After knights of the olden days wielded swords to fend off their foes, George Lucas took the idea and ran with it for his Star Wars films.
The lightsaber is synonymous not only with Star Wars, but with greater pop culture as a concept. Since the first on-screen lightsaber battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, there’s been a plethora of astonishing duels between the light and the dark.
Here’s our pick of the finest battles between the glowing swords to date.
Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader (Episode IV)
The first lightsaber-on-lightsaber duel seen in cinemas, the fight between Obi-Wan and his former pupil Anakin (now Darth Vader) is a brilliant fight scene not necessarily because of amazing choreography, but rather the meaning behind it all. A battle which Obi-Wan loses on purpose, to sow the seeds of regret in the mind of Vader.
Alec McGuinness delivered the line “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine” with such potency that it’s now an integral part of Anakin’s redemption.
Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul (Star Wars: Rebels)
This rematch takes place just before Obi-Wan and Luke venture out into the galaxy, and finally puts an end to the infamous Darth Maul. Though Maul has been dreaming of revenge since the day Kenobi bisected the Dathomarian decades ago, Obi-Wan effortlessly ends his old nemesis.
If Obi-Wan Kenobi being an absolute boss with a blade isn’t enough reason to watch this final match up, his compassion is. In a show of kindness Maul has likely never seen, Kenobi cradles his dying foe and assures him that he is protecting the true chosen one. It’s a classic Kenobi moment and a beautiful way to put an end to a decade’s long villain.
Duel of the Fates (Episode I)
The Phantom Menace and prequel trilogy don’t get too much dead-on, but one thing they did master is the combination of score with fight scenes. The climax of the film sees Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take on the powerful Sith apprentice Darth Maul. The booming John Williams score ensured this moment would live rent-free in fans mind’s for eternity as Darth Maul mostly holds his own against the duo.
The fight is gorgeously choreographed and cemented Obi-Wan and Maul both as fan favorites. Duel of Fates is one of the best known lightsaber duels in all of Star Wars and one viewing of this fight makes it easy to see why.
Kylo Ren vs. Rey and Finn (Episode VII)
Finn barely keeping up with Ren throughout the fight, before being bodied out of it, helps build up Kylo as this force of nature, even though he’s profusely bleeding. Following it up is Rey wielding the saber, being absolutely pushed around, but then becoming one with the force, allowing her to skim past Ren and rescue Finn.
It keeps the realism that a swordfight needs; there’s no cartwheels or flipping about. It’s two people fighting grittily. Rey’s just about competent with the saber before her force awakening, but, as Ren points out, is desperately in need of a teacher.
Luke vs. Darth Vader (Episode V)
The first battle between two characters we would soon find out are father and son. With so much riding on the occasion, and Luke fresh out of his minimal Jedi training, he’s barely capable of keeping up with Vader. Vader’s toying with him for the most part, trying to get him to reveal the anger within.
Culminating in an all-time cinema history twist, Vader’s battle on Bespin is Star Wars at its very finest and most effective. The dim and smoky conditions allow the lightsabers themselves to stand out so effectively, making it so visually interesting.
Palpatine Vs Maul and Savage (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
Star Wars fans have seen little blade work from Palpatine over the years, but what little dueling we’ve seen from the Sith lord has been impressive. Fans may have been too busy laughing at Yoda’s extreme acrobatics to take Palpatine seriously, but this fight truly hammers home how deadly he is. Fighting off two practiced force users, Palpatine makes both Darth Maul and his brother Savage Opress look like idiot children.
It’s an excellent fight, and somehow, despite their cemented statuses as bad guys, Its hard not to feel for the failing Dathomarian brothers. It’s an excellent duel to end an amazing story arch, and definitely competes with the live action fights.
The Throne Room (Episode VI)
There’s still something so special about the ending of Return of the Jedi, despite the film not being the strongest of the Original Trilogy. The depth in the scene, again, is not from some outstanding, over-the-top choreography. It’s from the characters.
Luke gets extremely emotional, and ends up wailing on Vader — proving the Emperor’s point that hate and anger can be valuable, but losing his cool-mindedness in the process.
Mustafar (Episode III)
The twelve-minute long, non-stop fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan on the hellish lava planet of Mustafar sees another duel of fates. While Obi-Wan does get the high ground as memes love to remember, the ballet-like dancing around the platforms adds to the drama of the occasion. Well-shot and choreographed, it’s a fitting end to the prequel trilogy.
Ahsoka vs Vader (Star Wars: Rebels)
When it comes to duels, Anakin Skywalker is king. The legendary Jedi drilled the skill into his padawan Ahsoka for years, but more importantly he taught her how to survive against impossible odds, a talent showcased when she crossed sabers with the Sith lord Vader more than 15 years after his fall to the dark side.
Not only is the action exactly what fans are looking for in a lightsaber duel, but the devastation Ahsoka feels gazing into Vader’s eyes and confronting a truth she had been denying for years was absolutely heartbreaking.
Kylo Ren vs Rey (Episode IX)
Before Kylo Ren gets a pep talk from his ghost dad and becomes Ben Solo again, he must endure a ballistic fight with Rey again. With the training of both Luke and Leia, Rey’s become a truly masterful user of a lightsaber and both matches and trounces Ren.
Rey regretfully kills Ren, before allowing him to become Solo again with force healing. The gnashing waves on the sunken Death Star are a fitting place for such a duel, and for another display of how anger and redemption are both possible. Like Vader redeeming himself on Death Star II, his grandson Ben does the same.