All-Time Favorite Lightsaber Battles (#12-#13)

Welcome to my first blog where I rank my all-time favorite lightsaber battles in Episodes I-VII of Star Wars! For the purposes of these rankings, a lightsaber battle is defined as at least two individuals fighting against each other with lightsabers. All individuals involved must be wielding lightsabers in their fight. So fighting or killing with lightsabers against individuals who don’t have lightsabers doesn’t count. By this definition, there are 13 lightsaber battles in Episodes I-VII of Star Wars. I have ranked them from favorite to least favorite, explaining why each battle is where it stands on this list. I will be counting down on my list, each post covering 2-3 lightsaber battles. Of course this list is highly subjective and I’d love to hear any opinions whether they be similar, different, or anywhere in between. Enjoy!

13. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. General Grievous (Revenge of the Sith)

While the fight between Obi-Wan and General Grievous is cool, it’s ranked last for the simple reason that neither character is able to hold onto their lightsaber very long. We know how formidable Obi-Wan can be with a lightsaber and how wise he can be with the Force—he defeated two Sith lords (Darth Maul on Naboo and Anakin/Vader on Mustafar) and he was integral in training Luke Skywalker to become the man and Jedi he became. So we know Obi-Wan is awesome. Then Grievous whips out four lightsabers and says he’s been trained by Count Dooku—a master of the Force and the lightsaber through many years as both a Jedi and Sith Lord. Thus, the showdown between Obi-Wan and Grievous seems like it’ll be amazing, an all-time great lightsaber battle in the making. But it takes Obi-Wan little time to disarm Grievous from his lightsabers. Their fight transitions into a chase scene (during which Obi-Wan loses his lightsaber) and highly physical combat on a Utapau platform before Obi-Wan ends it with a gun he summons with the Force. The fight is cool as Obi-Wan demonstrates how creative and resourceful he can be, while we also get to see Grievous—a truly unique character and unique villain in combat. In addition, Obi-Wan killing Grievous is a huge moment as the death of Grievous signifies the end of the Clone Wars and soon after, the Emperor initiates Order 66. But as a lightsaber battle it’s the weakest in the movies.

 

12. Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul (The Phantom Menace)

• The lightsaber action between Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul on Tatooine is thrilling, intense and masterful. It’s an adrenaline-fueled, spur of the moment fight, especially for Qui-Gon. The Sith Lord and Jedi Master are well-matched in a fight that exposes the unexpected return of the Sith. This fight also makes viewers realize what a badass Darth Maul is, and that Qui-Gon is an even more powerful Jedi Knight and even more of a badass than we realized. It’s also fascinating to see Darth Maul coming so close to killing the boy who will one day become Darth Vader. The only reasons this duel ranks so low is because of how short it is, and Qui-Gon and Maul have no relationship before this battle. The relationships between combatants in the other battles often add rich layers of complexity. A longer duel between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn that takes place after this first encounter would therefore be fascinating and rank higher on this list. . .

 

Image taken from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-jj-abrams-promises-lightsaber-duels-will-be-primitive-and-rougher-and-a6754296.html