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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga Dramatic Lightsaber Moves

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by darthbarracuda, Sep 22, 2013.

  1. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 2012
    Example: Mace is about to kill Palps. He draws his arm up, exposing his entire body, and swings the lightsaber like it's a medieval iron sword.

    Before, Mace had the lightsaber right at Palps' throat. Couldn't he just, like, *dink* with the lightsaber and kill Palps instead of going through this dramatic swing. It's that swing that opened him up for Anakin to cut off his hand which allowed Palps to zap him which caused Mace to die, Anakin to become Darth Vader, and Palps rule the entire galaxy. A single swing.
     
  2. HevyDevy

    HevyDevy Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2011
    Yeah, Mace's swing there was quite overly dramatic, to me it really adds to the weight of Anakin's actions in the scene. Mace comes so close to ending it, and then Anakin comes "to the rescue" :p . Hard to say why I like the moment so much, it's partially because of the swing, as you say.

    A few of my own...
    TPM- Two here, at the end of Kenobi vs Maul. Obi-Wan's last angry swing that leads to the saber lock at the end of the duel. Maul overpowers him and force-pushes Obi off the ledge, which wins the duel for Maul, until Obi-Wan jumps over him and symbolically becomes a Jedi by using Qui-Gon's saber to cut Maul in half.

    AOTC- Dooku taking his time to finish Obi-Wan off, which is intercepted by Anakin.

    ROTS- Palpatine's drawn out stab as he begins taking out Mace's posse.
    - The moment Obi-Wan jumps to higher ground on the lava-bank. Anakin takes a swing as Obi-Wan jumps, and almost takes off his legs. Seems important to me because it could have turned out so differently. And of course, Obi-Wan's vertical swing that dismembers Anakin and ends the fight.
     
  3. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jan 25, 2013
    The OT isn't free of them either.

    Anyone remember Obi-Wan's very slow 360 spin during his duel in ANH? Is that really a "realistic" fencing move?
     
  4. Sarge

    Sarge Chosen One star 10

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    Oct 4, 1998
    It is occasionally/rarely an effective move. Every now and then when the footwork is just so, the blades are moving in the right directions, and the stars come into alignment, I've done that and survived, but I never won a fight with that move. I did lose a fight to a girl who spun in front of me and wacked me in the head with a longsword; it was so beautifully done that I just stood there and said, "Wow, that was awesome!"
     
  5. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

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    Jun 3, 2013
    As a person who sword fights for exercise and fun but has never taken a lesson (obviously I use practice swords, nothing sharp), I can vouch for this–I have been able to spin while fighting before, but doing so has never gained me a win. In fact, quite a lot it either gets me a loss or sets me off-balance so much that I either hit the ground or have to stumble away to avoid losing.
     
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  6. Minez01

    Minez01 Jedi Master star 1

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    Nov 12, 2005
    The spin in the OT duel is horrible IMO. I'm glad this topic was made though - the sequence where Mace draws his lightsaber up ready to kill Palpatine is my single most hated sequence of any of the movies, or anything I've read in the EU. I actually outwardly cringed while in the cinema when that happened.

    Also, in ROTS when Obi and Vader are fighting and they both swing their sabers behind their backs back and forth for like 3 seconds each before actually trying to hit the other person. It looked cool, but that's about it.
     
  7. The Supreme Chancellor

    The Supreme Chancellor Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 4, 2012
    Yeah the Mace Windu super-swing is simply ridiculous. He looked more the like the bad guy in a bad horror movie than a seasoned Jedi Master in that scene.
     
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  8. Garrett Atkins

    Garrett Atkins Jedi Knight star 4

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    Feb 11, 2013
    What about when Vader and Obi-Wan are swinging their lightsabers for like 5 minutes before their blades make contact in ROTS?
     
  9. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

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    Apr 3, 2002
    Just one of them drama things. A melee weapon of pure energy cutting through anything. The combat would look more like fencing I think.
     
  10. The Supreme Chancellor

    The Supreme Chancellor Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 4, 2012
    Obi-Wan and Anakin are so close that their duel is almost more like a dance, it's all about who can execute more personally. I found that part to me more believable just because of that.
     
  11. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

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    Jun 3, 2013
    This. The thing is, they were so used to dueling, that they both tried to do the same move at the same time, only in reverse to the other, so their sabers never actually touched.
     
  12. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012

    Or when they are swinging on some rope-like things at each other and clash while over the lava on Mustafar...what was the point in that.
     
  13. Jarren_Lee-Saber

    Jarren_Lee-Saber Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Apr 16, 2008
    Thats what I thought to, they knew each other's moves so well that they responded so fast that their sabers didn't clash.
     
  14. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

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    Sep 2, 2012
    The only lightsaber moves I don't care for are the Obi-Wan half-feint in Duel of the Fates and the Obi-Wan and Anakin thing in ROTS.
     
  15. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

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    Nov 20, 2012
    Ha this reminds me of the scene in ROTS where Anakin and Obi-Wan all of a sudden have seizures and swing their Lightsabers around like idiots.
     
  16. Darkslayer

    Darkslayer #1 Sabine Wren Fan star 7

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    Mar 26, 2013
    I love the Mace v Palps duel but even I laughed at this
     
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  17. Alexrd

    Alexrd Chosen One star 6

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    Jul 7, 2009
    He could, but it would lose the dramatic effect. This is cinema after all... Many movies have scenes/shots like that...
     
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  18. Garrett Atkins

    Garrett Atkins Jedi Knight star 4

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    Feb 11, 2013
    Great excuse there.
     
  19. Alexrd

    Alexrd Chosen One star 6

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    Jul 7, 2009
    It's not an excuse, it's a statement of fact.
     
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  20. Garrett Atkins

    Garrett Atkins Jedi Knight star 4

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    Feb 11, 2013
    Do you think it is a plot hole?
     
  21. Placeholder

    Placeholder Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 30, 2013
    Fight scenes in general are cinematic, not realistic. That's true pretty much across the board. It's not unique to Star Wars
     
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  22. Garrett Atkins

    Garrett Atkins Jedi Knight star 4

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    Feb 11, 2013
    You could make a case that the OT duels were realistic.
     
  23. Minez01

    Minez01 Jedi Master star 1

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    Nov 12, 2005
    Ha yeah who knows. I mean even at the end when they jump on the lava robot things, it's all a bit pointless. I mean realistically if the whole place is melting and stuff you'd think the best place to be would inside/near the building where they started. It's kinda like they just start moving and then ended up playing chasey. How did Obi Wan get back to the ship once he cut Vader in half? Would have been a long walk.
     
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  24. darthbarracuda

    darthbarracuda Jedi Knight star 3

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    Nov 4, 2012

    Also, Anakin could not have survived for very long being all scorched up and stuff. So Palps had to have been there pretty soon. Wouldn't you think Palps would sense Obi Wan's departure from Mustafar?
     
  25. HevyDevy

    HevyDevy Force Ghost star 5

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    Apr 13, 2011
    Well, Palpatine doesn't arrive till after Obi-Wan leaves, but you are probably right, it wasn't by a very large margin.
    I'm just posting to say this reminds me of an interesting bit of symbolism in the scenes. Palpatine arrives on the same platform that Obi-Wan, Padme and R2 and C3PO leave from. You could say that the good guys, as a symbol of Anakin's past and connection to his good side are replaced by Palpatine and the dark side.
     
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