The skill levels of Jedi and Sith according to Gillard

Gillard has talked about how he created a rating system for the characters in AOTC and ROTS in terms of skills in lightsaber combat. This is how they're rated:

AOTC
Anakin - 6
Obi-Wan - 7
Mace - 9
Yoda - 9
Dooku - 9
Sidious - 9

ROTS
Anakin - 9
Obi-Wan - 8
Mace - 9
Yoda - 9
Dooku - 9
Sidious - 9

What about TPM then? Considering that it takes place ten years prior to AOTC, Obi-Wan should be a 5 or possibly a 6. Qui-Gon might be an 8. Maul? 7, possibly.
What do you think? Is this even worth discussing or am I just a boring sucker?



Lightsabers - dangerous stuff
/LM

 

Boring sucker . Doesn'tseem like I want to get into this .

 

Erm... if Sidious is a 9, I'd put Maul at 24.

 

He didn't say that mace was a 9. In fact he hinted at him being higher then that.

 

could you elaborate?

 

The Making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, page 133:

As they approach the end of the climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin, Gillard explains how he's rated the various swordsmen: "On Attack of the Clones, I had to give them levels," he says. "Sidious is a level nine[out of ten]. On this film, Obi is eight-he's moved up-Anakin is a nine; Mace is a nine, Yoda is a nine. They're up with Sidious.
Once you get to eight, you have a Pandora's box. You could go any way with it. The way not to go is the dark side. But it would tempt you, because that would jump you right past the others. So you need to arrive at level eight at the right age-not as young as Anakin. That young, the dark side is just too tempting."

I'm guessing that Anakin would have advanced to level ten if he hadn't been toasted.



Speculating is fun
/LM

 

That is some interesting information.

 

Too many nines.

I wonder what Nick would rate Cin Drallig.

 

probaly a 3

 

Too many nines.

You know, I was thinking about that and I think it's quite fitting that all the main characters are on the highest levels in the last part of the trilogy, since it's the climax. To match the level of action and drama in ROTS, they should be at the peak of their abilities.
Poor Obi-Wan, though

What I find strange, though, is that the book says that there are ten levels, while Gillard has been known to claim that nine is the highest you can get. Perhaps he changed his mind, so that there would be somewhere for Anakin to go if Obi hadn't destroyed his chances to become the most powerful Force user ever. Perhaps level ten is out of reach for everyone except the Chosen One?



Level ten is a mystery
/LM

 

When did sidious fight in AOTC?

 

He didn't.

EDIT: Why do people quote entire posts when they're just responding to parts of them? Just curious



The dark side will deceive you
/LM

 

Qui-Gon 8 and Maul 7? That does not compute. Or does this skill level-thingy take forcepowers into account as well. Argh..I'm starting to sound like a trekkie..Wait a minute! I am a trekkie!

 

No, it's all about swordsmanship(though the dark side seems to raise your fighting skills a bit).
Just because Maul beats Qui-Gon, he doesn't have to be on a higher/equal level. Obi-Wan beats Anakin(and Maul), remember? You can't predict the outcome of a battle by looking only at skills.



Spock sees you
/LM

 

I love that, such conviction, so full of truth. But then came:

Then I wonder why some people insist on being so full of it, speaking with authority about things they don't know.

But that was hilarious. Thank you for the amusement.

 

For the curious, Gillard does not reveal any Jedi who has achieved level ten. The highest is nine, occupied by a small number of capable sword masters, including Yoda and Darth Sidious. At so high a ranking, it comes down to individual fighting styles as well as the circumstances of the surroundings that make a difference.

I took it the highest revealed was 9, not that the limit is 9.


Also a factor in Gillard's development is backstory of the Jedi warriors. The training lineage does show up in the crafting of duels and action. "There's a line of training through Darth Tyranus and Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin. You can follow that line, and there's an aggressive fault in that line. Mace isn't of that line, and that allows you to give him unique talents."

Since they Nick said that, but did not say Mace was a 9, i thought he might be a 10.

I was unaware that he went into more detail in another source. I feel so ashamed of myslef, i don't spend all of my time and money on star wars, so i didn't have all of the information on the subject.

 

Gotcha.



Discussing is good
/LM

 

Yes discussion is good. I find nick''s comments interesting.

 

You're right, one cannot predict the outcome of a swordfight looking only at skill levels. However I thought Qui-Gon and Maul were pretty evenly matched and Maul beeing slightly better swordsman. Just my own view of things, ofcourse.So I'd rank Maul a bit higher but I'm a Maul fanboy ;D

 

I thought it was mentioned elsewhere (in the Clone Wars EU, I believe) how swordsmanship in the Jedi Order wasn't what it used to be.

Dooku emphasized fencing and training for fighting another lightsaber user.

Many Jedi used different forms, better for deflecting blasters, which is what they would encounter in battle 99% of the time.

2 comments:

(1) I don't think Nic was insinuating that Mace is higher than Yoda, Sidious, and Dooku; he mentions that when you're at level 9, it comes down to individual styles and the combat environment. Mace matched up better against Sidious than Yoda, and Mace had the advantage of fighting Sidious in his office, where he couldn't chuck Senate pods around.

(2) Nic leaves the way open (possibly) for some EU story where Obi-Wan gets tempted by the Dark Side.

He says when you get to Level 8, it's a "Pandora's Box", and if you're not the right age, you might be tempted to the Dark Side.

Could we see Obi-Wan being tempted at some point?

 

In that i would have to disagree with u there, i think that anakin is the most powerful out of everyone, and the sith should have higher numbers than the jedi. bc they are more powerful!

 

This isn't a ranking of force power, but of saber ability. Power factors into it a bit. Power only enhance your saber skills.

 

Mace is the only who didn't look like a 9. How could he be on the same level as Sidious? He's not. Palpatine was toying with him the whole time, letting him get the edge so he could fool Anakin into thinking Mace was the aggressor and Palpatine the victim.

It's funny how OWK is only an 8. Matt Stover keeps trying to tell us how amazing OWK is during his ROTS novelization, how OWK is the best, and then Gillard ranks him below all the main characters.

 

Who is Gillard? Is he the fight coordinator?

And why would he have ranked Sids in aotc?

 

Two things to consider:
In the fight between Maul and Qui Gon as far as power goes. Maul may have been at a lower skill level but may still have had the advantage of the double bladed sword, something Qui Gon may have never experienced.

Second, Sidious in his fight with Mace of course baited him in by relying on swordsmanship alone but........he hid the magnitude of his force power until the right moment. He could of beat Mace if he really wanted to, maybe by use of force power alone.