Over the years, Star Wars has done many things right and many things wrong, but one of the things the creators always manage to do right is a fight scene that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether blasters are firing in every direction or it’s a one-on-one lightsaber duel, Star Wars never disappoints when it comes to epic showdowns. Let’s take a look at the best Star Wars fight scenes.
1. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader – A New Hope (Star Wars SC 38 Reimagined)
While some fans might enjoy the slowness of this fight scene, others found the original fight between master and apprentice incredibly underwhelming and slow, with a lot of circling a very few swings between the characters as you waited for the energy to pick up.
After rewatching A New Hope and deciding that the vital duel should have more energy, one fan, whose channel is appropriately named FXitinPost, decided to turn the slow dance between Kenobi and Vader into a high-energy battle reminiscent of their first duel on Mustafar. The tenseness builds from the moment you see Vader and Kenobi preparing their lightsabers for what both know will be their last duel—the two exchange dialogue, and Vader swings and Kenobi.
The two exchange blows, cutting into walls and through Force-thrown objects. You can see Vader’s anger and aggression in the way he swings his lightsaber and throws Obi-Wan around. Kenobi actually looks like he’s fighting for his life.
As the duel comes to an end, you can hear bits of dialogue from the Mustafar duel, and Vader finally cuts down his old master. This is one of the best fights, and it’s not even canonically part of the Star Wars franchise.
2. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader – Revenge of the Sith
This epic fight is one of the most heartbreaking duels in all the Star Wars movies. Master and apprentice face each other as enemies for the first time in the lava rivers of the planet Mustafar. While the dialogue isn’t always fantastic, the speed at which Kenobi and Anakin swing their lightsabers is so incredible you sometimes forget that Hayden Christensen and Ewen McGregor are actually this fast with their lightsabers.
An angry, misguided, overconfident Anakin tries to swing, kick and choke his way to victory. In contrast, a desperate, duty-driven Kenobi tries to find his padawan somewhere in the man he is fighting. As their duel comes to its tragic end, Kenobi makes the difficult decision to leave his brother burning on the edge of the lava lake. You can see the pain in Kenobi’s eyes as he turns away from the man he no longer recognises and anger in Vader’s as he swears vengeance against his master for what he has done to him.
While heartbreaking, it remains one of the best fight scenes in the Prequel Star Wars Trilogy.
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Vader – Kenobi
Their final fight in Kenobi was one of the best lightsaber duels in Star Wars. The anticipation for this fight had been building since fans first saw Vader drag Kenobi through fire.
Obi-Wan has become much more confident and sure of himself since the beginning of the series. He faces his former padawan without hesitation or the emotional distress he felt during their battle on Mustafar. He has come to understand his duty and will do what he must to ensure the safety of the galaxy and the survival of the remaining Jedi.
Vader starts confident, using only one hand to fight his former master, while Kenobi starts clumsily, a bit slow on his feet as he struggles to find himself and just manages to avoid Vader’s swings with desperate rolls that don’t quite land.
As Kenobi grows more confident in his abilities and more accepting of his duty, Vader sees him as an equal and places both his hands on his lightsaber, better readying himself for Kenobi’s attacks and impressed by the strength Kenobi is showing.
Vader’s anger is prominent halfway through the fight when he starts throwing columns of rock onto his master as if to bury the past and the man he once was. Obi-wan returns with the strength and confidence of the Jedi Knight he once was, eventually breaking through the armour of his former padawan and laying his eyes on the man behind the mask.
For a moment, as the blue light from Obi-wan’s weapon shines on Anakin’s face, it feels like his padawan is comforting his old master by telling him that Vader had killed Anakin. Then the red of Vader’s blade dominates, and the Sith Lord swear he will destroy Kenobi.
Obi-Wan finally accepts that his friend is dead and leaves a struggling Vader to scream after him.
This is definitely one of the best Star Wars fight scenes of all time.
4. Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Darth Maul – The Phantom Menace
This was the first time fans could see how epic lightsaber fights could be. The stakes of the duel are brought significantly higher when they are backed by John Williams’ Duel of the Fates, which begins as the doors open to reveal Maul and picks up as he ignites his double-bladed lightsaber.
Kenobi is the first to fly at Maul, and the three force-wielders engage in what quickly became one of the most epic Star Wars showdowns. Maul effortlessly takes on Master and Padawan, kicking one or the other to the side to easier deal with them.
Maul barely makes a noise during the entire fight, staring down both Jedi and prowling like an impatient cat until he finally gets the opportunity to kill them. After Qui-Gon dies, Obi-wan comes out aggressive and ready to kill Maul before finally using his master’s weapon to cut Maul in half.
5. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Adi Gallia vs Darth Maul and Savage Opress – Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Darth Maul returns in The Clone Wars with mechanical spider legs to replace what was lost in The Phantom Menace and joins forces with his long-lost brother. The two are determined to get revenge on Darth Sidious and the Jedi and eventually cross paths with Kenobi, who believes he can take on the Sith lord as he did before.
Unfortunately, the brothers manage to overpower him, and Kenobi is forced to team up with Asajj Ventress to stand some sort of chance against the brothers. The battle between the four is chaotic and quick, with Maul constantly taunting Kenobi about the death of his former master. The two switch between brothers until Kenobi retrieves his lightsaber, and the unlikely allies make their escape, leaving the brothers stranded.
6. Ahsoka Tano vs Darth Maul – The Clone Wars
The fight between Ahsoka and Maul is one of the best duels ever created. Leading the Republic forces to take Mandalore back, Ahsoka arrives to fight Maul. However, before their fight begins, Ahsoka asks him what he wants with Anakin, and he tells her that he will kill Skywalker to stop him from becoming Palpatine’s new apprentice. He gives Ahsoka the option to join him, but she refuses, adamant she knows Anakin and that her former master will never fall.
The fight was done with motion capture, and the choreography is incredible. The background music, combined with both Force-wielders skills and Ahsoka’s determination, brings tension to the fight, with many viewers on the edge of their seats no matter how many times they watch it.
The fight’s end is chilling. Before Maul can fall to his death, Ahsoka catches him with the Force. He desperately begs her to let him go. To let him die. As Ahsoka’s forces arrive to take him away, he screams, “You’re all going to burn! We’re all going to die! You don’t know what you’re doing!” before he’s finally knocked out by one of the clones.
His harsh screams stick with you for a while after the episode ends.
7. Ahsoka Tano vs Darth Vader – Star Wars: Rebels
This is one of the most emotional lightsaber battles in the Star Wars franchise, sitting on the same level as the duel on Mustafar. After years of not seeing her master following the events of Revenge of the Sith, Ahsoka finally sees what Anakin has become.
She spends portions of the fight trying to reason with him and bring him to the light, but she soon realises all that remains of her former mentor and friend is his anger. She manages to cut off a chunk of his mask and is about to leave him to his fate when he calls out her name, halting her in her tracks.
For a moment, the master and Padawan stare at each other through the past, remembering who they once were, then Vader comes back, and Ahsoka is forced to continue fighting her friend.
This is definitely one of the best Star Wars fight scenes of all time.
8. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Count Dooku – Revenge of the Sith
This duel is one of the most crucial battles in Star Wars and the beginning of Anakin’s fall to the dark side.
Obi-Wan and Anakin arrive to rescue Palpatine and find themselves fighting Count Dooku. While Obi-wan easily deals with the super battle droids that came in with Palpatine, Dooku quickly knocks him to the side, leaving Anakin to face him alone.
As Dooku knees at Anakin’s feet, handless and unable to do anything, Palpatine demands he kill the Sith lord. Then, Dooku realises he’s been just as much of a pawn as Anakin. Anakin hesitates to kill Dooku, but further prompting forces his hand. Much to Palpatine’s annoyance, he immediately regrets it and slightly redeems himself by refusing to leave Obi-Wan behind.
9. Kylo Ren and Rey vs the Praetorian Guards – The Last Jedi
While the sequel trilogy had its issues, the fights weren’t one of them and are actually one of the best parts of the movies.
For a few moments, it seems like Kylo Ren has turned away from the Dark side, having just saved Rey by killing Supreme Leader Snoke. He and Rey then work together to battle Snoke’s elite team of Praetorian guards, battling back-to-back.
Finally, every guard lies dead, and the two stand in the destroyed room, all issues seemingly rectified until Rey tries to convince Kylo Ren to come home. He then declares himself the Supreme Leader and asks Rey to join him. She refuses, and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber is broken in the exchange.
10. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader vs Emperor Palpatine – Return of the Jedi
The final duel in the original trilogy is one of the most critical moments in the franchise as it shows how firm Luke’s resolve against the Dark side is and acts as Darth Vader’s turn towards the light. After almost succumbing to his anger, Vader and Luke fight one last time, during which Vader sense Leia’s connection to the Force and suggests that she could be corrupted. Luke lets his anger overtake him momentarily and defeats Vader by cutting off one of his hands, but he refuses to turn from the light.
Palpatine is angered by the fact that Luke will not turn and begins to electrocute him so that he can destroy the Jedi once and for all. However, Vader refuses to let his son die at the hands of the man who has already taken everything from him and sacrifices himself to save Luke, finally turning away from the Dark side.
11. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Jango Fett – Attack of the Clones
Jango Fett’s fight with Kenobi in Episode II is one of the most entertaining fights in the prequel trilogy, as most fans spend the fight switching between wanting Obi-Wan to win and Wanting Jango to win.
While trying to make a quick departure from Kamino, Jango Fett is attacked by Kenobi, who plans to take the mysterious bounty hunter into custody. While the Mandalorian flies around the landing pad and uses various weapons to take out the Jedi, Kenobi does his best to evade fire from Fett and his son.
Jango Fett is one of the few non-Force-sensitive characters who held their own against a Jedi Knight. So it’s unfortunate that he loses his head to Mace Windu a little while later.
12. Darth Vader’s Hallway Scene – Rogue One
While less of a fight and more of a massacre, the Hallway scene from Rogue One has become one of Darth Vader’s most iconic fights. For a moment, all you can hear is his breathing as the music quiets down. Then his lightsaber ignites, and chaos erupts.
It’s one of the scarier Darth Vader scenes as you see him cutting through rebellion soldiers like they’re paper. But, on the other hand, it’s almost funny watching them try and take on a Sith Lord who throws them around like rag dolls and drags them across the ceiling, seemingly for fun.
While they’re all running around and panicking as they try to get the Death Star plans to Princess Leia, Vader’s just slowly marching through them.
13. Master Yoda vs Darth Sidious
This heavily CGIed fight is over-the-top in all the right ways. After most of the Jedi have been killed by Order 66, the leader of the Sith and the leader of the Jedi meet for what should be one of the greatest duels in the trilogy. Sidious knocks Yoda down with Force-lightning and the two battle with their lightsabers.
When Yoda proves too quick with his weapon, Palpatine throws Senate seats at Yoda. While the Jedi master struggles against this attack at first, he eventually starts throwing them back at Palpatine, who stops his cackling long enough to jump out of the way.
Evenly matched and unable to defeat the other, Yoda retreats to the forests of Dagobah, where he will remain in exile until Luke Skywalker comes to him for training. This is definitely one of the best Star Wars fight scenes of all time.
14. Din Djarin vs the Krayt Dragon – The Mandalorian
There are several epic fights in The Mandalorian, from Din’s fight on the Prison Ship to his and Paz Vizsla’s duel for the Darksaber, and each does an excellent job of showing off the Mandalorian’s tactical skills and strength. However, none come close to his fight with the Krayt Dragon.
On the desert world Tatooine, Din meets the marshall of Mos Pelgo and agrees to take out the Krayt dragon in exchange for the Mandalorian armour he wears (which belongs to Boba Fett). The Mandalorian enlists the help of a tribe of Tusken Raiders, and together with the villagers of Mos Pelgo, they work to lay a trap for the best that has been terrorising them.
The Krayt Dragon is not easy to take down, and it takes Din Djarin to be temporarily swallowed, and a well-timed explosion eventually takes the beast out. The fight was stressful for the characters and the audience, most of which sat on the edges of their seats as they waited for the dragon to eat an explosive-covered Bantha.
What do you think are the best Star Wars fight scenes of all time?
Also, read our list of the 20 Strongest & Most Powerful Star Wars Characters and why Guardians of the Galaxy Tells The Best Disney Star Wars Story.
