There are… a lot of trailers out there for Star Wars. There are the seven films, all of which have at least one teaser and one theatrical trailer, and a whole menagerie of odds and ends like television spots and the like. Even ignoring the re-release trailers, you’re still looking at like 17 of them. Some of which are way better than others!
So, here’s a somewhat definitive ranking of Star Wars trailers and trailers only--meaning that we’re ignoring the full movie in favor of ranking just the trailers alone. Keep in mind that several of these were released decades apart, and the favored method of conveying information in trailers changed significantly during that time.
Without further adieu, here they are in descending order.
17: Revenge of the Jedi Teaser Trailer
Return of the Jedi was famously known as Revenge of the Jedi at first, with this teaser trailer serving as proof of the discarded title. Really the only reason this is so far down the list is that it’s just plain wrong. Lucas reportedly thought the title conveyed the wrong feeling for the Jedi, thus the change at the last minute.
16: Attack of the Clones Trailer
This one is just straight-up bad. All the good parts of the movie are spoiled, and the bad ones are highlighted as well. It’s the worst kind of trailer--if you see this, you’ve more or less seen the movie. Blech.
15: Attack of the Clones Trailer #2
Take everything I said about the first trailer and apply it here, but remove everything about “all the good parts” because none make an appearance in the second trailer. The style is way more cinematic, though, and so it edges out over the original.
14: Return of the Jedi Trailer
Excessive narration, massive spoilers that didn’t really need to happen, and confusing cuts make the first Return of the Jedi trailer kind of a mess. It’s disappointing.
13: The Phantom Menace Trailer
If the Return of the Jedi trailer is disappointing, this one is actually more so. Everything feels forced and unnecessary. Like, fog Gungans is how you start this off? Really? It’s better constructed than previous entries, though. The bottom of the barrel here is all pretty close together.
12: Return of the Jedi Teaser Trailer
Boring. Boring, boring, boring. But hey, they spend almost no time on Ewoks!
11: The Empire Strikes Back Trailer
Second verse, same as the first. What a dull trailer.
10: Return of the Jedi 1982 Teaser Trailer
...huh, maybe I just hate Return of the Jedi? This trailer’s better than the previous ones, but now we’re slowly getting to the genuinely good trailers and there’s little room for this one save for at the bottom of the pack. It’s closer to the next couple than it is the previous couple, however.
9: Revenge of the Sith Trailer
This trailer is way more satisfying than the movie ever was, but even then it’s on the low end of the good trailers.
8: The Phantom Menace Trailer #2
Okay, here we go. This… this seems like a good movie. The trailer has natural flow, doesn’t spoil too much, and features just the right amount of both podracing and Gungans.
7: A New Hope Trailer
A lot of folks seem to hate on A New Hope’s trailers, but there’s something genuine about them that really appeals to the cinephile in me. They’re almost universally better than any of the other trailers the original trilogy put out.
6: The Empire Strikes Back Trailer #2
Okay, here we go! Almost no narration, a focus on John Williams’ score, and interesting shots! The only thing holding this one back from the upper echelon is the weirdly boxed fade.
5: The Force Awakens Trailer
And this is where people start to get angry. The latest trailer for The Force Awakens is super solid, but I’m starting to nitpick here based on how good the other Force Awakens teasers are. There’s just better ones out there. Top tier, though!
4: The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer
Look, J.J. Abrams and company know how to put together an exciting modern teaser! And this one build excitement in a way The Phantom Menace wishes it could have done. It’s really everything a person could want out of a new Star Wars teaser.
3: The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer #2
I take it back, this is literally everything a person could want out of a new Star Wars teaser.
2: Star Wars Teaser Trailer
There’s something very endearing about the original 1976 Star Wars teaser that just… captures the magic in ways that are hard to explain. Given that I can’t pretend like I’ve never seen the movies at all, maybe it’s just nostalgia talking here, but if it’s nostalgia ranking this so high then how do I explain…
1: Revenge of the Sith Teaser Trailer
...this? The combination of old and new footage, the focus on what he will become, and the darkness evident all around really, really works for this Revenge of the Sith teaser. On its own, it beats out every other single Star Wars trailer for this somewhat definitive top spot. I look forward to everyone everywhere telling me that I’m wrong.
