It’s an age-old debate among Star Wars fans: which are the best and worst films in George Lucas’ epic science fiction franchise? There have been 11 films released to theatres since 1977 (not including made-for-television cash-ins Caravan of Courage, The Battle for Endor, and The Clone Wars), and this is FictionMachine’s official ranking.

11. The Phantom Menace
In any race there has to be a last place, and despite the best intentions in the world that slot was always going to be filled by The Phantom Menace. Perhaps it was always doomed to failure by the hype – the first Star Wars film in 16 years – but the truth is this prequel is packed with either bad ideas or decent ideas ruined by poor execution. Perhaps most damning of all is that it’s entirely redundant; there is nothing in the film you need to know that its sequel Attack of the Clones doesn’t tell you.

10. The Rise of Skywalker
It’s unfortunate that the so-called “Skywalker saga” of nine films is book-ended by its two worst instalments. The Rise of Skywalker is an unholy mess: enjoyable in fits and starts, but clearly plotted during a screaming argument and suffering every consequence of the “write as you go” approach taken by the two preceding films. In all honesty, there is nothing in the entire franchise as lazy as “somehow, Palpatine has returned”.

9. Attack of the Clones
When nobody is talking, Attack of the Clones is actually pretty entertaining stuff. It boasts some stand-out action, great visual and sound design, and the love-it-or-hate-it spectacle of Yoda’s lightsaber duel. It also carries a narrative weight that feels appropriate for the origin of Darth Vader. Then the characters open their mouths and it all falls to pieces. The dialogue is positively shocking throughout. That Christopher Lee enjoyed a 60-year film career, and this is the worst script he ever had to perform, is some achievement.

8. Solo
To quote the mating call of mediocre cinema, “it’s fine.” Solo is an engaging and breezy slice of sci-fi pulp, with winning performances and plenty of snark. It also feels almost enthusiastically unnecessary, delivering back story to a character that doesn’t need one and ignoring the potential for good storytelling in favour of a formulaic tale of “how Han Solo got his stuff”. There is plenty to enjoy here, but there’s a reason it’s only eighth-best. That it flopped in cinemas is unfortunate, but it was almost certainly for the best. The future of Star Wars honestly isn’t in prequels.

7. Revenge of the Sith
The prequel trilogy finale is honestly its best part. Patchy in places for sure, and still compromised by runaway blue-screen and CGI effects, it nonetheless delivers a more dramatic and effective story and shows off a much better directorial approach by George Lucas compared to Menace and Clones. The film also embraces the opportunity for tragedy: the death toll is extensive, and the shift from jovial banter to tears makes this a comparatively distinct instalment.

6. The Last Jedi
I find most Star Wars enthusiasts would rank The Last Jedi much higher or much lower, but its middle position on this list reflects the divisive nature inherent to the film. For one thing it looks astounding: this is arguably the best-designed and shot Star Wars film ever, with key scenes including the Rey/Kylo team-up and the go-to-lightspeed sacrifice ranking among franchise bests. On the other hand, it is a film that wilfully breaks audience expectations and refuses to engage with the preceding film’s hanging plot threads. Follow-up The Rise of Skywalker may be a terrible mess, but honestly The Last Jedi has to shoulder some of the blame for that.

5. Rogue One
A great science fiction war film, riffing on the likes of The Dirty Dozen while adding a generous helping of starships and lasers. A great ensemble of characters, barring a lightly tedious and perfunctory protagonist. At the same time, this is a poster child for why prequels are a dull idea: this isn’t a story, but rather a collection of trivia. If this was an important story to tell, it would have been told in the original Star Wars. I think it’s telling that the film’s most successful element – Darth Vader – was introduced in reshoots.

4. The Force Awakens
An enthusiastic and timely love letter to the original trilogy. Some criticise The Force Awakens for resembling the original films too closely, but of course that was always George Lucas’ intention: to show history echo the past generation by generation like an ancient epic. The Force Awakens livens up its tribute to the past with some genuinely iconic imagery – the ruined Star Destroyer in the sand, for example – as well as a wide array of new characters, aliens, and worlds. It is also hands-down the funniest Star Wars movie ever made. The dialogue here absolutely shines.

3. Return of the Jedi
After an entertaining prologue with Jabba the Hutt, Return of the Jedi is all climax. That is a remarkable feat to be honest, and one so deftly undertaken that most viewers never realise that something like 60% of the running time is dedicated to the third act. The triple-threaded finale is honestly one of the best in Hollywood history, and the manner in which it balances the series’ best space battle, its best lightsaber duel, and the Battle of Endor has never been topped. I’d argue it also has the best soundtrack score of the franchise as well.

2. Star Wars
The top two positions were never in doubt; the only question was what order in which they would be placed. Star Wars – or, if we must, A New Hope – was the final and defining step in a Hollywood revolution that, along with The Godfather, The Exorcist, and Jaws, effectively created the blockbuster system that still endures today. The populist storytelling, groundbreaking production techniques, and eye-catching design all continue to resonate with audiences today. It’s rare to see a film that changed Hollywood, but here it remains. Decades on, and the thing that really stands out are the characters: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Ben Kenobi, R2D2, C3PO. Most films would be lucky to feature one or two characters this memorable, or so enduring.

1. The Empire Strikes Back
So why, then, is its sequel in first place? Put simply, everything that Star Wars did The Empire Strikes Back does better. Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay sparkles with an old-Hollywood banter and wit. The characters are more fully expressed, and paired up in their most effective combinations. John Williams’ score is more fully developed, notably with the “Imperial March” making such a powerful debut that many viewers don’t realise it was only introduced for the second film. The scale of the film is enormous – actually take a look at some of the sets, which dwarf anything seen in the original film. Note Peter Suschitzky’s cinematography and Irvin Kirschner’s direction: Darth Vader was never this ominous or menacing the first time around. It is also worth pausing to appreciate just how good Frank Oz’s puppetry is as Yoda. There are only a few sequels that can claim to be better than the original: The Empire Strikes Back is the best of them.