Storyline:
1. Empire Strikes Back
2. The Force Awakens
3. A New Hope
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. TPM/AotC (i really don't care abt these two)
I was really tempted to place TFA as #1 because it excellently combines all the elements of ANH/ESB/ROTJ and the story is very well-written. But it does has some flaws and I can't find any plot flaw in ESB, so ESB has the best storyline, for me.
Characters:
1. Original Trilogy
2. Sequel Trilogy
3. Prequel Trilogy
Again, I wanted to place the sequel trilogy's characters up there equally with the original characters, because they all have so well-written backstories, and the young actors all did a wonderful job portraying them. But I realized its unfair, because we have not seen the whole saga of ST. While PT characters are just a bunch of people talking and sitting around, doing nothing
Special effects (incl. mechanized props, special effects makeup, CGI):
1. The Force Awakens - HANDS DOWN, no doubt about this
2. ANH/ESB/ROTJ
3. TPM/AOTC/ROTS - everything's fake, what can I say
Lightsaber fight choreography:
1. The Force Awakens
2. The Phantom Menace
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Empire Strikes Back
6. A New Hope
7. Attack of the Clones
Spaceship battle sequence:
I'm not sure yet... but do you guys have your own rank for this category?
Cinematography:
1. The Force Awakens
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. A New Hope
4. Return of the Jedi
5. TPM/AOTC/ROTS
Now, onto my FAVORITE rank:
1. Empire Strikes Back
2. Return of the Jedi (I love filler-type plots like the Jabba sequence)
3. The Force Awakens
4. A New Hope
5. Revenge of the Sith
6. The Phantom Menace
7. Attack of the Clones (was there actually anything good in this one?)