Warning! This video contains spoilers for Disney+'s "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and the entire Star Wars saga.
Disney+ just delivered a long-awaited confrontation between Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, and as epic as it was, it got everyone on the internet talking about where it ranked amongst the rest of the live-action Star Wars universe's lightsaber battles. Well, CinemaBlend's managing editor, Sean O'Connell, is here with his top seven lightsaber battles of all time, and of course the rematch made the list!
Disney+ just delivered a long-awaited confrontation between Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, and as epic as it was, it got everyone on the internet talking about where it ranked amongst the rest of the live-action Star Wars universe's lightsaber battles. Well, CinemaBlend's managing editor, Sean O'Connell, is here with his top seven lightsaber battles of all time, and of course the rematch made the list!
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00:00 That lightsaber battle in the third episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi was insane!
00:04 But is it among the best? You might be surprised.
00:07 What have you become?
00:09 I am what you made me.
00:14 Hey guys, it's Sean O'Connell, the managing editor here at CinemaBlend,
00:22 and the moment that episode three of Obi-Wan Kenobi ended,
00:25 fans started to debate where that rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader
00:30 ranks among the all-time greatest lightsaber battles in franchise history.
00:34 We decided to put them into some type of order to also figure out for ourselves where it ranked,
00:39 and we decided we're gonna stick to live-action.
00:41 There's a lot of animated lightsaber battles that are significant in Star Wars history,
00:45 almost too many to really rank at this point.
00:47 So we focused on the films and the Disney+ television shows,
00:51 and came up with our seven best,
00:54 because, you know, it leaves out a few key ones.
00:56 I'll discuss them at the beginning of the video.
00:58 Needless to say, we're going to get into some spoilers,
01:00 not just for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but for the entire Star Wars saga.
01:04 So if for some reason you don't want to hear about Star Wars spoilers,
01:06 which potentially talks about the outcomes of some of these key battles,
01:09 you might want to leave the video now.
01:11 The rest of you guys...
01:12 You cannot run.
01:15 Let's start with just some of the honorable mentions,
01:17 because you can't actually build a list of all of the lightsaber battles in Star Wars.
01:21 There are a ton of them.
01:23 So, you know, as I went over my choices,
01:24 I had to leave out things like the Jedi taking on everyone
01:28 at the end of Star Wars Attack of the Clones,
01:30 or Yoda versus Count Dooku, also in Clones.
01:34 And some of the reasons why I left these battles off
01:37 is maybe the CGI wasn't quite as finished,
01:40 or the stakes weren't necessarily as high.
01:42 One that was tough to really leave off was Rey and Kylo Ren
01:46 taking on the Praetorian Guards in Star Wars The Last Jedi,
01:50 which looks amazing,
01:52 but there are some narrative decisions that led to that fight
01:55 that maybe take away some of the impact,
01:57 especially when you look at the seven that we focus on.
02:00 So, without further ado, if I leave out one of your battles,
02:03 let me know in the comments down below
02:05 of where you think it should have ranked in my overall list.
02:08 But these are my personal preferences
02:09 for the seven greatest lightsaber battles in Star Wars history,
02:13 and I am going to include the one from Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3.
02:16 Now you will suffer.
02:20 For number seven, I chose Luke versus Kylo Ren
02:23 in the conclusion of The Last Jedi.
02:25 This is Luke Skywalker's swan song.
02:27 It's the one-time teacher against the student
02:30 that he feels like he failed.
02:31 It is stylish as hell.
02:33 The white surface of Krait
02:36 just sets up this visually magnificent sequence,
02:39 and Rian Johnson's fight choreography,
02:42 calling back to Rey's lightsaber training on Ahch-To
02:45 is actually brilliant.
02:46 Okay, even though, okay, technically I know
02:50 that Luke and Kylo Ren's lightsabers
02:51 don't actually touch during this battle
02:54 because of the whole force projection thing,
02:56 but still, I'm counting it.
02:57 It's number seven, and stop sleeping on The Last Jedi, people.
03:00 Strike me down in anger, and I'll always be with you.
03:05 Number six is Obi-Wan Kenobi versus Darth Vader
03:09 in Star Wars A New Hope.
03:10 This might be considered sacrilege,
03:13 putting Obi-Wan's confrontation with Darth Vader
03:15 so low on this list, but just because you came first
03:19 doesn't necessarily mean that you are the best,
03:20 and plenty of lightsaber battles that followed A New Hope
03:24 took inspiration from this duel and actually raised the bar.
03:27 The historical significance of this fight
03:29 cannot be diminished,
03:31 but I stand by the actual battle's ranking on this list
03:34 because of the action that takes place in it
03:36 and just the way that other ones were able to improve on it
03:39 as the series continued.
03:41 Come on, R2, we're going.
03:43 Case in point for number five,
03:44 I'm actually gonna put the Obi-Wan versus Darth Vader
03:47 fight from Obi-Wan Kenobi
03:49 right above their initial confrontation.
03:52 It's just cooler than their inaugural battle
03:54 because we as fans at this point are far more invested
03:58 in their rivalry thanks to the events
04:00 of the prequel trilogy,
04:01 and specifically the finale of Revenge of the Sith.
04:04 The betrayal that we witnessed between these two
04:07 in that movie adds to the anger and the fear
04:10 that is conveyed in this battle
04:12 that we just saw in Obi-Wan Kenobi,
04:14 and Darth Vader dragging Ben Kenobi through flames
04:17 is such a sick burn, literally,
04:20 that that action instantly made this a classic
04:22 in Star Wars Legacy.
04:24 - Your pain has just begun.
04:28 - Coming in at number four, I picked Qui-Gon Jinn
04:32 and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi taking on Darth Maul
04:35 in Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
04:38 Now, there are a couple of lightsaber battles
04:39 in Star Wars history that get bonus points
04:42 simply because they look incredibly cool
04:44 while also pushing the narrative points forward.
04:47 Rey and Kylo, like I talked about,
04:49 taking on the Praetorian Guards in The Last Jedi
04:52 is definitely one of those sequences,
04:53 and so is number four on this list,
04:55 Qui-Gon Jinn and young Obi-Wan taking on Sith Lord
04:58 Darth Maul and his double-bladed red lightsaber.
05:02 It's a great villain, it's a great weapon,
05:04 and of course, John Williams' Duel of the Fates
05:07 is an all-timer in terms of musical compositions
05:10 in Star Wars history.
05:11 (dramatic music)
05:14 The top three choices on this list are stone-cold classics.
05:18 You can't go wrong with any of them,
05:20 but at number three, I'm putting Luke versus Darth Vader
05:23 at the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back.
05:26 By the time that Luke Skywalker faced Darth Vader
05:28 at the end of Empire, his rage had reached an all-time high,
05:32 which made it easier for Darth Vader
05:34 to emotionally manipulate his hot-headed foe.
05:37 The battle is menacing and it's terrifying
05:40 because really, at that point, we'd believed
05:42 that Darth Vader was an unstoppable force,
05:45 no pun intended, and Luke didn't really have
05:47 his full training yet, so we feared for his life.
05:49 Of course, the paternal reveal at the end of the scene
05:52 is legendary, but really, the entire sequence
05:54 is an all-timer.
05:55 - Search your feelings, you know it, you too.
05:58 (dramatic music)
06:00 - No!
06:00 - Number two for me is Obi-Wan versus Anakin Skywalker
06:05 in Star Wars, The Revenge of the Sith.
06:07 Part of the reason why I love a great lightsaber battle
06:10 is not just the visuals, but the emotional component,
06:12 and the prequel trilogy built all the way to
06:15 the confrontation between, again, student and teacher,
06:18 in this case, Obi-Wan feeling that he had failed Anakin,
06:22 believing that Anakin was gonna be the one
06:23 that brought balance to the force.
06:25 It's a lengthy battle.
06:26 Of course, the fact that it's set on a volcanic planet
06:30 with lava spewing all over the place
06:32 and our protagonists balancing on droids
06:36 and locking arms is fantastic,
06:38 and of course, the conclusion, which gets referenced back to
06:40 in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode three,
06:42 of Anakin just losing his limbs and catching on fire
06:46 is an image that we're never gonna forget
06:49 in the Star Wars franchise,
06:50 and so this battle between these guys,
06:52 it's the highlight of the prequel trilogy.
06:54 It's one of the best sequences in Star Wars,
06:56 and it is the number two best
06:58 Star Wars lightsaber battle that I've seen.
07:00 - You were the chosen one!
07:01 It was said that you would destroy the Sith,
07:05 not join them!
07:07 - I don't think this is controversial,
07:09 but I'm picking Luke versus Darth Vader
07:11 from "Return of the Jedi"
07:12 as the number one greatest lightsaber battle
07:15 in live action for Star Wars,
07:16 and again, it comes down to the emotional component of it.
07:19 Their first fight in "Empire" was fantastic
07:22 with Luke losing his hand
07:23 and the revelation that Darth is his father,
07:26 but the battle at the end of "Return of the Jedi"
07:27 is not just a fight for Luke's soul,
07:30 but it's also a fight for the soul of Darth Vader
07:33 and whether or not the son can bring his father back
07:35 from the dark side.
07:36 The transitions of Palpatine working on both of them
07:39 is fantastic over the course of the battle.
07:41 Luke's green lightsaber looks tremendous in the fight.
07:45 It's lengthy, it's paralleled with the other two fights
07:47 that are taking place on Andor and up in space.
07:50 Terrific editing that takes place
07:52 to build tension in all of those sequences,
07:54 but really, seeing father and son going at it
07:57 toe to toe for as long as they do
07:59 with the emotional stakes and all of that dramatic weight
08:02 being balanced right there
08:03 about whether good can finally triumph over evil
08:06 is exactly why we buy into "Star Wars."
08:09 These are not just showy fights
08:12 with flashy lightsaber battles.
08:13 These are emotional, significant things
08:17 that we invest in because we love the characters
08:19 and the conclusion of the original trilogy,
08:21 "Return of the Jedi,"
08:23 has the greatest lightsaber battle in "Star Wars" history.
08:27 - So be it, Jedi.
08:30 - Now, I know I left out some battle that you love,
08:33 so tell me about it in the comments down below.
08:35 It's "Star Wars."
08:36 We all have our opinions,
08:37 but I wanna hear from you guys,
08:38 especially 'cause I know, listen,
08:39 I didn't choose anything from "Rise of Skywalker,"
08:41 not a huge fan of that episode,
08:44 but it has a couple of really good battles
08:46 and they probably could have made their list,
08:47 their way into this list.
08:48 They'll probably make their way into yours.
08:50 Again, thank you for coming by,
08:51 checking out our "Star Wars" content.
08:53 We're gonna continue to cover Obi-Wan Kenobi
08:55 as the last three episodes of the series play out.
08:58 Hopefully we'll see another exciting battle
09:00 between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his former student,
09:03 Anakin Skywalker,
09:04 who we'll have to redo our list
09:05 by the time we see them confront each other again.
09:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]