10 Most Memorable Moments of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I'm far from the geekiest of Star Wars aficionados, but the universality of the characters many of us have known since as long as we can remember make the best of the series' episodes some of the greatest movie moments.

I imagine it will be hard to argue against Episode VII: The Force Awakens being the best movie of 2016, no matter what the codgers in The Academy have to say. I certainly didn't see anything as good in 2015, which seemed to be a pretty lean year for movies.

The movie moments I liked best in the new Star Wars? (Minor spoilers ahead.)

10. Finn's inexplicable lightsaber battle with Kylo Ren.
09. The Stormtrooper village raid and Finn's change of heart.
08. The family discussion between Leia and Han.
07. The meeting with cantina owner Maz Kanata, a big-eyed female version of Yoda.
06. The storylines of the three prominent droids.
05. Adam Driver's acting when unmasked as Kylo Ren.
04. Han and Chewbacca find the Millennium Falcon.
03. The extent to which Rey, a lowly scavenger, kicks butt.
02. Rey's trek to the top of an island mountain and what she discovers there.
and best of all ...
01. The death of my favorite Star Wars character of all time.