Duels-Epic to Not so Epic

I apologize if this has been discussed. The duels in the first 5 and soon to be 6 Star Wars films are and will continue to be a very important part of GL's story telling. Whis Duels do you feel are Epic and important to the Story, which are Not so Epic?

So far in my mind the far best duel was Qui-Gon, Obi, and Maul. However, as much flash speed and beauty it is to watch I find it is not in my mind important to the furthering of the story. My least favorite of all the duels keep in mind I feel this will not change after Episode III comes out is the Obi Wan Vs Vader. However, with that being said in light of what is sure to happen I belive this is one of the more significant Duels. With all that being said which Duels do you think are important to the Story and Why? This is not a PT Vs OT Thread. And I will admit the PT Duels are visually far superior to the OT, but which ones further the story? I would like to see examples of both PT and OT for both sides!

Fire away

 

Qui-Gon Ginn & Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Maul - Episode 1

Anakin Skywalker & Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Count Dooku - Episode 2

Yoda vs. Darth Tyranus - Episode 2

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader - Episode 4

Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader - Episode 5 and 6

Basically every duel. heh.

 

Duels in order of their importance to the story


Luke/Vader, ROTJ - Obviously (to me) the most important so far. This is the site of Luke's temptation to the dark side... to fighting his own father willingly.
Obi-Wan/Vader - Gets rid of Obi-Wan, leaves Luke to fend for himself and grow as a result
Qui/Obi/Maul - Gets rid of Qui-Gon, brings Obi-Wan and Anakin together
Qui-Gon/Maul on Tatooine - Reintroduces the Sith to the galaxy
Luke/Vader, ESB - Important only because of its aftermath, not the duel itself. They didn't need to fight.
Anakin/Obi-Wan/Dooku - Important only to show Anakin's arrogance and resilience and skill.
Yoda/Dooku - Not really important, just fun.
Han/dead tauntaun - A very visually exciting lightsaber duel, but not much otherwise.


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

The most epic duel has been Luke vs. Vader. It is full of emotions and leads to Anakin's redemption.

The best duel is Qui-Gon / Obi-Wan vs. Maul. It shows the art of dueling in its best!

Damn - I cannot decide which one I like more. I believe the best is still to come - epic and emotional duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin...

 

Luke and Vader's is my favorite as well as the most epic. The moment is perfect and the music is incredible...

 

Luke vs. Vader ROTJ... everything was riding on it.

 

1. Luke/Vader in ep6- i love this, it is just a very sad scene
2. the duel in ep3
3. qui-gon/maul on tatooine
4. obi/vader ep4
5. luke/vader ep5 (important to the plot, not to the rest of the galaxy)
6. quigon/maul/obi ep1
7. yoda/dooku ep2 (shows the immense powers of both sides of the force for the 1st time, really.)
8. anakin/obi/dooku ep2- i hated that duel

just my thoughts

i think i forgot one though

 

yes the pt duels are fun to watch and bring a smile to my face. very exciting.

but the duel in ESB is exciting, and dramatic. something actually happens. two charactors face each other. reval things about each other and further the story. the dooku fight is only a showcase for yoda,and reveals dooku as a sith. not much else. tpm duel was very exciting but and did a better job of furthering the story then the dooku duel. but the obi vader of ANH while not exciting compared to the new ones reveals much about character and again is necessary to the story.

so I guess so far until ep 3 comes out this is how I rate them

1. esb luke/ vader
2.TPM obi/maul/ui gon
3.anh vader/obi
4.rotj vader/luke
5.aotc yoda/ dooku but most fun to watch

 

The two duels between Luke and Vader were the most important, in galaxy wide terms however the most important was the Anakin/Obi-wan/Yoda vs. Dooku duel.

That duel could have ended the Clone Wars before they began.

 

I have to say Luke/Vader from ESB.

Consider that Luke goes into that battle knowing he's overmatched, yet doing so because he believes it's necessary to save his friends. He's also facing the man who he saw kill Kenobi and who he believes killed his father.


The duel itself tells the story better than words can. Vader taunts and toys with Luke. Luke, on the other hand, shows periodic moments of brilliance and agility, surprising Vader with what he's learned.

Yet in the end, Vader's mastery of the Dark Side overcomes Luke's fledgeling abilities and after the momentus revelation of Luke's parentage he is faced with a choice: join his father and accept the Dark Side or remain true to the teachings of Obi-Wan and Yoda.

In the end, he succeeds where his father failed and he rejects the Dark Side.

Powerful stuff.

 

Han/dead tauntaun - A very visually exciting lightsaber duel, but not much otherwise.

ROTFLMAS!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good call Snerd.

The duel in ESB is a classic ...the odds are against him, but he must save his friends.

My favourite saber battle in terms of sheer flash, is Gonn, Kenobi.vs.Maul

Emotionally, and how it serves the story, is a tie for me;

Obviously Luke.v.Vader in ROTJ, the implications, the music, the turn etc.

And Vader.vs.Kenobi in ANH. Knowing what we now know in terms of the saga, the nobility of Obi Wan's actions and just at the end...

...That look!

The look he gives Vader is like, "Made you look" sort of thing.

...Time to get this prophecy fulfilled...etc.

With Luke being on his way to, "become a Jedi like his father". Really setting the scene for V and VI.


In my opinion anyways.

 

i really liked the Anakin, Dooku duel that was visually i thought the best one yet, it was darker and more classic than the EP1 duel with Maul and Kenobi.

 

I think the most important duel in the story is by far the Luke/Vader fight in ROTJ. The most visually exciting is Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Maul. And the most fun is Yoda/Dooku, just because. The lamest though, is Obi-Wan/Anakin/Dooku, at least visually. It was a huge letdown after the ultra-cool duel in TPM.

 

Gotta agree with some other people. I was blow away by the duel in ROTJ. It had such raw emotion and power and was projected beautifully. Mark Hamil did an excellent job portraying the emotions, and James Earl Jones... I love his voice to death! It led to Vader's return to grace and to the fact that Luke could acknowledge himself as a Jedi. That battle wasn't fought for ground, or ruling, or anything of the sort, it was fought for friends and for love, which is what I think made it so great. Luke battled for his friends, his father, and I think he picked his life as last. He fought to perserve the Alliance.

Second, I think, would go to the Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon-Maul duel. That battle was purely made for a rush. It was in TPM, which has little to offer but the fight, and that made it so much more. It was a stand out moment for me to see Obi-Wan Kenobi fighting like he did. We left off with this old dude fighting Vader who wasn't in that great condition, and we come into... Obi-Wan Kenobi v. Maul? What beauty! The fight was perfectly laid out, and everyone did a great job at performing. Nothing was forced, and it looked good.

Everything else comes under these two. The Dooku-Anakin/Obi-Wan fight was too short and dull for my liking. Dooku always had it won, you could tell it from the get-go. I didn't except him to actually lose. Yoda-Dooku was brilliant, but only because it's Yoda. We gotta give that props. The CGI department of Lucas' did a marvelous job getting him to move like that. The ESB built up what was to come in ROTJ. It gave us something to compare Luke with when we met him again in the future. We really saw how he grew with that, but the fight itself wasn't exactly stand-alone. The Vader-Obi-Wan was too slow and short and poorly done. It looked fake, and I'm not afraid to say that. It wasn't the lightsabers shorting out or anything, it just looked planned. Every other fight, to me, seems to have some sort of reality. This one was old and dull.

-Krystal

 

It was a huge letdown after the ultra-cool duel in TPM
I would disagree with that, while not my favorite...it was more in the style of lightsaber duels we'd seen in OT. I think Count Dooku's trash talking towards Obi-Wan was a return to the style of combat banter we saw in ESB (where Vader is constantly provoking Luke...go to get him to release his anger).

Having said that:
Luke/Vader ESB
Duel of the Fates TPM
YODA/Dooku AOTC (Yo da-man!)
Anakin/Dooku/Obi-Wan AOTC
Obi-Wan/Vader ANH
Luke/Vader ROTJ

While I think the ROTJ lightsaber scene had THE biggest moment of the entire saga (Anakin turns against the Emperor)...the action between Luke and Darth Vader was just plain (compared to ESB) Aside from Luke's backflip onto the cat-walk and Vader throwing his lightsaber...if I was in Palpatine's chair, I'd be like:

Come on you two...I didn't pay good money to watch two 2 wimps duke it out!

 

best story:
1.luke vs vader ep6
2.obi vs vader ep4
3.luke vs vader ep5
4.quigon and obi vs maul ep1
5.yoda vs dooku ep2
6.obi and anakin vs dooku ep2

most fun to watch
1.yoda vs dooku ep2
2.luke vs vader ep5
3.quigon and obi vs maul ep1
4.luke vs vader ep5
5.obi vs vader ep4
6.obi and anakin vs dooku ep2

 

I say 3 are epic:

1)Darth Maul VS QuiGon/Kenobi - TPM
2)Luke VS Vader - TESB
3)Luke VS Vader - ROTJ

I don't think the duels in Ep 2 were epic at all, and the duel in ANH was not epic, but rather a plot advancement.

 

I hate to be pedantic but a fight between three or more fighters is not a duel, a duel is by definition a confrontation between two adversaries only (from the Latin "duo" meaning "two")

But enough of the smartallic comments - the Vader/Luke duel in ESB is the best

 

Han/dead tauntaun - A very visually exciting lightsaber duel, but not much otherwise.

Always was my favourite!

 

1) Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul
2) Yoda vs Dooku
3) Luke vs Vader (ROTJ)
4) Luke vs Vader (ESB)
5) Qui-Gon vs Maul

 

I like how you structured your picks Darth Mace, so I'll take a page out of your book.

best story
1.Luke/Vader in ESB
2.Luke/Vader in ROTJ
3.Obi-wan/Vader in ANH, overall the duel was lacking visually, but it does move the story along for the subsequent episodes to come.

most exciting visually
1.Luke/Vader in ESB
2.Yoda/Dooku in AOTC
3.Obi-wan/Maul in TPM

But I'm hopeful that Ep. III will make me change my opinion on these picks. Perhaps after Ep. III is made, maybe we'll need to make a list of duels that should of been scrapped.

 

THE duel to me was Luke/Darth in RotJ. Not only in terms of importance to the story, but even now I think it can compete with today's various duels. That one followed closely by Luke/Darth on Cloud City. If you compare those two, it becomes very clear how much Luke had improved over time. How he managed to control his fear, anger and hatred towards Vader much better.

Of course, the PT duels are visually awesome. Qui-Gonn/Obi-Wan vs. Maul really was a smash hit. Mainly because of the double-blade and Ray Parks martial arts-like movements.

I'm no fan of Dooku. I always seem to see Saruman with a trimmed beard... But Yoda kicked ass in that duel!

I'm really looking forward to Obi-Wan/Anakin. Hopefully it'll last for 30 minutes or something!

I know it's not really a duel in the true sense of the word, but Jango/Obi-Wan wan't too shabby, was it?

Han/Tauntaun was more like a display of Han's slicing skills when he's in the kitchen. And there's Luke/Wampa.

Obi-Wan/Vader is pretty important but must be the lamest duel ever! Maybe GL should make a Special Special Edition of ANH and really work on that duel...

 

Ben Kenobi vs. Darth Vader

This battle was quite slow paced. There was no big action, and the contenders appeared as though they did not want to actually fight each other. They talked mainly, and the battling was extremely slow. It ended with Vader cutting Ben down, although Ben was in fact buying Luke time.


Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader

This battle featured a lot of emotion, but quickened the pace considerably. The fighting was very tense, and drew the watcher right in. It is clear that neither fighter is to be messed with, as they both battle well. The climax is amazing. There is a lot of emotion in this duel, like its predecessor.


Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader

Probably my favourite battle. In the beginning we have a fight not dissimilar to the last one, but then after Luke gets pushed over the edge into darkness then he goes mad, and things really start heating up. Reckless thrashes are thrown against the methodical Vader, and he is taken back by the power Luke wields. Luke almost kills Vader, but when the Emperor tries to destroy Luke, Vader turns on his master and throws him into the reactor.


Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul

Not a bad little skirmish. Not that long, but a nice look at the action to come. Both fighters are very skilled. The duel is over quickly, but there is just enough to grab your attention and leave you on the edge. Things get as flashy and fast as the battles in Empire


Qui-Gon+Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul

This is the flashiest and quickest battle so far. Two Jedi on a Sith with a double-bladed lightsabre should be easy. But Maul holds his own. Kenobi is thrown back, and Qui-Gon killed. Kenobi teases with the dark side when he fights Maul, but is thrown back again. He draws his dying masters sabre, and kills the Sith Lord.


Obi-Wan vs. Count Dooku

Obi-Wan does better against Dooku than his apprentice, holding out against him with just one lightsabre. He suffers some injury through the medium paced duel, but fights well.


Anakin vs. Count Dooku

Anakin has the benefit of two lightsabres, and uses them to throttle Dooku's defenses. He does well too, before the Count attacks and destroys one lightsabre. From that point on it is a dark battle, which ends in the Count's removal of one of Skywalkers arms.


Yoda vs. Count Dooku

Now the superior contendor here is unclear, but Yoda more or less really rocked Dooku. Dooku fights with the force and lightsabres, but Yoda cuts him off at every turn, smashing the Sith into the floor. Basically, a one-sided battle. Yoda stops fighting to save Anakin and Obi-Wan, but still won the battle.

 

Actually, I think the ANH duel will become better (in a different way) after Ep3 comesout.