There’s one thing Star Wars fans love more than list-making, and it’s a good debate. And for what it’s worth, Star Wars has always offered plenty to discuss: the saga spans decades, features countless characters and worlds, and dives deep into tons of existential issues. There’s something for everyone, no matter what your preference or interest... but that’s exactly what makes the fandom’s obsession with objective rankings so tedious.
No matter where you look, someone always seems keen to break down the best of Star Wars — the best characters, the best ships, the best order to watch the saga in. It’s a fun exercise, especially with friends, if only because the final result is never the same. The fandom is fiercely opinionated, and everyone’s got their own biases. But when those biases are reinforced again and again, over time, it becomes an echo chamber. Star Wars fans have been trapped in the same cycle for years; we don’t have to look much further than Empire’s most recent Star Wars ranking for evidence of that.
