As a new “Star Wars” show blasts onto Disney Plus, the news it will be lightsaber battle-free might cause a disturbance in the force. However, for fans of laser swords, we’ve picked out the best lightsaber battles every Star Wars fan should rewatch, if they need a fix.
5. Luke vs. Vader in The Empire Strikes Back
This scene has everything from great dialogue to the iconic tension between the hero and villain. It also has the line that everyone gets wrong: “No, I am your father.” You’ve probably been saying it wrong forever.
There is hardly anything as iconic as their lightsaber battle that turns into a feud between father and son. Every time you think one has defeated the other, it turns out not to be true. Luke, being a new Jedi, has to fight hard and it is evident that it’s a struggle. With epic impacts on the Star Wars franchise, this scene is a must rewatch.
4. Yoda vs. Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones
Searching through the prequels for anything that resembles gold can often be a struggle, but any glimmers of hope appear in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. This is one of the best lightsaber battles because it comes as more of a surprise. This is because the fight before it was a bit one-sided as Count Dooku overpowered both Obi-Wan and Anakin. When Yoda comes to save the day, he shows them all who the true wielder of both the lightsaber and the Force is.
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3. Darth Vader vs. the Rebels in Rogue One
Rogue One feels more like a horror movie than a sci-fi flick as the room goes dark and we hear the breathing of a monster in the shadows. Then, a lightsaber glows red and we know that whatever happens next can’t be good for the rebels. Boy, did we ever undershoot that.
This has to be one of the coolest scenes in a modern film. It has it all and then some. Evil has never been personified on the screen so well, and the sacrifice of a mission has never been so clear. The rebels gave it their all but were absolutely no match for the most badass Sith of all time.
2. Kylo Ren and Rey vs. the Praetorian Guard in The Last Jedi
Very few films split audiences and critics like the 2017 movie, The Last Jedi. From the shirtless Kylo memes to the quirky new characters nobody was quite sure if they liked or disliked, it was a strange reaction from a usually loyal fan base and a usually less-than-hopeful community of internet critics.
One thing fans and critics did agree on was the lightsaber battle that teamed up the frenemies against Snoke’s loyal guards and created an epic, memorable scene. With sabers and saber-like weapons clashing in the dark-crimson room, the battle brought about a fight that definitely keeps it on our top 5 list.
1. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace
There is no denying that The Phantom Menace is a weak movie with some laughably bad dialogue. Even so, the best lightsaber battle ever has to be the one with John Williams’ Duel of Fates going off in the background. Granted, the musical score could be playing havoc with our ratings here, but Darth Maul is a cool character and the first showing of a dark-side apprentice flipping, spinning, and whirling a double-bladed lightsaber is gold.
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Where Can I Watch Star Wars?
Luckily, each and every Star Wars movie is available on Disney Plus, so you can start streaming now and watch all of the best lightsaber battles. Aside from this list of the top 5, we could have also picked out the Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vadar duels in the recent Obi-Wan Disney Plus series. However, we already knew the outcome before they happened. That takes some of the mystery out of it, but still, it’s all worth a watch as this franchise never disappoints.