As a new “Star Wars” show blasts onto Disney Plus, the news it will be lightsaber battle-free might cause a disturbance in the force. However, for fans of laser swords, we’ve picked out the best lightsaber battles every Star Wars fan should rewatch, if they need a fix.
5. Luke vs. Vader in The Empire Strikes Back
This scene has everything — great dialogue, the iconic tension between the hero and villain, and of course, the line that everyone gets wrong and may actually be proof that we’re living in a Mandela Effect. The line is, “No, I am your father,” just so we’re on the same page. You’ve probably been saying it wrong forever.
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4. Yoda vs. Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones
Searching through the prequels for anything that resembles gold can often be a struggle, but any glimmers of hope appear in Episode II. This battle comes as more of a surprise because the fight before it was a bit one-sided as Count Dooku overpowered both Obi-Wan and Anakin. When Yoda comes to save the day, he shows them all who the true wielder of both the lightsaber and the Force is.
3. Darth Vader vs. the Rebels in Rogue One
![Darth Vader's rage | Star Wars: Rogue One [Ending scene]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wxL8bVJhXCM/hqdefault.jpg)
It feels more like a horror movie than a sci-fi flick as the room goes dark and we hear the breathing of the monster in the shadows. Then, a lightsaber glows red and we know that whatever happens next can’t be good for the rebels. Boy, did we ever undershoot that.
This has to be one of the coolest scenes in a modern film. It has it all and then some. Evil has never been personified on the screen so well, and the sacrifice of a mission has never been so clear. The rebels gave it their all but were absolutely no match for the most badass Sith of all time.
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2. Kylo Ren and Rey vs. the Praetorian Guard in The Last Jedi
Very few films split audiences and critics like the 2017 movie, “The Last Jedi,” from the shirtless Kylo memes to the quirky new characters nobody was quite sure if they liked or disliked. It was a strange reaction from a usually loyal fan base and a usually less-than-hopeful community of internet critics.
One thing fans and critics did agree on was the epic lightsaber battle that teamed up the frenemies against Snoke’s loyal guards. With sabers and saber-like weapons clashing in the dark-crimson room, the battle brought about a fight that definitely stood out.
1. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace
There is no denying that The Phantom Menace is a weak movie, with some laughably bad dialogue, yet, the best lightsaber battle ever has to be the one with John Williams’ Duel of Fates going off in the background. Granted, the musical score could be playing havoc with my ratings here, but Darth Maul is a cool character and the first showing of a dark-side apprentice flipping, spinning, and whirling a double-bladed lightsaber is gold.
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We could have also picked out the Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vadar duels in the recent Obi-Wan Disney Plus series, yet, we already knew the outcome before they happened, which definitely took the edge off.