Greatest Lightsaber Duel, and why?

PSW: discuss Star Wars without "versus" arguments.

Moderator: Vympel

Which is the greatest lightsaber duel?

Ep 6 - Luke v Vader
22
38%
Ep 1 - Big 3-way
12
21%
Ep 1 - Qui v Maul (Naboo)
0
No votes
Ep 1 - Obi v Maul
5
9%
Ep 2 - Obi v Dooku
1
2%
Ep 2 - Anakin v Dooku
4
7%
Ep 2 - Yoda v Dooku
4
7%
Other (in case of a tie, or if you like one of the duels from a novel, etc.)
10
17%
 
Total votes: 58

User avatar
Captain Kruger
Padawan Learner
Posts: 467
Joined: 2002-07-07 12:55am
Location: REALITY: Las Vegas FANTASY: riding the Beast, guarding the Bucket's ass

Greatest Lightsaber Duel, and why?

Post by Captain Kruger »

I'm sure the majority will probably pick Yoda v Dooku. But for me, as awesome as that was, it was more of a "cheer the heroic bad ass" kind of scene, right down to the crowd absolutely SCREAMING for Yoda. I'm more into the dark, dramatic scenes where you know the good guy is the underdog - HE knows he's the underdog - but he goes for it tenaciously anyway. With that in mind, I pick 'em like this:

1. Anakin v Dooku in Ep 2
2. Obi v Maul in Ep 1
3. Luke v Vader in Ep 6

These three are the ones that were leaving chills in my bones as I watched them for the first time. With every stroke, I was gripping my chair in anticipation for the finishing blow.

The rest of the duels just didn't have the same impact.

Now if you want to judge strictly by being impressed with the skills in the fight, then I would say it's a dead even tie between the 3-way and Yoda/Dooku.
Take life by the balls!

The Universal Constants: death, taxes, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sucking ass.

Image
User avatar
Mr Bean
Lord of Irony
Posts: 22463
Joined: 2002-07-04 08:36am

Post by Mr Bean »

TPM 3 Way always rest in my heart as the best, I'm sorry but the Yoda/Dooku while intresting was not much of a fight

Meanwhile we had an perfectly intro'ed fight between Maul VS Qui-con and Obi(That is if it had not been given away in the 60,000+ Previews seen before)

The first 5 last five of that fight was the best part however, The Qui-con VS Maul... piff, Maul VS Obi, intresting if nothing else for an intellgent evil villian(Force push surpize!)

Anyway The 3 Way was the most intresting particulary the very first part where Maul uses the droid head to smash the door controls

"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe
Pardon me for sounding like a dick, but I'm playing the tiniest violin in the world right now-Dalton
User avatar
Stormbringer
King of Democracy
Posts: 22678
Joined: 2002-07-15 11:22pm

Post by Stormbringer »

Vader vs Luke

Both of them are really great. The duels in the prequels have been flashier but haven't had the emotional heft Vader's confrontations with Luke have. It's the set up and the sheer involvement with the characters that make the old trilogy duels great.

And of course the fact that we know how all of the prequel duels will end only makes it worse. I'm hoping that the fight between Anakin and Obi-wan makes up for it. We'll have the attachement to the characters that has been lacking and still have the high flying fighting of the prequels.
Image
User avatar
Cal Wright
American Warlord
Posts: 3995
Joined: 2002-07-07 03:24am
Location: Super-Class Star Destroyer 'Blight'
Contact:

Post by Cal Wright »

As far as excitement I would have to lean with the big 3 way.

However, for sheer emotional, all things hang in the balance duel, it would have to be Luke vs Vader. Father vs Son. This was, and still is just so fucking intense. The battles in TPM were basically heros trying to weed through the confusion that was evil and war. In Ep II it was a fight to end a war before it begins. In Ep IV it was a fight because one knew the other wouldn't escape. Ep V it was a brat getting his ass rightfully handed to him. Lesson learner that meant a lot as well.

Were you born with out a sense of humor or did you lose it in a tragic whoppy cushion accident? -Stormbringer

"We are well and truly forked." -Mace Windu Shatterpoint

"Either way KJA is now Dune's problem. Why can't he stop tormenting me and start writting fucking Star Trek books." -Lord Pounder

The Dark Guard Fleet

Post 1500 acheived on Thu Jan 23, 2003 at 2:48 am
User avatar
Ghost Rider
Spirit of Vengeance
Posts: 27779
Joined: 2002-09-24 01:48pm
Location: DC...looking up from the gutters to the stars

Post by Ghost Rider »

For showmanship...the Threeway.

For story, ESB where Luke gets ass handed and we realize how nasty Vader is...RoTJ came close, but Vader's domination of Luke was just great in ESB
MM /CF/WG/BOTM/JL/Original Warsie/ACPATHNTDWATGODW FOREVER!!

Sometimes we can choose the path we follow. Sometimes our choices are made for us. And sometimes we have no choice at all

Saying and doing are chocolate and concrete
User avatar
Tsyroc
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 13748
Joined: 2002-07-29 08:35am
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Post by Tsyroc »

I liked 1)Obi v. Maul the best but in general I like lightsaber battles. It's probably what I like most about SW movies and it's probably why my interest in SW in general has picked up since EPI because there's been more emphasis on lightsabers than in the OT.

2)Still, I liked Luke v Vader in RotJ alot.

3)After that I'd have to say the 3-way from EP I (Maul should have and could have toasted Obi before the one on one).

Then probably the Obi v Dooku -- Anakin v. Dooku
Obi v. Dooku is a little too short but I really like the look of Anakin v Dooku and the ending is good.

I really like Vader v Luke in ESB until Luke starts getting pummelled by stuff being thrown at him.

Vader v Obi was cool. It was the first and the talked at each other a bit.

After seeing it once I haven't been to thrilled with the fight between Dooku and Yoda. Can't say I like it much at all anymore.
By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
User avatar
Cpt_Frank
Official SD.Net Evil Warsie Asshole
Posts: 3652
Joined: 2002-07-03 03:05am
Location: the black void
Contact:

Post by Cpt_Frank »

The ESB Luke vs Vader fight.
Image
Supermod
User avatar
Tsyroc
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 13748
Joined: 2002-07-29 08:35am
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Post by Tsyroc »

Ghost Rider wrote:For showmanship...the Threeway.

For story, ESB where Luke gets ass handed and we realize how nasty Vader is...RoTJ came close, but Vader's domination of Luke was just great in ESB
I liked that about that duel and ESB in general. I just didn't like the swarm of stuff thrown at Luke. I did like the fact that he wasn't anywhere close to Vader's league. Plus, having the hero get his hand sliced off was a great touch. :)


After looking at the list again I'd also say that I liked Qui-Gon v. Maul (Tattoine), although it was too short. Mostly a whirl of cloaks with flashes of light in clouds of dust. Pretty cool intro to Maul in action. I think it shows that Maul is likely more dangerous using his saber in the traditional fashion (one blade ignited) than he is with the double. The double certainly came in handy while fighting two Jedi at the same time but he seems faster with the single blade.
By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
IRG CommandoJoe
Sith Devotee
Posts: 3481
Joined: 2002-07-09 12:51pm

Post by IRG CommandoJoe »

I love the RotJ duel because of all of the aforementioned reasons. The one thing others have overlooked was the music in that duel. The music added more emotion to the duel than anything else. I always get shivers whenever I watch that scene. I hope Williams will use that theme with the chorus in the final phase in the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Episode Three. I liked the way JK II used that music for the final duel.
Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him? -Obi-Wan Kenobi

"In the unlikely event that someone comes here, hates everything we stand for, and then donates a big chunk of money anyway, I will thank him for his stupidity." -Darth Wong, Lord of the Sith

Proud member of the Brotherhood of the Monkey.
User avatar
Cal Wright
American Warlord
Posts: 3995
Joined: 2002-07-07 03:24am
Location: Super-Class Star Destroyer 'Blight'
Contact:

Post by Cal Wright »

Oh shit yeah. Star Wars has always had a major emphasis on the score. That moment too really had the all the strings pulled.

Were you born with out a sense of humor or did you lose it in a tragic whoppy cushion accident? -Stormbringer

"We are well and truly forked." -Mace Windu Shatterpoint

"Either way KJA is now Dune's problem. Why can't he stop tormenting me and start writting fucking Star Trek books." -Lord Pounder

The Dark Guard Fleet

Post 1500 acheived on Thu Jan 23, 2003 at 2:48 am
User avatar
Slartibartfast
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 6730
Joined: 2002-09-10 05:35pm
Location: Where The Sea Meets The Sky
Contact:

Post by Slartibartfast »

Father vs Son, with the Emperor teasing and watching on the background. You can't beat that with flashy circus antics...
Image
User avatar
Tsyroc
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 13748
Joined: 2002-07-29 08:35am
Location: Tucson, Arizona

Post by Tsyroc »

Slartibartfast wrote:Father vs Son, with the Emperor teasing and watching on the background. You can't beat that with flashy circus antics...
It could be even creepier if Palpatine ends up being Vader's father and Luke's Grandfather.
By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
User avatar
Darth Garden Gnome
Official SD.Net Lawn Ornament
Posts: 6029
Joined: 2002-07-08 02:35am
Location: Some where near a mailbox

Post by Darth Garden Gnome »

Tsyroc wrote:
Slartibartfast wrote:Father vs Son, with the Emperor teasing and watching on the background. You can't beat that with flashy circus antics...
It could be even creepier if Palpatine ends up being Vader's father and Luke's Grandfather.
No my friend, that would be LAME ASS. And I would forever hate Star Wars. Trioculus was bad enough.....
Leader of the Secret Gnome Revolution
User avatar
Knife
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 15769
Joined: 2002-08-30 02:40pm
Location: Behind the Zion Curtain

Post by Knife »

Episode V was the best all around fight. RotJ and the three way in Episode I tie for second. Luke and Vader on Bespin had the flash, the dramatic effect with the glow of the lightsabers, the emotional component, the music that increased all emotions, and the cliff hanger at the end that is still talked about today.
They say, "the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots." I suppose it never occurred to them that they are the tyrants, not the patriots. Those weapons are not being used to fight some kind of tyranny; they are bringing them to an event where people are getting together to talk. -Mike Wong

But as far as board culture in general, I do think that young male overaggression is a contributing factor to the general atmosphere of hostility. It's not SOS and the Mess throwing hand grenades all over the forum- Red
User avatar
Raptor 597
Sith Devotee
Posts: 3338
Joined: 2002-08-01 03:54pm
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana

Post by Raptor 597 »

Ken Palpatine...owww, brain farting. I really liked when Vader kicked Luke's ass. Ah, glory days.
Formerly the artist known as Captain Lennox

"To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me." - Sir Isaac Newton
User avatar
Uraniun235
Emperor's Hand
Posts: 13772
Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
Location: OREGON
Contact:

Post by Uraniun235 »

IRG CommandoJoe wrote:I love the RotJ duel because of all of the aforementioned reasons. The one thing others have overlooked was the music in that duel. The music added more emotion to the duel than anything else. I always get shivers whenever I watch that scene. I hope Williams will use that theme with the chorus in the final phase in the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan in Episode Three. I liked the way JK II used that music for the final duel.
No, I disagree, I think the ROTJ duel music should be unique to that movie. I think it's a haunting theme that expresses the finality of this duel... that this is the final battle for the Jedi, this is the culmination of the conflict that has raged for years.

Can anyone tell yet that I think the ROTJ duel was the best? It was simply the most emotionally powerful. The prequel duels feel... disconnected. Like you're just watching a couple of dudes wave lighted sticks around really fast. The ROTJ duel sucks you in... you feel every blow, you feel Luke's desperate need to protect his sister, you're stunned as the mighty Darth Vader is struck down and defeated.
User avatar
kheegster
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 2397
Joined: 2002-09-14 02:29am
Location: An oasis in the wastelands of NJ

Post by kheegster »

The big 3-way...when I first saw it in the trailers I went "I HAVE to watch this movie"...and I caught it twice on opening day :). The most awesome fighting sequence in the saga, IMHO, and the most elegant fighting from Maul.

KG
Articles, opinions and rants from an astrophysicist: Cosmic Journeys
User avatar
Captain Kruger
Padawan Learner
Posts: 467
Joined: 2002-07-07 12:55am
Location: REALITY: Las Vegas FANTASY: riding the Beast, guarding the Bucket's ass

Post by Captain Kruger »

Wow. I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised by people’s choices here.

In my initial post, I said I was pretty sure the overwhelming majority would pick the Yoda/Dooku matchup. And here we are with Ep 6’s duel in a landslide lead. That just goes to show me that we have real Star Wars fans here, fans who appreciate the intensity and emotional impact of an action scene more than its eye candy.

And I agree with Joe about the music from that scene. When Luke goes ape shit after Vader’s comment about Leia, THAT sequence is the most emotionally stirring piece of music from the entire saga. Even after seeing the movie about 100 times, I’m still moved to the point of tears watching and hearing that.

Another piece of music that ranks up there for me is the Battle of the Line theme from B5. Earth’s last stand put to the sounds of a soaring choir. Majestic…
Take life by the balls!

The Universal Constants: death, taxes, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sucking ass.

Image
Joe Momma
Jedi Knight
Posts: 684
Joined: 2002-12-15 06:01pm

Post by Joe Momma »

I'm going to break it into categories, since I have different favorites depending on the criteria:

In terms of flashiness and style, I liked the Obi-Qui-Maul battle from TPM, with Yoda v. Count Dooku coming in second.

(I think the Maul fight would have been more dramatic of the character had been developed or at least built up a bit more. Maybe he could have cut some people up while stalking Mos Espa to find Queen Amidala. Or maybe the movie should have had someone close to the characters die at Maul's hands earlier. I don't know, maybe instead of Qui-Gon and Obi, it's Obi with a young padawan on the first mission together and Maul kills the apprentice on Tatooine. Something to make the battle much more personal.)

In more realistic terms, I liked the badly-outmatched-but-trying-like-hell Luke v Vader from ESB, which led into the revelation of their relationship. That scene still chills me after all these years. Coming in second is the more conservative Obi v. Darth in ANH.

In dramatic terms, I too prefer the final battle in ROTJ, particularly where Luke loses it and overwhelms Vader. That scene was one of the strongest in ROTJ and one of the strongest in the whole trilogy IMO. I'd have to put Anakin v. Dooku in second here, for some reason. I just liked the feel of the shots and how the talented Anakin seemed almost a match for the experienced Dooku until that brief slip, which was all Saruman needed.

And I'd like to make honorable mention of a couple of Luke's duels in the Stackpole novels. I, Jedi had a great scene near the end which showed Luke as the badass he should be by that point. Corran Horn (the character narrating the novel) thinks to himself that all he really needs to do there is hold Luke's cloak. Luke's attack of the Vong with two sowrds in Stackpole's NJO trilogy was a good moment, too.

Hell, while I'm going that direction, Luke was a scary swordsman in the game Jedi Outcast, too. There's a scene where he helps you out against a group of evil Jedi and he just performed some insane combos. My favorite had to be the one where he telekinetically yanked a Dark Jedi towards him and then cut him down in mid-air right before throwing his sword into another prone opponent just as he was getting up.

OTOH, the latter was offset by a battle with the evil Jedi boss Desaan. The computer actually runs these fights between NPCs with rather than pre-scripting them. On one memorable occasion, Desaan lopped off Luke's hand ("Oh no, not again!") and Luke just continued fighting, beating Desaan with the stump until the scene ended.

-- Joe Momma
It's okay to kiss a nun; just don't get into the habit.
Crazy_Vasey
Jedi Council Member
Posts: 1571
Joined: 2002-07-13 12:56pm

Post by Crazy_Vasey »

The ESB duel easily owns every other duel in Star Wars except maybe the ROTJ duel which I feel was spoiled by poor choreography. The duels in TPM were flashy but didn't click as well with me. The Yoda duel was an abomination. Anakin Vs. Dooku was good though, I really liked that duel and wish it had been longer and Yoda hadn't been involved.
User avatar
Eleas
Jaina Dax
Posts: 4896
Joined: 2002-07-08 05:08am
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Greatest Lightsaber Duel, and why?

Post by Eleas »

The cloud city duel, first part. The inventive use of color, theme, mood, music and setting all did it. The dialogue was also priceless.
Björn Paulsen

"Travelers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves."
--Chinua Achebe
User avatar
Biddybot
Youngling
Posts: 118
Joined: 2002-12-02 05:32pm
Location: The Maritimes

Lightsaber Duels

Post by Biddybot »

First, I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of lightsaber duels. I've yet to see one that's really convincing. They always have the choreographed look of a good pro wrestling bout to me, the combatants taking turns positioning themselves and waiting for the other to make his move. Entertaining to be sure, but no way can I believe that they're actually fighting. I found the Yoda/Dooku duel quite bad for this in that there were several occasions when Yoda could have easily sliced through Dooku's shins and once when he could have whacked his head, but instead chose to twirl about. Real fighters would never pass up such opportunites...

Having said that, I quite enjoyed the big three-way fight with Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The Maul guy had some real athleticism. It was a pleasure to watch him move. I also really liked the 'travelling' aspect of the fight, the way they fought on the run, and then the break with Obi-Wan temporarily out of the picture and Qui-Gon and Maul not being able to reach each other. The scene of Maul pacing aggressively back and forth while Qui-Gon sank down to rest was actually one of the dramatic high-lights of the whole movie for me, just that sense you got that Qui-Gon knew he was in trouble and Maul knew also...it was a nice bit of foreshadowing. Didn't care for the way the fight ended, though. It was hard for me to buy that a good fighter like Maul would just stand there long enough for Obi-Wan to dismember him, but--that's the choreography for you.
User avatar
Eleas
Jaina Dax
Posts: 4896
Joined: 2002-07-08 05:08am
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Lightsaber Duels

Post by Eleas »

Biddybot wrote:First, I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of lightsaber duels. I've yet to see one that's really convincing. They always have the choreographed look of a good pro wrestling bout to me, the combatants taking turns positioning themselves and waiting for the other to make his move. Entertaining to be sure, but no way can I believe that they're actually fighting. I found the Yoda/Dooku duel quite bad for this in that there were several occasions when Yoda could have easily sliced through Dooku's shins and once when he could have whacked his head, but instead chose to twirl about. Real fighters would never pass up such opportunites...
I for one can't see this when Qui-Gon fights alone on the bridge against Maul. His sanchin was superb, his technique relentless and rugged, and it looked more to me as if he was in combat flow than any sort of choreography.
Björn Paulsen

"Travelers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves."
--Chinua Achebe
User avatar
Biddybot
Youngling
Posts: 118
Joined: 2002-12-02 05:32pm
Location: The Maritimes

Lightsaber Duels

Post by Biddybot »

Eleas, any fighting done by Maul definitely came closest to looking genuine to me, so I'll cheerfully half-agree with you.

I voted for the 3-way, but I was actually counting the entire fight from start to finish as just one. If I broke it up, the end of it, Maul vs Obi-Wan alone, would be waaay down my list. Maul vs Qui-Gon alone was good, though, although I was strangely unmoved by Qui-Gon's death.

Maul's death upset me more. He didn't work very well for me as a villain. I know they did their best trying to make him look evil, what with the face designs and horns and lousey teeth, but none of that altered the fact that that actor had a nice, quite sensitive and friendly-looking face beneath the make-up. His voice was also disconcertingly soft and gentle. Maybe I was just looking at him from the 'wrong' perspective, me being female and all...
User avatar
Eleas
Jaina Dax
Posts: 4896
Joined: 2002-07-08 05:08am
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Lightsaber Duels

Post by Eleas »

Biddybot wrote:Eleas, any fighting done by Maul definitely came closest to looking genuine to me, so I'll cheerfully half-agree with you.
Heh, I guess I'll keep quiet about the fact that I found Qui-Gon's moves the crispest in that scene... oops. :)
I voted for the 3-way, but I was actually counting the entire fight from start to finish as just one. If I broke it up, the end of it, Maul vs Obi-Wan alone, would be waaay down my list. Maul vs Qui-Gon alone was good, though, although I was strangely unmoved by Qui-Gon's death.
True, and so was I. On some level, that whole lack of a real thematic undercurrent robbed Episode I of real power. To me it wasn't mythical, it didn't feel like the winds of history... it looked crisp and occasionally had some high notes, and that was it.
Maul's death upset me more. He didn't work very well for me as a villain. I know they did their best trying to make him look evil, what with the face designs and horns and lousey teeth, but none of that altered the fact that that actor had a nice, quite sensitive and friendly-looking face beneath the make-up. His voice was also disconcertingly soft and gentle. Maybe I was just looking at him from the 'wrong' perspective, me being female and all...
Well I think your opinion might benefit from the knowledge that the actor in question was dubbed. :) He's got quite a strong cockney accent in real life, which you can notice when he plays the character of Toad in the movie X-Men.
Björn Paulsen

"Travelers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves."
--Chinua Achebe
Post Reply