The Trench Run In Star Wars Is The Best Action Scene Ever
(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we visit a galaxy far, far away to give the groundbreaking trench run from 1977's "Star Wars" the credit it deserves.)
It was the Force-assisted shot heard 'round the galaxy. In arguably one of the most famous sequences in all of cinema, Mark Hamill's baby-faced Luke Skywalker channels all the lessons he learned from his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), shuts out his fears, and takes the million-to-one shot that deals the Empire a debilitating blow and, more importantly, completes his hero's journey. The Rebel attack on the Death Star in the third act of the original 1977 film is important enough in "Star Wars" canon that it defines the actual dating system of the franchise timeline, delineated by the Battle of Yavin. Yet, as a standalone sequence in one of the most celebrated blockbusters of all time, the "trench run" action scene has more than earned its place in history for truly pushing the boundaries of what was then technologically feasible.
But when has that ever stopped director George Lucas before?
In as ambitious a sequence as the '70s had to offer, the creative genius ramped up the scope, scale, and stakes of the action to levels audiences had never yet seen during this story. With a ragtag fleet of Rebel bombers and X-wings pitted against the iron-fisted might of the Empire and their unstoppable Death Star, we were never more invested in the plight of Luke and his friends. Add in the fact that pulling off such a feat of filmmaking bravado required performing a minor miracle and, well, this might be the most no-brainer addition to this column yet.
The scene
George Lucas famously struggled to convey to his cast and crew exactly what kind of fantasy/space opera movie was taking shape in his head. Still, perhaps no sequence defied logic and reason quite as much as the daring trench run.
Outgunned and outmanned, the climactic set piece doubles and triples down on the Rebels as the underdog of all underdogs. The villainous Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) is hellbent on snuffing out this last vestige of revolutionaries; Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) relishes the opportunity to do so with the newest toy the Imperials have at their disposal; and any remaining hope for victory flies away with the selfish and cowardly Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon, having received the reward money for rescuing Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and decided to get the hell out of Dodge while he still can. All the pieces are in place for certain defeat which, of course, only makes it that much sweeter when the Rebellion pulls off the impossible.
While obviously influenced by actual war footage of dogfights and other bloody engagements during World War II, no clear fictional parallel outside of war movies had yet been put to film for Lucas and his collaborators to pull from. So, naturally, the creative team rolled up their sleeves and did no less than what the Rebels themselves did: find a way to save the day despite insurmountable odds, relentless pressure, and a race against the clock. Oh, and there was that pesky issue of essentially creating the mold that would go on to provide the template for countless blockbuster productions in the future. From the clever use of miniatures and matte paintings to cutting-edge ILM visual effects, the achievements in crafting the assault on the Death Star are nothing short of legendary.
Why it works
Marcia Lucas. That's it, that's the answer. Lucas' editor and then-wife played one of the most integral roles in transforming the oddly haphazard hours of footage that comprised "Star Wars" into the lean, streamlined, and propulsive blockbuster smash-hit that it ultimately became. Nowhere is her influence more readily apparent than in the trench run sequence, which required laborious efforts and extensive restructuring from its original conception.
Right off the bat, the best thing that the movie does is dedicate an entire scene beforehand where the Rebel aviators are briefed on their upcoming mission. In an incredibly clever move that more recent films like "Top Gun: Maverick" have since mastered into a science, George Lucas & Co. recognized the value in having characters exposit exactly what viewers are about to see. Not only does this give us a clear foundation of narrative goals to achieve and obstacles to surmount, but it perfectly sets us up for a dramatic twist when the script throws a wrench into things and forces the Rebels to improvise once the time finally comes for our heroes to actually execute those mission parameters.
The arrival of Darth Vader in a specialized TIE Fighter immediately puts a charge into the larger sequence, underlining the hopelessness of the fight as he methodically snuffs out several of Luke's friends and allies. (Quick sidebar: If you didn't know the trench run occurs on a different trench than the one most assume it is, you owe it to yourself to check out VFX artist Todd Vaziri's breakdown of the sequence here.)
Thanks to Marcia Lucas' elegant cutting between various Rebel pilots, Luke himself, Leia back on the ground, Vader and his fighters, and Tarkin on the Death Star itself, the entire action sequence never once loses momentum or energy.
The key moment
Even the most technical precision wouldn't have been able to turn the trench run into an enduring classic if it weren't for the crucial character work set up to this point. Not only does Leia get to be the one who rallies the troops (and not Luke, impressively enough), but even Han gets the chance to grow and evolve as a character — though only by becoming as unlikable as he ever has been to that point. Obviously, the biggest character moment in the entire act goes to Luke, allowing the Force to flow through him and help him place the kill shot on the Death Star ... with a little help from Obi-Wan's Force ghost, of course. But without Han's last-minute change of heart and resulting hero moment, allowing Luke to do his thing, the entire emotional underpinning to the sequence would be missing.
"Star Wars" works fabulously as a riff on "Lawrence of Arabia" or any number of other epics. Yet, at its core, the original movie derives all of its personal stakes from the close-knit trio of heroes. As much as it seamlessly set up the trilogy to come and the overall struggle between the Rebellion and the Empire, there remains something magical about the story's laser focus on Luke, Leia, and Han. The Death Star's destruction of Alderaan only hits hard because it hits Leia hard. We care about Obi-Wan's sacrifice because we see the effect it has on Luke. And as instantly iconic as Darth Vader is as a villain, the catharsis of the Death Star blowing up comes from Luke's moment to shine — not Vader's loss.
Ultimately, Han's return sums up everything that makes "Star Wars" so enduring. Without that, the entire trench run simply wouldn't be the same.