“Luke, I am your Father.”

Those infamous words shook the world in 1980 with the release of “Star Wars, the Empire Strikes Back.” Since that original series, the Star Wars franchise has become one of the highest-grossing franchises in global history. However, the Skywalker story will be coming to an end on December 20, 2019 with “The Rise of the Skywalker.” Let’s take a flashback to my top three favorite Star Wars films.

Revenge of the Sith

Released in 2005, “Revenge of the Sith” was the turning point in the Star Wars Universe. Opening to Space battle of Coruscant, Homeworld of the Republic, it’s an action-packed film revealing the end of the Clone Wars, the final days of the Republic and the rise of the empire. The film reveals Anikan Skywalker, the chosen one, falling to the dark side and becoming the infamous Darth Vader. Through his fall, he betrays everything he stood for, murdering his friends and family. He betrays his best friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and in a swift, flashy dual, loses all his limbs. In order to recover, he needs to be put in a life support suit and becomes, Lord Vader. Now, for most people, this is a very hated movie but not for me. I love it for multiple reasons. First, it shows the fall of the chosen one and the rise of Darth Vader brilliantly. It also has amazing music, thanks to John Williams, incredible graphics and action scenes. These all add up to make it one of my favorites.

The Last Jedi

The most recent release and the eighth in the saga, “The Last Jedi” features the return of Luke Skywalker and the training of Jedi prodigy Rey. It opens to the resistance fleeing their base as the first order finds them and attempts to wipe them out. However, throughout this process, the struggle for command in the resistance is made evident with the hospitalization of Leia. As Rey struggles to fight the dark side, she is faced by Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order. In the final seconds of the film, the saga’s greatest hero, Luke Skywalker, fades from this world and becomes one with the force. This is one of my favorites distinctly because of Luke. His personal transformation between “The Return of the Jedi” and now is very clear. He wants to be alone and has given up on the force. This movie portrays this in both a serious and comedic way and I think it’s very accurate to how he would act.

A New Hope

The very first film in the series, “A New Hope,” started this entire franchise. When it was being made, it was portrayed as a joke, with no one thinking it would actually become anything. However, it shocked the world with its 1977 release and became one of the biggest franchises in the world. Beginning with the famous words “Help me Obi-wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” we first meet Leia being captured by the Empire. Within minutes we meet the future hero, Luke Skywalker as he escapes the planet Tatooine with Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Obi-Wan. This jaw-dropping film ends with the destruction of the Death Star and the victory of the Rebellion. This is by far my favorite because of how it was nothing to start and it became everything. People took it as a joke until they saw it and now, Star Wars is people’s life.

With the release of “The Rise of the Skywalker” a day away, the world is lining up to preview and to see the end of a generation before the new decade. Tickets on sale for the December 20th release. Go witness history and remember, “May the Force be with You.”