Star Wars is one of the most popular franchises in the world, and is a vital part of pop culture decades after it all began with A New Hope. The space opera definitely has high stakes and drama, but it's also a family-friendly franchise that includes comedic beats. And off the top of my head, there are 32 moments that have made Star Wars fans laugh. Let's break it all down.
Fans have spent years watching the Star Wars movies in order, with multiple generations growing up as more content was released. Those fans are looking forward to upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, while also continuing their nostalgic love for the franchise's past. And through the years there were at least 32 big comedic moments. Here they are in no particular, but be warned: spoiler alert for the movies and TV shows of the property.
"Laugh it up, Fuzzball." The Empire Strikes Back
Han Solo is one of the most beloved characters of the entire Star Wars franchise and is a scene-stealer with plenty of comedic moments. He is famously best friends with the Wookie Chewbacca, and they have some funny give and takes. That includes when Chewie was laughing at his buddy during an argument with Leia, prompting Harrison Ford's character to give this famous response.
Jar Jar's numb tongue, The Phantom Menace
Jar Jar Binks is an infamous character in Star Wars lore. When The Phantom Menace arrived in theaters back in 1999, some fans took umbrage with the Gungan's clown-like behavior throughout its runtime. But there were some genuinely funny moments, including when his long tongue became numb after accidentally getting it zapped by Anakin's podracer.
"I hate it when he does that", Attack of The Clones
During Attack of the Clones, we catch up with Anakin Skywalker after he's gotten older and is training to be a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi. We quickly see the give and take of these two beloved characters, and it becomes clear that Hayden Christensen's character isn't one for rules. And after jumping out of Obi-Wan's speeder on Coruscant, Ewan McGregor's Jedi Master makes it seem like this is something that he's got a habit of doing.
Young Leia sassing her cousin.
Fans were psyched when it was revealed that Ewan McGregor was returning as Obi-Wan Kenobi in his own live-action series for Disney+. In that series, we meet a young version of Princess Leia, who is shown to be as resourceful and headstrong as the character made famous by the late actress Carrie Fisher. In the first episode, she has a funny scene with her cousin Niano Organa, and throws some serious shade in the process.
Everything Babu Frik did, The Rise of Skywalker
The Rise of Skywalker's ending might be controversial, as is the quality of the trilogy-ending blockbuster. But there are a few moments that moviegoing audiences seemed to really respond to, including the introduction of Babu Frik. This Anzellan droidsmith is adorable, and his little voice made for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in the threequel.
Chewie almost eating a Porg, The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is arguably the most divisive chapter in the franchise, with some loving it and others taking umbrage with Rian Johnson's bold narrative choices. I personally love it, including the various comedic bits that were included. And when Rey and Chewie travel to Ach-To to find Luke, the Wookie cooks up a Porg... only to be met with looks of horror by the alien creatures watching him.
"Good job.", Attack of the Clones
Attack of the Clones' most epic scene is arguably during the epic colosseum sequence on Geonosis. It looks like Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan are doomed, and are about to be executed in front of a crowd of creatures. When his Padawan says they decided to "rescue him", Kenobi's sassy response is definitely a comedic high point of the movie.
BB-8's thumbs up, The Force Awakens
J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens finally brought Star Wars back to movie theaters, to the joy of the rabid fanbase. While legacy characters were included, the story mostly focused on a trio of new heroes. But we also were treated to the adorable BB-8, who used a small torch to give Finn a thumbs up in one funny moment from the film.
Luke tossing his lightsaber, The Last Jedi
The ending of The Force Awakens, finally saw Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker appear, greeted by newcomer Rey on the planet Ach-To where he'd been isolating himself. The Last Jedi picks up on that exact moment, but Rian Johnson subverts expectations and sees the Jedi toss his lightsaber behind his back. While that moment was shocking it's also a funny moment that showed that the legacy character isn't what we'd been expecting.
"That's not how The Force Works", The Force Awakens
Each of the sequel trilogy movies focused on one of the OG heroes, and The Force Awakens was largely a Han Solo movie. He serves as a mentor to both Finn and Rey, while also trying to save his son Ben from the Dark Side. During the mission on Starkiller base, Han has to break it to John Boyega's hero, and the newcomer has no idea how The Force actually works.
"Congratulations, you're being rescued", Rogue One
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made history as the first standalone project in the franchise, which directly connected to the events of A New Hope. We met a motley crew of ill-fated rebels, including Alan Tudyk's droid K-2SO. One of the droid's funniest comes when he's "rescuing" Jyn Erso in a brutal yet hilarious way.
Getting green milk from the source, The Last Jedi
Luke's portrayal as a recluse in The Last Jedi is definitely something that struck Star Wars fans when the movie was released back in 2017. Early in the film Rey follows him around Ach-To, and sees his strange lifestyle. That includes milking a creature known as the Thala-siren, and chugging some green milk immediately afterward.
Yoda messing with Luke, Empire Strikes Back
During The Empire Strikes Back, which is arguably the strongest entry in the Star Wars franchise as a whole, Luke travels to Dagobah to train as a Jedi with Yoda. During this time the little green Jedi Master has plenty of funny moments, where he laughs at Mark Hamill's character or pokes fun at him for knowing so little about The Force.
Poe sassing Kylo Ren, The Force Awakens
Kylo Ren is an intimidating character when he's introduced in The Force Awakens' opening sequence. Despite killing innocent people and stopping Poe's blaster with The Force, Oscar Isaac's pilot is still not quite intimidated. And when they come face to face, Poe takes the time to take the piss out of the situation and asks who should talk first.
When the droids thought the heroes were crushed, A New Hope
During the mission to rescue Princess Leia in A New Hope, the heroes famously find themselves in a trash compactor when trying to avoid Stormtroopers. They were nearly crushed to death before C-3PO used comms to communicate with Luke. But their sounds of joy are mistook for sounds of agony, in one particularly funny moment from the first Star Wars movie.
Shirtless Kylo Ren, The Last Jedi
During The Last Jedi, it's revealed that Rey and Kylo Ren have a mysterious connection through The Force, and are able to have full conversations despite being on entirely different planets. During one of these sequences, Adam Driver's villain is shirtless, and Rey has a funny reaction to seeing him half-dressed. The sequence also elicited some laughter from audiences, who were similarly surprised to see the villain without a shirt on.
"No, I’m sure he doesn’t like you at all. No, I don’t like you either", A New Hope
While R2-D2 and C-3PO are close friends (as far as droids go), they do a great deal of bickering throughout the years as well. Anthony Daniels' protocol droid was particularly savage during A New Hope when the droids are stranded on Tatooine. And that includes one funny line here where 3PO claims to not even like the R2 unit. Shots fired.
Finn trying to hold Rey's hand, The Force Awakens
Rey and Finn meet accidentally on Jakku early on during The Force Awakens' runtime. But when The First Order arrives looking for BB-8, the pair have to try to fight for survival. During this time Finn repeatedly tries to hold Rey's hand as they run, which seriously annoys the scavenger turned Jedi.
Han speaking shyriiwok, Solo
Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed the title character's origin story and explained how he became the smuggler that fans know and love. Early on in the movie he and Chewbacca cross paths for the first time, where Han reveals he can speak shyriiwok aka the language of the Wookiees. And the entire sequence, including the sounds that come out of Alden Ehrenreich's mouth, is hilarious.
Ewoks worshipping C-3PO, Return of the Jedi
During Return of the Jedi, the rebels mount an assault on Endor to weaken the second Death Star. This mission puts them face to the furry creatures known as Ewoks. While C-3PO tries to translate their language for the heroes, the droid ends up being basically worshipped by the furry creatures.
Chewbacca being a sore loser, A New Hope
During A New Hope, Chewbacca quickly became a fan favorite character for fans. One of the many reasons why is the fact that the hulking Wookiee is a sore loser like so many of us. As such, it's a good idea to "let the Wookie win" in Holochess.
"Who's scruffy looking?", Empire Strikes Back
During Empire Strikes Back, we catch up with the Rebels sometime after the events of A New Hope. While on the snowy planet of Hoth, Han Solo and Leia Organa get into a number of arguments. And when Carrie Fisher's character calls him a "scruffy looking nerf herder", his look of offense is comedy gold.
Stormtroopers avoiding Kylo Ren, The Force Awakens
While Darth Vader was a stoic and terrifying force in the original Star Wars trilogy, Adam Driver's Kylo Ren is introduced as the opposite. In fact, his anger often gets the best of him, leading to destructive temper tantrums. And during The Force Awakens, two Stormtroopers are hilariously seen avoiding one of these outbursts.
"No, no you will die."
Legendary actor Ian McDiarmid played Palpatine in all three of the Star Wars trilogies, with the last one clocking in after somehow Palpatine returned in The Rise of Skywalker. McDiarmid has some iconic, over-the-top line readings as the Sith Lord, but this one to Mace Windu tends to make fans laugh for the wrong reasons.
A Stormtrooper bonks his head, A New Hope
This one is perhaps the most famous blunder of the entire franchise. Fans noticed during a scene in A New Hope, a Stormtrooper accidentally hits his head on a door on the Death Star. And no matter how many times I've seen it, it still makes me laugh.
Rey "feels" The Force, The Last Jedi
During The Last Jedi, Rey seeks Jedi training from Luke Skywalker while he's hiding in Ach-To. He tells her to "reach out" to reach The Force, and she takes this too literally. Then he tickles her hand with a leaf and convinces her she's feeling The Force.
Anakin hates sand, Attack of the Clones
This one has become a punch line, and not on purpose. During Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padme are reconnecting, when he infamously talks about hating sand. And it's a line that fans love to poke fun at.
C-3PO gets turned into a battle droid, Attack of the Clones
C-3PO is a solid source of comedic relief throughout the Star Wars franchise, and Attack of the Clones was no exception. Especially in the scenes set on Geonosis, where his body and head were separated and mixed with a battle droid.
"We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?", A New Hope
All sorts of shenanigans happen in A New Hope while Han and Luke are attempting to rescue Leia from the first Death Star. While in disguise, Han ends up on the radio with some Empire forces, in an attempt to talk his way out of the situation. And what follows is a hilariously awkward line by Harrison Ford.
"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent," The Phantom Menace
Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn offers lots of words of wisdom during his debut appearance in The Phantom Menace. But he also gets a few chuckles, especially after meeting Jar Jar Binks for the first time and insulting the Gungan's intelligence.
Han being confused out of carbonite, Return of the Jedi
The opening mission of Return of the Jedi sees the group trying to save Han Solo, successfully freeing him from carbonite. But he's super out of it and basically blind, creating plenty of funny moments. Plus his dialogue with Luke about the group's misfortune is the chef's kiss.
Leia is not a committee, Empire Strikes Back
Leia and Han are bickering through much of Empire Strikes Back, starting at the Rebel Base on Hoth. And then trying to escape on the Millennium Falcon, Han shuts down the debate by saying there's no time to discuss their plan of action by committee. And the Princess of Alderaan was not pleased.
