Saga Rank the SW Lightsaber Duels

Chronologically:

Qui-Gon vs Maul
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Maul (Duel of the Fates)
Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC)
Yoda vs. Count Dooku
Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS)
Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous
Mace Windu vs. Palpatine
Yoda vs. Palpatine
Obi-Wan vs. Anakin (ROTS)
Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ANH)
Luke vs. Darth Vader (ESB)
Luke vs. Darth Vader (ROTJ)

So, you don't have to include them all, but I was curious which of these lightsaber duels people consider to be the best in the trilogy. You can go by emotional impact, choreography, cool factor, and so on. I personally am going with a Top 10. Post or own, or discuss somebody else's

Qui-Gon's duel with Maul on Tattooine and the Grievous duel don't make it onto my list. I think Grievous is a pretty poor villain - who should've had his droids just shoot Obi-Wan - and Qui-Gon's first duel is just too brief, and lacks tension. If TPM had included the deleted scene that explains why they're running to the ship in the first place, it might've been on here. But alas.

Also, I counted Dooku's duel with Yoda and his duel with Obi-Wan and Anakin as two separate duels, but you could make an argument that they should be together.

10. Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ANH): It's the first lightsaber duel in the Saga, which is enough to land it on this list, but honestly, the choreography is pretty lame. Sorry, Obi-Wan.

9. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS): Dooku does not get the finale he deserves. At all. This is a very brief battle, for one, and Dooku is overcome way too easily. That being said, it's the first time we see Palpatine's facade crack, and Christopher Lee speaks: "Good...twice the pride, double the fall." Fantastic actor.

8. Mace Windu vs. Palaptine: This duel suffers from some strange dialogue and what I found to be surprisingly poor choreography, compared to the rest of the film. Also, I really didn't like that Palpatine's wrinkles were caused by the lightning (OR WAS HE WARPED ALL ALONG?). That being said, Samuel L. Jackson is the man, and it's this duel in which Anakin truly turns to the dark side. And I love me some Darth Vader.

7. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ROTJ): Ok, this might be the finale, but for me it does fall a little flat. Vader is all mopey, Palpatine hasn't really been characterized before the duel and so we don't really care about him, but it still has great choreography and, well, it's the finale!

6. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku: This duel, in a way, made Dooku's death in ROTS all the more disappointing. It's the first time we see somebody besides Palpatine use force lightning, it's the first time lightsabers are dual wielded, and we get a sense that the Sith are truly a force to be reckoned with. But mostly, Christopher Lee is in this.

5. Yoda vs. Count Dooku: I understand why people don't like Yoda fighting. I really do. But seriously, the prequels would not have been complete without it! Who went to the theater and genuinely never expected Yoda to wield a lightsaber? HE FREAKING CATCHES FORCE LIGHTNING. And then he fights Christoph - *ahem* Count Dooku. It's just a great scene, and after seeing Dooku crush Obi-Wan, you really get a sense of Yoda's power when he drives Dooku off.

4. Yoda vs. Palpatine: The ultimate good vs. evil struggle, in a great setting, with great choreography, and an ending that makes sense. More so than the scene with Windu, Palpatine really just seems like the Dark Lord here, and what makes it all the darker is that you know Yoda will fail. I would've preferred Palpatine to be mutilated here, if they really had to give it a cause beyond Dark Side corruption, but whatever. Great battle.

3. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul: Yes, this duel is low on emotional impact; we barely know any of the characters involved, after all. But it's easily the best choreographed lightsaber duel in the Saga (to me, at least), and Darth Maul is just so cool.

2. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ESB): We all knew it was coming, and this duel doesn't disappoint, in any way. And it has the best reveal in SW.

1. Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ROTS): A little messy, a little over the top, BUT CMON THIS WAS WHAT WE ALL WANTED FOR ALL OF STAR WARS HOW COULD IT NOT BE OVER THE TOP. Ewan McGregor finally delivered as Obi-Wan: "I will do what I must", and Hayden Christensen's whininess actually translated pretty well into pure evil. It's tragic, beautiful, dramatic, intense, and Obi-Wan leaving Vader to burn introduces some moral grayness unusual in Star Wars.

So there it is!

 

From favourite to least favourite:

Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Maul - A breathtaking duel that shows Jedi vs Sith in their prime and with an excellent choreography.
Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (RotJ) - The most emotional duel in the saga with Luke as a full Jedi Knight.
Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (ANH) - The first duel of them all and my favourite as a kid.
Yoda vs Count Dooku - An iconic duel where we see Yoda use his lightsaber for the first time and to fight Christopher Lee, no less.
Yoda vs Darth Sidious - The duel of my dreams ever since RotJ. I always wondered if I would ever see such event. Unfortunately the intercut didn't benefit it enough, although it was necessary for the movie.
Qui-Gon Jinn vs Darth Maul - The first chronological duel where the Sith reveal themselves to the Jedi and a small teaser of what comes later.
Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (RotS) - It's importance and emotion is to be commended, and it's the culmination of the saga as of now.
Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (TESB) - It shows a vicious Darth Vader against an inexperienced Luke. Iconic for the revelation at the end.
Mace Windu vs Darth Sidious - Mace Windu's only lightsaber duel.
Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker vs Count Dooku - It's a tie between the one from AotC and RotS.

 

My top two are Anakin, Obi vs Dooku in AotC and Vader vs Luke in RotJ. The first is because it's cool to see an Elder wipe the floor with the arrogant brat. Dooku's lightning was awesome. The RotJ one is for emotional impact. The others I basically simply endure because they're present. I care not for violence.

 

You are a more sophisticated man than I. Do you not find the ESB duel impactful?

 

Thank you but I am no man. The duel itself, no, not really. About the only thing I really like in ESB at all is the Reveal.

 

Best-ESB Luke vs. Vader.
Worst-Anakin/Obi-Wan vs Dooku duel in AOTC.

 

I'm curious as to what you dislike about it?

 

Just feels bland. Each mini-duel starts then ends practically right after that. No rising of tensions.

 

Favorite is probably the Maul duel, followed by Anakin vs Obi-wan/Yoda vs Sidious

Least favorite is easily ANH, and then either of the other OT duels, though they're both far better than the ANH duel

 

That's kind of why I like that duel, in my personal opinion. Compared to the main duels in TPM and ROTS, and the duels in the OT, this one was very artistic. Not brute force or flashy moves, not practical "I'm trying to kill you" dueling, it's almost like a dance, with movements and flow

 

The PT is way too choreographed. Too flashy. Not enough substance. Obi-Wan against Dooku was 40 seconds Anakin with 2 sabers was not even 20 seconds. The Blue on Red thing in the dark after that is an awesome visual but it feels like they are just waving their sabers about. Dooku trash talking is awesome but the momentum was butchered a lot here.

 

Obi wan and Qui Gon vs Maul >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Everything else

 

I agree.

Anakin's duel with Dooku has really become a highlight for me which I fear we'll never see again with "modern" guys like Abrams. I has just a great vibe, the blue and red flashes are really a neat visualization of the character's fates between Sith and Jedi Order. This is an old man and a youngster fighting without realizing how much alike they and their fates are.
I also enjoy rather dark shots like this:

Their duel had a lot more darkness and more ambivalent lighting than the previous duel with Obi-Wan (which relied more on the character's past and Dooku teasing Obi-Wan about his "feeble" Jedi powers after Obi-Wan had refused to join him).

Then there is Yoda vs. Dooku. Loved Yoda's introduction with that long shadow despite his small height.

In that duel, their "Force only" combat was the most enjoyable for me. Isn't it cool to see Yoda absorbing Sith lighting with his own hand?
I also like the fact that Yoda brought Dooku back down to earth, suddenly it was Yoda (Jedi) who teased Dooku ("Much to learn, you still have".) instead of Dooku teasing Jedi. The dark side isn't all powerful, after all.

They were all unusual but I like them.
They managed to keep lightsaber fights fresh over six films.

 

Yeah, the AOTC duel is severely underrated. I love how the initial Obi/Ani vs Dooku is a bit of a subdued affair, relying on almost "gentlemanly" saber maneuvers plus great moments such as Anakin cutting the power chord and thus both literally and symbolically inviting darkness on his own terms. And then Yoda arrives and ramps things up in terms of spectacle, only to bring the viewer back to the beginning of the end reality AOTC represents when he puts away his saber and Force reliance and almost sadly limps on like the aging master he is, too far out of his prime to offer anything more than a temporary fix. Overall it's a great combination of the OT and PT saber styles, and one I find myself appreciating more and more with each viewing of AOTC. As for rankings:

1. Battle of the Heroes - has everything. The characterization through intimate dialogue, closed-in combat that feels like a fistfight between brothers, large scale movement that feels like a bout between demigods, gut punch emotion and stellar sword movements. Sure, the internet has that meme about that one moment of saber posturing being needless flash deserving of incessant mocking, but the way I see it, it's appropriate for a blue vs blue bout between brothers to have that instant where they seem to unconsciously challenge and proclaim to each other that any movement will be matched, be it training ground tricks or the eventual willingness to land a lethal blow. In short, this one was long hyped as The Duel, and for me it delivered.

2. Luke vs. Vader (ROTJ) - Dripping with atmosphere, from the creepy moments where Luke literally attempts to hide in the shadows to the climax where Luke batters Vader into submission to the tune of an epic chorus.

3. AOTC ending duels - for reasons stated above.

4. The Duel of the Fates - what it lacks in deep emotional outburst it makes up for in amazing choreography.

5. Obi-Wan vs. Vader (ANH) - says a lot with so little.

6. Yoda vs. Palpatine - Senate literally torn apart as the two figureheads of Jedi and Sith do their thing. Nice.

7. Palpatine vs. Mace and the Jedi - something almost vampiric in Palpatine's initial movements, while the standoff with Mace, and the city skyline as a backdrop, make for an overall scene that felt iconic even during the initial viewing.

8. Luke vs. Vader (ESB) - more about the movement through Cloud City as a haunted house of sorts than the actual swordplay. Entertaining, but suffers a bit as a pure duel in that the scene is (by design) mostly a matter of Vader toying with Luke.

9. Qui-Gon vs. Maul - Not much to see given that it's just a teaser for the main show in the Duel of the Fates.

 

Faves -

Luke vs Vader (ESB) - Moody and atmospheric, well-directed, good build up to the emotional revelation, Vader is intimidating of course, good dialogue, and you really feel the experience from Luke's pov with moments such as Vader throwing objects at Luke until Luke is sucked out the window, and a bit later where Luke cautiously walks down the corridor and you get the shock of Vader suddenly assaulting from the shadows. It's probably the highlight of the saga for me as far as action sequences go.


Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Maul - This has arguably the best choreography of any duel in the films. Maul is impressive throughout, and you can feel the tension when Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are seperated and Obi-Wan helplessly watches Qui-Gon's defeat. The effects are top-notch, the pillars of energy (name?) for example and I always feel a sense of vertigo when Obi-Wan falls a storey after being kicked by Maul. The music rocks. While the fight doesn't hold the emotional impact of Luke's duels with Vader in the OT, it still holds a lot of symbolic weight as the outcome of this duel puts Anakin under Obi-Wan's tutelage and has a quite significant effect on the rest of the saga. Qui-Gon is probably my favourite Jedi after Luke Skywalker, so there is also that.

Luke vs Vader (ROTJ) - Just wanted to mention this one because of the emotional impact of the climax. I'm kind of including the whole storyline of the Rebel's deathstar attack and Luke refusing to turn, prompting Anakin's redemption in this also, that whole arc makes the movie. But specifically about the duel, it's an interesting one because of the continued conflict in Luke to not fight, the hints that Luke is now surpassing Vader, great dialogue between the three characters ("You are unwise to lower your defences!") and a clear conflict in Anakin/Vader, plus of course Vader prying the information on Luke's sister out of him and causing Luke to finally give in to anger (The music here is so fitting).

Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Count Dooku (ROTS) - This was largely a fave of mine on release because it was a fight that you had been expecting since ROTJ. Anakin being faced with Luke's choice to kill the Sith apprentice and effectively replace him (possibly the biggest decision that ultimately splits the two Skywalker's destines) as Sidious watches on, the whole fight and space battle going on outside (in both ROTS and ROTJ) a result of Palpatine's manipluations just to set this moment up. A lot of great symbolism and inversions of the ROTJ throne room, such as Luke throwing away his green saber and sparing Vader where Anakin kills Dooku with a red and blue (what could be more foreboding than using Dooku's own saber to kill him). Or the role reversal of Anakin as the unsuspecting future Sith then the Sith apprentice putting Luke in that same position 23 years later.
What I think is often overlooked though is that there is also a stark contrast to "duel of fates". Two Jedi facing the Sith apprentice, ultimately ending in the Jedi Master incapacitated, and the current Sith apprentice killed by the Master's padawan. Obi-Wan being taken out of the fight both times, first as apprentice then Master. And Obi-Wan killing Maul in self-defence arguably becoming a Jedi in the process, where Anakin puts himself on the Sith path by killing Dooku in cold-blood, etc.


Least favourites -

Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC) - It was a little disappointing after TPM's duel, Anakin charging impulsively and being taken out of the fight like a punk is irritating, and I dunno, I just expected more from the chosen one than what we were shown. It doesn't completely suck, just the least enjoyable for me out of a good bunch I suppose.

Yoda vs. Count Dooku - It's kind of part of the same duel really. While I enjoyed it in 2002, I tend to agree with those that find it unnecessary. Yoda vs Sidious made far more sense and was more meaningful to the plot, Sidious kind of forced Yoda's hand with Order 66, whereas the Dooku duel just seems to be a warm up for Yoda in the next movie.

 

1. Luke vs. Vader (ESB)
2. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan (ROTS)
3. Luke vs. Vader (ROTJ)
4. Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul (TPM)
5. Yoda vs. Palpatine (ROTS)
6. Obi-Wan vs. Vader (ANH)
7. Yoda vs. Count Dooku (AOTC)
8. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC)
9. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS)
10. Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous (ROTS)
11. Mace Windu vs. Palpatine (ROTS)
12. Qui-Gon vs. Darth Maul (TPM)

 

OK, so...

1. Obi-Wan vs. Anakin (ROTS). Incredibly fast moves, the stakes, the effort put by the actors. Amazing. Nr. 1 by far.
2. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Maul (Duel of the Fates). What to say, manage a troisaber.
3. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ESB). Vader toying with Luke, but the setting is incredible, not to mention fighting by holding a lightsaber in just one hand.
4. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS). This one deserved third place just because of Anakin vs. Dooku part. It has some amazing and powerful lightsaber blows, the exchange of words is truly great as well as Anakin's facial expressions.
4. Yoda vs. Palpatine. The part with the Chancellor's Senate's position rising and those John Williams' drums...
5. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ROTJ). This one could be placed above, on the first or more likely second place, but I'll strip it's emotional component because of Luke's giving to his anger. The music's great, setting and visuals too, but... I don't know.
6. Yoda vs. Count Dooku. It truly does feel like Yoda saving the day in some western style, it is great to see Lee's performance of arrogant Dooku being ashamed by 66 cm tall Yoda, but they're not the main players in the SW game so although it's good, there are better.
7. Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ANH). This fight comes as a bit of a downer after ROTS, but knowing that behind that armor lies Anakin who wants revenge against now nearly 60-year old desert hermit makes it bigger than it is.

The rest, fights Qui-Gon vs Maul, Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC), Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous, Mace Windu vs. Palpatine are all on the same level, vastly overshadowed by others in their movies and due to their shortness I can't form some writing-worthy opinion.

 

Not exactly sure how I would rank them, but by far my favorite duel of the whole saga is Yoda. Vs Sidious...I love it so much! It's so epic...I wish we had seen a bit more of it though. It defiantly tops the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

 

Lol.

The PT has amazing choreography and is exactly the right amount of flashy.

And what are you even talking about with substance? These are duels with magic and glowing laser swords in space ffs.

 

OT fan so make of that what you will.
Just saying that some of the PT duels were way too over the top. Substance wise I didn't feel an emotional connection them as I did with the OT duels. There were flashes sure but not the whole due for every duel.

 

10. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC) - this one doesn't do much for me; it felt like a bit of a dud. I feel it's a little too short and forced, mainly because this and the Yoda/Dooku duel should be counted as one. I do like it in the greater context of the Clone Wars. The Obi-Wan/Anakin duo is ill prepared. This and the ROTS duel are like night and day in terms of skill level, tension, and so on.

9. Yoda vs. Count Dooku - this is the true climax of the film, and it's kind of gimmicky. I'm not a fan of Yoda with a lightsaber, but the force duel was pretty neat. It's just a taste of what Yoda is capable of.

8. Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ANH) - it's been overshadowed but it's not really that bad. Some good lines are traded between the characters, and the duel is pretty conclusive in its own right. Still, had E4 been produced after E3, this duel would've been a little more epic/intense so that it didn't seem a letdown after the legendary Battle of the Heroes.

7. Yoda vs. Palpatine - fits in well with the Battle of the Heroes, but it's still Yoda being gimmicky. Palpatine is a little too hammed up as well. But one of the best shots of the Star Wars saga is here: when the platform rises into the senate chamber, I get chills every time. So much is on the line. It's uch a clever shot and a smart choice for a battle arena, both visually and thematically. JW's score is particularly strong here.

6. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ROTJ) - the conclusive battle of this era of Star Wars, but it could've been better. The whole start-stop "I will not fight you, father" "NEVER!" feels kind of forced and awkward. And Luke's "you couldn't bring yourself to kill me before" line felt straight out of some direct-to-DVD Shakespeare adaptation or something (no offense - you're still awesome, Mark Hamill). But watching Luke go crazy at the end is pretty neat. Ultimately, it was an inconsistent duel that works better in the context of the film than it does as a stand-alone fight.

5. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS) - critical story moments, and we see how much the Obi-Wan/Anakin team has grown. They kick Dooku's ass here (well, Anakin does) and the novel does a great job fleshing out the details (though that probably doesn't count toward this ranking). Would've been #5 but the special effects are really cheesy when Obi-Wan gets taken down. Like, really bad. Just look at how the platform collapses on Obi-Wan. But yeah, Anakin's attacks are particularly brutal here; the final moments of the duel give us a little taste of what's to come later on in the film.

4. Mace Windu vs. Palpatine - this is probably my least favorite duel from a technical standpoint. Neither actor is really meant for lightsaber duels. As a matter of fact, this duel should probably be lower on the list because it doesn't meet its potential and isn't as impressive as some of the others that I've already covered. Still, the actors did a great job in between the parries. Mace and Palpatine really looked like they were going at it; Lucas even said it was a "fight of close-ups" and it's true. The slow motion parts are just plain awesome. This is a key turning point of the Star Wars saga and even though the duel isn't technically impressive, it's still entertaining and tense, with good use of horns from JW in the soundtrack. I just wish they had done the opening better (perhaps in a way similar to the novel) and toned down some of the random silliness. Like the Dooku duel, this confrontation is probably better in the novel (or at least augmented by it).

3. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Maul (Duel of the Fates) - an intense duel that makes an important statement, one that Lucas NEEDED to make in these prequels: we're seeing the Jedi in their prime, so their enemy has to be in his prime as well. In the OT, you're dealing with a burnout, a newbie with a couple weeks/months of training, and a has-been in a mechanical prison who has strength but no finesse. Flashy battles wouldn't have fit in the OT, but here they're fine. Maul is a fitting adversary for our heroes, thanks to Ray Park's affinity for this sort of thing. The fight was well choreographed and (mostly) well shot. The set piece was probably the best in the entire film, and the use of the force fields was one of the only true strokes of genius in this film.

Lastly, this film has probably the most intense 10 seconds of dueling in the entire saga. After Qui-Gon is stabbed, the force field deactivates and Obi-Wan comes charging out. In those 10ish seconds of uncut footage, we see some of the most intense dueling in the whole saga as these guys try to slice each other to bits. The intensity here is eclipsed only by the Battle of the Heroes. Great stuff. Had the Obi-Wan vs Maul part of the duel been isolated as its own entry, it would've been #2 and the rest would've been around #5.

2. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ESB) - one of the greatest sequences in cinematic history, but only #2 on my list. Why? Because it's hard for me to put the actual duel over #1, even if the overall scene is probably better. This one's really about the characters and their intentions, and the complete dismantling of Luke's confidence. As a kid, this was one of the most shocking, scary, and alarming sequences I had ever seen. Our hero at his low point, getting completely decimated. No music; just sound effects. Sweat, steam, smoke, and very little lighting. And then the revelation, of course.

1. Obi-Wan vs. Anakin (ROTS) - sometimes this is #3, sometimes #2. My opinions are usually in a bit of flux, and you'll probably find a few contradictions in them over time. But despite a few gripes I have with this duel (some cheesy dialogue, the "let's twirl our lightsabers for 5 seconds" bit) it really is intense, personal, and epic.

 

1. Yoda vs. Palpatine - The first 3 I like because I love when the most powerful beings in a movie go at it! Great action!
2. Mace Windu vs. Palpatine
3. Yoda vs. Count Dooku
4. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon vs. Maul (Duel of the Fates) - The music, Darth Maul, and Liam Neeson make it one of my favorites and the best part of TPM
5. Obi-Wan vs. General Grievous - 4 FREAKING LIGHTSABERS!!!
6. Obi-Wan vs. Anakin (ROTS) - So emotional, felt long in a good way
7. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (ROTS)
8. Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader (ANH) - Something special about this one - maybe because it was the first of these iconic moments (chronologically in real life)
9. Qui-Gon vs Maul - I liked it but I wished it were longer
10. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ROTJ) - For this one, the action is not what makes it, it's the emotion behind it, which is why I ranked it a bit lower
11. Obi-Wan and Anakin vs. Count Dooku (AOTC) - Fun with Christopher Lee but just doesn't match up to the others for me
12. Luke vs. Darth Vader (ESB) - Luke just looks so inept here, much better when you see what he obviously learns about daddy at the end of the fight

Nice thread idea OP!

 

I totally agree with this. My only real gripe from that point on would be that Maul went down too easily.

Thank you!

 

1.) Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Maul(TPM)
2.) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (RotS)
3.) Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker vs Count Dooku (ROTS)
4.) Mace Windu vs Darth Sidious (ROTS)
5.) Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker vs Count Dooku (AOTC)
6.) Qui-Gon Jinn vs Darth Maul (TPM)
7.) Yoda vs Count Dooku
8.) Yoda vs Darth Sidious
9.) Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (RotJ)
10.) Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader (TESB)
11.) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs General Greivous (ROTS)
12.) Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader (ANH)

 

I think its hard to rank them all. So I'll just say that the best in the trilogy for me is by far the Luke / Vader duel in ESB. It takes place on my favourite set of the whole series and the use of silhouettes, the lighting and steam give it a really eerie feel. Plus it was a massive moment in the series, which is easy to forget now when we are so used to the rest of the films. But Luke wasn't ready and here he is about to fight Vader, who seemed invincible, the audience know he's not ready and that its a trap too. Add to it Vaders mind games as he's goading Luke throughout and I think it created a real tense atmosphere when you watched the films for the first time in order of release.

I think most people on watching it believed Luke would have no chance against Vader and when it seems like he is beaten easily, he escapes the freezing chamber and for a moment has the initiative when he knocks Vader off the platform. But as it progresses it made me wonder how he will get out alive, because surely they won't kill Luke off and equally how can Luke possibly beat Vader. I had no idea how this fight scene would end up.

Then of course as the fight nears the end you know Luke is cornered and has nowhere to go. It was shocking enough to see Luke lose his hand, but to follow it up with the I am your father revelation just puts the icing on the cake. It was all so unexpected to be fresh and new.

A mention for the sound of this too. Theres a moment in the fight, I think its where Vader surprises Luke as hes walking down a corridor and the onlsaught of his lightsaber sound effects give it a really operatic quality. It sounds great.