Top 10 Star Wars Speeches of All Time

Before the first lightsaber lit up. Before the Skywalker legacy. Before the Death Star’s destruction — even before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan found Anakin — there was a galaxy, far, far away.

In Star Wars, the speeches, the monologues, the epic quotes, and the one-liners that hit hard. They aren’t filler. They reveal character. They show us who these people are, what they believe in, and what they’re willing to fight for. They carry prophecy, politics, and pain. They offer guidance, conviction… and hope.

Because rebellions, after all, are built on hope.

Here are our top ten speeches that echoed louder than TIE fighters — the ones that made the Empire tremble, the story move forward, and our hearts swell:

The best of the best in Star Wars:

10. Mon Mothma: Senate Speech

Andor, Season 2. Episode 9. “Welcome to the Rebellion.”

Mon Mothma’s words are a masterclass in subtle rebellion. She operates within the Empire’s tight grip, navigating danger with careful calculation. Her speech isn’t a call to arms shouted from a podium, but a promise of resistance. It reveals the slow-burning courage needed to stand up in a world where open defiance means death.

This speech embodies the resilience of hope under oppression — a reminder that rebellion can be quiet, strategic, and just as powerful as any battlefield victory.

“Fellow Senators, friends, colleagues, allies, adversaries. I stand before you this morning with a heavy heart. I’ve spent my life in this chamber. I came here as a child. And as I look around now, I realize I have almost no memories that predate my arrival and few bonds of affection that cleave so tightly. Through these many years, I believe I have served my constituents honourably and upheld our code of conduct. This chamber is a cauldron of opinions, and we’ve certainly all had our patience and tempers tested in pursuit of our ideals. Disagree as we might, I am hopeful that those of you who know me will vouch for my credibility in the days to come. I stand this morning with a difficult message. I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest. This Chamber’s hold on the truth was finally lost on the Ghorman Plaza. What took place yesterday… what happened yesterday on Ghorman was unprovoked genocide! Yes! Genocide! And that truth has been exiled from this chamber! And the monster screaming the loudest? The monster we’ve helped create? The monster who will come for us all soon enough is Emperor Palpatine!”

09. Ezra Bridger’s Broadcast

Star Wars Rebels. Season One. Episode 13 “Call to Action.”

It was raw and youthful, which was the point. No authority or conviction like Mon Mothma or deeply saddened by Luthen, it was a speech made out of urgency, out of something personal and not just political, but how the Empire and the Imperialists truly affected the world.

"My name is Ezra Bridger. The Empire has taken enough from us. From me. I used to stand up to the Empire on my own, but there's others out there — people who don't believe the Empire's lies. People who know what it's like to be afraid and stand up anyway. The Empire is afraid of us. Fear is their greatest weapon — and it's time we fight back. I'm not afraid. That's why I broadcast this message. So others can know they're not alone.”

08. Kino Loy’s Prison Speech

Andor Season 1, Episode 10 “One Way Out”

Kino wasn’t a rebel, but he was part of the machine, a prisoner who kept the others in line for the Empire, clinging to the illusion that his hard work would mean one day he would be free—until he learns the truth, that nobody will be getting out of there. He finds his voice, the power he has that resonates with the rest of the prisoners, he is the only one who can empower them to escape.

“My name is Kino Loy. I’m the day shift manager on Level Five. I’m speaking to you from the command center on Level Eight. We are, at this moment, in control of the facility. How long we hang on. How far we get. How many of us make it out. All of that is now up to us. We’ve deactivated every floor in the facility. All floors are cold. Wherever you are, right now, get up. Stop the work. Get out of your cells. Take charge and start climbing. They don’t have enough guards, and they know it. If we wait until they figure that out, it’ll be too late. We will never have a better chance than this. And I would rather die trying to take them down than giving them what they want. We know they fried a hundred men on Level Two. We know that they’re making up our sentences as we go along. We know that no one outside here knows what’s happening. And now we know that when they say we’re being released, we’re being transferred to some other prison to go and die. And that ends today! There’s one way out. Right now, the building is ours. You need to run. Climb. Kill. It can’t be more than twelve guards. Don’t stop. Don’t slow down. Don’t lose your hold. If you see someone who’s confused, someone who’s lost, you get them moving and you keep them moving until we put this place behind us. There’s one way out.”

07. The Lines and Wisdom of The Acolyte

Master Sol has some of the best wisdom when it comes to Star Wars writing; he has quiet, piercing insight that is grounded in humility and hard-learned truths. Sol is clearly a man who turns inwards for everything that he has ever done, understanding the deeply human reminder that those who want peace must deal with their past mistakes or risk repeating them.

“Our memories are wisdom; if we don’t meditate on the past, we are doomed to repeat it.”

“We are not defined by what we lose. We are defined by what we survive.”

“Do not let fear make this decision for you.”

Mother Aniseya serves as a spiritual guide and a symbol of wisdom in The Acolyte. Her words often function as both prophecy and reflection, tying together the philosophical undercurrents of the show. She helps frame the Force not just as power, but as a living, breathing entity that demands respect and careful stewardship.

“All living things are connected by the same thread. A thread woven through all of existence. Some call it a force and claim to use it, but we know the thread is not a power you wield.”

“This isn’t about good or bad. This is about power, and who is allowed to use it.”

“Someday, those noble intentions you all have will destroy every Jedi in the galaxy.”

Qimir and his concept of the Sith were not portrayed simply as embodiments of evil, but those who acknowledged and embraced their own darkness, contrasting to the Jedi’s rigid denial of fear and passion. Rather than pure evil, their darkness is shown as a misunderstood and vital force, revealing deeper themes of self-acceptance and moral complexity within the Star Wars universe.

“I have accepted my darkness. What have you done with yours?”

“What extraordinary beings we are, even in the revelation of our triumph, we see the depth of our despair.”

06. Chirrut Îmwe’s Mantra

Rogue One

Chirrut’s mantra was more than just spiritual ideology; it was a declaration of understanding and trusting the energy around him to guide him. The repeated invocation became a source of calm, courage and inspiration as he and the rebels faced a battle with impossible odds. Destiny is not only shaped by hard work, but the belief and inner strength that we carry to persevere us through it all. He used his mantra in a galaxy dominated by war, and it cut through the noise and violence with hope and faith.

“I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.”

05. Jyn Erso

Rogue One

Jyn isn’t royalty, a Jedi, or a general. She’s a nobody with a legacy she didn’t ask for. And yet her voice turns the tide. Her courage—and her clarity—show that one person, speaking truth at the right moment, can change the course of history.

Tynnra Pamlo: “If the Empire has this kind of power, what chance do we have?”

Jyn Erso: “What chance do we have? The question is what choice? Run, hide, plead for mercy, scatter your forces. You give way to an enemy this evil with this much power and you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission. The time to fight is now! Every moment you waste is another step closer to the ashes of Jedha.”'

This is the speech that should’ve changed everything. It's emotional, defiant, and desperate—but not enough to move a broken and divided council.

“Rebellions are built on hope.”

And that line is the matchstick. Not just to fight the empire, but to remind why it mattered, and to incite the few who went out with that notion of hope.

04. Padmé and Leia: Voices of Warning and Resolve

Padmé Amidala and Leia Organa stand as pillars of courage and conviction in the Star Wars saga. Padmé’s warnings echo the tragedy of a fallen democracy, highlighting the fragile line between peace and oppression. Leia, carrying that legacy forward, embodies unwavering resistance and hope, inspiring countless others to stand firm against tyranny. Together, they remind us that the fight for freedom is both personal and political—and that voices of conscience can change the course of history.

“So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.”— Padmé Amidala, Revenge of the Sith

“Princess Leia: Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board. Governor Tarkin: Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life Princess Leia: I'm surprised that you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself. Governor Tarkin: Princess Leia, before your execution, I'd like you to join me for a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now. Princess Leia: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

03. Yoda

Yoda’s words are beyond simple lessons; they embody a guiding principle that shapes not only Jedi but also hold a philosophy that would resonate in anyone. His teaching warns of emotional traps that could lead even the strongest astray. He speaks often in cryptic quips to profound insights that teach patience, humility, balance in a universal call to face fear, embrace compassion and strive for peace - both inner and outer.

Luke: “I can’t believe it.” Yoda: “That is why you fail.”

Luke: “What’s in there?” (referring to the cave) Yoda: “Only what you take with you.”

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

“Luminous beings we are. Not in this crude manner.”

02. Luthen’s Speech on Sacrifice

Andor, Season 1, Episode 10, "One Way Out"

Luthen’s speech wasn’t just a retort to a question, it wasn’t a spill of anger towards feeling miscalculated, but a resonation of the sacrifice he and the other rebels had to do in order to give the galaxy not only a profound sense of hope but a path to the resistance against the Empire.

“Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I’ve given up all chance at inner peace. I’ve made up my mind on a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there’s only one conclusion, I’m damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my eagerness to fight, they’ve set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a saviour against injustice without contemplating the cost, and by the time I looked down, there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? Everything!”

01. Maarva Andor’s Speech Post-Death

Andor, Season 1, Episode 12. "Rix Road."

Maarva Andor’s speech grounds the Star Wars saga in personal sacrifice and the human cost of rebellion. As Cassian Andor’s mother, her words reflect the quiet strength and resolve passed down through generations. She doesn’t speak of grand battles or political ideology, but of protecting family, standing against injustice, and the hard choices ordinary people must make.

Her speech symbolizes the everyday courage behind the galaxy-wide fight, reminding us that rebellion isn’t just about heroes with lightsabers, but about the willingness of individuals to fight for a better future, no matter the odds.

“My name is Maarva Carrassi Andor. I'm honoured to stand before you. I'm honoured to be a Daughter of Ferrix, and honoured to be worthy of the stone. Strange, I... feel as if I can see it. I was six, I think, the first time I touched a funerary stone. Heard our music, felt our history, holding my sister's hand as we walked all the way from Fountain Square. Where you stand now, I've been there more times than I can remember. I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired. I remember every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me... with their truth. And now I'm dead, and I yearn to lift you. Not because I want to shine or even be remembered. It's because I want you to go on. I want Ferric to continue. In my waning hours, that's what comforts me most. But I fear for you. We've been sleeping. We've had each other, and Ferrix, our work, our days. We had each other, and they left us alone. We kept the trade lane open, and they left us alone. We took their money and ignored them, we kept their engine churning, and the moment they pulled away. We forgot them. (SIGH) Because we had each other. We had Ferrix. But we were sleeping. I've been sleeping. And I've been turning away from the truth I wanted not to face. There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here and it's not visiting anymore. It wants to stay. The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness; it is never more alive than when we are asleep. It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it's true, maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late. But I'll tell you this, if I could do it again, I'd wake up early and be fighting those bastards from the start! Fight the Empire!”

From whispered warnings in the Senate to rallying cries on prison floors, Star Wars has always understood the power of a voice. These speeches remind us that rebellion isn’t just built on battles — it’s built on conviction, courage, and the refusal to stay silent. In a galaxy filled with blasters and lightsabers, sometimes the sharpest weapon is a single, unforgettable sentence.