Star Wars’ lightsaber duels are among the saga's most important elements. From Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader in the original Star Wars movie to Rey vs. Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, audiences have seen dozens of lightsaber duels throughout the Skywalker saga. The technical aspects of Star Wars' lightsaber sequences only improved during those 42 years, but visual effects and cinematography are not the only things that make for an impressive lightsaber duel.

It is important to notice that this list will only include actual lightsaber duels, which implies at least two lightsabers swinging at each other. Therefore, scenes like Rey and Kylo Ren vs. Snoke’s Praetorian Guards in Star Wars: The Last Jedi or the Geonosis Battle in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones do not count. With that established, here is every lightsaber duel in a Star Wars movie, ranked from worst to best.

17 Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs. Darth Vader (A New Hope)

Star Wars’ first lightsaber duel is its worse, which means that the moviemaking techniques behind a lightsaber action sequence only got better after the original movie. As special and historical as the Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader duel at the Death Star is, the scene does not hold up from any perspective. From a technical standpoint, it is the slowest lightsaber duel in a Star Wars movie, with telegraphed moves and no sense of speed. From a lore perspective, both Darth Vader and Obi-Wan were supposed to be much stronger, which would be shown in other material like comics and animated shows.

16 Palpatine Vs. Jedi (Revenge Of The Sith)

Palpatine vs. Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar is a key moment in Revenge of the Sith, as it sees the Jedi finally realizing that the Chancellor was the Sith Lord. However, while this scene was supposed to show how powerful Palpatine was compared to the average Jedi Master, the final result was almost comical. There are barely any actual lightsaber duels before Palpatine faces Mace Windu, and all other three Jedi quickly die.

15 Anakin & Obi-Wan Vs. Count Dooku (Attack Of The Clones)

Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones was supposed to the be climax of the movie. The Phantom Menace’s Duel of the Fates set the bar high for “two Jedi against a Sith” scenes, but Attack of the Clones did not live up to the expectations. The Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Dooku fight, which quickly became an Anakin vs. Dooku duel, was far less interesting than the Darth Maul fight from Episode I, featuring a much simpler choreography. The idea was to show how fast both Anakin and Count Dooku were, but there was no sense of speed or weight in any of the moves.

14 Yoda Vs. Count Dooku (Attack Of The Clones)

Yoda vs. Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones repeats some of the problems with the Anakin vs. Dooku fight. The anticipation for Yoda’s first lightsaber duel in a Star Wars movie could not have been higher. However, much of this fight was just CG Yoda jumping around Dooku. There was almost no interaction with the surroundings; Yoda and Dooku barely left their original positions, and there was no true winner in this combat.

13 Anakin & Obi-Wan Vs. Count Dooku (Revenge Of The Sith)

Similar to Attack of the Clones, this “Anakin and Obi-Wan vs. Dooku” fight quickly becomes an Anakin vs. Dooku duel. While this scene was better than the Attack of the Clones fight, it was still too similar to Anakin and Dooku’s first lightsaber duels. The moves are quick yet boring, and neither Anakin nor Dooku gets to show their true skills. The best Anakin vs. Count Dooku fights arguably did not happen in the live-action movies but rather in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

12 Rey vs. Kylo Ren's Force Projection Duel (The Rise of Skywalker)

The Last Jedi introduced the concept of Force projection, which allowed Rey and Kylo Ren to interact even when they were not in the same location. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker used that concept to deliver a brief but interesting lightsaber duel in which Rey and Kylo were not in the same location. That said, this Force projection lightsaber duel was not as special as their The Force Awakens fight, nor as well coreographed as their second The Rise of Skywalker battle.

11 Palpatine Vs. Mace Windu (Revenge Of The Sith)

Whether Palpatine let Mace Windu win in Revenge of the Sith is one of the Star Wars prequels’ biggest mysteries. Regardless, Palpatine vs. Windu works as a dramatic moment that sets the tone for Anakin Skywalker’s betrayal and the fall of the Jedi Order as a whole. From a technical standpoint, Palpatine vs. Windu is not one of Star Wars’ best lightsaber fights. However, considering how this duel fits into the movie, it is among the most important lightsaber duels in Star Wars history.

10 Palpatine Vs. Yoda (Revenge Of The Sith)

Palpatine vs. Yoda in Revenge of the Sith repeated some of the problems with Yoda vs. Dooku. However, Yoda’s moves now worked better, and the fight was more than just the little green master jumping around the Sith Lord. For example, Palpatine and Yoda interacted with their surroundings, incorporating whatever was close to them as part of the fight. This duel highlighted that Palpatine and Yoda were roughly on the same level, and that there was no bigger threat to Palpatine than Yoda at that point.

9 Qui-Gon Jinn Vs. Darth Maul (The Phantom Menace)

Given how iconic The Phantom Menace’s Duel of the Fates scene was, it is easy to forget that Qui-Gon fought Darth Maul in Tatooine earlier in the movie. Of course, this was a much quicker fight compared to Duel of the Fates – Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber was not even revealed. Still, this brief duel set the tone for how different the movie’s fighting choreography would be compared to the original trilogy. In addition, the imagery of a Jedi fighting a Sith in the desert of Tatooine made it even better.

8 Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs. General Grievous (Revenge Of The Sith)

Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. General Grievous in Revenge of the Sith was the conclusion to a dynamic that would be retconned as a years-old rivalry in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi use his intelligence to beat an enemy much bigger than him – and that was carrying four lightsabers – was very interesting. There is not much of a lightsaber duel in this scene, but the entire sequence leading up to General Grievous’ death is a highlight of the movie.