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Episode V, hands down.

"The Force is strong with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet."

Robert Treder wrote:Episode V, hands down.

"The Force is strong with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet."

DAMN RIGHT.

Why the hell isn't it an option on the poll?

ROTJ second, AOTC third, and TPM dead last.

I wouldn't say "dead" last. I liked every single lightsabre battle (I am a Star Wars fan, after all), it's just that compared to the others, it's not as good. I'm also a fan of the ANH battle between Obi and Ani. It has some classic dialogue, and the moves are more conservative and controlled than in the fights between younglings, madmen, and untrained messiahs.
In terms of importance, ROTJ's Final Duel edges out the ESB duel, but the ESB one is still cooler. The fighting is fierce, as Luke delves into the Dark Side. Plus, nothing beats the opening sequence, from the first ignition of the sabres until Luke jumps out of the freezing chamber.
Come to think of it, each of the OT battles are monumentally important as far as the story goes, whereas the AOTC battles are not. Nobobdy dies, and unlike the ESB battle, nothing too shocking is revealed to any of the characters. Anakin losing his arm is symbolically important, but intratextually, it's pretty insignificant. It's still a cool fight, and I'm sure it will seem better once EIII gives it context, but it will never be better than Luke vs. Vader in the Empire Strikes Back.

Have to go with Luke/Vader. Emotinal and physcal battle.

*looks at post count and jumps for joy*

Luke and Vader

I voted for Episode 6. Not for the fight as a whole, but for the alst part where Luke jumps out of hiding. The pure emotion of that final lightsabre battle, especially with that chilling music, sent shivers up my spine.

Honourable mention to Yoda vs. Dooku. Simply because it's Yoda. With a lightsabre. In leaping, ass-kicking glory.

Vympel wrote:

Robert Treder wrote:Episode V, hands down.

"The Force is strong with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet."

DAMN RIGHT.

Why the hell isn't it an option on the poll?

ROTJ second, AOTC third, and TPM dead last.

I tried to include every lightsaber duel but this thing has a limit for poll options. It told me I had too many. I didn't figure many people would vote for Ep 4. I thought Ep 6 would easily outclass Ep 5 for Luke/Vader fans. Sorry guys...

I suppose I should have made Ep 1 a single choice rather than breaking it down into the three segments. Oops...

Definately Luke -v- Vader in VI.

It wasn't polished, it wasn't meant to be. It was all about pure passion and hate all the emotions that made the OT what it was. The music still sends chills into my very soul. The sound of the Emperor cackeling when Skywalker wins. Man i gotta go watch ROTJ.

Maul owning both Obi and Jin...

Yes!

TESB Vader vs Luke.

For skill, Obi Vs Maul. You keep expecting the shot to cut to a different angle, but they keep going at it!
For pure imagery, ESB. The light sabers and the silhouetes of vader and luke at the top of the orange steps wreathed in smoke, class!

The most exciting lightsaber duel was the one between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, on Naboo, in Episode I. To declare it the greatest duel of all time, however, is to miss the point. The battle between Luke Skywalker and his father on the Death Star in Episode VI was clearly the most monumental duel, and was PHENOMENALLY well done.

Only as action the whole duel of Maul, Qui-gon and Obi-wan wins.

If I also focus on emotions then the one on Bespin wins followed by RotJ.

I cant say I was terribly impressed by the Dooku fights, he fought using one of the poorest styles known to sword fighting....his technique was mostly West Point (yes, as in the marine officer training place...they do have their own vile excuse for swordplay....) which as some one commented would have allowed Yoda to lop his legs off three or four times.....

TPM duels were far more impressive from a technical standpoint, though I would have liked to see two sabers used against a compentent opponent like Maul rather that Dooku. The overall Maul-Quigon-Obiwan duel is stunning in its richness of fighting and flow of movement.....

But as has been said before....few things can match the emotional charge of the original trilogy.....as Vader faces off with Luke for a final time aboard the DSII it is incredible.....neither is trying to be flash its a pure and simple fight to the end.

As for Qui-Gon's abilities in the saber duel, Liam has done a few films with swordplay in them before.

The Big Three-Way takes it, for me. Granted, I don't know what a power reactor is doing that close to a hangar, but whatever.

I really liked Darth Maul's attitude throughout the whole thing. When he finally slew Qui-Gon, he just walked away from him like he was nothing, not even giving him a second look. That's a badass.

Durandal wrote:The Big Three-Way takes it, for me. Granted, I don't know what a power reactor is doing that close to a hangar, but whatever.

I think it might be a general 'design feature' just look at what happened on the droid control ship

Durandal wrote:The Big Three-Way takes it, for me. Granted, I don't know what a power reactor is doing that close to a hangar, but whatever.

I really liked Darth Maul's attitude throughout the whole thing. When he finally slew Qui-Gon, he just walked away from him like he was nothing, not even giving him a second look. That's a badass.

Bah! Flashy choreography and big lights impress you eh? ROTJ takes the cake! It's about emotion man, not that techincal garbage. Was the TPM fight cool? Yes. But did it express the emotion of a conflict of wills? Farther vs. Son in a duel to the death? And the son having to take place of the father at the Palpatines side! The rage of Luke after Vader mentions his sister, and later when he cuts him down. The chuckling of Palpatine at young Lukes victory, and the will it took Luke to step away from the Dark Side. And finally a fathers dinal redemption as he casts the evil emperor into the pit (damn pit brain bug)!

And what does TPM have? Three guys jumping around like they've had itching powder poured into their beards. It just doesn't have what it takes to hold up to ROTJ.

The best duels were in the original three films. But for me, the ultimate was the Luke/Vader showdown in ROTJ. It reaches the emotional highpoint of the entire movie series when Luke charges out after Vader speaks of turning Sister to the Dark Side and goes Jedi on the old man's ass. And that is only setup for the moment when everything is hanging in the balance; when Palpatine is on the edge of his supreme triumph, silkily urging Luke to finish off his own father and embrace the Dark Side. When Luke looks at the helpless Darth Vader and realises in that moment the abyss he's about to tumble into himself and then tosses away his lightsabre and rejects the Emperor. That was mythic.

Each of the original trilogy's duels involved some sort of moral lesson, choice, or failure. The ROTJ duel culminates the entire struggle between Dark and Light and makes it nearly the supreme moment of Star Wars.

My favourite is the ROTJ fight...clearly the most intensive, emotional and impressive...

The music only makes it better...though I would argue that the single best piece of music is when Vader picks up Palpatine & throws him down the pit...awesome...

The prequels have done nothing for me...I feel that the bad guys, Maul, Dooku etc...could have been built up soooo much better, so that you actually look forward to seeing them kick arse...

An example would be Dooku, he shows up at the near end of the film, does nothing impressive till the very end & suddenly we're meant to believe he a badass...

Compare that to the way Tarkin & Vader were introduced in ANH. Or how we got to see how evil Vader was during ESB...