Star Wars fans have ignited an age-old debate, and there are some seriously hot takes

Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

There are enough debates about the Star Wars universe to fill a galaxy far, far away. One that has just reignited on Reddit is which of the first two films is the best. One Redditor said, "Hot take, but I love A New Hope more than Empire." Naturally, everyone formed an orderly queue, gave reasons for their answers, and were totally civil about the whole thing. Kind of.

One fan said, "[A New Hope] does an unparalleled job of introducing the viewer to a completely foreign, mid-fight story and just taking you where you need to be without overwhelming the viewer with details and world-building." Another fan had a few less kind words to say about the 1977 classic, adding, "Downvote me to hell but ANH is annoying. Luke is whiney, petulant, poorly acted and poorly written. Good story. Poor execution," while another simply said, "That's not a hot take. Liking Phantom Menace over Empire is a hot take." It would also be absolutely mad.

Other Star Wars fans made sure to show some love for the third chapter in the original trilogy that defrosted Han Solo and had him fight of the Empire with the help of a tribe of teddy bears. "[Return of the Jedi] is my favorite of the originals. I do like Empire. But, a new hope edges it a little. Maybe because it's the first. But, the three together are by far the best."

One fan threw down a solid argument saying that all of the original trilogy are pieces to a bigger story. "It all depends how you view it. A New Hope is better as a single movie than Empire. You could watch it and be satisfied with everything you have seen. Empire expands on A New Hope and leaves you wanting more. Without the trilogy though, it’s just another good movie. Empire is the best of the 3 for most fans, but only because the start and ending are so cleanly done." So what he says is true, from a certain point of view.

To get a solid assessment on which film is strongest with the force, be sure to check out our ranking of every single Star Wars movie here.

Nick Staniforth
Contributing Writer

Nick is a freelancer whose work can be found at Screen Rant, The Digital Fix, and Looper. He loves movies, TV, DC, and Marvel. He also believes that the best Robin Hood is still a talking fox.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Andor
Star Wars fans are debating the saga's darkest moment, and it's reminding us how messed up the galaxy actually is
Darth Vader rising
20 years later, Star Wars fans are reflecting on one of the saga's most poignant moments
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order
How to watch the Star Wars movies in order (release and chronological)
Star Wars: A New Hope
32 movies that inspired Star Wars
Werner Herzog in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans are sharing their favorite unbelievable canon cameos – and some of them are seriously deep-cut
Star Wars timeline: a screenshot of The Empire Strikes Back.
Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order
Latest in Star Wars Movies
Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars fans have ignited an age-old debate, and there are some seriously hot takes
The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu has the lowest budget of any theatrical Star Wars movie since Disney bought Lucasfilm
The Mandalorian
Bo-Katan's actor may have accidentally answered whether she is appearing in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie with this cryptic response
John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
John Boyega reveals Tom Cruise actually helped him get cast in Star Wars
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars confirms Watto isn’t dead after all in new comic, and fans are celebrating his miraculous survival
The Rise of Skywalker
Despite those retirement reports, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is "very involved" in the Rey Star Wars movie, according to Daisy Ridley
Latest in News
Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars fans have ignited an age-old debate, and there are some seriously hot takes
Bill getting teary-eyed in The Last of Us
A potential The Last of Us season 1 plot hole has sparked a lot of debate among the fans
Jason Momoa next to Lobo
Jason Momoa has gone method taking on the role of Lobo: "I asked everybody to call me by my character's name"
Avengers: Doomsday directors admit it's a "difficult" movie to make but tease some great Marvel collaborators "old and new"
Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown in The Electric State
The Russo Brothers' $320 million movie has already been overtaken in Netflix's Top 10
Silent Hill 2
Famed Silent Hill artist Masahiro Ito, creator of Pyramid Head, says scrapped concepts of freaky creatures "still exist in my mind" and "their children may be" used in future titles