What’s the Most Popular Star Wars Episode in Your State?

— Written by Craig Hanks

May the Force be with you! We love Star Wars as much as the rest of America, and in celebration of our shared cultural pastime, we once again dove into the data and charted each state’s affection for the various installments of the Star Wars franchise.

In other words, we can tell you which movie got searched for most in each state for the last 12 months. So is your state a fan of the old or of the new? The “beloved George Lucas” era, the “reviled George Lucas” era, or the Disney era? The anticipation is thicker than a rancor’s neck.

HOT TAKES

• As is right and proper, The Empire Strikes Back dominates the competition, ranking as the most-searched-for Star Wars film in no fewer than twenty states.
• Utah, well-documented as the nerdiest state in the union, may take its love of Star Wars to unhealthy levels. Utah is the top searcher for seven of the nine films, missing only Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
• For such a widely reviled movie, The Phantom Menace racks up an impressive eleven top slots. (Perhaps they’re just trying to decide whether they still hate it or not?)
• The most isolated state in the union sets itself apart in more than one way: Alaska is the only state to search for Rogue One more than for any of the other films.
• Either they defy the timeline restraints or they display a severe recency bias (or both), but New York, Michigan, and Utah seem to love The Last Jedi.
• If you divide Star Wars into “the original trilogy” versus “everything else,” the originals still win out, taking 27 top spots and leaving just 23 for the rest of the franchise.

So which movie is the most-searched-for in your state? Are you one with the crowd? Or do you stand out more than a Gungan in an Ewok village?