The 10 Most Unforgettable Star Wars Trailers, & What Makes Them So Good

Summary

• The first Star Wars teaser from 1976 stunned viewers with its fairytale inspiration and iconic hero, Luke.
• The Force Awakens trailer wisely conceals key twists and hooks audiences with nostalgia and mystery.
• The teaser for Attack of the Clones expertly sets the tone for the prequel trilogy, highlighting Darth Vader’s legacy.

Here are the best Star Wars trailers of all time. The first Star Wars teaser trailer actually released in 1976, and it’s staggering to realize how many times the franchise has been relaunched since then. Lucas knew The Empire Strikes Back was a gamble, turning a single blockbuster into a sprawling franchise, but it paid off; he then returned for another relaunch decades later with the prequel trilogy. There have effectively been two more relaunches under Disney, the first introducing the sequel trilogy, and the second taking Star Wars to Disney+.

Every Star Wars movie and TV show has been heavily promoted, and the trailers are often absolutely unforgettable. But what are the best trailers? Here’s Screen Rant’s pick, focusing on trailers that have stood the test of time, that successfully carried the weight placed upon them, and – often – that concealed as much as they revealed.

Given the sheer amount of Star Wars content, this article deliberately chooses no more than one trailer for each movie or TV show.

10

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Force was strong with this one

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Release Date

December 17, 2015

Cast

Daisy Ridley
, John Boyega
, Oscar Isaac
, Harrison Ford
, Mark Hamill
, Carrie Fisher
, Adam Driver
, Andy Serkis
, Lupita Nyong’o
, Max Von Sydow
, Peter Mayhew
, Simon Pegg

It’s easy to forget just how much rested on the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Disney and Lucasfilm bosses were acutely aware that the prequel trilogy had received mixed reviews, and they knew this was their one chance to catch the public eye. In the end, The Force Awakens grossed over $1.9 billion in the worldwide box office, making it one of the most successful movies of all time – and that’s partly testament to a smart marketing campaign.

The John Williams theme is absolutely stunning, building to a climax by the end of the trailer.

The Force Awakens‘ trailer combines an appeal to nostalgia with a lot of mysteries; it’s no coincidence this begins with Rey being asked who she is, meaning the question of her identity was central from the start. What is striking, though, is how careful Lucasfilm is to hide Kylo Ren’s true identity, leaving that particular twist as a shock to viewers. Harrison Ford’s Han Solo makes his triumphant return, with no hint of his ultimate fate. The John Williams theme is absolutely stunning, building to a climax by the end of the trailer.

9

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

This is a rebellion, after all

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Director

Gareth Edwards

Release Date

December 13, 2016

Writers

Tony Gilroy
, Chris Weitz

Cast

Felicity Jones
, Diego Luna
, Ben Mendelsohn
, Donnie Yen
, Mads Mikkelsen
, Alan Tudyk
, Jiang Wen
, Forest Whitaker

​​​​​​The trailers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story make for fascinating viewing, not least because they blend scenes from the actual movie with one nobody ever got to see. Some were shot specially for the trailer, while others were cut during Rogue One‘s complicated reshoots. While most trailers deceive as much as they reveal, the Rogue One trailers are therefore a little more unusual. That doesn’t make them ineffective, though.

The first trailer for Rogue One is a character piece, focused on Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso. It establishes the sheer scale of the adventure, with the reveal that these events are taking place in the shadow of the Death Star. Essentially, it does everything a trailer needs to do, and it was followed up by a successful marketing campaign.​

8

Star Wars (1977)

This is the trailer you’re looking for

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Release Date

May 25, 1977

Cast

Mark Hamill
, Harrison Ford
, Carrie Fisher
, Alec Guinness
, David Prowse
, James Earl Jones
, Frank Oz
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Peter Mayhew
, Peter Cushing

Few modern viewers will have seen this trailer, which dates back to 1977. But for cinemagoers at the time, this would have been one of their first experiences of Star Wars – and it clearly paid off, because even George Lucas didn’t expect just how big Star Wars would become. Watching back, it’s fascinating to see how much this original Star Wars trailer leaned on its fairytale inspiration, with Luke Skywalker serving as an everyday hero who receives a summons for help from a beautiful princess.

Related

Star Wars Original Trilogy Cast & Character Guide

From Mark Hamill to Carrie Fisher to Harrison Ford, the original Star Wars trilogy launched its cast members to stardom with iconic characters.

As thrilling as this first Star Wars trailer may be, aspects of it haven’t dated particularly well. There’s a focus on romance – with the attraction between Luke and Leia stressed throughout. Composer John Williams has admitted he wrote a love theme for Luke and Leia, convinced they’d end up as a couple, and it seems the people who put the trailer together were under the same illusion. Lucas, of course, would later decide to retcon the two as siblings – making elements of this early marketing a little eyebrow-raising in context.

7

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Welcome back to a galaxy far, far away!

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Release Date

May 19, 1999

Cast

Ewan McGregor
, Liam Neeson
, Natalie Portman
, Jake Lloyd
, Ahmed Best
, Ian McDiarmid
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Pernilla August
, Frank Oz
, Ray Park
, Samuel L. Jackson

The first trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace released in a very different world, one where the internet was fresh and new, and for many the trailer was the first time they’d heard Star Wars was back. This trailer opens with lavish world-building, George Lucas keen to show off just what he could accomplish with improved CGI, and it moves on with a soaring John Williams crescendo. There’s even a glimpse of Darth Maul, whose fearsome visage would become key to the marketing.

The Phantom Menace traler hints at the division to come

With the benefit of hindsight, though, the Phantom Menace trailer hints at the division to come. Who is this trailer aimed at? On the one hand, there’s a clear appeal to nostalgia right from the start, an attempt to appeal to the generation who grew up with Star Wars. But the trailer also showcases several comedic, childish moments, mostly featuring Jar Jar Binks, a reminder that Lucas believed Star Wars is for children first and foremost. Even in the trailer, the two approaches don’t quite mesh, with the humor clashing a little with the drama. It seems almost prophetic.

6

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7

“It’s been a while.”

Release Date

October 3, 2008

Cast

Matt Lanter
, james arnold taylor
, Ashley Eckstein
, Dee Bradley Baker
, Matthew Wood
, Tom Kane
, Catherine Taber
, Terrence Carson
, Corey Burton
, Nika Futterman
, Katee Sackhoff
, Sam Witwer

Seasons

7

Showrunner

Dave Filoni

Star Wars Celebration 2019 was absolutely full of surprises – and the unexpected release of a trailer for Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 was one of the best. Disney canceled The Clone Wars after acquiring Lucasfilm, and viewers had pretty given up on the idea of ever seeing this unfinished story wrapped up. Until 2019, that is, when a “Clone Wars Retrospective” panel turned into an unexpected and delightful announcement.

Nostalgia gave way to excitement and joy

This is a very different kind of trailer, because it initially seems to just be a way of honoring an unfinished, long-since-canceled animated TV show. The reaction at Star Wars Celebration was electrifying, as nostalgia gave way to excitement and joy. With the benefit of hindsight, this trailer has become even more significant, giving a first look at a member of Clone Force 99 – Hunter, leader of the Bad Batch, now starring in their own spinoff.

5

The Mandalorian season 1

Less really is more

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Release Date

November 12, 2019

Cast

Werner Herzog
, Emily Swallow
, Pedro Pascal
, Nick Nolte
, Omid Abtahi
, Gina Carano
, Carl Weathers
, Giancarlo Esposito

Seasons

3

Has there ever been a Star Wars trailer that lied more effectively than this one? The first trailer for The Mandalorian set up a dark and gritty TV show in the galaxy’s underworld, as a lone bounty hunter navigated the post-Return of the Jedi status quo. It’s incredibly atmospheric, with a tremendous drumbeat echoing throughout, and it teases a whole lot of action. What is noticeably absent, though, is Grogu – the emotional heart of the story, the crux of the entire narrative.

Lucasfilm played it smart with Grogu, carefully concealing his existence in the marketing. When the first episode of The Mandalorian released alongside the launch of Disney+, “Baby Yoda” went viral – and the rest is history. A less confident studio would have been afraid of carrying out such a bait and switch, but Lucasfilm knew the show on offer was so much better than the one teased in this trailer – however good this trailer may be. The Mandalorian season 1 can go down as some of the most successful marketing in Star Wars‘ history.

4

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

The saga is complete

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Release Date

May 19, 2005

Cast

Ewan McGregor
, Natalie Portman
, Hayden Christensen
, Ian McDiarmid
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Christopher Lee
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Frank Oz
, Ahmed Best
, Temuera Morrison

It’s fascinating to see how the Star Wars trailers improve over the course of the prequel trilogy. By the time of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the trailer is reflecting something much darker and more adult in tone. Curiously, there’s no real hint of the doomed love story that became Anakin’s main motivation; rather, he seems to be driven by a lust for power, with a focus on scenes in which Palpatine seduces Anakin with the promise of unspecified power in the Force.

That said, there are so many of the main set-pieces here – including Order 66. In truth, Lucas knew that so many of these major twists were generally seen as inevitable, and the trailer plays to that by telling viewers they will get to see these moments at last. It really does feel as though Anakin is fulfiling his destiny – and a tragic one at that.

3

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

A malevolent laugh

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Release Date

December 20, 2019

Cast

Carrie Fisher
, Oscar Isaac
, Anthony Daniels
, Joonas Suotamo
, Mark Hamill
, Adam Driver
, Ian McDiarmid
, Kelly Marie Tran
, Billie Lourd
, Keri Russell
, Richard E. Grant
, Daisy Ridley
, Lupita Nyong’o
, Dominic Monaghan
, John Boyega
, Domhnall Gleeson
, Billy Dee Williams
, Naomi Ackie

Palpatine’s resurrection in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may not have aged well, but the Emperor’s return was a massive part of the marketing. The first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker is breathtakingly effective, building to a poignant and emotional moment in which Luke’s voice assures Rey no one is ever really gone – and then, subverting the sweetness of this, there’s a very distinctive laugh. The Rise of Skywalker trailer premiered at Star Wars Celebratiion 2019, and Ian McDiarmid quietly took to the stage during it.

It’s impossible to overstate the sheer excitement generated by this first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. Sadly, there’s a sense in which that was the reason the movie fell so far; viewers went in with high expectations, and their hopes were not met. This is a trailer that over-promised, setting up an under-delivery.

2

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The heroes of the prequel trilogy return

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Release Date

May 27, 2022

Writers

Joby Harold
, Hossein Amini
, Stuart Beattie
, Hannah Friedman
, Andrew Stanton

Cast

Bonnie Piesse
, Hayden Christensen
, Moses Ingram
, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
, Simone Kessell
, Ewan McGregor
, Grant Feely
, Joel Edgerton
, Maya Erskine
, Benny Safdie
, Indira Varma
, Marisé Álvarez
, Sung Kang
, Rupert Friend
, Kumail Nanjiani

Seasons

1

Directors

Deborah Chow

Showrunner

Joby Harold

All the best Star Wars trailers appeal to nostalgia, and the trailer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV show is no exception. Dark and atmospheric, it does a phenomenally good job of setting the scene – establishing the Jedi Master’s new status quo after the fall of the Empire. Looking back, it’s noticeable that Obi-Wan is using a blaster throughout, a hint that he’s neglected the Force. Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan shines in so many thrilling character moments.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer skillfully subverts audience expectations

The most striking thing about this trailer, though, is what it conceals. It implies Obi-Wan is watching over Luke Skywalker, and shows an Imperial presence on Tatooine, making most viewers expect a story in which the young Luke is in danger. Instead, the plot swiftly pivots to a young Leia, with Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine to protect her. The Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer skillfully subverts audience expectations, and Lucasfilm is to be commended for pulling that off.

1

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

In the shadow of Darth Vader

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Release Date

May 16, 2002

Cast

Ewan McGregor
, Hayden Christensen
, Natalie Portman
, Ian McDiarmid
, Samuel L. Jackson
, Christopher Lee
, Anthony Daniels
, Kenny Baker
, Frank Oz
, Temuera Morrison
, Ahmed Best
, Daniel Logan

Until now, the trailers in this list have all been full ones. Surprisingly, though, our pick for the best trailer in Star Wars history is a teaser from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. This is because the teaser wonderfully sets the tone for everything that is to come, with brief flashes of disconnected events overshadowed by the familiar sound of Darth Vader’s breathing. It’s a reminder that everything happening in these movies is building up towards a climax – the origin of Darth Vader himself.

This is even more sinister given the interplay between the breathing and the romance between Anakin and Padmé. Stylistically, some of these shots are evocative of the relationship between Han and Leia in the original trilogy, but Darth Vader’s iconic breathing turns them into something so much darker. Attack of the Clones may not be viewed as the best Star Wars movie, but it’s teaser is unforgettable.