The Road to Episode Infinity: Top 5 Lightsaber Duels

Top 5 Star Wars Duels

#5: Vader Vs. Kenobi (Death Star I)

“You can’t win Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.” ~Obi-Wan Kenobi

I have always thought that the best lightsaber duels were not just a duel of swords, but also a duel of words. As words go- this duel is deadly. Obi-Wan’s character is driven by the fact that he failed Anakin. He cannot even bring himself to speak his apprentices name during this encounter. The physical blows are minimal, but that’s only because of the history between these characters. Anakin must be regretting his actions on Mustafar at this point, but still a little pissed about it.

Obi-Wan sacrifices himself because he has accepted the fact that Vader is lost to him. He knows that his battle is over and that his purpose will live on- through Luke. Obi-Wan has total faith in the Son of Skywalker- even where Yoda does not.

#4: Maul vs. Kenobi & Qui-Gon (Naboo)

“We’ll handle this” ~Qui Gon

Many fans consider this scene the best part of Phantom Menace. Probably because it was the only scene where no one says anything. Let’s face it, the prequels were about Eye-Candy and anytime Lucas’ horrible dialogue distracted us from the Eye-Candy- well that’s when fans felt embarrassed that they had dressed up and waited in line for hours.

Maul is played by Ray Parks who is a professional stunt man and had some very-cool moments. The major problem with this duel is that it didn’t really drive the plot forward. The result forces Obi-Wan to adopt Anakin as his apprentice, but I call BS! It should have been Obi-Wan’s idea to adopt Anakin in the first place (Qui-Gon’s character was never added until the final draft of the script). I don’t like the idea that Obi-Wan was guilted into adopting Anakin. It makes Anakin’s fall so much less tragic.

#3 Luke vs. Vader (Death Star II)

“I will not fight you father,” ~Luke

This is my personal favorite duel. The dialogue from all three characters is timeless and the music is epic. The stakes are probably the highest of the entire saga. And we get some closure at the end.

It doesn’t take much for the audience to grasp the conflict in Vader. It’s subtle, but you can hear it in his pauses- the places where he just breaths. Luke’s calm words are quick to drive him to anger.

Like the other duels of the Original Star Wars Trilogy – the lightsabers don’t win the battle. The battle is about more than Eye-Candy. It’s about internal conflicts. In this case Vader sacrifices himself for Luke (just as Obi-Wan did in the original film).

#2 Obi-Wan vs. Anakin (Mustafar)
“It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground.” ~Obi-Wan Kenobi

You voted for it, here it is. The dialogue is littered with clichés and Obi-Wan actually mentions democracy at one point but, the stakes are high and the conclusion is satisfying. Not to mention more Eye-Candy.

We waited about 30 years for this battle and it wasn’t a total disappointment. Anakin turns out to be an evil little spoiled bitch, which doesn’t really conflict with how Vader acts in the original three films. I guess Lucas might have been on to something when casting Hayden after all. Though how Padme ever fell for this kid, I will never know.

#1 Luke Vs. Vader (Bespin)

“No… I am your Father,” ~Vader

This will always be the most memorable of the lightsaber battles. It’s the perfect end to "Empire", which is ultimately a tragic movie. The rebels lose the battle of Hoth, Han is frozen in carbonite, and Luke loses his hand. Also, the most evil man in the galaxy is his daddy.

This duel has some great action scenes combined with great dialogue. It really lays precedence for every single lightsaber duel that will follow- in film, novel, or comic. It all started with this one. And the ending shocked audiences enough that even if you have never seen a Star Wars movie, you know the famous -albeit misquoted- line “Luke… I am your Father”

What didn’t make the list:

Yoda’s duels didn’t make the list because he should have ripped his enemies into shreds. Imagine the satisfaction of Yoda beheading Dooku.