The Top 10 Skywalker Family Moments

With an entire saga named after their family exploits, the Skywalkers are certainly big stars in a galaxy far, far away! Luke Skywalker and his twin sister Leia Organa really kicked off Star Wars™ in 1977. Since then, we’ve met the Skywalker’s parents, aunts, uncles, and children. All of these characters are hugely influential within the Star Wars movies and television series. Here, we’re looking specifically at their roles in the Skywalker Saga films (Episodes I through IX).

See the top 10 Skywalker family moments below. Then, keep reading to know why these particular moments made the list.

• Kylo Ren’s betrayal (and Ben Solo’s decision)
• Beru and Owen’s choice
• Shmi’s sacrifice
• A Rebel’s lucky shot
• That parentage reveal
• The twins’ goodbye
• Darth Vader’s rage
• Binary sunset
• Leia’s introduction
• Vader’s farewell

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The Top 10 Skywalker Family Scenes

10. Kylo Ren’s betrayal (The Force Awakens) and Ben Solo’s decision (The Rise of Skywalker)

An emotionally pulverizing scene, Han Solo’s death was enough to hurt fans worldwide. But it hurt even more to know that it was at the hands of his own son, Kylo Ren, known as Ben Solo before he turned to the dark side. Patricide was a pretty serious betrayal of the Skywalker values and the ways of the light side. The scene was beautifully performed by Harrison Ford and Adam Driver, and remains a pivotal moment in the franchise.

It was so impactful, in fact, that filmmakers referenced it again in The Rise of Skywalker™. Disillusioned with his evil masters and decisions, Kylo Ren recreated his last moments with his father. And instead of killing Han, Ben embraced him. After considering this alternate path, Ben Solo threw away his red Lightsaber and joined Rey in her fight against Palpatine.

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9. Beru and Owen’s choice (Revenge of the Sith)

After Padmé Amidala’s death and Anakin Skywalker’s destruction, their twin children were given up for adoption for their own safety. Leia was taken to Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Breha. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi personally delivered Luke to his only living family members, Owen and Beru Lars. The young couple happily adopted their nephew and raised him to become the altruistic, teenage pilot-to-be who fans met in A New Hope™. Without their selfless intervention, Luke wouldn’t be the man who could bring the light back to the galaxy.

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8. Shmi’s sacrifice (The Phantom Menace)

Shmi Skywalker’s entire world revolved around her precious, gifted son, Anakin Skywalker. Over the course of The Phantom Menace™, Qui-Gon Jinn encouraged Shmi to let her son participate in a dangerous podrace and then join the Jedi Order. Putting Anakin’s needs and future far above her own, Shmi sent Anakin away from Tatooine to live a better life free from bondage. “Be brave,” Shmi told him, “and don’t look back.” It was the ultimate maternal sacrifice, and a tearjerker of a scene on every subsequent rewatch.

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7. A Rebel’s lucky shot (A New Hope)

Who knew the farmboy could fly like that? In a daring dogfight, Luke Skywalker assisted the Rebel Alliance in taking down the biggest threat the galaxy had ever faced. Using the Force to find the small target, Luke unlocked his powers and saved millions of lives in the process by blowing up the Death Star. Victory was so sweet, and a wonderfully uplifting note on which to end the first movie and set up the rest of the Star Wars series.

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6. The big reveal (The Empire Strikes Back)

“No, Luke. I am your father,” was a jaw-dropping line spoken with the intensity only James Earl Jones could bring to the role. Luke Skywalker’s true parentage was a huge plot twist, since Ben Kenobi told the young Jedi that his father was killed by Darth Vader. The reveal was also an excellent addition to the Skywalker family melodrama, giving it just enough of a personal conflict to resonate in a cosmic conflict. Now fans everywhere recreate and rehash both Vader’s quote as well as Luke’s extremely emotional response. You’ve probably done it, too. Search your feelings … you know it to be true.

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5. The twins’ goodbye (The Last Jedi)

After years of separation, Luke Skywalker finally reached out to his twin sister. Even though he astral projected through the Force instead of showing up in person, it was still an intimate and emotionally heavy moment because Luke affirmed their connection across galaxies. Their bond was solidified once more. Then, Luke made the ultimate sacrifice on the salty fields of Crait, confronting his nephew and catalyzing what would eventually be Kylo Ren’s return to the light side.

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4. Darth Vader’s rage (Rogue One)

In a cinematic moment which left viewers speechless, Darth Vader boarded an escaping vessel to completely massacre the crew. Although terrible, the violence was dazzlingly choreographed to the “Imperial March.” After all, Darth Vader was a fearsome villain; it was amazing to see his reputation come to life onscreen — a pattern that would be followed quite viscerally in the Obi-Wan Kenobi™ series. Additionally, that final scene in Rogue One™ tied directly to the beginning of A New Hope, giving fans some creative nostalgia and securing its spot on this list.

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3. Binary sunset (A New Hope)

John Williams’ “Force Theme” rose poignantly while Luke Skywalker grieved and contemplated the two suns on his home planet of Tatooine. He looked to the horizon, wondering what was outside of the small town he longed to escape, not knowing the true extent of the journey he was about to embark upon. The moment was particularly powerful because it resonated with many audience members who longed to embrace their own destiny. Perhaps that exact scene was what made Star Wars as enduring and beloved as it is today.

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2. Leia’s introduction (A New Hope)

The galaxy would have been overrun by the Empire and the Sith long ago had Princess Leia Organa not risked life and limb to hide the Death Star plans inside her astromech companion R2-D2. This magical movie moment also kicked off the entire Skywalker Saga, launching viewers right into the action. And who better than the late Carrie Fisher to introduce us to the feisty and righteous Skywalker shenanigans? The scene was as iconic as her hooded white dress and as beloved as the character Leia Organa herself.

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1. Vader’s farewell (Return of the Jedi)

There wasn’t a dry eye to be found in the theater when Darth Vader, defeated and recently returned to the light, asked for his helmet to be removed so he may look upon his son with his own eyes. Luke Skywalker protested because the helmet’s removal would kill Darth Vader, but Vader insisted it be taken off. It was a powerful, tragic, and beautiful family moment. Anakin wanted his last moments to truly matter, and to find a connection with a child he’d never been able to know. No other Star Wars scene will ever be as moving.

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Honorable mentions:

• Luke’s fun power converters line in A New Hope
• Padmé Amidala’s speech in the Senate when she laments the death of liberty in the galaxy
• Leia’s famous “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!” insult toward beau Han Solo
• Anakin’s emphatic “I HATE YOU!” toward his mentor
• Luke’s skiff backflip
• Kylo Ren’s iconic tantrums

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Do you agree with this list? Did we miss any of your favorite Skywalker family moments? Let us know at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!

All images courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd.