Every Star Wars Lightsaber Battle Ranked From Worst To Best

12. Qui-Gon Vs. Darth Maul - The Phantom Menace

Admittedly, this one's at an immediate disadvantage because it's so damn short, and it's really just a taster for what's to come later. Qui-Gon battles Darth Maul on Tatooine for all of 40 seconds before the former hitches a ride to safety, but it's an intense, visually stunning 40 seconds all the same.

Unlike most of the lightsaber battles in the Star Wars franchise, it's not shot against a crude green-screen creation or bland-looking spaceship set, but an actual, physical, real-world location, and it's all the better for it.

The clashing of fighting styles between the two is really interesting here, and it did a great job cementing how fearsome Darth Maul was, but it's a shame the fight is so damn short, and Lucas opted to shoot so much of it in pointless close-up.

Rag on this movie all you like, but seriously, how dope was that flip Maul pulled off from his speeder?