Everyone has mentioned my favorites so far, so I will add some of the “lesser known” ones.
Almost no one has mentioned The Mandalorian yet so here are a few I enjoy:
Mandalorian Season 1, Episode 3, “Chapter 3: The Sin” - Mando Realizes His Mistake & The Escape
The Rescue of the Child. Not only do we get to see Mando in all of his shiny, beskar laden glory, we get to see all of his tools and skills in action. It’s a great scene of emotional development for a character that we assumed was a hardened bounty hunter with very little underneath. This gives us a peak under the facade and shows us that Din has a heart.
And of course, the following scenes of the Bounty Hunters getting their call to action to intercept Mando is a great little montage, but it’s the next scene that really shines. When all hope is lost: Mando is surrounded and under fire, trying to think of a way out from this mess he made, to make it to his ship and escape with the kid. When suddenly, fire reigns from the skies as the Mandalorians descend on the city. Seeing this in live action was incredible. I honestly got chills just writing this up. But to see that the Mandalorian bond is so strong that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of another in their clan - even a foundling - is so emotionally resonant. I love it. Especially the cute little scene of Pav Vizsla saluting as Mando escapes Nevarro. “I’ve got to get me one of those.”
Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 7, “Chapter 15: The Believer” - The Mess Hall
Din Djarin and Mayfield (Bill Burr) infiltrating the Imperial Base, Din having to remove his helmet, Mayfield verbally sparing with the Imperial Officer and eventually turning into actual sparring, Boba’s rescue. It’s all fantastic stuff. Genuinely tense scenes with some fantastic pay off.
Mandalorian Season 2, Episode 8 “Chapter 16: The Rescue” - The Rescue
This was an amazing episode already, but they top it off with the defining moment of the series - the return of Luke Skywalker. Say what you want about season 2 being a cameo fest, or how the deepfake on Luke wasn’t 100% there, or how this scene felt meaningless after it’s quick undoing in The Book of Boba Fett, but the first time we all experienced this, I think we can all agree that it was magical. I personally like the sequels (TFA and TLJ, anyways) and their interpretation of Luke, but to see the master Jedi in all of his glory was fantastic. And then of course, there is the deeply emotional moment of Din having to say goodbye to the child as he gives him up for a chance at a better life - I’ll admit it, I cried. I cried over a guy handing off a puppet to another guy wearing a CGI mask. Great scene even if they did walk back the emotional importance of the scene later.
And since no one has mentioned anything from the show yet, I’ll give one to The Book of Boba Fett.
Book of Boba Fett - Episodes 1 & 2 - Boba Joining the Tribe
One of my favorite aspects of the classic 2003 video game, Knights of the Old Republic, was the way they fleshed out the sand people and the history of Tatooine. To see similar details adapted into the show was a nice touch. Showing the sand people as more than just monsters who kidnap, pillage, and kill, but a group of nomads with culture and honor was a great addition. Showing Boba’s journey to acceptance amongst the sand people was a great little addition to his story, but showing his deeper emotional journey within his ceremony helped flesh out why they chose the story they did for his character. And while I don’t agree with that story choice necessarily, I understand it and this scene helped me make (some) peace with it. I think that the Haka might have been going a little too far, but I get why it is there and I don’t hate it.
I could come up with countless more for Andor, but we would basically be here all day, so I’ll do one more for another show I haven’t seen listed.
Honorable Mention: Ahsoka - Season 1, Episode 5, “Part Five: Shadow Warrior” - The World Between Worlds
I don’t necessarily like the prequels or the Clone Wars but I still have some emotional attachment to them because they are Star Wars and I love Star Wars, warts and all. To see Hayden Christensen again was a nice little treat, especially in his Clone Wars armor. The casting for young Ahsoka was great, seeing the Clones in physical armor was great, seeing the flashes of Vader was great, seeing Anakin wielding a lightsaber and twirling it around like he hasn’t missed a beat in over ten years was great. It is an immense amount of fun. Yes, it’s basically just fan service, but I am a fan and I was serviced.
I’ll admit, I am a bit more forgiving when it comes to the new era of Star Wars, but I enjoy more about the franchise under Disney than I hate. I could add a couple of more things, but these are the ones that I feel are worth mentioning.
