10 Best Space Battles in Movies, Ranked

Warfare comes to humans on all fronts in the cinema, be it land, sea, air, or even outer space. Indeed, the quest for good to triumph over evil is not localized to terra firma. As citizens rally to defend their home worlds and freedom fighters rebel against totalitarian and restrictive regimes, sci-fi epics have given cinemagoers many impressive and dramatic extraterrestrial skirmishes over the years.

Space battles in movies are a triumph of cinematography, sound mixing, graphics editing, and much more. From clever combatants and ingenious maneuvering tactics to impressive special effects, they have the power to dazzle audiences, offering groundbreaking visuals and sheer spectacle. These are the greatest movie space battles that will give audiences all the thrills while keeping them emotionally invested in the events unfolding.

10 Protector vs. K’ragk-Vort’t

‘Galaxy Quest’ (1999)

When the actors of the spaced-themed TV show Galaxy Quest get beamed aboard an actual spaceship, they are understandably shaken. Galaxy Quest’s crew is composed of distinguished Hollywood talents like Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, and Sam Rockwell. The intrepid crew of the NSEA Protector rally together and find their strength individually and collectively in what fans consider one of the best spoofs ever made.

The great element about Galaxy Quest’s battles is that they are undertaken by a novice, Jason Nesmith (Allen), a performer rather than a pilot. His instincts to draw on his teammates’ strengths and use creativity to work his way out of dangerous situations make him a natural leader. One ingenious tactic is used when they finally engage in all-out combat with the evil Roth’h’ar Sarris (Robin Sachs). As the Protector hurls towards Sarris’ ship, he does not feel threatened because of his ship’s superior firepower. What he doesn’t realize is that Nesmith has flown the Protector through a magnetized minefield and is dragging a host of explosives behind him. With a blend of confidence, strategy, and pure luck, the crew of Galaxy Quest is ultimately victorious.

9 Valkyrie vs. Drej

‘Titan A.E.’ (2000)

In a saturated scenery of star fights where a lot of imagery can feel like white noise, the graphics of the animated film Titan A.E. are a visual palate cleanser and one of the best sci-fi animated movies ever. The plot takes place after the Earth has been destroyed by the alien race of the Drej. Cale’s (Matt Damon) father invents a spacecraft that will terraform another planet to be inhabitable for humans, the Titan. But, as the Drej are relentless in their pursuit to exterminate humans from the cosmos, Cale must join a group of misfits and fight to ensure that his species can endure.

There are several great fight sequences in the Titan A.E. One involves the Drej, who look like flowing forms of energy, trying to shoot Cale as he walks outside the Valkyrie in a spacesuit. Luckily, his crewmates, Akima (Drew Barrymore), Stith (Janeane Garofalo), and Gune (John Leguizamo) have his back. The exciting and tense battle makes great use of color and form to provide dynamic cinematography.

8 Victory vs. UTS

‘Space Sweepers’ (2021)

The South Korean film Space Sweepers debuted on Netflix in 2021 and has become a huge success. It follows the exploits of a salvage crew onboard their ship, the Victory. They clean up space junk and debris and sell the parts for scrap. Their operation is halted when they discover a childlike android nicknamed Dorothy (Park Ye-rin). They clash on ethical motivations, trying to decide whether they should protect their young protégé or return her to the shady UTS corporation that is desperately trying to recover her.

When the crew decides to defend Dorothy from the UTS, it means war. The final battle is an exciting and fast-paced sequence full of rough and ready robots, harpoons going through ships, explosions, and full-on mayhem. The challenging special effects element is that when multiple Space Sweepers join the Victory in battle, each ship is different. Each ship has to be rendered, shadowed, and animated for its unique dimensions, and there is no copy-and-paste algorithm for identical fighters. Space Sweepers is a triumph for South Korean cinema and well worth a watch.

7 Serenity vs. Alliance

‘Serenity’ (2005)

Based on the beloved sci-fi TV series Firefly, the 2005 full-length movie Serenity follows the characters as they attempt to rescue one of their own, River (Summer Glau), from the Alliance. The fantastic actors from the original show reprise their roles, and fans get to enjoy having a massive space battle befitting a feature film.

The final conflict features a highly risky and dangerous maneuver by the crew to use their enemies as allies. They get dangerously close and provoke the terrifying Reavers, and then use their pursuit of Serenity to overwhelm the Alliance squadron that is waiting for them. The Alliance can’t fight off both the Reavers and the Serenity and must escape, but the heroes still have to contend with the Reavers, who haven’t forgotten their original target. The battle is full of close calls, narrow misses, and exciting action. The playful banter between Mal (Nathan Fillion) and Wash (Alan Tudyk) is on brand for the series and stays true to the characters.

6 International Military vs. Formics

‘Ender’s Game’ (2013)

Making military conflict into child’s play, Ender’s Game finds humanity looking to any resource to defeat their foe, and that includes utilizing the engaging and inventive minds of adolescents. While history is full of examples of younger people who infiltrated war fronts, Ender’s Game is unique in that the main character, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), gets total authority to direct the battle.

Since the main antagonistic alien species, the Formics, are insect-like, it lends an opportunity for great swarming formations during the final “test.” Although Ender and his companions are operating remotely, and there could be a sense of detachment, the shocking revelation at the end of Ender’s Game fight makes the ramifications very real. Ender’s Game has meaningful considerations regarding ethics, politics, and warfare, which are showcased in the stellar fighting sequences.

5 Kelvin vs. Narada

‘Star Trek’ (2009)

The 2009 movie Star Trek opens with a pivotal and adrenaline-filled sequence. As Captain Robau (Faran Tahir) of the Kelvin goes aboard Nero’s (Eric Bana) ship, the Narada, he makes George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) acting captain. When Nero asks one simple question, and Robau does not get the answer he wants, he kills the captain in cold blood and sets about to destroy the Kelvin ship and all those onboard.

As Kirk endeavors to work a miracle in the hopeless situation, his wife Winona (Jennifer Morrison) goes into labor with their son, who would later become Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine). The scene is like an espresso of action: highly concentrated, fast, and short, but with twice the impact of other space battles. As the beloved Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) would state to Kirk later in the film, “Your father was captain of a starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother’s and yours. I dare you to do better.”

4 Milano vs. Sovereigns

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017)

When Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and his team try to flee the clutches of a genetically engineered galactic race called the Sovereigns, an enthralling space fight emerges in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Much to Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) dismay, when he announces “I want to kill some guys,” the highly-advanced Sovereigns have developed the technology to use unmanned drones in their conflicts, so as not to waste precious lives.

However removed the Sovereigns may be from the actual danger, they are still committed to their cause and vicious in their attack on the Guardians. There are fantastic special effects used in the battle, and it is a great blend of futuristic weaponry and old-school hutzpah. The dynamic personalities of the characters make it an engaging predicament and a highly enjoyable thrill ride.

3 Raddus vs. Supremacy

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi’ (2017)

The indelible Star Wars franchise continues to give audiences memorable and inventive space battles. In Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, one such example involves the heroic actions of Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). In the climactic scene, the Resistance is facing almost certain destruction by the First Order. They are trapped with no chance of escape as Snoke’s (Andy Serkis) flagship, the Supremacy, and a host of others block them in above the planet Crait.

It is at this moment that Vice Admiral Holdo gives the ultimate measure of bravery and loyalty as she sacrifices herself to buy the Resistance time. In a poetically visceral and visually beautiful scene, she activates the Raddus to lightspeed and blasts through the Supremacy. The move, which would go on to be known as the “Holdo Maneuver” in canon, was brilliant, effective, and unexpected, proving the saga could still leave its audiences in awe.

2 Humans vs. Aliens

‘Independence Day’ (1996)

When life from other worlds does not come in peace in the 1996 classic Independence Day, the whole planet has to work together to destroy the many alien ships that are hovering over key cities around the globe. In the final battle, satellite engineer David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) has developed a way to disable the enemy ships’ outer defense shields. He and U.S. Marine Corps Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) commandeer an alien spacecraft and dock with the large mothership so they can upload a computer virus to disrupt the enemies’ technology.

The film’s final act features combat in multiple dimensions. Planes are fighting alien cruisers inside Earth’s atmosphere and Levinson and Hiller take down the big ship that is orbiting in space. The action is thrilling and makes the movie feel like a potent mix of Top Gun and Star Trek. It can be a challenge to design an alien species that is believable enough to be feared or hated, but the creators of Independence Day were right on the money.

1 Rebel Alliance vs. Death Star

‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’ (1977)

As thrilling, visually compelling, and memorable as star battles go, there is no match for the iconic one that takes place at the epic conclusion of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. In a film that has more than one surprise twist, the Rebel Alliance is terrified to learn that the Empire has a weapon of catastrophic destruction called the Death Star. The size of a small moon, the enormous space station is capable of destroying entire worlds with the push of a button. As the rebels form a ragtag team of pilots to go up against the all-encompassing empire, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) joins the fight.

The original Star Wars trilogy remains a pioneering saga that innovated and redefined not only how special effects were filmed but also how they were perceived in the industry. The phenomenal final battle is a triumph of visual spectacle and narrative depth, as audiences will care as much about the action as they will about Luke and his allies’ fates. Although viewers are entertained by many visually appealing starship action sequences, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope makes the audience care about the lore and implications behind the battle. Top honors go to the film that still does its best when it comes to epic battles in outer space.

NEXT: 10 Sci-Fi Movies with Incredible Action Scenes