May the fourth be with you: 20 of our favorite moments from the Star Wars franchise

Episode VI: Luke destroys Jabba’s sail barge

When Luke confronts Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, it’s an exciting moment. For one, Luke’s training is complete, and he appears more confident and powerful than we’ve ever seen him. Just when things are looking hopeless for his friends, Luke waltzes in and tells Jabba that he’s taking his friends back. He goes on to tell Jabba: “You can either profit from this, or be destroyed. It’s your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers.”

After this, Luke is seemingly captured by Jabba and his lackeys. He remains cool though, even when he and his friends are about to be thrown off of Jabba’s barge and fed to the Sarlacc. He warns that he has one last chance to surrender before surprising us with a hidden lightsaber in R2-D2. He takes out most of Jabba’s men and blows up his barge in the process. Talk about killer moves.

Episode VI: Vader turns on the Emperor

Once Luke discovers that Darth Vader is his father, it seems inevitable that Vader will be offered a shot at redemption. And though Vader doesn’t seem like the type to seek repentance, it becomes increasingly clear that he doesn’t want to kill his son. No, he wants his son to join him on the dark side. He believes they can have some sort of relationship still.

Luke realizes this as well, and he uses his connection to Vader to his advantage in the end. Throughout his final confrontation with the Emperor, Luke remains unwavering in his resistance to the dark side. But he insists that Vader can change and that he still has good inside of him. And when Vader snaps as the Emperor is torturing his son, it’s a satisfying moment. It’s gratifying to see him do one good action before he meets his end, almost as gratifying as watching the Emperor finally perish.