Today marks the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the greatest movie sequel ever made. In honor of this most glorious occasion, we present to you 30 of the film’s most memorable quotations.
Now, we know what you’re going to say, “Hey, but you forgot this line…” — Trust us, we didn’t forget anything. This is neither a comprehensive list of dialogue from the film, nor a reprint of the screenplay. We were tasked with taking this film (a personal favorite for some of us) and picking only 30 quotes from a script ripe with awesome dialogue, and let’s face it, nearly every word from Yoda and Han Solo is a memorable quote. When the staff first compiled a list of their favorites, there was nearly double the amount of lines; we then had to go through as a [I am not a] committee and compromise. It was not easy, dear readers. A few voices got raised and a lot of time spend in debate, but in the end, we hope to give you a decent sample of memorable quotations from the film (and by film, we mean the original theatrical release, not any of the later re-releases/special editions).
As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section, along with any quotes you would have liked to see make this list. And please remember, this is ONLY from The Empire Strikes Back, so please don’t get pissed because you don’t see “That’s no moon, it’s a space station” on the list. It’s not there, because it’s NOT in this movie. [Just look at the complaints that are STILL coming in on our Star Wars Quotes list from three years ago about how we left out lines that weren’t even in the first Star Wars movie!]
Now onto the 30 Most Memorable Quotes from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back…
“He’s no good to me dead.”
“Apology accepted, Captain Needa.”
“You know, that ship saved my life quite a few times. She’s the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.”
“The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.”
“Oh! Nice to see a familiar face.”
“E chu ta!”
“How rude!”
“I am not a committee!”
“Would it help if I got out and pushed?”
“It might.”
“You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.”
“I’m terribly sorry about all this. After all, he’s only a Wookiee.”
“I’m standing here in pieces and you’re having delusions of grandeur!”
“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?”
“Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler! You’ve got a lot of guts coming here after what you pulled.”
“I’m altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.”
“He is as clumsy as he is stupid.”
“Laugh it up, Fuzzball.”
“Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker. Obi-Wan knew this to be true.”
“Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder!”
“I thought they smelled bad on the outside!”
“Luke! Luke, don’t — it’s a trap! It’s a trap!”
“The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet.”
“I think you just can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight.”
“I don’t know where you get your delusions, laser brain.”
“Luke… it is your destiny.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You will be. You… will… be.”
“Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.”
“That boy is our last hope.”
“No. There is another.”
“Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.”
“Never tell me the odds.”
“Your tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker.”
“Then I’ll see you in Hell!”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
“No, I am your father.”
Honorable Mentions
“There is a great disturbance in the Force.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“May the Force be with you.”
Now it’s your turn! What are YOUR favorite quotes from The Empire Strikes Back? Leave a comment below and let us know!
#1 “No, I am your father!” Well am I the only crazy one that thinks this quote is clearly wrong?????? Vader says “LUKE….I am your father!” How does the most memorable and iconic quote from this movie get dummed down to an anti-climactic “No, I am your father!” Remember the movie Tommy Boy with Chris Farley? Remember the crazy scene where he is talking into the fan like a dork? He is quoting the ICONIC line LUKE, I AM YOUR FATHER. I just don’t understand how it has now changed. Spooky!
Because he never said ‘Luke, I am your father’. It was always, ‘No…I am your father’ Over the years with numerous retellings it has morphed into the first line in the collective conciousness of the people, but that’s not the actual line from the movie. :)
Comment by Joseph Smith — November 29, 2016 @ 11:39 pm
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“But you are not a Jedi Yet”!
Comment by Demon O'Brien — May 21, 2010 @ 12:11 pm
“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.”
Comment by Marc Godsiff — May 21, 2010 @ 5:17 pm
“Anakin!!” Sorry, wrong era. “It was the Dukes! It was the Dukes!!”.
Comment by JC in NC — May 21, 2010 @ 8:28 pm
“I’d just as soon kiss a wookie”
“I can arrange that”
Comment by kevin dillon — May 21, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
“The first transport is away!”
Comment by Boobface — May 21, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
“You will go to the Dagobah System”
“Dagobah System? Beeeeeeen”
Comment by kevin dillon — May 21, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
“Hello, what have we here?”
Comment by Steph — May 25, 2010 @ 12:08 am
“You look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundar”
“Thanks to you”
“That’s two you owe me”
Comment by Dmartin786 — February 24, 2012 @ 10:08 pm
“Hurry up goldenrod or you’re gonna be a permanent fixture”
Comment by sologirl — April 8, 2014 @ 2:29 pm
#1 “No, I am your father!” Well am I the only crazy one that thinks this quote is clearly wrong?????? Vader says “LUKE….I am your father!” How does the most memorable and iconic quote from this movie get dummed down to an anti-climactic “No, I am your father!” Remember the movie Tommy Boy with Chris Farley? Remember the crazy scene where he is talking into the fan like a dork? He is quoting the ICONIC line LUKE, I AM YOUR FATHER. I just don’t understand how it has now changed. Spooky!
Comment by Kim Kopan — August 17, 2016 @ 10:24 am
Because he never said ‘Luke, I am your father’. It was always, ‘No…I am your father’ Over the years with numerous retellings it has morphed into the first line in the collective conciousness of the people, but that’s not the actual line from the movie. :)
Comment by Joseph Smith — November 29, 2016 @ 11:39 pm