WARNING: This article contains spoilers.
"Star Wars" may have its flaws, but not for nothing is it an enduring mixture of blockbuster flash and pop culture magnificence. Silence the grouchy philistines with this set of arguments that underline the beautiful truth: The "Star Wars" universe is fabulous and you need it.
- Han Solo - cool
- "Empire" 's cliffhanger climax, and then a three-year wait for a resolution.
- Made the Green Cross Code Man into the Most Sinister Villain of All Time.
- Supreme quotability: "Mos Eisley spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy".
- That opening sequence in "Episode IV".
- "Empire" 's asteroid sequence: You think the Falcon is going to get hit every time!
- Provided Sir Alec Guinness with one hell of a pension.
- The Millennium Falcon: science fiction's all-time great spaceship.
- John Williams' scores: instantly memorable.
- Princess Leia: suddenly, for an entire generation of boys, girls became not that bad.
- Han chasing a load of stormtroopers down a Death Star corridor, laser-rifle in hand, screaming his head off.
- Brought science fiction to a worldwide audience.
- Giving Grange Hill's Mr Bronson a second career with endless convention appearances, milking his minute appearance for all it's worth.
- Parents forced everywhere into buying instant toy collection for kids. Hooray!
- Yoda may have seemed like he spoke gibberish, but it was actually a lot of sense.
- The cool sound that lightsabres make.
- Han and Leia's flirty romance in "Empire": a clever evasion of the Luke and Leia incest conundrum.
- Supplying high-profile showcases for vertically challenged actors.
- Boba Fett - hugely popular despite a three-minute appearance over two films. Now figurehead for the Slacker generation.
- Darth Vader: "Luke... I am your father." Worldwide audience - "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!".
- "Jedi" 's three-battle finale - deliriously exciting.
- Leia: "I love you" Han: "I know". Cue carbon freeze. Heart-rending.
- The idea that a physically unimposing Englishman can be unutterably evil. Peter Cushing, we salute you.
- Darth Vader's voice: "This is CNN".
- Because it is. You clearly don't get it, so deal with it.
Read why Kim Newman prefers to disagree.
