‘Star Wars’ Month: 10 Memorable Moments from ‘Star Wars’ TV

Star Wars TV – outside of Andor — has something of a bad rap lately, with The Mandalorian moving to the movie theater and both The Acolyte and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew failing to earn second seasons. But it’s important to remember that there is still some good Star Wars content to be found in the electronic halls of Disney+, even in some of the lesser offerings. With that in mind, here are ten moments from live-action Star Wars TV that stick with me … and they’re not all from Andor.

#10 – Ahsoka reunites with Anakin

Star Wars: Ahsoka Part Five: “Shadow Warrior”

One of the standout episodes of Ahsoka‘s first season finds Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in the World Between Worlds, a kind of a temporal spirit realm, in which she comes face-to-face with her old Jedi master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Over the course of the episode, Ahsoka revisits moments from their service together in the Clone Wars before dueling with Anakin-turned-Vader. The whole thing functions in service to both the plot of the season and Ahsoka’s character arc, but it’s memorable mostly for the opportunity to see Christensen reprise his role as Anakin, costumed like the animated version of the character, interacting with a younger version of his Padawan (Ariana Greenblatt) in live action.

#9 – Tusken Train Heist

Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Chapter Two: “The Tribes of Tatooine”

The Book of Boba Fett is not a well-regarded series, and with good reason (not the least of which that during its six episode run it takes a two-episode break to run a couple episodes of The Mandalorian). But it is not entirely devoid of memorable moments and notable sequences, including the introduction of current cinematic antagonists the Hutt Twins, the live-action debuts of Cad Bane (Dorian Kingi) and Black Krrsantan (Carey Jones), and the introduction of the Space Moped Gang (well, I like them, at least). Yet the best sequence in the series is invariably the raid on a Pyke Syndicate repulsor train by the tribe of Tusken Raiders who have taken in Boba Fett (Temeura Morrison). Of all of the show’s heavy lean-ins to the Western tropes built in the DNA of Star Wars, it’s the most successful, rendering classic train heist tropes through the space fantasy lens. It’s also a well-directed sequence, and the most thrilling action set-piece of the entire run.

#8 – KB Breaks Down

Skeleton Crew Episode 6: “Zero Friends Again“

Skeleton Crew is an underrated bit of Star Wars storytelling and a successful integration of the 1980s “kids on adventure” Amblin-like aesthetic into the familiar Star Wars beats. It succeeds in large part because of its four young leads, each of whom bring a different but necessary energy to the story. After existing largely on the fringes of the story through its first five episode, KB (Kyriana Kratter) gets the spotlight in “Zero Friends Again,” when her implants begin to break down and she’s once again forced to choose between her well being and her belief that if the full extent of her disabilities becomes known, she’ll lose her friends. It’s a heartbreaking examination of the challenges of living with a disability, of the delicate balance constantly being struck between advocating for herself and not being defined by her limitations.

#7 – Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Part III

Like Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi is usually considered one of the lesser live action Star Wars series, suffering from the perception that it is a movie stretched out into a six-episode series. But it also has its moments. Chief among them: the first post-Mustafar encounter between the title character (Ewan MacGregor) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) on the planet Mapuzo. Some logistical problems aside, I actually enjoy their second duel in the final episode of the series from a pure fight choreography perspective. But it’s their first encounter earlier in the series that is truly memorable, for the way it it showcases just how fearsome a figure Vader is at the height of his power and just how broken and overwhelmed Obi-Wan is at that point in his life, as well as for the way it’s lit almost principally by the glow of their lightsabers.

#6 – Nanny IG-11

The Mandalorian Season 1, Episode 8: “Redemption”

In the grand scheme of things, the first season of The Mandalorian is relatively low stakes, with most of the drama centered around the fate of the still-unnamed Grogu and his bond with the Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, Lateef Crowder, and Brendan Wayne). That’s also part of its charm, and while the climax of the first season is light on galactic import, it does a masterful job of creating a “how are they going to get out of this one?!?” scenario. It is answered, in part, in the opening moments, when the reprogrammed IG-11 (Taika Waititi) roars up to a pair of Scout Troopers who have captured Grogu and violently liberates his young charge, before placing him in a chest-mounted baby carrier, mounting a speeder bike, and roaring off to help Djarin. It’s one of the series’ first genuine “eff yeah!” moments, and a great way to kick off the season finale.

#5 – “I’ve made my mind a sunless space”

Andor Season 1, Episode 10: “One Way Out”

Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skaarsgard) monologue to Lonnie (Robert Emms) — in which he details everything he’s sacrificed in his fight against the Empire — is one of the standout pieces of Star Wars oration. It is a stunningly written and delivered bit of screenwriting which speaks, through the specificity of Luthen’s perspective, of the sacrifices being made all across the galaxy in the name of rebellion. It could honestly be higher on this list, but for the fact it is just a speech, lacking some of the visual pizzazz of some other moments.

#4 – “Night”

The Acolyte Episode 5: “Night”

In much the same way “Duel of the Fates” recontextualized what lightsaber combat on film could look like for a generation, the fifth episode of The Acolyte pushes forward how lightsaber action can look on TV (Two-on-one? Try eight-on-one). Is an entire episode a “moment?” Not really. But it’s difficult to separate out specific beats from this episode-long fight, filled with shocking deaths, surprising new combat techniques, and the first depiction of lightsaber-cancelling cortosis ore in live action, all of which ultimately serve as the unforgettable confirmation of the series’ central villain: the Stranger (Manny Jacinto).

#3 – “Who are you?”

Andor Season 2, Episode 10: “Who Are You?“

The culmination of the second season “Ghorman” arc, which depicts the canonical Ghorman Massacre (an event which has existed in various forms across Star Wars storytelling for decades), “Who Are You?” is arguably the finest hour of the finest live-action Star Wars TV series. What really makes it sing is the specific, personal exclamation point which concludes it. As chaos reigns all around them in the wake of the Empire’s false flag-triggered massacre, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Syril Karn (Kyle Soller) come to blows, a confrontation twenty episodes in the making. As Syril gets the drop on Cass, he looks up at Syril’s raged-filled face and asks, “Who are you?” Cassian dominated Syril’s thoughts for years, motivating the precise series of actions that have led to this moment. And the title character has no idea who he is; their previous encounter back in the series’ third episode all but forgotten. It’s the perfect note on which to end their rivalry, as Syril is abruptly killed just moments after realizing his white whale has no idea they were in conflict.

#2 – The Mandalorian Removes His Helmet

The Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 8: “The Rescue”

The second season finale of The Mandalorian is another episode packed with big moments: Djarin dueling Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) and claiming the Darksaber, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill and Max Lloyd-Jones) taking out a whole mess of Dark Troopers. But what makes the episode memorable — and arguably the best episode of the series — is the sorrowful goodbye to Grogu, as the Mandalorian breaks his own vow and removes his helmet to allow his son to see his face for the first time. Pascal, who more often than not only lends his voice to the character, puts everything he’s got into the scene — displaying the combination of pride and sorrow on his face as Grogu prepares to depart for a life amongst the Jedi. Given he’s playing opposite a puppet, it’s all the more impressive.

#1 – “One Way Out!”

Andor Season 1, Episode 10: “One Way Out”

In addition to featuring one of the greatest monologues in Star Wars, the tenth episode of Andor also features one of its most memorable set pieces. Capped off by another fantastic piece of oratory, Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) rallies his fellow prisoners to rise up against their Imperial jailers and fight their way out of the prison on Narkina 5. It’s everything that makes Andor great in microcosm: the importance of rising up against the systems which oppress us, that those systems exist in a state of artificiality that require work to maintain, the way rebellion can’t be done alone, and that anyone can step out of the crowd to become a leader and hero and that, tragically — in parallel to Luthen’s monologue and presaging Cassian’s fate — those heroes don’t always get to live in the world they helped create.