This Video Nails What Makes the Original Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader Duel So Special

This Video Nails What Makes the Original Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader Duel So Special

A New Hope had the first lightsaber duel, and it was the foundation for everything that followed.

Full Fat Videos is a YouTuber with a lot of interest in fight scenes. Star Wars fight scenes, in particular. For his latest video essay, he tackles the originator of the form: the fight between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader in A New Hope. It’s an odd one, in that it feels, in choreography and style, very little like the other lightsaber duels in the series, even compared to the work done in the other two original films. But it’s also the duel that defined what these duels were, why they mattered, and what their role in the series could be.

As the essay points out, it’s a good thing to revisit now that the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series may very well feature another duel between Kenobi and his former apprentice. It very likely won’t look anything like this one, but regardless this one remains an essential touchstone, because, well, it’s the last one. Even if Obi-Wan isn’t trying to win the fight. Sometimes, winning is bigger than just the fight, a lesson Obi-Wan imparted early.

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This video does a great job of exploring both the duel itself and the ways it sets up what lightsaber combat would be in the series at large. If you’ve got the time, I highly recommend it.