After watching all 6 movies, which battle should really be called 'the duel' now?

ROTS and that duel is realy the turning point in the saga BUT, the ROTJ duel is the ultimate confontation between good vs evil and should therfore be called the duel IMO.

 

Actually, EPIII has been 'the duel' ever since Empire came out with EpV as it's title. People could count back in 1980 (we didn't all have PCs then) so we knew that Star Wars was EPIV, and there was enough evidence in EPIV to know that they'd fought before.

Thing is, we weren't 100% sure if it happened in EPI, II or III.

 

Dude one ofmy teachers told me about that a while back(after Episode III came out) that him and his friend would re-enact the duel between vader and Obi-Wan on a lava planet. He said he alwats got to be Vader. I asked him how old they thought Vader was at the time and he said they figured he was a younger guy, all black clothing, long hair. Seriously.

 

Your teacher is secretly hitting on you.

 

Actually, EPIII has been 'the duel' ever since Empire came out with EpV as it's title.

Arguably longer, but really we started hearing about the duel (that you speak of) since they made reference to it in ROTJ the novel.

 

Well, no other duels made me tear up like Anakin vs. Obi-Wan did in ROTS. So I would definately call that "the duel."

But each movie duel gave me different trains of thought...

TPM:

Woah, this guy is taking on 2 Jedi at the same time...and they're losing. Not to mention it was faster and more intense like George Lucas insists while directing.

AOTC:

Dooku dominating Obi-Wan made me believe he was more powerful than Darth Maul, mostly cuz Obi-Wan managed to beat Maul. I just figured Obi and Anakin were screwed the way Dooku was smiling. And Yoda fighting with a lighsaber was just fun to watch cuz we all wanted to see it at some point.

ROTS:

Lots of duels here. I was Suprised how quickly Anakin beat Dooku this time around, since Dooku whooped him last time. Obi-Wan vs. Grievous, sorta a let down because the clone wars cartoon hyped Grievous so much as a fighter. Though Obi-Wan is a better fighter than most of the padawans Grievous probably took out. Mace vs. Palpatine, pleasing to see Mace get a duel. I was suprised that he won(unless Palpatine threw the fight on purpose). And there was that little part of me that was like "just kill him Mace, you can totally change the plot of the next 3 films!" Yoda vs. Sidious, very cool, because now we got to see the supreme master of the jedi fight the supreme master of the sith. Ashame it ended in a draw. And Anakin vs. Obi-Wan....lived up to my expectations. Here were 2 former friends fighting to the death and niether one really wanted to. "This is the end for you my master" always gets to me.

ANH:

Vader vs. Obi-Wan. After the ROTS duel, you think Vader would be more mad than he is during this one. There could have been so much more cool dialogue from these two if Lucas knew he would make the prequels and what was going to happen in the movie prior to ANH.

TESB:

Vader vs. Luke. I already knew it was a father and son fight(I was like 5 years old and a commercial on the VHS tape played the "revealing part") so the end of it wasnt a big shocker. But it was sort of like, Luke doesnt know that, so is he strong enough to beat the "2nd most evil man in the galaxy?"

ROTJ:

Vader vs. Luke 2. Vader seemed to be fighting at less intensity because he really didnt want to hurt Luke. And Luke was fighting at less intensity because he was trying to convince Vader he was still a good guy....while wanting the Emperor dead. It was really only intense after Vader threatened to convert Leia to the darkside causing Luke to snap!


I guess overall The Duel Of The Fates in TPM was the only duel where the good guys and the bad guys had no real character development prior to the fight.

 

"The Duel", in the sense of emotional, mystical, and physical impact, is most definitely the Luke/Vader duel of ROTJ. A son fights to redeem his father, while being tempted by both his father and his father's master. Giving in for a moment at the mention of his sister, he defeats his father but faces the master unswayed, firm in his resolve and ready to die for his beliefs. Seeing his son as this paragon of rightness, the father turns on his former master, sacrificing himself to rid the galaxy of supreme evil.

Nothing else in the movies tops that. In no other duel was there that much going on; that much love and hate displayed, that much surprise and anguish, that much conflict and final triumph. While it's not the best choreographed, it's by far the best written of any of the duels, with each exchange of blows capped off by a similar exchange of words as they duel for the Emperor's amusement.

 

Ah yes, 1983... when you could buy and read a SW novel without 6 more being release before you finish the book in your hand...

You're 100% correct! Back then, additional details in books were considered canon - there was no EU like there is today.

 

Now most people have been talking about the ROTS duel where the Obi-Anakin duel takes place and where you have talked about the ending about his legs get cut off (and one of you thought it was lame), but I have rented ROTS for PS2 and it has an alternate ending where Anakin jumps in the air but instead of his legs getting cut off he juumps really fast behind Obi-Wan and and stabs him through the back. He then goes to a gazebo (but very wide and very Mustafar-like and it has 4 poles in the corners with Sith standing in the middle with clone troopers lined up next to him like hes taking a foul shot. Then Sith says "Very good, now we can rule the galaxy." then he gives Anakin the Vader lightsaber and Anakin tosses it from hand to hand then amazingly fast he stabs Sith and says "No, the galaxy is mine" to the clones. I think that is a much better ending, and I couldn't imagine what it would do to the original trilogy.

Bane

 

Well, for one thing it would never take place, because Obi-Wan and Palpatine would be dead.

 

I know but what I'm saying is "what if", it happened I think it would be cool. If Palpatine and Obi-Wan were dead because if that that happened the George Lucas would think about it ahead of time before actually doing it so it would be like the alternate ending to alomost the whole saga but mostly episode III-VI so it would be very different.

Bane

 

By far whenever ppl talk about "THE DUEL", I have always understood them to mean the ROTS DUEL between Anakin/Vader and Obi Wan. All the others are good, but none are as emotional, or well choreographed. I guess that's my 2 cents tho.

 

Well here's my take on it,

BEST DISPLAY OF POWER: Yoda vs. Sidious (ROTS)
MOST EMOTIONAL: Luke vs. Vader (ROTJ)
MOST INTENSE/GRAPHIC: Obi-Wan Vs. Vader (ROTS)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan vs. Maul (TPM)
BEST DIALOGUE: Obi-Wan Vs. Vader (ANH)

*MOST WELL ROUNDED: Luke Vs. Vader (ESB)*

WORST OVERALL: Mace Vs. Palpatine (ROTS)
MOST BADLY EDITED: Anakin/Obi-Wan/Yoda vs. Dooku (AOTC)

So yes, I would say that the ESB Duel is the best.

However, if the Vader/Obi ROTS duel wasn't a victim of the almighty Lucas editing process (like everything else in the movie) I would probably have gone with that one instead.

 

In my eyes the best duel is between Dr. Evezan and Obi Wan Kenobi...now before you lay into me -- just hear me out.

 

This is certainly a tough one. There are so many important Duels in the Saga.


But for me i'd have to say in retrospect that THE DUEL would be the one that has the biggest revelation, and that was the Luke VS Vader duel in ESB . It had the biggest Pyschological impact on me . Finding out that the Evil Being he Believed Killed his Father was actually his Father and is the one who Helped destroy the Jedi is a pretty devastating scenario for a Young Upstart Jedi to be like Luke to deal with, and as a kid , as with most kids who saw this in the theatre , it Blew my mind .
When i think SW duels the Bespin Duel is still and will always be my Favorite. i found it to be the most Exciting to watch as well.

But that's just me.

Oh, and Darth_Tweakpiece i'd love to hear you elaborate on your Dr. Evezan and Obi Wan Kenobi Theory .

 

If they would have kept it as "the one continuous 12 minute long/longest in cinema history duel" that they talked about it would have been the best duel of alltime. As it stands I don't even think it's the best duel in the PT. They also should've left in the scene where Anakin and Obi-Wan lock sabers, Anakin backhands Obi-Wan, and then Obi-Wan punches Anakin. Shows the disdain that they both have for each other better than anything said during the duel.

I know that Lucas calls this THE duel, but to me that is the ROTJ duel. Similarly to how the duel between Yoda and Dooku starts off as a wizards' battle, Luke vs. Vader vs. Palpatine starts as soon as Luke turns himself in. It's more than the clash of lightsabers, it's the battle of wills. The battle of philosophy.