Star Wars is officially 40 years old! To celebrate this important milestone in cinema history, we thought we’d list off our 40 favorite moments from the film that started it all, 1977’s A New Hope. Written and directed by George Lucas and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford, Star Wars began life as a big-budget indie that no one, including the crew, had much faith in, but it would go on to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and spawn a franchise that has grossed over $7.5 billiion dollars worldwide at the box office. It’s a film that you’ve probably watched countless times by now, so all of the following GIFS will probably look quite familiar.
Here are our favorite 40 moments in Star Wars:
1. Arguably one of the greatest openings in cinema history, this shot conveys so much about the war between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire. Basically, the Rebels are heavily outmatched!
2. Say hello to everyone’s favorite worrisome protocol droid, C-3PO, who is introduced doing what he does best: making a fuss.
3. We’re also introduced to C-3PO’s closest friend (if it’s possible for droids to have friends) R2-D2, who as you can see has no time for his counterpart’s nonsense. This will be a common theme throughout the franchise.