Personality characteristics in lightsaber styles

Well, it's a classic samurai fighting position. Just a little bit...risky. Suits Anakin, since it's a power stance.

 

Still, you'd think that even he would understand that what he needs to do at that point is block blaster bolts, not attack anyone. I mean, is he just a total moron?

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

The more I read on the official site, the more I think your theory about Anakin's slope vulnerability is correct, I-poodoo.

Then again, since solojones has decided I am Freud, I will suggest another theory. In Episode III we will learn that Anakin is actually emotionally vulnerable on slopes. This is because slopes remind him of sand dunes, and sand dunes remind him of . . . Mom!

 

And of course, he doesn't like sand... but that's something that we shall try never to mention

I'd like to see a lightsabre duel in a pit of quick sand. That would be something... interesting

Question: Is Yoda's agility based more on his connection to the Force or his size? Would another Jedi (a human perhaps) be able to do the kind of stuff he does if they were atuned enough to the Force?

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I forgot about the sand...well, it's obvious now.

At the climax of their duel, Anakin suddenly leaps up onto a slope and Obi-Wan sportingly throws a handful of convenient sand into his face.

ANAKAIN - "Noooo! I hate this stuff!"

Then Obi-Wan gives Anakin his blue lightsabre, and finishes him off with Qui-Gon's old green sabre. Simple.

 

"Question: Is Yoda's agility based more on his connection to the Force or his size? Would another Jedi (a human perhaps) be able to do the kind of stuff he does if they were atuned enough to the Force?"-Solojones

Answer: on the Digital Yoda documentary of the DVD GL describes Yoda as like a frog...so from this I'd say jumping around like in his duel with Dooku that it's natural, instinctive, rather than some specific force power he was using.
Don't get me wrong, I believe he was using the Force to energize himself to help his endurance and speed-the same with Dooku too-but as far as say a human Jedi becoming the pinball of green rightousness maybe, but why would they want to when humans tend to instinctively hold their ground?

 

Here's where I get confused/upset with the 'Force speed' thing. They use it once, then it becomes aparent in so many other places that they could use it to easily do something, and it's like GL decided it wasn't such a good idea afterall. But he still kept it in the one time Because if a Jedi can move super-fast, couldn't they theoretically put mind/Force over matter and be all over the place like Yoda is?

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

It's kind of strange in e1 where Qui and Obi uses super speed to escape the droidikas, but when they are fighting Maul and get seperated, Obi just runs at normal speed to catch up!

 

I think "Jocasta Nu" addressed that point on the official site a while back. (Unless it was Steve Sansweet?) Anyway . . . the answer was that Obi-Wan was too exhausted to do an ultra-fast Force run at that point.

You see? He wasted all his energy bouncing up and down.

 

Nah, it was all the force-assisted jumping to reach Gui-gonn and Maul again that exhausted Obi.

 

No, it was definitely his ADD induced extra twirling and bopping up and down

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Plus, he had been kicked in the head several times. That probably affects your ability to concentrate

 

Not to mention Maul was one scary looking guy to fight with.

I wouldn't have blamed Obi-wan if there was some slight...shall we say..."hesitation" to catching up with him and Qui-gonn
But seriously it's one of those times where plot is served before logic and you just gotta swallow it down.

Now back on topic, we've covered all the big guys...so let's start on some of the background Jedi Aotc.

Plo Koon-I've read a couple references that he's one of the best Jedi lightsaber duelists. So I wonder what style does he use, any eagle eyed fan seen him in the background of the arena battle
No, how about: Ayla Secura or Ki Adi Mundi

I think Coleman Trebor's one of those cocky jedi Yoda mentioned before...he did run up to Dooku only to get shot by Jango

 

Plo's my favourite of the "B-Team" Jedi, but you never get to see him swing a sabre in anger in AOTC

 

I had a sudden revelation (or maybe not) yesterday. I was thinking about how when my friends and I 'battle' with fake lightsabres (shut up) we tend not to hit them against each other very hard. Which got me to thinking about when they coreograph these fights, do they really put their whole strength into it? Now, we know Ewan is quite zealous and smacks the crap out of those metal rods (but behold the power of fiberglass!), but what about Hayden. I need to watch some behind the scenes stuff for AOTC again to see. Because I was thinking one of the reasons he is able to look so graceful might be because he's not hitting extremely hard with them, but rather kind of letting them bounce off more easily.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Well the beauty of lightsabers is that it doesn't matter how hard you swing it it will still cut through anything-like those ginyu knives on TV-

Yes, we know Ewan's really zealous in bending those lightsaber rods, but Hayden...There's this one point on the DVD bonus features (the action featurette-I think) where he's practicing a swing while Nick Gillard watches and he swings it pretty hard...so, I'd say yes Hayden is almost just as zealous as Ewan at it.

 

See I don't recall the features. But that's a good point about lightsabre you make there. Really, you don't have to swing them hard usually because they will cut through most anything easily. So anyone who is swinging them hard is probably losing their temper or trying to overpower someone.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I think the official site has mentioned that Hayden shattered Ewan's saber prop while filming, so I would say that Hayden is also swinging hard. My guess is that both Ewan and Hayden are pretty competitive, so EP3's duel should be pretty fast and savage. I can't wait!

People have wondered about how Obi-Wan will beat Anakin, talked about whether we might see new/different types of lightsaber styles, and questioned what event might finally bring about The Duel. I suggest that AOTC has given us a clue to all these things: Obi-Wan's drinking. I think that Anakin will spill Obi's drink in a bar, and Obi-Wan will go for him in a drunken rage. We will see that Drunken Kenobi is a force to be reckoned with as he staggers around cussing and hitting on waitresses while battling The Chosen One, drink in one hand, saber in the other, perhaps a cocktail umbrella threaded through his hair. If you've ever spilled a Scottsman's drink, you know that even Anakin's fate would be sealed by such an act.

 

A cocktail umbrella threaded through his hair! Now it all becomes clear.

Shattered fiberglass lightsabres? *shakes head* Apparently some people haven't grown up yet. And yet we trust them to act out the greatest duel ever.

Honestly, I don't see where people think 'how could Obi-Wan beat Anakin'. Sure, Anakin has more raw skill. But Obi-Wan is far superior as a Jedi. Anakin never took the opportunity to learn what he could have about lightsabre combat, and as a result ends up being subpar to what he should be. I have no doubt that it will be a very tough, close fight. Perhaps Anakin is very capable of beating Obi-Wan, and it just comes down to Obi-Wan being able to maintain the level of integrity in fighting that he has which ends up always overcoming Dark Side tactics (see TPM, ROTJ)

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I remember one of the Jedi Council at the official SW site once mentioned lightsabre practise injuries caused during filming for AOTC and TPM.

Mainly broken fingers...Ewan definitely had a couple...and I'm pretty sure Nick Gillard accidently dinged Sam Jackson in the head at one point.

Anyone know of this information?

 

DamonD, here is a question to and answer from Nick Gillard in the OS "Ask the Jedi Council":

QUESTION: "Has anybody (Ewan, Liam, Hayden, etc.) ever gotten whacked really hard during a lightsaber fight?"

NICK GILLARD: "So far, Ewan has broken two of my fingers, I broke one of Hayden's, and Sam Jackson hit me in the head, twice..."

 

Ahh, thank you very much, honour.
Looks like I mixed up the Jackson/Gillard part, there

 

Cool fight, isn't it?

Some people thought that Dooku was doing rather well against Yoda (a few even think he would've won if it carried on), but I always thought Dooku was fighting with much less offense than against Obi-Wan and Anakin.

His style of defence, though, is beautiful. It's an almost ritualistic series of moves, like a series taught at a fencing school designed to provide maximum coverage and protection.

Hey, we're nearly up to 150 posts here

 

"Some people thought that Dooku was doing rather well against Yoda."-Damon D

That's the one thing I'd have really liked to change in AotC. I'd have Yoda cut in two Dooku's lightsaber at the end-right at the "You have fought well my old Padawan" line-if I had been George just as a way making it obvious Yoda was winning.

"Dooku's style of defence, though, is beautiful. It's an almost ritualistic series of moves, like a series taught at a fencing school designed to provide maximum coverage and protection."-DamonD

That pretty much in keeping with what we know of Dooku's style-Form II a fencing style developed by the Jedi during the Sith wars-ironic a sithlord's using it to defeat Jedi a thousand years later-designed to outmanuever your opponent. Of course Yoda counters that by being more outmanueverable than Dooku. So naturally he had to go on the defensive with all that fancy-looking total coverage twirling of his saber.
I can't count the number of times I've seen that scene, but recently I've noticed that Dooku is the one giving ground. Of course it's not like Yoda holds the ground he forces Dooku to give, but he does make Dooku back off throughout, and that's the only thing I've seen to point out just who's winning until the end.