10 Smartest Decisions In Star Wars History

You know what's funny? When you think about it - when you really boil down Star Wars to like, its most basic elements - it's really just about a bunch of space wizards making a lot of mistakes all the time.

Whether it's the Jedi's own arrogance leading to their near-extinction or Jar Jar Binks thinking he was cut out for politics, the Skywalker Saga has largely revolved around deeply flawed characters making some truly terrible decisions.

That's not a bad thing of course - if anything it's partially what makes the saga's characters so special. As The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has said, they aren't video game characters who "level up" with each entry, and watching figures like Luke Skywalker persevere after falling has led to some of Star Wars' most compelling moments.

Further still, it's often in those moments - where characters reach a sort of epiphany - that audiences are treated to some of the saga's smartest sequences. There's many a crafty character in a galaxy far, far away, and even in the series' most action-packed occasions you can always be sure that the victor has not just outgunned or outduelled their opponent, but outwitted them as well.

There's a lot to be said about the smartest off-screen Star Wars decisions (like giving The Clone Wars a seventh season, just to name one), but when it comes to the heroes and villains of Star Wars itself, their smartest moments are well worth highlighting.

Although Revenge of the Sith is frequently regarded as the strongest of the Star Wars prequels, there's a general consensus that the conclusion to Anakin's duel with Obi-Wan on Mustafar ends a bit weirdly. As they reach the end of the lava reservoir, Kenobi jumps onto an embankment and urges Anakin not to try and duel him, as he has the high ground - a massive advantage for... reasons. (It's not really explained.)

The flaw here to most fans is that they'd seen Kenobi out-duel Darth Maul in Naboo two films ago, even when the Sith Apprentice had the high ground, so what would it matter to the Chosen One if they attempted a similar feat?

Well... that sort of answers the question, in a way. Obi-Wan's plea to Anakin not to "try it" is a direct reference to his encounter with Maul in Episode I, but whereas Maul was arrogant enough not to consider his opponent would attempt such a feat, Kenobi is way more prepared, and knew Anakin would try to replicate his heroics.

It might not be perfectly executed, but the duel on Mustafar is way more interesting once you consider the links to The Phantom Menace.