Welcome to the Aroundtable's seventh installment in the countdown to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

With the subsequent destruction of the Death Star, the Empire has doubled their efforts to rid themselves of the rebel alliance once and for all. After a relentless search, the Empire discovers the rebel base on the ice planet Hoth.

As the rebels prepare to evacuate, Luke Skywalker decides to continue his Jedi training on the planet Dagobah with master Yoda.

In my opinion Episode V is the best in the trilogy and one of the few times that a sequel surpasses the original. George Lucas wisely steps away from the director’s chair and hands the reins over to Irvin Kirchner. Kirchner trades in some of the special effects for a more character driven story line thus making Empire Strikes Back the most mature entry in the franchise.

If that wasn’t enough, Episode V boasted one of the greatest WTF moment in history when Vader utters the chilling lines to Luke Skywalker, “No, I am your father”. This is without a doubt, one of the defining moments in the original trilogy that cemented its legacy in the pantheon of sci-fi.