10 Most Underrated Lightsaber Duels In Star Wars History
Star Wars fans LOVE Duel of the Fates, but these other lightsaber duels deserve more praise...
Ever since we were first introduced to the lightsaber back in 1977, audiences have been hooked on the flashy, deadly light show that is a lightsaber duel.
Over the course of the Skywalker saga, the Clone Wars animated series and Star Wars: Rebels, we've seen countless clashes of these neon-bright laser-swords, and naturally, some stand out more than others (and no, I'm not talking about that time you and your cousin choreographed an epic showdown in the street).
We've all got our favourites, and while some are universally acknowledged to be utterly brilliant, others have been harshly criticised.
Star Wars boasts a fanbase that is massive in both size and in passion, and a list of this nature is bound to upset at least a handful of them, but there are many factors that contribute to a good duel.
It could be the sheer spectacle, or perhaps the emotional weight behind the scene, but no matter the criteria, it's an undeniable fact that a handful of these graceful, deadly sequences remain overlooked - or simply dismissed out of hand.
Let's take a look at some of Star Wars' most underrated lightsaber clashes.
10. Kylo Ren Vs. Luke Skywalker – The Last Jedi
Whatever your personal feelings on The Last Jedi might be, the movie's climax is unforgettable. We see Luke Skywalker face his former student Kylo Ren in front of the bunker in which the few surviving members of the Resistance are hiding.
The duel between the two is brief, but it achieves a lot more than it gets credit for from the film's harshest critics.
Firstly, it's a fight in which Luke embodies the philosophies of the Jedi Order - "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack”, Yoda taught him - and that's something that this scene got very right. Luke makes no move to attack Ren, simply dodging his attacks and gently goading him, allowing his student's anger to buy the Resistance more time to escape.
The scene draws a number of parallels between Vader and Obi-Wan's duel in A New Hope, and even after the slightly underhanded reveal that Luke was never really there, it all makes solid narrative sense.