Which Star Wars Episode Had The BEST Closing Scene? (Pick 3)

If each of these movies had never been part of a franchise but were standalone movies, I would have to rate the closing scenes this way:

1. ANH
2. ROTJ
3. ROTS
4. TLJ
5. TPM
6. TFA
7. AOTC
8. TROS
9. TESB


If each of these had been a standalone that was meant to serve as a premiere/pilot for a TV series:

1. TFA
2. AOTC
3. TLJ
4. ANH
5. ROTS
6. TESB
7. ROTJ
8. TPM
9. TROS



But rating them as how they fit as part of the entire saga:

1. ROTJ
2. ROTS
3. ANH
4. TESB
5. AOTC
6. TLJ
7. TFA
8. TPM
9. TROS



I will start by saying I think all of the closing scenes have strong points and (to some degree) are visually and artistically appealing. But when you also factor in - how much self contained, how memorable it is, how much gravitas it had, how much anticipation it builds for future SW (or a sequel), and how well it fits into the overall saga.

1. ROTJ
2. ROTS
3. ANH

The sequel trilogy movies TLJ and TFA would’ve ranked higher behind these. But TROS subverted and damaged the moral and narrative tone of the end of TLJ. The theme of “broom boy” was dropped/completely abandoned. And narrative of Rey and Kylo (by the end of TLJ) pointed to a Reylo action melodrama. Both would’ve been the apex characters for light and dark. No Palpatine, nor any replacement for Snoke had Rian Johnson done the sequel. And Rey “nobody” would have been further exaggerated.

And the closing scene of TFA was subverted and ruined by the beginning of TLJ. On the surface this might seem like the appropriate subversion for what type of character Luke was made into for TLJ. But it did so at the cost of quality subversion for the overall saga; Luke tossing that lightsaber over the cliff. It amounted to overdone cynicism and failed humor. Especially considering the gravitas and cliffhanger seriousness of the ending of TFA. Compare that to the subversion of Darth Vader telling Luke who his parents were. It was totally subversive but it did it without transplanting the mood and tone of the narrative and/or characters. And there was no loss of gravitas. In fact it increased it.

ANH, ROTJ, TPM, ROTS, and TROS all have self-contained endings that would make them work well as standalone movies. But that’s to be somewhat expected for part one and part three in a trilogy. TFA was the only first act movie that didn’t have a self-contained ending. But it did have the strength that a good middle act movie should have - a cliffhanger ending. Out of the four cliffhanger endings:

1. TESB
2. TFA
3. AOTC/TLJ (tie)

TESB has a great cliffhanger that teases the fate of Han Solo. TFA should’ve slightly surpassed it with It’s anticipation for how Luke will react to being found and receiving his original lightsaber. And AOTC doesn’t have a strong cliffhanger around any one character. But it builds a general anticipation about a lot of details about the climax and finale of that trilogy. So much so that they’ve been able to make a number of successful animated series around it. TLJ is almost opposite of AOTC. It kills suspense and narrative of the generalities and supportive characters. But funnels suspense and anticipation into Reylo and the new dynamics of their relationship. It also teases about the new moral theme with “broom boy” and Rey “nobody”: anyone can be a Jedi. Both TFA and TLJ slide a spot because their sequels subverted the gravitas of their closing scenes.