12 ‘Star Wars’ Scenes Sure To Make You Ugly Cry

We all know fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. But you know what else leads to suffering? Loving Star Wars.

Through an ever-expanding roster of Star Wars feature films, TV shows, novels, comics, anthologies, and more, we get attached to the characters we meet in a galaxy far, far away. And when they're sad, we are too. After all, fiction builds empathy! But no matter how many rewatches we've done, we still need to break out the tissues and call a friend to handle the emotional fallout of these scenes. Ugly criers unite; here are 12 moments in Star Wars that’ll fill a star destroyer with our tears.

**MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL STAR WARS FILMS AND TV SHOWS**

1. Obi-Wan Accepts That Anakin Is Gone (Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Obi-Wan’s greatest failure will always be Anakin Skywalker. Tried as he might, he couldn’t prevent his former Padawan’s descent to the Dark Side. So, it’s no surprise that Kenobi’s stand-alone miniseries would focus on that a bit. And even less of a surprise that Vader would make an appearance and the two would go head-to-head once more near the series’ climax.

This wouldn’t have worked as well with a less charismatic actor, but Ewan McGregor does a fantastic job of capturing the hefty emotional weight such a reunion would carry. Seeing the former friends clash is also incredibly reminiscent of Revenge of the Sith, and it’s hard not to tear up when that rush of nostalgia strikes.

The dual didn’t have the best choreography for a Star Wars medium, and many viewers questioned the outcome, but that moment when Kenobi finally accepts that Anakin is dead is quite heartbreaking. 

2. Kanan’s Death (Star Wars Rebels)

No Star Wars fan is the same after watching “Jedi Night,” the tenth episode of the fourth season of Rebels.

There's not a death in Star Wars more affecting. Prompted by the Force to prepare for the end, Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi Knight, demonstrates in the truest sense what makes a Jedi great: not by rejecting love, but by embracing it to the point of sacrificing himself for his family. It's a devastating departure, and the ripple effects carry us through the emotionally explosive finale of the show.

Kanan's unforgettable final moments deepen the tragedy. He finally hears Hera declare her love, shows true mastery of the Force as he keeps the explosion at bay, and miraculously recovers his vision in time to keep his promise to Hera (“We will see each other again”). And unlike other deaths in Star Wars, we get time to mourn alongside the Ghost crew as they work their way through the stages of grief. Add Kevin Kiner's heartbreaking score into the mix, and you're in for an ugly-cry marathon.

3 Anakin Burns (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith)

I was eleven when I saw Revenge of the Sith in theaters and sobbed into my mom's shoulder as Anakin Skywalker burst into flames. I'm almost thirty now, and while I can resist the urge to call my mom during a rewatch, the scene hasn't gotten any less tragic.

Despite the atrocities we've seen him commit, there's something about Anakin's gruesome defeat on Mustafar that makes it clear there's no going back: Vader is here to stay, and the kindhearted boy from Tatooine is gone. Plus, Anakin and Obi-Wan's character development through seven seasons of The Clone Wars and novels like Brotherhood gives this dramatic battle between brothers a new level of emotional stakes. I'm suspicious of any dry eye I spy when the stoic Obi-Wan tearfully cries out that he loved Anakin, knowing it is far, far too late.

4. Ahsoka Leaves (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Ahsoka Tano walking into the sunset of Coruscant, leaving Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi Order behind, quickly became one of the most evocative images of The Clone Wars era. Betrayed, confused, and questioning everything she ever knew, our favorite Padawan's choice to leave her beloved master was a Dave Filoni masterstroke many of us will never recover from.

It's hard to decide what made us cry harder: her slumped shoulders as she walked away, or the look on Anakin's face as he watched her go, the darkness deepening around him. Knowing what's in store for him and the Jedi gives the scene a fateful edge of not only lost innocence but lost hope. 10/10 on the emotional wreckage scale.

5. Mando Removes His Helmet for Grogu (The Mandalorian)

Din's choice to remove his helmet so Grogu could see his face is without question one of the tenderest scenes we've ever gotten in any Star Wars medium.

As a Child of the Watch, Din Djarin's religion and culture mean everything to him. Removing his helmet means sacrificing all of it. Besides, it was one thing to take it off under duress a few episodes earlier on Morak; it is quite another to voluntarily show his face as an act of love and trust. A fearsome hunter willing to be his most vulnerable self for the sake of a child? Take our money. Plus, when will Grogu's tiny hand on Din's cheek NOT send us diving into our tissue boxes? Never. The answer is never.

6. Leia’s Death (Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker)

The death of Leia Organa would have been a sucker punch no matter how it happened, but after “Space Mom” Carrie Fisher's passing a few years earlier, the onscreen moment became even more significant. The outpouring of grief for her – R2-D2's mournful beeps, Poe's disbelief, Rey's tears, and Chewie's wail of lamentation – echoed our own.

Beloved from the moment she first appeared on a doomed starship with a white dress and space buns, Leia meant so much to her galaxy and ours. She was the last of the original trio to become one with the Force, and her death was both the end of an era and a beautiful full-circle moment for the saga. It was an act of faith that sent her calling for Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, and it was an act of faith that sent her calling her son back to the light in The Rise of Skywalker, knowing she would not survive the attempt. Even if we knew it was coming, none of us were ready to say goodbye.

7. Ahsoka and Anakin Reunite (Ahsoka)

After being discarded into the ocean’s depths by Skoll, Ahsoka awakens in the World Between Worlds. It’s here that the miniseries makes its smartest move and pulls from the anals of Star Wars to appease fans and give the titular character depth.

While Ahsoka assesses her situation, a familiar voice breaks the silence. We’d seen a glimpse of Hayden Christensen in Obi-Wan Kenobi, mostly as Vader, but Ahsoka brings Christensen back to his prime, as the young Jedi Master who took Ahsoka under his wings as his Padawan. 

The two reminisce briefly, and it’s a touching moment sure to get the eyes of any true Star Wars fan a little teary. Then Ahsoka is guided through several visions of her and Anakin, giving viewers a glimpse into their relationship. There’s even a moment when Anakin is overtaken by the Dark Side and ruthlessly attacks Ahsoka, giving us one of the show’s best lightsaber duals.

It’s an overall emotional moment, mostly for the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin, before the Emperor swayed him to the Dark Side.

8. Burying the Clones (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

After seven seasons of getting to know the clones as individuals, soldiers, comrades, and brothers, seeing the 501st Legion reduced to a vast expanse of identical graves took my breath away. Ahsoka and Rex's silent vigil seems hollow and inadequate in the face of such loss.

With no dialogue and little music, the moment is as haunting as it is tragic—a fitting end to a landmark series that humanized the Star Wars universe to an unprecedented degree.

9. Luke and Leia's Final Meeting (Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi)

The last time Luke and Leia were last seen on screen together, they were celebrating the fall of the Galactic Empire. Bringing them back for the new trilogy of course meant they would eventually meet, but it was difficult to imagine just how impactful their reunion would be. With Carrie Fisher gone, this was the last opportunity any director would ever have to naturally bring them together without CGI, and while The Last Jedi has its flaws, this scene isn't one of them.

The scene is very brief, but it's a treat for Star Wars fans who grew up idolizing these characters. A three-way reunion with Han involved would have been even better, but we'll take what The Last Jedi gave us.

10. Han Appears to Ben Solo (Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker)

I was too shocked to cry at Han's death in The Force Awakens. I was in so much denial that I even waited for an end-credit scene to bring him back before remembering this wasn’t Marvel. But I'd accepted it by the time The Rise of Skywalker came out, which made Han Solo's appearance to his son an immediate tearjerker.

Is it the Force? Is it a hallucination? Is it simply a manifestation of what Ben Solo most needs to hear? Who knows. But seeing our favorite scoundrel show up as a father, even from beyond the grave, was poignant and meaningful. With his signature catchphrase (“I know”), Han assures Ben of his unconditional love the same way he (sort of) assured Ben's mother on Bespin so many years before. It's a worthy end for Han Solo and a beautiful reconciliation scene for two characters with a history of avoiding connection.

11. Nanta’s Death (Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

You know who I'm talking about: the adorable Ewok who doesn't make it through the Battle of Endor. Seeing a fuzzy teddy bear get killed by an Imperial Walker was one of my first onscreen heartbreaks. It was a wake-up call to the brutality of war, the cruelty of imperialism, and the fact that even the cutest creatures don't get a pass on the battlefield. Plus, his companion Romba's gradual realization that his friend is dead is almost too much to bear.

Honestly, it's on par with Simba realizing Mufasa isn't going to wake up. And I'm not above fast-forwarding through it if I don't think my heart can take it that day.

12. Order 66 (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: The Clone Wars; The Bad Batch; Obi-Wan Kenobi)

Every time we see Order 66 in a new Star Wars story, the magnitude of the massacre gets more real. The original montage of clone troopers assassinating Jedi after Jedi in Revenge of the Sith was tragic in its own right.

But the chaos, carnage, and betrayal intensify with the 501st Legion turning against Ahsoka in The Clone Wars, the murder of Depa Billaba in The Bad Batch, and the sack of the Jedi Temple in Obi-Wan Kenobi. These individuals we've come to love, sometimes young children, are attacked by their own friends. It doesn't get much darker than that.

Honorable Mentions

• Fives's death (Star Wars: The Clone Wars): The extent to which the clones have been manipulated and exploited becomes unmistakably clear as Fives dies in Rex's arms, killed by his own comrade.
• Shmi's death (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones): After a life of enslavement and separation from her son, Shmi Skywalker deserved so much better.
• Qui-Gon's death (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace): Anakin's one chance at a father figure dies in young Obi-Wan's arms, and I die a little bit, too.
• Massacre of the Tuskens (The Book of Boba Fett): I couldn't believe the vibrant community that gave Boba Fett new life met such a sudden, terrible end.
• Ezra bids farewell to his parents (Star Wars Rebels): After losing his master, Ezra rejects the Emperor's temptation to reunite with his parents, another cruel loss in the orphan's life.