I wanted a simpler, fun little article for this week, so I figured it was about time to tackle an idea I’d had bouncing around in my head for a very long time. Fight scenes and dynamic duels are cool. Lightsabers (and just any kind of swords) are really cool. Star Wars is really cool! Let’s marry all of those ideas together and take a look at my personal Top 10 Favorite Lightsaber Duels in all of Star Wars!
(By the way, there’s a ton of great fights that couldn’t fit onto this list, and I didn’t even attempt to look at the fights that come from the video games (and their cinematic trailers), or any of the awesome stuff from the Visions show.)
Let’s get this under way!
Just A Few Honorable Mentions – Luke vs Vader (Episode Six), Maul and Savage vs Sidious (TCW Season 5), Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Dooku (Episode 3), Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda vs Dooku (Episode 2), Obi-wan vs Vader (Obi-Wan Kenobi)
10) Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Dooku ~ The Clone Wars Season Six (FIGHT)
I’m honestly a sucker for anytime we get to see Dooku fight, because he has such an arresting style. And I’ll admit that that’s the primary reason why this fight makes the cut for my list. Well, that and The Clone Wars‘ irresistibly smooth animation style for the fight scenes. Fully embracing the cartoon nature with leaning entirely into absurdity, everyone just flows and moves around so well in this show, and this battle here is a fantastic example of that. The music goes pretty hard too, only highlighting the scene all the more.
9) Anakin vs Asajj Ventress ~ Clone Wars Volume One (FIGHT)
This animated series might be pretty overlooked compared to The Clone Wars, but it’s got a lot of great moments in it. Occasionally it leans a little heavily into downright absurdity, but it’s always entertaining, and a must-watch if you’ve never seen it before. This lengthy and climactic duel that caps off the main story of Volume One is the culmination of everything that this animation style excels at. It’s strikingly beautifully, filled with great choreography, and a ton of understated character beats that shine through in how each of these combatants behaves.
8) Ahsoka vs Baylan Skoll ~ Ahsoka Season One (FIGHT)
I’m the world’s biggest Ahsoka fan, so of course I was thoroughly enjoying the show up to the point when this episode released, but it’s definitely clear that this skirmish (and entire episode) is what finally won other people over. Any fears that a live-action television show would falter at depicting lightsaber duels was blown to bits by this dramatic showdown. Both Ahsoka and Baylan’s choreography is on-point, with a ton of awesome moves that make you want to just immediately re-watch the fight and start overanalyzing everything! And for as much as I love Ahsoka, it’s Baylan who steals the scene here, managing to somehow be terrifyingly intimidating while also unshakably cool and controlled.
7) The Jedi Survivors vs General Grievous ~ Clone Wars Volume One (FIGHT)
And I have to give another nod to this classic animated mini-series yet again, for giving us the single most frightening General Grievous moment of all time. I know I talked about absurdity (and implied I didn’t totally love that kind of stuff), but when it’s this cool I have to give it a pass. The sheer levels of insane nonsense that Grievous pulls off in this battle are so over-the-top that they circle back around to being frightening and seemingly-unstoppable. He’s more of a force (no pun intended) of nature in this fight than an actual sentient being, and those poor Jedi don’t stand a chance. I almost feel bad for getting so excited watching them be beaten and battered around like that!
6) Rey vs Kylo Ren ~ Episode Seven (FIGHT)
Much can (and has) been said about the sequel trilogy of films, and I’m of the personal opinion that the trio of flicks was a bit of a dud by the end of it all. But I was still hyped-as-heck for The Force Awakens, and my contrarian take is that it’s still a good film that I enjoy re-watching to this day. And in a movie filled with a ton of scenes I enjoy, my favorite has got to be this lightsaber clash that ends off the movie. It has this palpable and unique energy that most other lightsaber battles don’t have, where the emphasis is more on the desperation and emotion of two in-training opponents, instead of flashy moves or focused strikes. And then sprinkle in the music, and the setting, and the stakes? It’s a ton of fun!
5) Anakin vs Obi-wan ~ Episode Three (FIGHT)
Easily one of the most recognizable duels in the entire Star Wars saga, and the one that fans were frothing at the mouth to see play out from the very moment a prequel trilogy was even announced. It maybe goes on for just a little bit too long, and it’s hard not to giggle at that silly little ‘hold each other in place by Force-pushing our hands’ bit. But, I mean, come on! “Battle of the Heroes” kicks in, these two are going at each other’s throats, lava is exploding everywhere, and before you know it you’ve got goosebumps all over your body and a big stupid grin on your face. It’s what three entire movies have been building up to, and it doesn’t disappoint.
It also only gets better (and sadder) after a watchthrough of The Clone Wars, where you have even more connection to the emotional weight of Anakin and Obi-wan’s relationship falling apart like this.
4) Anakin vs Barriss ~ The Clone Wars Season 5 (FIGHT)
I mean, of course this one had to show up on the list, right? It’s a battle featuring one of my favorite Star Wars characters of all time, from my favorite episode of my favorite story arc of my favorite Star Wars show? It’s my list, so I’ll be biased if I want to be!
Seriously though, there’s a ton of greatness in this fight. From the close-quarters of Barriss’ room, to the hallway, to taking the fight into the courtyard outside, it’s a really dynamic showdown for how relatively-short it’s total length is. I love how Barriss actually holds her own really well in the tight confines early in the fight, but can’t even attempt to hold up to Anakin’s overwhelming strength once the fight moves out into the open. It’s an entertaining spectacle, especially how Anakin clearly channels his Dark Side rage to end the fight. Such a phenomenal finale bout.
3) Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs Maul ~ Episode One (FIGHT)
And now we get to the single most famous lightsaber duel in all of Star Wars, and though this blog may be called The Contrarian Corner, I’m not about to have a left-field opinion now of all times. It hasn’t aged a day since The Phantom Menace came out, still managing to be the best lightsaber duel from any Star Wars film, and a scene that never fails to entertain as it forces your eyeballs to glue themselves to the screen.
Even putting aside “Duel of the Fates” (what more needs to be said about such a phenomenal piece of music), I genuinely think this fight would still be amazing even if you watched with the audio muted. The acting from body and facial movement alone is stellar for each participant (especially that great quiet beat where they are each stuck waiting for the hallway shields to turn off), and the action choreography is obviously awesome too. And I like the fight’s different phases, from the group chaos near the beginning, to Obi-wan and Maul’s 1-v-1 at the end.
2) Jedi Task Force vs Qimir ~ The Acolyte (FIGHT)
The show’s quality was pretty variable (I’m of the opinion that it was enjoyable enough), but you’d have to be a crazy person to have watched the insane duels that took place within the span of a single episode and not come away impressed! I’d go as far to say that it makes the entire show worth watching all on its own, and it almost feels like the show put the majority of their budget and time on just nailing these perfect clashes.
Not only is there a lot to love in terms of how long these fights go on for, but there’s a lot to love with the variety too. We have Qimir just wrecking shop with all the random Jedi redshirts, chopping down one after another. There’s the quick-but-fun clash with Yord. There’s the climactic battle against Sol, and all of those twists-and-turns. And, of course, there’s the battle against Jecki, which is just shockingly phenomenal across the board. I think I could watch this episode and these fights a hundred times and not get bored!
1) Ahsoka vs Maul ~ The Clone Wars Season 7 (FIGHT)
So, putting this duel at the top spot of my list is due to a variety of factors that, taken together, could feasibly be referred to as ‘cheating’.
It’s from The Clone Wars, which of course I adore with every fiber of my being. It heavily features Ahsoka, my favorite Star Wars character of all time. It’s animated, allowing for additional freedom and detailing that you simply can’t micro-manage in live-action. But, it’s also heavily iterated from motion-capture-technology, giving the fight a weight and depth that traditional animation can’t quite match. It’s like this impossible fusion of every possible factor that could secure a lightsaber duel the top spot on this list!
But obviously, it’s not just those features! It also has superb animation, the most beautiful ever put to screen by a Star Wars show. It’s got an excellent soundtrack fueling every strike and blow. It’s got some of the absolute best dueling choreography you’ll ever see, especially in the second half when Ahsoka and Maul practically have to act as gymnasts just to maintain balance on those thin rafters. It’s got excellently paced escalating stakes, and it’s got a jaw-dropping finisher.
It’s just perfect, plain and simple.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 