The Star Wars films are filled with glorious space sequences depicting thrilling dogfights, tense chases, epic laser battles and high-stake escapes. Here we countdown the best spaceship scenes from all the Star Wars movies.

9. Battle of Naboo - Episode I: The Phantom Menace

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There’s a lot going on during the Battle of Naboo: The clash of the Gungan army and Federation’s droid forces, Queen Amidala attempting to retake the palace, and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi dueling with Darth Maul to one of composer John Williams’ most rousing pieces of Star Wars music. All the while, Naboo pilots are attempting to destroy the Droid Control Ship that will kneecap the Federation Army and end its invasion.

It’s the connection of these individual strands to one another and the fact this was the last Star Wars film to use models instead of CGI effects for many of the spaceship shots that earns this battle its stripes. While most of the action takes place on the surface of Naboo, it’s only thanks to Anakin’s intervention in space that the day is ultimately won.

8. Battle of Geonosis - Ep II: Attack of the Clones

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The Battle of Geonosis is fought on an epic scale. After the Jedi are ambushed in an arena brawl, Yoda brings the cavalry to save them and things quickly escalate. With transporters, bombers, destroyers and Federation Starships in the mix, the ensuing battle is a sprawling affair and one that the allied forces, led by the Jedi Masters, look to have the upper hand in throughout.

Still, amidst the lasers and lightsabers there are some vital plot points that make this battle important as well as impressive: A young Boba Fett witnesses the death of his father, Anakin’s emotions continue to cloud his thinking, and plans for a familiar and deadly super-weapon are delivered by Dooku to his Sith Lord master.

7. Jango Fett / Obi-Wan dogfight – Ep II: Attack of the Clones

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Obi-Wan tracks Jango Fett and his young son Boba to Geonosis and a tactical game of cat and mouse ensues in the asteroid ring around the planet.

What follows is a tense pursuit in which skillful flying, stealth and subterfuge are all on display. Jango releases seismic charges amidst the tight confines of the densely packed asteroid field, requiring Obi-Wan to perform some deft manoeuvering. Then Fett turns the tables on Obi-Wan and the hunter becomes the hunted as the bounty hunter pursues the Jedi Knight before seemingly destroying his ship.

However, Obi-Wan escapes detection by attaching his ship to an asteroid and hiding its presence. Years later, an adult Boba Fett would use knowledge of this trick to track down Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon after he attempts a similar ruse while being pursued by the Imperial Fleet.

6. Battle over Coruscant - Ep III: Revenge of the Sith

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The opening minutes of Episode III feature this beautifully shot space sequence as Obi-Wan and Anakin negotiate the battle raging above the galaxy’s capital planet, Coruscant. As the Jedi duo make their way to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine they must contend with Tri-Fighters, Vulture Fighters and Buzz Droids.

There are some great nods to character development here: Anakin highlights the superior piloting skills that once made him a pod-racing champion, and demonstrates his no nonsense but hot-headed approach to problem-solving. And Obi-Wan once more illustrates his dedication to the mission objective over personal agenda or even his own safety.

Only Anakin, Palpatine and the audience is aware of the dismemberment and subsequent merciless slaying of Dooku, and the sequence nonetheless ends with a controlled crash landing on Coruscant and Anakin being hailed a hero.

5. Escape from Jakku – Ep VII: The Force Awakens

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Episode VII’s entry on this list comes courtesy of some new faces and an iconic old ship. First Rey describes the Millennium Falcon as “garbage” and then her seriously bumpy take-off makes us wince with pain. It’s like watching a first-time driver ruin the paintwork on a classic car.

Still, it’s awesome to see the Millennium Falcon in action once more, and there are some great shots of Finn getting to grips with the Falcon’s highly mobile dorsal cannon, as well as Rey pulling some fancy manoeuvres even without a co-pilot.

The derelict Star Destroyer and other massive ships strewn throughout the Graveyard of Giants help reinforce that this is most certainly a new post-Galactic-Empire era. The Escape from Jakku is a thrilling chase in its own right, and one that offers fantastic fan service and some great teamwork from a duo of new heroes.

4. Asteroid Field Evasion – Ep V: Empire Strikes Back

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As not one but three Star Destroyers converge on the Millennium Falcon’s position, Han, Chewie, Leia and Threepio must take evasive action or be annihilated by the mammoth capital ships and pursuing TIE Fighters.

Cue some deft flying by Solo before his cocky demeanor fades as the Falcon fails to make the jump to light speed. With little choice but to head into an asteroid field in the hope of losing the pursuers, Han displays some top-notch piloting to out-manoeuvre his pursuers, all the while exchanging witty banter with his crewmates.

All four TIE Fighters are destroyed by careening asteroids or collisions with one another, highlighting Solo’s superior flying skills. With the Imperial Fleet and Darth Vader himself still out beyond the asteroid belt, they have no choice but to take refuge in a deep cave system born into the surface of one of the largest asteroids. Only, that ain’t no cave...

3. Battle of Scarif - Rogue One

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Scarif scores high on this list by virtue of its beautiful cinematography, gritty action, the significance of its high-stakes story and its bitter-sweet outcome.

As the rebel Rogue One unit mounts its assault on a heavily guarded Citadel Tower base on Scarif, the Alliance Fleet arrives under the direction of Admiral Raddus. As troops battle hulking AT-ACTs on the ground, Blue Team lends air support on the planet’s surface. Far above the planet, Red and Gold Team work together to disable the shield gate against mounting odds.

What follows is a masterclass in guerrilla warfare on the ground and well-orchestrated space combat. The final hammer blow on a crippled Star Destroyer is an ingenious piece of tactical versatility that ultimately brings down the shield gate, allowing Rogue One to transmit its digital payload – and Hope itself – to the Alliance fleet and fledgling Rebel cause.

2. Battle of Endor - Ep VI: Return of the Jedi

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As the Rebel team, led by Han Solo and Princess Leia, attempt to disable the shield surrounding the second Death Star super-weapon, Lando Calrissian realises the Alliance star fleet has been tricked, leading Admiral Ackbar to utter the immortal words, “It’s a trap”.

With the help of the tenacious Ewok tribes, the ground assault is successful in bringing down the shields, resulting in a high-stakes bombing run into the innards of the Death Star to attack its central power generator. The underdog Rebels fighting against the overwhelming might of the Empire makes for a tense and exciting sequence, with the battle almost lost any number of times before the Death Star is finally destroyed, taking the Emperor with it.

It’s difficult to imagine how it must have felt to witness this scene in cinemas for the first time back in 1983, but the feeling every time we see it now is best summed-up by Lando Calrissian when he cheers out loud.

1. Battle of Yavin - Ep IV: A New Hope

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The number one spot on this list is reserved for one of the most iconic encounters in Star Wars history. The Battle of Yavin depicts the assault on the Death Star at the end of Episode IV: A New Hope as its one and only focus, never cutting away to other action scenes.

As the tension builds throughout this extended sequence, the fate of the rebel base on the planet below hangs in the balance. TIE Fighters clash with X-Wings and Y-Wing Bombers, Darth Vader joins the aerial dogfight, and Luke Skywalker is guided by his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The final trench run is one of the all time classic moments of cinema. As Skywalker’s allies are picked off left and right and Vader locks him in his sights it looks to be all over, only for a returning Han Solo to swoop in to cause a distraction.

This gives Luke the time he needs to line-up his shot, bring to bear the power of the Force and destroy the Death Star.

BOOM. What a rush!