Top 10 favorite phrases from 'Star Wars'

Two things happened with the announcement that the official trailer for the new Star Wars film would be released at select theaters this weekend. First, an uproar rippled through the part of the Star Wars community that did not want to have to go to a movie they don’t want to see just for the trailer. Second, You Tube became inundated with trailers.

In response, @starwars tweeted that The Force Awakens teaser trailer will be released today via iTunes instead.

The Force is with you on #BlackFriday when #TheForceAwakens teaser hits @iTunesTrailers.

— Star Wars (@starwars) November 26, 2014

This stirred up quite a bit of excitement among Star Wars fans throughout the world, and I was no exception. In a state of insatiable anticipation, I began reminiscing about all the Star Wars moments I’ve had in my life. I wanted to honor those memories with a top 10 list, but how can anyone narrow down the sheer awesomeness of Star Wars into a list of only ten things. I had to make a decision, so I went with the lines that have found their way into my lexicon, and threw in a few favorites.

Credit: Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com

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10. You’re my only hope

The message that started it all is just fun to say. You can say it just like Princess Leia, “Help me Obie Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” You can substitute a name of your choice in place of Obie Wan Kenobi. I suppose you could even just say “You’re my only hope,” but you have to say it in a solemn manner.

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9. This walking carpet

Princess Leia has so many good lines, especially in Episode IV. It’s hard to choose a favorite. As a young girl, her demeanor, self-confidence, and position were admirable to me. Ironically, so was her sarcasm. Her comment to Luke, “Aren’t you a little short to be a Storm Trooper?” and her chiding of Han Solo when she says, “This is some rescue,” are just a couple of examples. One of my childhood favorites though was when she referred to Chewie as a walking carpet!

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8. From a certain point of view

I will never forget Luke’s frustration that Obie Wan did not tell him the truth about Darth Vader being his father. I will also never forget my frustration when I first heard Obie Wan explain that Vader killing Anakin was his point of view, and therefore, still the truth. As I grew older, I began to understand the subtleties of truth. Now, whenever something I have said is questioned, I find myself replying that it’s true, “from a certain point of view.”

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7. This is how liberty dies

In Episode III, Senator Organa and Senator Amidala sit by helpless as the Senate approves Palpatine’s move to stay in power, forming the first galactic empire. In words that I could imagine coming from some of the great political commentators of our past, Senator Amidala summarizes her disbelief and disappointment in the failure of the governmental structure for which she has worked so hard to maintain. She turns to Senator Organa and sighs, “So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.”

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6. I loved you

At the end of the Obie Wan/Anakin fight sequence in Episode III, Obie Wan gives a gut wrenching speech. He is so torn between his love for Anakin and his devastation that Anakin turned to the dark side that he cannot finish the job he was sent to do. He cannot bring himself to kill Anakin. Instead, he unleashes his torment, ending with the heartfelt “You were my brother Anakin, I loved you!”

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5. That’s impossible

“I am your father” is one of the most iconic lines ever said in any of the Star Wars films, and arguably could be listed as number one. Certainly, no list would be complete without it, and it is a favorite of mine. While contemplating lines that I find myself quoting on a regular basis, though, I realized that this didn’t really fit. I think it’s because I’m not a man. However, I have found myself saying “That’s impossible!” So, here are both lines, in full sequence.

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4. You…nerf herder

How better to warm things up on the ice world of Hoth, than to expose the sexual tension between Han Solo and Princess Leia? That’s just what happened in Episode V. Leia denies her feelings for Han the entire time she is following him down one of the many frozen corridors of their secret base on Hoth. She finally blows her fuse when Han tells Luke that she expressed her true feelings for him in the south passage. I love this line so much that my husband, who is quite scruffy looking himself, even suggested that I get a t-shirt with “I can’t believe I married a scruffy looking nerf herder” printed on it.

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3. I know

Continuing with the immense allure of the Han Solo/Princess Leia relationship, I had to include his response to her confession of love. As he is being lowered into the carbon freezing chamber, and fearing the worst…his death, she cries out, “I love you!” Does he say it back? Well, he does in a scoundrel kind of way. He simply says, “I know.” Any two Star Wars buffs in a relationship together will probably find themselves saying these lines to each other, “I know.”

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2. Do or do not

Yoda’s profound and poignant exhortation to Luke to believe in himself has become a personal mantra for me. We all face moments of doubt, of low self-esteem. It is at these times that I must remind myself that I can’t just try. I have to do it. I have to believe I can be successful. I will heed your counsel, Master Yoda: “Do or do not, there is no try.”

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1. I have a bad feeling about this

I have heard people say this relentlessly, even if they are not Star Wars fanatics. It’s kind of like “Bazinga.” Everyone knows it, whether they’ve ever watched Big Bang Theory or not. It’s so ingrained in my psyche that I once found myself saying it when I really did have an ominous feeling of impending traffic doom. As a result, I narrowly avoided a deadly collision. Was it intuition? Was it the force? I don’t know, but I had a bad feeling about it!