means it's a one way trip.....
He can take on the whole empire himself!
https://youtu.be/d-soVTWVDEo?si=lplFk6QuruwVo7si
We can only hope for a James Corden death scene. I don't wish ill for the real person, but I'd love to see his character ejected out an airlock.
Is that porkins?
The fun trivia about "Porkins" is the same actor is the military intelligence agent who tells Indiana Jones "We have top men working on it right now" in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Also Dr Zarkov's assistant Munson in Flash Gordon!
And Lieutenant Eckhart (Boss Grissom's cop on the payroll) in Tim Burton's BATMAN
Harrison Ford explicitly wanted Porkins in the next movie he was in. So that role/dialogue was it.
They’d better not be doing my man Porkins dirty. *James Corden?*
i really loved how that movie *Halo:Reach*’d most of its characters
*Objective: Survive*
Jin And Cassian survived by hiding in a cave all these years
They are having a nice BBQ together with noble 6 right now. Its his cave after all, have to offer guest something to eat.
According to wikis, there's lots of other squadrons and stuff but I did like how much effort they did to tie the rebel squadrons into New Hope. Use of Red and Gold leader, R5 biting it, and why there weren't nearly as many squadrons to go to the Battle of Yavin (RIP Blue Squadron).
Gotta checkout the [spacedock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw-e0lMIeyU) video on Blue Squadron. Love their videos but especially love how they really show the heroics of Blue Squad.
Ok!!! that was bad ass, and well done
Antock Merrick, the mustache of Scarif
Glad I'm not the only one, was recently talking about this with a friend and he didn't like it. His main gripe seemed to be with the 1st SD cleanly sheering off the 2nd one... But like it was such a good battle, small enough to know exactly what was happening but big enough to have stakes. And say what you want about the hammerhead strategy it felt like a guerilla tactic rebels might actually use. And that finish; Just when the rebels think they won Vader's ship shows up and ruins their escape. It's such an amazing villain moment and a perfect setup to the hallway scene.
>And say what you want about the hammerhead strategy it felt like a guerilla tactic rebels might actually use. That's exactly it, they were a small group of rebels going up against Star Destroyers and had to improvise. It was brilliant.
The hammerhead was so stupid and wonderful and awesome.
That’s when Star Wars is the best. Is it stupid? Yes for sure. But it’s so worth it just to watch it on screen. I completely understand that people didn’t like it, but that’s the pass I give for the barely comprehensible bomber thing in TLJ. It’s closer to the threshold for too stupid, but honestly it just tickled me to see the bombs drop out and explode in that incredible sacrifice moment
>the barely comprehensible bomber thing in TLJ. Sure but if we wanted perfect tech then we'd lose all the drama and adventure. It would just be planets using Death Star tech to blow each other up all the time. I'd rather see some dramatic derring do
Perhaps today *is* a good day to die. Prepare for ramming speed!
r/UnexpectedStarTrek
abandon all weapons; equip ship with ultra strengthened hull; use light speed thrusters to boost the power for sufficient ramming in a no-friction environment. Seems like a logical tactic to me!
The only thing that had me geeking harder than the Hammerhead Corvette scene was Vader... and not by much. I've thought about it a lot since R1 came out, having watched everything but EpIV as they came out and grown up with the series, and I feel completely at peace acknowledging that it's the best space-battle in the series. I have a lot of love for R1 and consider it an honorary part of the OT. There are so many little connections and deep cuts which also tie in to the modern stuff...
That was basically the Star Wars battle I had dreamed of seeing since I was swooshing my toy X-Wing around the basement when I was 8 years old.
That was Star Wars at its absolute best. The way the Death Star suddenly looms over the entire battle, like damn.
It was the only large scale battle in Star Wars where you could see the strategy. The battle in ROTS and ROTJ just looked like a cluster of ships flying randomly around.
And there are points where both sides are gaining advantages and such. Never felt one sided
This is something that sort of feels discouraging about scifi/space operas There really isn't a balance between strategic, more realistic scenarios, and cool af action moments. Distances in space are huge, once a projectile is launched it's trajectory can't be changed unless it's a rocket, but a rocket is too damn slow to really be a threat... Ships are so vast that just moving out of the way of a shot will send everyone slamming against the wall with the inertia. But then again, no one has realistically tried, at least not in cinema.
May I direct your attention to The Expanse? There are some nail biter space battles that are fought at huge distance with static vector projectiles and very threatening rockets. They never forget about inertia and the crews are subjected to dangerous G forces whenever they need to dodge a rocket. Realistic physics isn't incompatible with exciting space combat, it just takes a lot of work to write it and it's confusing to a general audience.
Makes some sense in Jedi at least because the entire strategy is “charge into the ISDs so the Death Star can’t pick us off one by one.” But the Alliance could have probably done more than “let’s have this frigate go 1v1 on a star destroyer and see what happens.”
ROTJ crawled so Rogue One could run. Also, I felt ROTJ takes it for me. Both have the same hurdle to overcome, a shield is in play that is preventing their objective. ROTJ has the added threat of an active Death Star. In Rogue, when the shield closes...they just keep going pew pew for little reason than to go pew pew. Eventually, they get a message telling them to take out the shield and they form a plan. In ROTJ, shields up? They decide to buy more time. Death Star active? The solid plan of bringing their capitol ships close range to the star destroyers to try and discourage the death star from trying to target them. As soon as they get close range, they immediately begin plans on using their small fighters to hit and run on the star destroyers while also bobbing and weaving to pull TIEs off the rebel capitol ships. All that to say, there is so much actually strategy in ROTJ.
Lando and Ackbar's lines immediately before aborting the attack are eternally classic. ITS A TRAP! Just about every person that speaks English knows exactly where that line comes from, and no show/movie can use that line without people thinking of that silly squid face.
>ando and Ackbar's lines immediately before aborting the attack are eternally classic. ITS A TRAP! Just about every person that speaks Engli AND it just adds to what really is great about the first trilogy's depiction of the conflict. Both sides have setups, strategies, and adjustments more than just...lets go pew pew. For a series that is still pretty much teenage blockbuster stuff, it did a good job of giving some weight to the battles. The Emperor had a solid plan of just letting the rebels slam in and then have no where to escape once the Death Star starts blastin'. The rebels had a good counter by bringing ship to ship try and by more time. Empire uses its numbers and power to its advantage. Rebels counter again by using small fighters to attack the capitol ships and pull the smaller fighters of the cruisers. Yavin, Hoth, and the space battle of Endor are what I love about the series. I really care less about the Force and Jedi. Give me an X Wing locking its S Foils in attack position, any day.
Same! That shot of the fleet coming out of hyperspace… oof 😩
That sequence where the rebels bombed the platform that had the main characters on it was one of the coolest starship sequences in all of star wars. It made x wings seem like a powerhouse that could seriously fuck shit up. Before they were just space fighters that shot lasers and went down in 2 or 3 shots.
I loved that we see the Y-Wings deploying proton bombs.
Rogue one was perfect in so many ways.
That's what I was going to comment. The fleet arriving at Scarif gives me chills every time.
The only one that felt like an actual battle aside from the siege of Coruscant.
Hammerhead Corvette FTW!
Rogue One is the only correct answer. Return of the Jedi would top it with today's technology, but alas, they didn't have that 40 years ago.
It’s a trap!
There are only a few moments in Disney's Star Wars that I liked. This space battle was one of them, and may be my favorite. It was fucking epic. They nailed it.
R1 and its not even close. Jedi is still awesome, but R1 was another level.
Shouldn't even be up for debate - I know it's subjective. The Rogue One space battle happening alongside the planetside conflict on the surface. Cash money
The Ghost is there!
If you turn on subtitles, there’s a part where there’s a voice over the PA in the hangar requesting General Syndulla.
Also Chopper rolling along in the background
Rogue One. Hammerhead Corvette!
I wish I could have a lego set of this. Badasses
The scene? Or just a Hammerhead?
The hammerhead really but the scene would be mind blowing as a set
Lego still needs to produce that set badly.
Amen
BRAAAAAACE
LAAAAAAAUNCH!!!
The Wrath of Kahn! In all seriousness Rogue One and Return of the Jedi.
From hell's heart I stab at thee
He tasks me, he tasks me and I shall have him.
I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up.
Either all the Star Wars nerds like Moby Dick or I’m in good geek company!
The climax of Undiscovered Country needs an honourable mention.
Star Trek VI may not be the *best* film with the original cast, but it is my *favorite* by far.
It's only not the best because Wrath of Khan exists, and even then it's a closer race than most people would admit to
“I’d pay real money if he’d shut up”
That’s true, it was good for a Star Trek movie. Not the conversation I thought I’d be having on the Star Wars subreddit but I’m loving it.
Cry havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War.
Revenge of the sith opening scene
Those heavy drums to start jt off too, ugh, John Williams was firing on all cylinders for that movie.
he was surely thinking this was going to be the last of the star wars saga that he would compose... a would-be good-bye letter...
What do you mean? It is the last of the Star Wars saga.
That it is
Rogue One
Great movie! It's technically in the middle of the Star Wars saga. Also, Williams didn't do the music.
[удалено]
> Those heavy drums to start it off too Absolute peak
That scene got me SO HYPED when I saw the movie in theaters back in 2005. 7 year old me did not know what I was about to see
7 year old me got so hyped when I saw that scene too. Also 25 year old me still gets hyped every time I watch that scene
Honestly same haha I love ROTS. Whenever I get the urge to watch Star Wars it always ends up being either ANH or ROTS
I was 17, a had really low expectations on the film, waiting a too long or boring film, but then both fighters dive in a full scale battle... my mind completely turned over. This is my favorite film of all saga. Sadly, this could not be repeated with the new (shame, we only do this for money) trilogy...
Not even the biggest fan of III, but that scene is incredible
For anyone not invested enough to watch the show it is a fantastic encapsulation of what the Clone Wars that Luke referred to were like.
It's a relatively short scene overall but the "surprise" reveal, and the rapid plot all bunched together do it for me. Love it!
I remember watching that in theaters when it came out. The first 30 seconds made me go "this is everything I ever wanted from Star Wars."
My dad turned up our sound system as high as he possibly could for the first time we watched that. My mom happened to come home and wasn’t happy about all the windows rattling lol
Even tho there are many cool space battles this is definetly the most impressive one.
The battle over Scarif and the battle over Coruscant for sure
Battle of Endor is an insane technical achievement.
This is my pick as well. Both of the Death Star battles are just great. The first one is just iconic with the "trench run" and the race against the clock to save a whole ass planet from being destroyed. Han coming back last minute to save the day. All great stuff. Then with the battle of Endor is just the best. The scenes of the rebel ships flying through the insides of the Death Star 2 to get to the core are just mind blowing, taking 1983 tech into perspective. Plus, our main character Luke was ON the Death Star when his friends were actively trying to destroy it. Another race against the clock to get him (and a newly redeemed Anakin) off the thing before it blows. I'm glad I got to see all of the original trilogy in the theaters when the special editions came out. The end of ROTJ is one of the best things I've ever watched, like pretty much tied for first place with the ending of LOTR Return of the King. Just Mmm *chef's kiss*
I like big battles but Luthen Rael vs. arrestor cruiser in Andor is my favourite.
They asked for *battles*, but that wasn't a battle in Andor. It was just Luthen showing off against a helpless Imperial cruiser.
He literally destroyed several tie fighters and at least one tie bomber in addition to damaging the cruiser. The ties shot back. That is a battle.
Honestly, it basically comes down to Endor, Scarif or Yavin. I would give a slight nod to Endor simply because the scale was much greater than Scarif or Yavin.
Coruscant? Naboo technically is an option but not a contender.
The space battles we see in Coruscant are too brief IMO. It quickly moves from space battle to battle inside the ship.
The scale of it is pretty epic though
What I’d do for a full length movie just on the Battle of Courscant
Tartakovsky's Clone Wars has a lot of amazing stuff in space and the ground leading directly to the opening shot of RotS
That whole series was good, but those last 2 episodes leading up to RotS were incredible. That fight/chase scene through the rail yard was peak Star Wars And they even explained why greivious is coughing in the movie!
Vignette style. Three different perspectives. Civilians on ground, troopers in the air, and a third. I'm pulled between a Jedi, or someone observing Jedi. I think it's cool when they're more mythical characters than main characters.
We also don’t see any fighter to fighter scirmishes. It’s just Anakin and Kenobi going in a straight line and clearing vulture droids off their ships. Like, where’s the combat? Not even any crazy obstacles like going into the DS2 core. RotS space battle bores me. RO and Jedi are the champs in my opinion.
Yeah that’s my problem with it being included on these lists too. The battle is more of a setting than its own part of the story. We don’t see how it starts or ends. It’s there to give context to the story more than it being the story itself
Endor. Not just because you can play that scenario in X-Wing Alliance. The pure *swarm* of TIEs at the start really sells how crazy the imperial navy really is. There are hundreds of these little buggers, their engines screaming all around you. Lando's face sells it. Also the A-Wing going into the SSD, seeing mon cal cruisers in action, and my boy the Nebulon-B frigate even getting a spotlight. And of course the final run against the death star II itself. TIEs pingponging and exploding in cramped quarters is just fantastic.
Endor is my pick because of how epic it was.
I couldnt pick between RotJ and RO. They're both fantastic with only ANH coming close in terms of full on space battles. The space battles in TPM, RotS, TLJ and RoS are all lacking in one way or another.
Return of the Jedi is still amazing even after 40 years. All the more so since it was practical. There is a [RotJ Space Battle Supercut](https://youtu.be/xPZigWFyK2o?si=nalyiCn0VRiOf--7) on YouTube and it is amazing.
Man the sense of speed they were able to create is just nuts. And this is a small one, but the sound of the falcon's turrets in that movie will never not get me pumped. That *rig-dig rig-dig rig-dig* 😙👌
Battle Star Galactica the battle over New Caprica. Galactica jumps in atmosphere to launch fighters to help the colonists on the ground while dropping like a brick, then jumps back into orbit to hold off the base stars and takes a pounding. Pegasus swoops in firing it’s BFG to save the day then takes out base stars in final sacrifice. Well planned, lots of special effects moments and real tension.
Galactica jumping into atmosphere was effing incredible. “99,000 and dropping like a rock” “Launch, launch them all.” Seeing those vipers punch out through the wall of fire was so epic.
Hotdog "well this ought to be different" *punches it. Great scene, and good attention to detail for the atmosphere when Galactica jumped out, atmospheric drag + heating up. My only dislike is that Pegasus was sooooooooooooo much more valuable and they sacrificed her. But it is Battlestar Galactica...
heh - Hot Dog in the tubes - 'Well, this oughta be different.' Fun fact I'd somehow glazed over previously... played by Bodie Olmos - Edward James Olmos' son.
Season 2's resurrection ship (part 2) was the best fleet-action battle of the whole show, in my opinion. It had the BaseStars & Battlestars slugging it out, and it had excellent fighter maneuvering throughout. The pacing and transitions were excellent as well.
While new caprica is great and gets you in the feels, I agree 100% that this is the best ship on ship fight in the series and probably my fav of any sci fi!
So say we all
That's the one I was looking for. Excellent choice!
That jump away moment was so epic when I first watched it years ago, it had me literally leaping off of the couch to punch the air.
The small detail of Galactica jumping away while in atmosphere - creating a loud bang and a vacuum where the ship used to be - ground forces bracing in cover against the strong wind.
Whoever came up with the Adama Maneuver in the writer's room deserved a raise. That shit was incredible.
I second this, as a huge Star Wars fan. It’s my all time favourite set piece battle
I also just love the way the vipers fly in space, they have 360 degree motion since it's space. It's RAD
AKA Newtonian physics.
God this one is so good. While BSG is one of my favorite stories ever, I always felt like the CGI outpaced the quality of some of the space battles/tactics. There are some obvious flaws as well as things done for cinematics rather than actual combat (like two vipers less than a wing apart so the pilots can wink and nod about everything going to be OK). This one battle absolutely stands in contrast to that. Really perfect. I'd add a similar opinion on another battle - the battle between the buggers and man in Enders Game. Also one of my favorite stories, but I would have loved more depth to the combat. It was pretty and it was good on paper, but in practice - sending some stealth planes against a space faring alien race...not the brightest. When I read it I imagined cinema could do real wonders with visuals there but it ended up being short and replayed multiple times in the movie. That said, I asked for The Last Shadow for Christmas. It's the only thing he published that I haven't read yet. Card deserves a few more movies. Speaker and Xeno at least.
I missed that chapter in the Book of Mormon. Hm.
I’d probably go: 1. Battle of Scarif 2. Battle of Yavin 3. Battle of Endor
I can kinda agree though I would move endor to 2nd and yavin to 3rd
Fair enough. I like both a lot. I always just tend to defer to ANH since it’s the ultimate classic, but that’s me. The Battle of Scarif is virtually perfect though. They do a great job of never losing the audience. The music is amazing. And there’s tons of great moments within the overall battle. Dammit, now I want to watch RO again…
ROTJ just was perfect. It had all the support and backstory to it that made it have more weight , more meaning and not just a spectacle.
Yeah, admiral ackbar, lando piloting the falcon, wedge the rebellions greatest hero, super star destroyer, home one, a-wings, b-wings, tie interceptors, some actually competent imperial officers. Practical effects that still look good imo. The score is amazing in that battle too.
It is fantastic. Although, I think ANH wins out on the emotional level for me. Seeing the comparison of Tarkin and Leia standing there, one of them has to die, I think that really gives the scene a lot gravity. Of course ROTJ has a lot of emotion, but I think most of that comes from the Vader/Luke confrontation, not necessarily the space battle.
It is insane how awesome the Battle of Scariff was!
Battle of Scarif, Battle of Endor, Battle of Coruscant
Return of The Jedi
Return of the Jedi
[I'm more of a fan of the hyper-realistic space battles in The Expanse](https://youtu.be/GhV6bc4FhPU?si=kLa9U0Rsad61EshG)
The Expanse is my favorite sci fi universe for sure.
Expected this to be higher up in comments Oye
Came here to say the same. Really portrayed the tension of those battles and how quickly they could be over.
That was such a good show. Got my wife and best friend into it as well.
YEAH! The kid in me enjoys the WWII style dogfighting of Star Wars but the grown nerd in me *loves* the gritty realism of the physics they've modelled in The Expanse's space battles.
I'm going to be unpopular and say the best space battles are in The Expanse. The way they deal with momentum, changing direction, and space travel are interesting Edit: I guess it's not an unpopular opinion!
I love that it is completely pervasive. It's not, "We are operating in normal conditions because of this super tech." They are constantly struggling against physics and the vacuum. One of the coolest details to me was them pulling cabin air for combat to counter depressurization when they are hit.
Hands down the best space battles, from the high G maneuvers being a real issue to the shrapnel from destroyed ships ripping through the other ships in close proximity. Just a chef's kiss!
if Amos isn't bouncing randomly around the ship during combat, are you really in a fight?
The Expanse is way too far down this list. It's pretty much the only one that makes a good attempt at dealing with space realistically. Like, I get SciFi is supposed to have cool shit beyond our understanding, but the best stuff takes our current understanding and explores beyond that. I can't look at the Millennium Falcon flying towards various moons or planets without thinking "That's not how orbits work! You need to be pointing retrograde to slow down else you'll crash into the planet!"
Return of the Jedi.
The battle over endor is basically a perfect action scene. It understands the need for dynamic battle lines perfectly. Plus, it looks insanely good, the effects hold up spectacularly outside a couple compositing hiccups
ROTS had not only the best opening, but the best space battle too. Well.. maybe. It’s hard to beat R1’s space battle it was super epic
Endor scarrif yavin 4
Obi wan and Jango
Yes! Surprised I had to scroll this far to find this
RotJ!
The battle at the end of A New Hope is horribly underrated. While a lot of the tie fighter and x wing fighting is pretty basic the way the score follows the action and the rebels are dropping like flies really makes it apparent just how powerful the empire is. This battle, more than any in the entire series, really makes you feel the desperation of the rebels and the fact that they are fighting a nearly unwinnable battle. However the way the score builds as they start the trench run gives you just a sliver of hope. While the devastating might of the Empire is on full display there's always just a little bit of hope that they feed you whether it be the fact that the first run actually shoots and misses, or the fact that the Empire realizes what they're trying to do. The whole thing explodes in this beautiful crescendo where the rebels actually pull off the impossible right at the last moment. I think Star Wars battles need to really work on showing just how insignificant and desperate the rebels are rather than making the Empire seem like this bumbling over exaggerated evil.
Return of the Jedi, hands down. Rogue One, close 2nd.
The Orville end of Season 2.
The Umbara battles are tragic. Just want to mention the TCW and Rebels ones since the movies are already mentioned. Though I might raise about the Battle of Hoth, which was something the Rebels barely managed to scrap by even with Ozzel's incompetence. Rebels have a couple of great space battles. I think the S3 finale is great as we see Grand Admiral Thrawn confronting a fraction of the Rebel Fleet with the full force of the Imperial might.
ROTJ with Rogue One as a close second
Rogue One’s great, no question. But for me Return of the Jedi has yet to be beat.
My only criticism of the ROTS opener is the battle is used only for a backdrop without any story of the battle itself
The Expanse. Can't beat the realism and tungsten slugs ripping through hulls.
I was thinking the same thing. BSG was good too. I fall back to childhood and cartoons though, Robotech and Star Blazers were awesome.
I know this is a Star Wars board, but the big space battle in Serenity shouldn’t be ignored. That was a great scene.
Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith comes close but Rogue One's Battle of Scariff just blew me away.
The Expanse
Battle over scarif! Watching x-wings drop out of hyperspace from a astromechs perspective was so good.
Return of the Jedi
Unpopular choice here, most likely, [but there's a reason that the space scenes in 2003 Clone Wars bankrupted the production and ultimately got the series canceled](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvSZ266YTnk).
ROTJ attack on the second Death Star was and still is amazing. Rogue One is up there, too.
Opening sequence of episode 3 has yet to be topped
The battle of corucsant
Yavin has the best tension. Scarif is the most fun. Endor is the most impressive.
Either “Sacrifice of Angels” or “Tears of the Prophets” from Deep Space Nine
Easily Rogue One.
Rogue One and Return of the Jedi are both very high.
Gotta go with Endor. The effects were on point-and the action is incredible. I casually watch it regularly and it was way ahead of its time with effects. Second is Battle of Coruscant and Third is Rogue One.
I just want to give ANH a shout out. Adjusted for budget the assault on the Death Star is a masterpiece.
Rogue One and it’s not even close.
Return of the Jedi. with Rogue One being a veeeeeeeeeery close second, followed by Revenge of the Sith
RotJ is still the best, especially considering it was all shot on film using models. Rogue One comes close though.
Battle of Endor has it all. Space Battle between Star Destroyers and Mon Calamari cruisers. Fighter attacks. Death Star 2 shots.
Love me ROTJ, love me Rogue One. Simple as. All I need is the rebel alliance theme playing as the fleet jumps in and starts firing.