PT Best lighsaber duel in the prequel trilogy?

I actually liked the Dooku duel in ROTS the most - it's the only one that didn't have lots of really superfluous spins and flips breaking immersion in the fight. It was two swordsmen going toe to toe.

Qui Gon and Obi Wan v Maul in second place. I realise it's the antithesis of what I said above but Ray Park was a supreme athlete using an unorthodox weapon, so he got away with it a bit.

As for the rest of the PT

Obi Wan and Anakin v Dooku in AOTC - really poorly coordinated I felt. Each round basically got to a point where after an even fight Anakin and Obi Wan hung a limb out to be chopped. Dual sabers was cool, though only lasted about 4 seconds.

Yoda v Dooku on AOTC - It was really really cool when I was 12, but I've come to hate it. It undermines the entire point of the Yoda character that we'd seen to that point. Also it's composed entirely of the flips and spins that I complained about above.

Obi Wan v Grievous - Too gimmicky, though if we're counting the entire thing (up to Obi shooting Grievous with his own gun) then I will say it got better as it went along.

Windu v Palpatine - I've always hated that Tinn, Kolar and Fisto basically died because they weren't paying attention. Also, see Yoda v Dooku - you don't need to see a poorly made digital double of Ian McDiarmind backflipping off a wall to get that he's a really powerful force user.

Anakin v Obi Wan - Too long, too much backflip, too contrived (the bit in the gif posted earlier in the thread where they abandon the fight for a few seconds to twirl their swords makes me cringe every time, so does the bit where they start fighting while hanging on the wires). Also it's intercut with and preceded by some of the worst dialogue in the entire saga.That said I really like the touches like where they start actually beating eachother up - it showed that it was a dirty no holds barred fight.

Yoda v Palptine - the worst bits of Mace v Palpatine and Yoda v Dooku.

 

Vader-Kenobi definitely though TPM Finale duel was beautiful as well.

 

For me, that's an easy question. The duel between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will always stand out for many a reason.

First, Maul's duel edged lightsaber was something Star Wars fans had never seen before.

Second, Maul's acrobatics with said duel edged lightsaber - twirling, flipping, etc - without chopping off a hand, foot or horn were amazing.

Third, up until this point, we had only seen one Jedi take on one Sith in a duel. This duel had two Jedi being pretty much "handled" by one single Sith. Unheard of until now.

Fourth, that moment when the security screen goes up, pausing the battle. You get to see the very different sides of the Force in this segment - the caged tiger pacing while awaiting the moment he can re-engage his prey and the serene warrior, happy enough to meditate before re-engagement.

Fifth, that moment when Obi-Wan loses it after his Master is struck down, fighting with abandon. It appears as if he skirts the edge of the Dark Side, looking for revenge.

Lastly, the end of the duel and Darth Maul's demise. (Yes, I said demise. I am a non-believer in the Clone Wars television series resurrection of Darth Maul. It was a good death and they should have left it that way.) Watching Darth Maul fall to his death with his upper torso going one way and his lower going another was pretty awesome. We had seen hands slice off in Star Wars prior to this, but never an entire body sliced in half.



Oh! I almost forgot - that dramatic score by John Williams! Incredible!

 

I would say Vader vs. Obi Wan Kenobi is my personal favorite.

 

Anakin vs Obi-wan

 

Still to this day, Kenobi and Vader on Mustafar will always be my favorite because of how emotional it is. Two brothers clashing for survival.

 

These two duels by far are the best in the PT. They are the two hardest to discern which one is the best for me.

 

Hands down Darth Maul vs Qui-Gon and Obi Wan. The second Maul appears you know this guy isn't here to play games...he is there to kill Jedis.

 

Well said.

 

Maul vs Obi Wan & Qui-Gon. Intense from start to finish, seeing 2 people using the force in different ways Qui-Gon trying to remain calm and peaceful, Maul pacing like a raging animal. Obi-Wan's brush with the dark side using his hatred and anger when fighting Maul showing people how close the line between Dark and Light is.

Emotional and intense fight from start to finish, Maul knew only one of those 3 guys was walking away alive, unfortunately he didn't realise that it was Obi-Wan who would end up being the last man standing and not him.

 

it's tough for me between the Maul vs. Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn fight and the Vader vs. Kenobi fight, but i'll go with the first , marginally, just because its' so , I don't, beautiful in it's style

 

Obi wan vs anakin duel because it shows how two best friends all them years fight eachother and it show how obi wan doesn't want to kill anakin who turned to darth maul. This duel shows alot of emotion.

 

The entire of West Side Story isn't as choreographed as Anakin vs Obi-Wan.

 

Whilst the Maul duel is probably the best, I think I really enjoy the dooku/ anakin rematch in ROTS, it really echoes the end dual in ROTJ.

 

What disappointed me with the ROTS final duel were no real attempts made by Obi-wan to bring Anakin back to the light, I get that he could have already have viewed Anakin as a lost cause but I think it could have been an opportunity to intersperse far more dramatic dialogue in the fight than what we had, there's nothing wrong with his lines "I have failed you Anakin", "you are lost", although Anakin's lines are here are pretty poor.

The fight is still dramatic based what we know of the characters and there bond and Obi-wan leaving his friend there to burn is a great moment but I think they really missed an opportunity to make the duel overall rival Empire and Jedi's on an emotional/dramatic level.

Also what could have been an intensely emotional brutal duel turns into a highly choreographed dance scene with too much twirling and spinning. Although that may be an exaggeration on my part as I still enjoyed it overall, I just think it could have been so much more.

 

I really enjoy watching the Vader/Anakin vs Obi-Wan battle in ROTS because it displays a great deal of emotion between both characters - Obi-Wan describes Anakin as his brother and is reluctant to fight him, saying that he would rather face the Emperor, and Anakin is so twisted by the time of the duel and lets out a lot of anger, and shows how he has turned into Darth Vader and nothing can stop him. I also think the length of the battle shows that they both know each others game so well, having been partnered together for so many years, so they find it difficult to find an opening in each others defence and hence why they have to resort to such extreme manoeuvres.

I also love the battle in TPM between Maul and Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon. The Duel of Fates music which accompanies it really makes it feel intense and you can see all Maul cares about is finishing both Jedi off. I like that Maul has the double-ended lightsaber as it's not seen again during any of the other films and the way he is able to use it looks epic - It shows that he is highly skilled in combat and he probably believes that he is too, as near the end of the duel when Obi-Wan is hanging in that pit, it almost looks like Maul is toying with him, believing he is capable of finishing him off at any time.

I like both fights immensely, but I think the battle in ROTS just edges it for me because of the added emotion between the characters.

 

One of the reasons why I watch the saga from IV-III is that Yoda vs Sidious, the two biggest Force badasses in the galaxy, is too climactic a moment to happen in the middle of the narrative.

 

The Obi Wan-Anakin fight was probably the most emotional owing to the idea of betrayal and attachment. Saying that I would say the most epic fight was the Qui-Gonn, Obi Wan and Darth Maul fight. The biggest let down, in my opinion, is the Windu (with Fisto, Tiin and Kolar) against Palpatine.

 

You're so right.

Just imagine if the Jedi had gone in there prepared, like the Masters they are, and had a strategy for Palpatine. A plan to fight four against one that made us genuinely in awe of their skills and made it look like Palps couldn't possibly win. Then somehow he takes out one of them, but the odds are still against him. Then another, and suddenly it's only two against one - and he has the momentum. And the audience has the horrible realisation that he's going to win. Another Jedi goes down, and it's just Palps and Mace.

I understand Lucas wanted Palpatine to become instantly formidable with a lightsaber by taking out thrte Jedi, but it doesn't have that effect because the Jedi seem so useless in this scene that anyone could have beaten them.

It's a shame because Lucas does a great job of making them look intimidating when they approach his office, and Samuel Jackson does his best acting of the prequels - he genuinely seems fired up and angry - "The Senate will decide your fate."

And Kit Fisto looks downright scary. A far cry from the smiling, Jamaican-toned character from the spin-off media.

 

Exactly.
My issue is that they showed three highly trained Jedi Masters die almost instantly. I can understand the death of one instantly but THREE??? Absurd.

Say Palpatine jumped and took out Kolar ( if I remember correctly he went first) then the battle could continue for much longer with the immediate reactions of Tiin, Fisto and Windu.

 

Absolutely - the remaining three back off, cross blades with him but keep their distance and try to outflank him and disarm him. Fight smart, use numbers, Mace shouting out orders...and still he beats them.

 

Easily for me Maul verses Obi-Wan.

 

Obi-Wan vs. Maul is the best choreographed and most intense battle of the series.

 

Id have to say Obi wan vs Darth vader There is so much emotion in those scenes.